• Are You Ready to Step Forward?

“In any given moment, we have two options:
To step forward into growth or to step back into safety.
Growth must be chosen again and again;
Fear must be overcome again and again.” - Abraham Maslow

Hello – and Welcome to Yellow Arrow Collective!

About

The Yellow Arrow Collective supports individuals and groups in finding their way back into reconnection with self, others, and the world through coaching, programs, workshops, and retreats, both in-person and online.

Founded by Mary Beth Leisen, Ph.D. after walking the Camino de Santiago, a 540-mile pilgrimage across Spain, the Yellow Arrow Collective adopts the Camino’s three core tenets: (1) wayfinding and support of the ubiquitous yellow arrows that guide the way; (2) community support and connection; and (3) spirit of deeply and courageously moving ever onwards. We help people develop the skills, mindsets, and connection to cultivate well-being and create meaningful, fulfilling lives.



(Visit Leisen Consulting for Leadership Development & Strategic Facilitation.)

Start Your Journey

Testimonials

  • Emily, 29

    I asked Mary Beth to help develop a lead a retreat for myself and four friends, and it was an incredible experience.  We really wanted to create a space and time for all of us to come together to reset and have this bonding experience to explore where we want to go in our lives. 

    Mary Beth really worked with me to figure out what we wanted to get out of the experience, what we’d want to develop and cultivate both in terms of how we cultivate mindfulness and take it forward, as well as what we’d dive into in the actual workshop. 

    She led us on some incredible visualization exercises and showed us ways we could be more present and mindful in our daily lives – and how we can lean on each other as friends to support each other on a daily basis.

    The retreat really exceeded our expectations.  We all came away feeling liked we’d had these few hours of reflection, learning, and amazing bonding experience together – and we’re all excited to do it again.

    I can’t recommend working with Mary Beth enough.  She was amazing in the process of planning the retreat and especially in leading it.  She’s really has an incredible expertise to draw from, both from the psychology and scientific side of mindfulness and purpose to the more spiritual and emotional side of it.  She created a space where we can be vulnerable together and very open.

    I can’t recommend working with Mary Beth more highly.  I know my friends and I will come back to do more of this work with her again.

    - Emily, 29

  • Nicole, 28

    I greatly enjoyed Mary Beth’s retreat. She is an expert in this space who immediately gave off this charm and passion that made me feel comfortable and capable. 

    Her retreat was transformative in boosting my confidence, to realize how far I have come and how I already possess everything I need to be exactly who I want to be. 

    Prior to the retreat, mindfulness seemed out of reach to me, but Mary Beth provided simple tools and guidance on how to practice mindfulness and to live my purpose, in simple ways. 

    It was like a lightbulb went off in my mind. Reflecting and checking in with yourself is something that every body can succeed at and would benefit from. 

    Of course, it will still be a journey and is something you need to practice, but checking in with yourself regularly results in greater awareness each time and can become an obtainable habit. 

    I think my biggest take away is that in practicing mindfulness and checking in with myself on my own needs, i can be generous and impactful to others but still prioritize my own needs as well. 

    - Nicole, 28

  • Andrea, 42

    “The retreat I attended with Mary Beth was literally the best and most important thing I’ve ever done in my life.  I struggle with extreme anxiety and PTSD on a daily basis. The environment built was so safe and supportive that I was able to push through my discomfort and learn real truths about myself. I’m not who my inner critic says I am. I am more. I am worthwhile.  My life has changed tremendously since this retreat, and I’m very grateful.”

    - Andrea, 42

Customized Ceremonies and Rites of Passage

Honor Lessons of the Past and Set a Strong Intent for the Future You Want to Create

In modern society, the connection to ritual and ceremony that humans have relied on since ancient times for support, meaning, rites of passage, connection, and healing has been lost – and we are starving for it.

We instinctively resonate with ceremony – think weddings, funerals, graduations – because it’s encoded in our human DNA. These rites of passage mark the ending of one state or identity and beginning of a new one and including integrating individuals back into their families and the larger community. 

Ceremonies are also used for healing and connection, to honor our environment, and to fuel our vision for what we want to call into our lives.  Ceremonies are so powerful because they focus our energy and intent, operating at a mythic, energetic level to facilitate release, connection, and a sense of wholeness for individuals and their communities. Ceremonies bring people, nature, and the unseen forces of our world together in a sacred space, providing a deep, powerful – and very beautiful – conduit for transformation.

At the Yellow Arrow Collective, we partner with individuals, families, and groups to design, prepare, and facilitate custom ceremonies to honor important occasions for individuals and groups, including our Graduation Rites of Passage Program. Contact us for more information.