Foundational Orientation

In the Academy, we focus on what reliably produces better lived experience: informed assessment, thoughtful choice, and meaningful engagement in life, relationships, and work. This approach developed through sustained observation of how people respond to the demands of life, work, and responsibility — and what allows engagement to remain constructive over time.

The work is grounded in the understanding that personal satisfaction and well-being are elevated through the cultivation of three core pillars: clarity, confidence, and connection. Emphasis is placed on broadening perspective on common life circumstances and refining skills of reflection and self-inquiry, so that life is approached with sustained, thoughtful engagement that is authentic, coherent, and personally satisfying across its many domains.

Experience & Background

Living With Purpose is a culminating body of work, integrating professional practice, sustained study, and personal experience that began in the early 1980s. Over the decades, this work has developed through direct engagement with individuals and couples across life stages, from college students to seasoned professionals and executives, and through the design and delivery of programs, including higher education curriculum development, professional trainings, and reflective debriefings in high-impact environments.

This experience has included long-term work with couples navigating commitment, communication, and shared responsibility, alongside work with leaders, service professionals, and executives operating under significant responsibility and pressure. Across these contexts, attention has consistently been placed on what supports clarity, steadiness, and sound judgment over time—both individually and within relationships.

In parallel, extensive international travel and involvement in relief and service initiatives have provided ongoing exposure to diverse cultures, belief systems, and ways of life, deepening understanding of how people relate, make meaning, and navigate complexity together. Alongside professional work, participation in meditation and contemplative programs in the United States and abroad has informed an approach grounded in observation, reflection, and lived application.

Together, these experiences have shaped a perspective that emphasizes integration over technique, discernment over prescription, and sustained, attentive engagement with life, work, and relationship.

Living With Purpose reflects my long-standing interest in how people — myself included — develop over time through changing circumstances, navigate increasing complexity, and learn to benefit from experience in ways that cultivate constructive and sustaining patterns of life.

To the enduring question of meaning, I have come to believe that it lies in bringing one’s best into being. While this is deeply personal, its effects extend well beyond the individual, shaping how we live, relate, and contribute. It is my sincere hope that the work presented here supports you in this endeavor.

— Kathryn England