How Do You Know You're Becoming Who You're Meant to Be? | Coaching in Real Time with Quinn Simpson

Summary:

What does it actually feel like to be so aligned with your purpose that you lose track of time?

This season is about stewardship, and that means taking you inside real coaching, leadership, and relationship conversations as they actually happen. This week on The UpLevel Podcast, our host, Christie Mann, coaches Quinn Simpson, co-founder of Gedi Village and Graydin, in a live somatic coaching conversation about becoming.

Quinn opens up about the moment a book changed the direction of her life, the mentor who told her she couldn't change the world one person at a time, and the vision she's now building through Gedi Village, an ecosystem designed to bring the concept of a village back into how children learn, with Toronto positioned as a global hub for that vision.

The conversation moves into the body. Quinn is coached through a physical embodiment exercise that surfaces something she hadn't expected to say out loud: a lifelong ache to give other people permission to be fully themselves, and the grief underneath that longing.

What emerges is a conversation about social health as the missing link between mental well-being and meaningful relationships, and why the next version of Quinn is choosing to build in public.

If you have ever felt the pull toward your next chapter but couldn't name what it actually looks like, this conversation will help you feel it before you can explain it.

In This Episode:

• Why Quinn believes systemic change matters more than individual change

• What Gedi Village is, the philosophy behind it, and the vision for Toronto as a global education hub

• A live somatic coaching exercise on embodiment and becoming

• The connection between social health and personal alignment

• How coaching helps uncover what thinking alone cannot reach

• Why vulnerability can create permission for others

• Why urgency and rest can coexist in how we build our future

• The physical anchor Quinn is creating to stay connected to her next chapter

  
  

Order of Topics:

• Setting the Container

• Discovering Coaching & A Call to Change Systems

• From Graydin to Getty Village: Reimagining Education

• Living in Flow & Deep Alignment

• The Next Iteration: Teaching Others to Align

• Embodiment: Standing in the Future Self

• Vulnerability, Exposure & Reclaiming the Body

• Being “Weird,” Permission, and Deep Longing

• Social Health as a Portal to Becoming

• Getty Village as a Learning Village

• The Sandstorm Vision of the Next Chapter

• Urgency, Regret & The Clock of Becoming

• The Hourglass & Wire Sculpture Anchor

• Final Acknowledgment: Brave, Thoughtful & Public

Action Items:

• Embrace Your Authentic Self

  • Slow down and prioritize embodiment in your daily activities.

  • Grant yourself full permission to be authentic, both as a professional and an individual.

• Focus on 'Becoming' Rather Than Moving Away

  • Approach personal growth as moving towards your next iteration of self rather than escaping current circumstances.

• Pursue Systemic Impact Over Individual Change

  • Consider how you can contribute to broader institutional transformations within your field or community.

• Align with Your Passion for Greater Flow

  • Identify work that makes you lose track of time due to deep engagement and alignment with your values.

• Share Your Methods for Broader Impact

  • Think about ways to document and share what works for you (e.g., writing a book) so others can benefit from your insights into self-actualization.

• Practice Embodiment Exercises Regularly

  • Use physical exercises like squatting or stretching during moments of reflection to connect deeper with yourself physically and emotionally.

• Cultivate Social Health in Personal & Professional Life

  • Focus on enhancing social health by fostering interconnectedness between mental well-being, self-awareness, and relationship quality.

• Anchor Intentions with Physical Reminders

  • Create visual reminders such as sculptures or hourglasses that symbolize urgency or desired outcomes to keep goals top-of-mind daily.

• Balance Urgency with Self-Care Practices

  • While responding urgently to societal needs, ensure you're also taking care of yourself through mindful practices like meditation or journaling.

• Stay Public-Facing To Inspire Others

  • Share your journey openly; being visible can serve as inspiration for others seeking permission to express their full selves authentically.

  • By integrating these actionable tips into everyday life, individuals can embody transformative change personally while contributing positively toward systemic improvements in their communities or fields of interest.

About Quinn:

Driven by a passion to transform education, Quinn Simpson is the co-founder of the Gedi Village Foundation. She aims to make Toronto a global education hub by establishing a cutting-edge K-8 school, a professional development centre, and a philanthropic arm advancing social-emotional learning.

Quinn was also a co-founder of Graydin, an organization dedicated to revolutionizing how we support and empower the next generation. Since 2011, Graydin has partnered with over 400 schools and universities worldwide to pioneer the educational coaching movement.

With 18 years of experience in coaching, teacher training, and content creation, Quinn is a certified Co-active Coach and NLP Coach Practitioner. Previously, she co-founded Akosia, a charity operating for 10 years that used coaching to facilitate filmmaking projects for underprivileged youth and women.

Quinn lives in West End Toronto, where she enjoys walking in High Park and teaching her two sons, Theo and Bowie, that coaching skills are for everyone.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/coachquinn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quinnsaysyes/

🎉 The UpLevel Podcast was listed as one of the Top 10 Best Coaching Culture Podcasts!!! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/coaching_culture_podcasts

🎉 It was also ranked #4 among the top 50 Best Workplace Mental Health Podcasts! https://podcast.feedspot.com/workplace_mental_health_podcasts

About UpLevel Productions: Founded by Christie Mann, MA, CPCC, PCC, and Rachel Baldi, CPCC, PCC, UpLevel creates, produces, and delivers Transformative Experiences, Workshops, Training, Events + Media that develop leaders who make our world a healthier, more alive, and connected place to be. As Associate CTI Faculty Partners, UpLevel is licensed to sell, produce, and deliver Co-Active coach training and leadership development programs around the world to support the transformational growth of individuals and culture inside the workplace and organization. www.uplevelproductions.com Instagram @uplevelproductions Facebook & LinkedIn @uplevelproductionscompany