Integrated Life Advocates

Our success comes from finding people like you

A critical ingredient for ThirdPath’s success is connecting with people who are ready
to influence wider change in the world. We call these people our “Integrated Life Advocates”. ThirdPath’s ILAs represent a diverse group of work life coaches, therapists, consultants, bloggers, journalists, academics and passionate individuals helping us make change.

Together we can help each other learn and grow
ILAs combine their unique expertise with specific ThirdPath knowledge and processes to achieve more success in their own lives and in the work they do around work-life integration.

Together we’ve created a powerful network for change
Through our learning groups and biennial Forum, ILAs are promoting change in the work they do and many also collaborate in the work we do. Our ILA community has helped run workshops, facilitate groups, write blogs and become the coaching resources we encourage individuals and families to turn to.

To learn more about the ways you can become involved in the ThirdPath ILA community read the questions and stories we’ve listed below. Or look at one of the many resources we have for our growing ILA community.

Questions About Integrated Life Advocates (ILAs)

Q: I’m not a professional in the field of work/life integration. Can I still get involved in the ILA community?

People have joined the ILA community because of their interest and commitment to making change in the world – some work in the field, but we’ve also benefited from including individuals who are just passionate about our mission and ready to get more involved.

Q: I’m a seasoned professional, how will my involvement in the ThirdPath community enhance my practice?

Coaches, therapists, and consultants are often compartmentalized based on their work with individuals, families, or organizations. We’ve found that combining these different vantage points provides a fuller perspective and gives each participant greater expertise to serve their clients.

Q: How is my personal experience relevant to my role as an ILA?

ThirdPath very intentionally seeks and finds people that are experimenting in their own lives as they try to manage life and work. Many in the ILA community “walk the talk” as they share care of their children with their partner, work a flexible schedule, and/or use ThirdPath tools with their clients. Others come into the ThirdPath community with the idea that they want something different and are ready to learn how to put their new plan in place.

Q: My work focuses on leaders and/or organizations. Why do I need to learn about family redesign?

Our work with Integrated Leaders has shown us that the leader’s success is also contingent on his or her ability to develop creative and flexible solutions at home. One parent backs up the other parent during a temporary uptick in work and both parents become experts in prioritizing the needs of family. To truly develop 21st century workplaces, we all need to become experts in supporting conversations both at work and at home to design lives where both can become a priority.

Q: My work focuses on individuals, couples and/or families. What will I gain by learning about work redesign and leadership redesign?

Couples can become stuck as they imagine the barriers they will encounter at work. Our work with integrated professionals has proven that understanding a “win-win” approach to work redesign can help couples overcome these barriers. By becoming an expert around what is possible – both at work and at home – it increases your ability to help clients achieve success in both spheres.

Q: This sounds great! What do I do next to get more involved?

Contact us, we’d love to tell you more about our Integrated Life Advocate community. See the next tab to learn more about our ILA learning groups or the Biennial Forum. You can also get involved right away by joining our Thursday with ThirdPath webinars where we showcase pioneering individuals and experts who share their experiences with the wider ThirdPath community.

Learning Groups and ILA Forum

Here are two ways to get more involved in the ILA community:

Q: Integrated Life Advocate Learning Groups

Our learning groups explore cutting edge knowledge with a diverse group of individuals. Whether focusing on Integrated Leaders or Shared Care families, we help participants understand the win-win approach to work life integration and how to apply this to create wider change.

Q: Integrated Life Advocate Biennial Forum

Every two years, the ThirdPath ILA community gathers in person to learn and share knowledge. Participants take an active role in learning as they work together to develop strategies to support individuals, families, leaders and organizations to support an integrated approach to work and life. Our next ILA Forum takes place in 2020.

Join our network of individuals and professionals who believe in a new approach to work and life. Together we can learn, get support and create more impact in the work we do.

Whole System Approach to Change

Our Integrated Life Advocates groups provide an opportunity to share cutting edge knowledge with a diverse group of individuals.

Our curriculum is based on the “whole system approach to change”. Whether examining case studies of integrated leaders who succeed at work while also carving out time for their lives, or exploring tools to help mothers and fathers find their preferred approach to balancing work and family, we show how mothers, fathers, leaders, individuals and organizations all play an important role in the change process.

Our learning groups also become a safe, supportive, and confidential environment to help participants see the interconnection between personal change and wider change. How do our unconscious assumptions get in the way of the change work we do? What do we gain – both personally and professionally – when we challenge these assumptions?

To learn more, contact us or take a closer look at the many resources we offer individuals, families and leaders as well as Integrated Life Advocates as they take the next step towards achieving their dream of leading an integrated life.

ILA Stories

Rachel Allender “People can lose their sense of hope around what’s possible. ThirdPath has armed me with information to help my clients hold on to their dreams. With a little foresight, they learn that creating a partnership around work and time for children can actually be quite delightful. ThirdPath teaches parents to assess their situation, know where their limits are and to know when to push. I’ve learned this for myself and now I can support my clients to do the same.”	Elaine Chaney “It’s wonderful to interact with other professionals who share my passion for creating family friendly workplaces and who are working with individuals and organizations to make it happen. Learning ThirdPath’s tools and processes in more depth has also been a big benefit. This is a wonderful group of people, and as an independent consultant, it’s been very valuable to find groups of like minded people to connect with.”
Mario DiCioccio “I was drawn to ThirdPath because I believe the ThirdPath mission is so needed in today’s world. I continue to stand with my ThirdPath colleagues because not only do I value the contribution we ThirdPathers make; but I value the group of smart, supportive and creative colleagues that we’ve assembled.”	Anna Gambucci “Thirdpath has given me cutting edge content, visionary stories, and a forum for honest dialogue to develop my long-held questions and convictions about family equality and quality of life. I hope to share a clear, articulate message and be a connector of people in the launch of this deeply-needed, brilliant Movement of restoring balance for individuals and families in 21st century America.”
Doug Gertner “When my partner and I became parents, our path to Shared Care was immediate. It did not take long for us to feel fairly unique and somewhat isolated, especially professionally. My involvement with ThirdPath Institute has connected me to like-minded colleagues around the world, which in turn has energized and informed both my professional practice and my parenting.”	Dottie Lamm “I was immediately taken with this pioneering group. The ILA conference calls have been a godsend in keeping me up to date on the new parenting challenges couples face. I have also learned, and have been able to promote through my writing and public speaking, what the workplace is doing and still needs to do to help their employees live integrated lives. I continue to connect ThirdPath with courageous workplace leaders in Denver as they keep the faith in this precarious and challenging economy.”