A Bolder Family
A Bolder Family
of Brands
Three doorways into the devotion that creativity is born of connection & flourishes in community.
Hi, I’m Jen
The human behind the brands.
Hello, I’m glad you are here. I am a teacher, and artist, and scholar, and leader, and mother, and friend, and then some. I’ve lived a far-reaching career, and I’m excited to give back to building the field of the future in this next chapter.
the KOAN method
A lifetime, synthesized.
In 2023, I synthesized decades of scholarship and practice into a method that sits at the edge of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge science. I call it the KOAN method and it argues two things: that the ability to sit with a question longer than is comfortable — in the fashion of a zen koan — is an underdeveloped leadership artform; and that clinging to rigid structures no longer aligned with our purpose works against that very purpose, while building Kind, Open, Adaptive Networks gives us the flexibility to adapt with the changing tides.
…and then, as life does, it offered me the opportunity to live my own medicine.
A Year of Tsunamis
Disruption, Dislocation, Discernment.
After a lifetime of scholarship, leadership, and client work all over the world, I spent nearly a decade running Integrated Work alongside a team of amazing humans — doing work that mattered with mission-driven leaders all across the country. When the context for the work changed, we faced a choice: try to hold onto the vessel, or double down on the mission. We chose the latter.
If you want the longer arc, I’ve been writing about it in pieces over the last few months:
The star map
A KOAN laboratory.
Over this last year, everything I first distilled into the KOAN method has been my guiding star — carrying me through hard moments, reinforcing the wisdom of tough decisions, and showing me that another way is not only possible, but already on her way.
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”— Arundhati Roy
Discernment
Where is the future already breathing?
What wants our time and attention now? What fields are forming?
Here are three doors into the rooms where the genuinely new can happen — where radical encounters with otherness do their work. None is meant to be complete; each can be enjoyed alone or together.
A Bolder Family · one purpose, three doorways · pick yours
jenniferlynsimpson.com · aboldervision.com · brainbenderbook.com