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Yarrow Durbin

Certifications and Assessments

Integral Coaching (New Ventures West)
Leadership Circle Profiling Instruments
Conflict Dynamics Profile
EQ in Action Assessment
Immunity to Change
Polarity Management Consultant

Yarrow Durbin

she/her

Since 2006, Yarrow has been the principal and owner of CourageWork LLC, an organization focused on helping individuals and teams facing complex challenges to strengthen their smarts and hearts. Since 2000 she has led retreats based on the work of Dr. Parker J. Palmer, whose international Courage & Renewal movement invites people in all professions to join soul and role in living a life of service, courage, and integrity and commitment to justice.

Most recently she has led a 6-year leadership development and coaching program in Northshore Schools, helping central office (in both the instruction and operations)  and building leaders navigate complex changes and implement an equity agenda.  Her focus is on providing leaders tools to lead for equity, develop high functioning teams, hold powerful conversations with candor and kindness, manage polarities, continually learn and self-assess, and become efficient at prioritizing what is most important. That program has expanded to work with educational leaders in the NWESD #189 region and Mukilteo Schools. She also coaches individual equity-oriented leaders in various schools and organizations across the NW.

She is a trainer with the not-for-profit organization Class Action, offering workshops exploring the intersection of race and class and the impact of visible and invisible privilege on our communities and organizations.  She does extensive work with teams and organizations to rebuild trust and common purpose. As a certified Polarity Management Consultant, she focuses on helping individuals and groups recognize the difference between problems that can be solved and polarities (positive opposites) that can never be solved, but can tapped to release the latent positive energy behind conflict and disagreement.

She is a certified Integral Coach, working with individuals to integrate heart, mind, and body, a workshop presenter, and meeting/retreat facilitator. She graduated from the Kegan & Lahey Immunity to Change Coaching Program at (Harvard University), She is certified in The Leadership Circle Profiling instruments, the Conflict Dynamics Profile, the EQ in Action assessment, and has done extensive training in the use of the Enneagram in coaching. She has completed several trainings in facilitating conversations around race and has been a consultant in this area to the Diversity Director in Northshore schools.  Her passion is helping people who care deeply for their organizations, communities, and planet rekindle their sense of authenticity, purpose and aliveness in service of social justice and equity.

She has led trainings, coaching sessions, retreats and workshops on conflict, difficult conversations, working with difficult behaviors, Immunity to Change, and related topics with organizations and teams in law, medicine, education at the early childhood, K-12, and university levels, social services, mental health and corporate settings. She teaches mindfulness/ meditation classes at Monroe Prison as a volunteer with The Freedom Project.

Integral Coaching (New Ventures West)
Leadership Circle Profiling Instruments
Conflict Dynamics Profile
EQ in Action Assessment
Immunity to Change
Polarity Management Consultant

Professional Highlights

Yarrow has servedour large department as a retreat facilitator, team trainer, and leadership coach. Her workhas been life changing for our department and those we serve.

Ellen Kahan (Assistant Superindendent, Edmonds School District)