Carla Kimball, M.A., M.B.A.
Group Facilitation
In her professional life of almost 40 years, Carla has designed, developed, and facilitated classes, workshops and programs in fields ranging from computer software, stress management, public speaking presence, photography, and contemplative practices including yoga, tai chi, qigong, and mediation. This vast experience as a facilitator has taught her the importance of connection, safety and trust in the success of group experiences. She has also learned that these are enhanced when photo prompts are used for introductions, team assessments, clarifying issues and changing perspectives.
Photography
Carla has long known the value of the arts to expand people’s awareness. As a long time practitioner of the contemplative arts (meditation, tai chi, yoga), an expressive therapist by training, a facilitator of group experience, and a photographer of ordinary things, Carla has experienced the power of photography to quiet the mind. Her article, Engaging the Whole Person in Conversation, describes her journey discovering the power of photographs to deepen the conversation.
In January, 2009, Carla began a daily photo blog not only as a vehicle for sharing her photographs, but also as a venue in which to practice crafting good questions (each blog post has a photo and a question). After more than five years of this daily practice, she cultivated an eye for the wondrous in the ordinary and the ability to find the unique mystery in an image that leads to conversation and deep thought through her questions. To support her work as a facilitator, and using images from her photographic archives, Carla developed three photo card decks that serve as conversation starters: Revealed Presence Story Cards.
Carla has photos in the permanent collections of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Northern Stage. She has exhibited widely and often in Vermont’s Upper Valley.
Public Speaking Presence Coaching
Carla is founder of RiverWays Enterprises, the public speaking coaching division of her current company Revealed Presence LLC. After 10 years of working with clients in the Boston area, she relocated her office to the Upper Valley region of Vermont/New Hampshire in 2009. Now retired from actively coaching people with their public speaking presence, Carla continues to offer her unique perspective through a variety of written and visual resources which can be found in the Resources section of her website.
Working from inside out, she has helped clients cultivate the type of leadership presence so essential in today’s world. RiverWays Enterprises evolved over 20 years as a manifestation of Carla’s vision of our full potential as effective, interactive, and expressive human beings.
Carla’s primary premise is that real communication happens when we are fully embodied and aligned with our purpose and when we invite an authentic connection with our audience.
Carla had worked with individuals and groups, always customizing her programs and coaching services to meet the needs of her clients. With an MBA and a Masters in Counseling/Psychology as well as her training in yoga, meditation , tai chi, and dance, Carla brought an unusual combination of business, interpersonal skills and presence practices to all her work.
Contemplative Movement
Carla discovered much of what she knows about Presence from her almost 40 years of training as an improvisational modern dancer and a yoga and tai chi practitioner. Over the years she has maintained a regular and ongoing movement practice that has included some combination of the three. She has taught yoga and dance and was a long time student with improvisational modern dancer and choreographer, Marie Fourcaut. With this long-time love of movement, Carla brings a deep understanding of the importance and power of what she calls “embodied Presence” to all her work.