Kathy MacFarlane (Class of 1984)
Kathy MacFarlane, nee Van Gaalen, (Class of 1984) has a Master of Arts in Leadership, is a certified Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) coach, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), an accredited Resilience at Work® user and an Myers Briggs Personality (MBTI) practitioner.
She had a successful 30+ year career as a leader and senior fundraiser for various public sector organizations such as the Boys’ and Girls Club, Chinook Regional Hospital, Lethbridge College, University of Lethbridge and the Kings’ University.
Kathy began her consulting business in 2019 with a passion to promote healthy leadership principles so people can thrive at work, at home and in the world.
She specializes in Spiritual Intelligence as a unique and distinctive layer in her leadership coaching and training. Spiritual Intelligence is defined as the ability to behave with wisdom and compassion while maintaining inner and outer peace, regardless of the situation. She uses an assessment tool where people can rate themselves on 21 skills that support SQ. She then works with individuals or teams on exploring areas to help them thrive.
“People are familiar with emotional intelligence (EQ) and cognitive intelligence (IQ) but that only gets us so far. Spiritual Intelligence is said to amplify our EQ and IQ. Evidence shows that people and businesses with higher SQ are more profitable, have more employee satisfaction and loyalty, greater workplace wellness, a commitment to a higher cause and more customer loyalty among many other benefits. For decades society has conditioned people to leave their soul in the glovebox before they walk in to work. If we are people of faith, we might intuitively know that was never helpful. Now research show that employers are missing out on creativity and innovation and a multitude of other benefits if people cannot be safe to bring their whole selves to work.“
In this confusing chaotic world where it seems like the divides between people are widening, humans are craving significance, meaning and impact. Kathy believes that cultivating Spiritual Intelligence is the best path to a thriving workplace where everyone is seen, can use their gifts fully, and make a difference as well as a living.
“I work with leaders who know there is “something more” and want to go deeper and higher leading self and team. I help leaders explore their higher self, higher purpose and higher power so they can be wise and effective change agents in business and life. SQ leaders are a calm and healing presence, even in chaos, make better decisions and move from just influencing to inspiring others. SQ leaders create an environment of trust and respect, essential ingredients for successful teams.”
She enjoys riding her electric tricycle and travelling with her husband in their RV with their rambunctious dog Sage who insists on many miles of walks.
She currently volunteers on the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta’s Marketing and Public Relations Committee.
To learn more, please visit Kathy's website and her blog: https://kathymacfarlane.com/