KATIA SOL
Katia Sol, PhD, is passionate about helping individuals cultivate the personal shifts that in turn enable them to transform their lives, their communities, and the world. Katia is a Co-Director for the Ecology of Leadership programs.
Katia has spent the last 20 years facilitating educational, international development, and leadership programs in more than 30 countries and with several First Nations around the world. Her work in this area began with her own transformative shift at the age of 17, which awakened her global consciousness and soon led her to Bolivia, South America, for a year of volunteer work in a rural Indigenous community. She returned to undertake a bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies at Stanford University, while continuing to regularly travel overseas to countries including Brazil, Nepal, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa, and several areas in the Caribbean and Europe, focusing on the areas of education, culture, and development. While at Stanford, Katia also began facilitating intercultural and interracial dialogue groups, the transformative impact of which became the subject of her master's degree in education.
After graduating in 2000, Katia departed for Israel to work with the International Teaching Centre, where she focused on education and training projects around the world. Katia's service path next led her to Calgary, Alberta, to work for Ghost River Rediscovery, a Canadian Aboriginal organization founded on principles of cultural rediscovery and reconnection to oneself, to the land, and to all people. As coordinator for their Youth Leadership Program, she helped grow the organization from one annual exchange project to six full-scale international education and development projects around the world. During this time she also participated in and became an alumni facilitator for Leadership Calgary.
In 2006, Katia began working on her PhD in Comparative, International and Development Education and the Dynamics of Global Change, through the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. For this work she was named a William E. Taylor fellow, in additional to receiving several other prestigious grants and awards. She is the author of several publications and has taught university courses in the areas of Aboriginal Studies, International Development Studies, and Comparative Education and Transformative Education. She has also worked as an adjunct faculty member in the International Education Management program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies at Monterey Bay.
It was Katia's search to find innovative and leading edge models of transformative education that brought her into contact with RDI and the Ecology of Leadership program (watch the story of that journey here). Katia worked closely with James Stark and Christopher Kuntzsch to document and explore the transformative elements of the program. Through participatory action research, in-depth alumni interviews, sharing circles, arts-based documentation, and surveys, Katia helped to capture and tell the story of how the Ecology of Leadership is transforming individuals' lives as well as transforming their relationships, organizations, and communities. She completed the PhD in 2013. Growing out of this collaboration, Katia's involvement evolved naturally to her current role as a co-director and member of the leadership team for the program.
Katia holds additional certifications in Cultivating Women's Leadership, Emotional Healing and Community Renewal (a year-long counselling training program), Leadership and Outdoor Education, and Awakening the Divine Feminine. Her primary areas of expertise include transformative learning, group facilitation, indigenous wisdom practices, experiential education, leadership development, and spirituality and global change. She also loves music, yoga, nature connection, building intentional communities, and spending time with her three children, ages 1, 11, & 14, and is dedicated to cultivating her own authentic heart-centered leadership.
Find out more about Katia on her website or by email.
Katia has spent the last 20 years facilitating educational, international development, and leadership programs in more than 30 countries and with several First Nations around the world. Her work in this area began with her own transformative shift at the age of 17, which awakened her global consciousness and soon led her to Bolivia, South America, for a year of volunteer work in a rural Indigenous community. She returned to undertake a bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies at Stanford University, while continuing to regularly travel overseas to countries including Brazil, Nepal, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa, and several areas in the Caribbean and Europe, focusing on the areas of education, culture, and development. While at Stanford, Katia also began facilitating intercultural and interracial dialogue groups, the transformative impact of which became the subject of her master's degree in education.
After graduating in 2000, Katia departed for Israel to work with the International Teaching Centre, where she focused on education and training projects around the world. Katia's service path next led her to Calgary, Alberta, to work for Ghost River Rediscovery, a Canadian Aboriginal organization founded on principles of cultural rediscovery and reconnection to oneself, to the land, and to all people. As coordinator for their Youth Leadership Program, she helped grow the organization from one annual exchange project to six full-scale international education and development projects around the world. During this time she also participated in and became an alumni facilitator for Leadership Calgary.
In 2006, Katia began working on her PhD in Comparative, International and Development Education and the Dynamics of Global Change, through the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. For this work she was named a William E. Taylor fellow, in additional to receiving several other prestigious grants and awards. She is the author of several publications and has taught university courses in the areas of Aboriginal Studies, International Development Studies, and Comparative Education and Transformative Education. She has also worked as an adjunct faculty member in the International Education Management program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies at Monterey Bay.
It was Katia's search to find innovative and leading edge models of transformative education that brought her into contact with RDI and the Ecology of Leadership program (watch the story of that journey here). Katia worked closely with James Stark and Christopher Kuntzsch to document and explore the transformative elements of the program. Through participatory action research, in-depth alumni interviews, sharing circles, arts-based documentation, and surveys, Katia helped to capture and tell the story of how the Ecology of Leadership is transforming individuals' lives as well as transforming their relationships, organizations, and communities. She completed the PhD in 2013. Growing out of this collaboration, Katia's involvement evolved naturally to her current role as a co-director and member of the leadership team for the program.
Katia holds additional certifications in Cultivating Women's Leadership, Emotional Healing and Community Renewal (a year-long counselling training program), Leadership and Outdoor Education, and Awakening the Divine Feminine. Her primary areas of expertise include transformative learning, group facilitation, indigenous wisdom practices, experiential education, leadership development, and spirituality and global change. She also loves music, yoga, nature connection, building intentional communities, and spending time with her three children, ages 1, 11, & 14, and is dedicated to cultivating her own authentic heart-centered leadership.
Find out more about Katia on her website or by email.
TESTIMONIALS
“I appreciate Katia for the model she offers for being a multidimensional woman: mother, teacher, healer, facilitator, giver. In so many ways Katia offered so much caring…calling to check in and offer support. She also offers skillful wisdom and insight, and so much love.”
“Caring, compassionate and aware.”
“Your insights and gentle care for this circle have been truly inspiring.”
“Very in tune with each individual person’s process. Wonderful job providing support. Radiating kindness. Very much appreciated your follow-up with myself and others.”
“What you add to the EOL process is too much and too important for the room in which I have to write here. I will follow up with a more fully expressed email reflecting your gorgeous, brilliant, up-leveling contributions. I will say that at the risk of being aspirational, you model many of my highest dreams for being/presence, skill, mind, expression, what you’re up to in the world.”
“Such articulation and heart. You so easily demonstrate how to make an intimate connection, from the first group activity. Such love.”
“I love your balancing feminine energy Katia – caring, nurturing, curious."
“I’m grateful for your nurturing love, your keen perception of what is needed now and next, for your willingness to go beyond and provide what others need.”
“Awareness of differing energies in the large group, honing in on and caring for individuals in “crisis”, speaking up on behalf of a minority opinion/desire and making room for that energy to remain present.”
“Your curiosity and willingness to ask questions of people really deepened and enriched the process. I saw you care for many people individually and draw them out – what a great strength. Wonderful expression and vulnerability.”
“Dearest Katia, Your balance of grace and strength is such a gift by bringing the feminine to balance the masculine. Your professional skill and continual monitoring of our hearts and our energy brings a vital element to this beautiful team and I am grateful.”
“Your keen awareness of the group, individual needs and concerns demonstrated the power of holding and with clear boundaries. I always felt safe and would soften and open sensing your awareness of the village needs.”
“Thank you for your sweet, feminine, motherly, nurturing energy.”
“Wonderful gentle container holding and modeling of co-facilitation and modeling in general!”
“You are the queen of inclusion! Thank you for those senses of yours.”
“Smiles, holding a loving energy in the room. Perception and intuition as to the needs of the circle.”
“Heartful, compassionate soul.”
“Goddess of Grace – Thank you for your poetic offerings – for holding space and honoring all of us with your beauty, tremendous heart, earth mother energy, and seeing the glimmers of possibility in all of us.”
