Virtual Forum: Inner Work, Outer Change
2025-09-22 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
Mapping the Field of Spiritually Informed Social Change
A Garrison Institute Webinar with Steve Varley and Gretchen Steidle

Join the Garrison Institute’s Managing Director Steve Varley and Gretchen Steidle, Director of our Spirituality & Social Change Initiative, for a dynamic conversation exploring the powerful relationship between contemplative inner work and meaningful outer transformation. This webinar offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Garrison Institute’s bold new initiative to map, connect and learn from the diverse, inspiring organizations across the United States and world that are integrating spiritual practice for social and environmental change.
Together, Steve and Gretchen will reflect on what the Garrison Institute is learning from this expansive research and convening — how inner transformation illuminates social change, where the boundaries of the “field” are growing, and how the shared language of spirit and service is being reimagined by communities at the forefront. The session will include a live demonstration of the Spirituality & Social Change Map, an interactive tool open to the public that invites users to explore this evolving field and discover opportunities for connection, collaboration, and collective insight, along with an opportunity for participant Q&A.
Practitioners of all levels who are curious about the intersection of contemplative practice and social change will find in this webinar an opportunity to participate in the weaving of this emerging narrative rooted in wholeness, relationality, and purpose.

Zoom links will be emailed within 24 hours of registration. Please contact us at events@garrisoninstitute.org with questions.

SPEAKERS

Radha Ruparell, Head of Global Leadership Accelerator, Teach for All: Radha Ruparell is a global cross-sector expert in personal transformation and collective leadership, having worked with CEOs, Fortune 500 executives, social entrepreneurs, and grassroots leaders around the world. She heads the Global Leadership Accelerator at Teach For All, a growing movement spanning 60+ countries and tens of thousands of locally rooted, globally informed leaders committed to ensuring all children can fulfill their potential. Radha also serves as a Chief Learning Officer for the Global Institute for Shaping a Better Future where she focuses on inner leadership and system-wide change. Previously, Radha was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising CEOs and senior executives on growth strategy, organizational transformation, and innovation. Her work in global health included pioneering public-private partnerships that expanded access to essential medicines for millions of children across Asia and Africa. She is also the co-founder of Y2Y (Youth to Youth), the largest movement of young leaders bringing innovative ideas to the World Bank. Radha holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Open Future Institute and has served on the Nationswell Council, a nationwide network of changemakers and thought leaders. Radha also hosts a monthly talk series with global leaders the People First Community, a cross-sector coalition advocating for a new paradigm of leadership to advance sustainable development. Radha is the author of Brave Now and co-editor of What Leadership We Need Now? Her ideas have been featured in publications such as Forbes, CEO World, OECD Forum, & Greater Good Science Center. She speaks frequently on topics of personal transformation, system change, collective leadership, healing & leading for a new future.

Gretchen Ki Steidle is the Founder and President of Circles for Conscious Change, a transformative education firm working with social entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and corporations on the use of mindfulness as a design tool for social innovation. Gretchen is also the founder and President of Global Grassroots, an international organization that operated a social venture incubator and mindful-leadership program for women and girls in East Africa. She has an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth and a BA in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.
Gretchen is author of Leading from Within: Conscious Social Change and Mindfulness for Social Innovation (MIT Press, 2017) and lectures and teaches on mindfulness and social change worldwide. A certified Integrative Breathworker, Gretchen has been delivering breath-based therapeutic practices, resilience training, and trauma healing since 2002 to a range of individuals globally, including survivors of and first responders to war and mass disaster. Her workshops have been offered at institutions including the Skoll World Forum, Omega Institute, Kripalu Institute, Wellbeing Project, AshokaU Exchange, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and University of Virginia, among others.
In 2007, Gretchen was honored by World Business Magazine and Shell as one of the top International 35 Women Under 35. She was recognized in 2010 as a CNN Hero volunteering in Haiti after the earthquake. She was chosen in 2011 as one of seven Remarkable Women of the World by New Hampshire Magazine. In 2018, Gretchen was named one of Inc.’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers.

Steve Varley serves as the Managing Director at the Garrison Institute. In this role, Steve is responsible for the comprehensive strategy and support of the Garrison Institute’s efforts to apply the wisdom developed from contemplative practice to modern problems, with a special interest on the translation of individual practice to community, organizational, and systems-level problems. Steve’s previous experience includes leadership roles at prominent organizations such as National Public Radio (NPR) and the University of North Carolina. His leadership at UNC Pembroke resulted in record-breaking fundraising years and was defined by his orientation of service and partnership toward the local community and the Lumbee Tribe. Steve also served as President of the UNC Pembroke Foundation, an independent organization with endowment management and fundraising responsibility, where he oversaw millions of dollars in annual grantmaking for students with financial need. Previously, Steve served as associate dean of advancement at Yale University, completing a long term of service in health-related fundraising and global health initiatives. Prior to Yale, he was the vice president of development at Gardner-Webb University, where he spearheaded the Higher Ground capital campaign, the university’s most successful fundraising effort in its history.
