Our Living Edge

At the edge of every shift, something is waiting to emerge.
Let's uncover it, together.

Our Living Edge is dynamic, resilient, and generative. It is this moment — the increasing pace of change and the dissolution of systems and structures. It is an invitation to meet these tensions in a new way, and imagine what might emerge from a more grounded and connected place. It is an opportunity to co-create different ways of being and doing.
Coastal edge at dusk
Nā Pali cliffs, Kauai
Maine estuary at sunset
Rocky intertidal
Water meets land at the living edge
The Work

Deep Listening · Structured Process · Emergent Potential

We are living and working amidst a massive shift. Those committed to creating social and environmental change are finding the old ways of working fall short. Mission-driven leaders are navigating burnout, fractured teams, and a world that keeps demanding more — often with fewer resources and less certainty than ever before.

The strain is real. But I believe the dissolution of the old offers opportunities for creation of the new. With over 15 years guiding groups and organizations through complexity, I can help. I partner with leaders and changemakers who are ready to try something different — to build cultures where hard things can be named, people have permission to be fully human, and new collaborations can emerge. Together, we can deepen from the mind and into the heart of change.

Intertidal zone — seaweed and tidepool

Built for exactly this

Where the water meets the land, a network of dynamic relationships form: from shifting tides through changing seasons, the organisms are built to thrive at this living edge.

The most ancient, most alive, most resilient things happen at the shoreline that's never the same twice. With a background in ecology, and deep reverence for the natural world, I draw inspiration from natural systems and all they can teach us about navigating this moment. The organisms that thrive here don't just survive the extremes — they require them.

Rocky intertidal, New England coast

How We Might Work Together

Ways I can support you

Strategic Facilitation & Collaboration

Designing and facilitating processes that support connection and authenticity — from policy design to multistakeholder convenings and conflict navigation.

Organizational Thriving

Working with teams navigating tension, transition, and the question of how to work together better — bringing strategic thought partnership and approaches that center wellbeing.

Immersive Retreats & Multi-Day Experiences

Extended engagement for when a one-day workshop isn't enough — weaving dialogue, learning, connection, nature, and renewal.

Something bringing you to this edge?

I truly delight in helping clients think through challenges together. I am always happy to connect without expectation of a specific outcome and see what emerges.

About Meghan

Bridging the analytical & the relational, bringing the heart

Founder of Our Living Edge — an independent consultancy dedicated to building strategy and cultures at the edge of change, where hard things can be named, people have permission to be fully human, and new collaborative solutions can emerge.

Meghan Massaua

What does it take to navigate change — as individuals, within organizations, and in the systems that structure our world?

This is a question that has driven my personal and professional pursuits, from staring into tidepools to doing my own deep inner work. I believe there is power in our hearts and our ability to connect in structured ways — to allow for the emergence of something new.

I have been designing and facilitating complex dialogues across diverse stakeholder communities for 15+ years. I am passionate about the energy that gets developed when a group comes together to explore and co-create their futures. I know that a foundation of shared values can translate to action when combined with structured approaches and compassionate nurturance.

"I bring a rare combination: rigorous analytical thinking and process design on one hand, and deep relational presence on the other. I know how to read a room, name what's unspoken, and create the conditions for groups to access what they already know."

Across my career I've worked with nonprofits, the public sector, philanthropy, academia, and the private sector to find and design a way forward together. I take the time to understand values and build trust, construct processes that honor objectives, and — perhaps most importantly — allow for the magic of the moment to unfold.

I approach my work by sitting beside clients in the process of co-creation to realize their goals. I source my understanding from the people who are affected, build frameworks for grounded discussion, and guide dialogue that invites movement and emergence. My style bridges structured approaches and analytical thinking with intuitive sensemaking and practices that help groups slow down, connect, and access inner wisdom.

I have helped conceptualize and launch new legislation over years of consensus building, created transformational retreats for inner and outer development, navigated conflict, and built heart-centered spaces for deep sharing.

My experience includes working at the intersections of systems and people across many social and environmental challenges, including sustainable seafood, energy policy, the ocean-climate nexus, water management, conservation, organizational thriving, and justice and equity. I bring a unique combination of technical proficiency and an analytical mind, with intuitive sense-making and the ability to build containers to hold the fullness of our humanity.

My academic background is originally in marine science, ecology and policy — the ocean was my first love. I feel most resourced when I can feel my feet on the ground (or in the water!) and the warmth of connection in my heart.

Meghan Massaua speaking to a group at a Hawai'i site visit

Values

Authenticity Integrity Compassion Presence Vulnerability Co-Creation

Credentials

  • M.S. Marine Affairs, University of Washington
  • B.S. Biology, Clark University
  • Certified RISE Facilitator, Kripalu — evidence-based stress resilience & mindfulness
  • Trauma Informed Leadership, Center for Conscious Leadership
  • Trauma Informed Coaching & Consulting, The Academy of Inner Science & Mobius Executive Leadership

My Approach

Deep Listening Structured Process Heart Centered Emergent Potential

Notable Experience

  • Senior Mediator, Meridian Institute (10 years)
  • Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, US Department of Energy, Washington D.C.
  • Washington Sea Grant
What People Say

From those who have been in the room

"Meghan has been instrumental in bringing mindfulness and a sense of care to our organization. She is a thoughtful leader who commits her heart to helping others through a mindful, contemplative, and caring approach."
Laurie Ristino — Non-Profit Leader & Legal Advisor, former Managing Director, Meridian Institute
"The best leaders are those who lead with both authority and vulnerability. I grew as a facilitation professional by simply observing Meghan — she exemplified how to meaningfully draw people into conversations by the way she saw and affirmed what everyone brought to the table."
Ian Yue — Consensus Building Institute
"Meghan was truly the 'tip-of-the-spear' in working to massage together disparate groups that shared interests in offshore aquaculture. From those discussions, Meghan helped us envision what might be possible — how we could move forward together."
Neil Anthony Sims — CEO, Ocean Era Inc.
"Meghan has the unique ability to think and advise at the highest, strategic levels, but then also get down in the weeds and do the work to implement the strategy. All of that plus a kind, patient, and caring attitude… she is a true gift!"
Kris Ohleth — Executive Director, Special Initiative for Offshore Wind
"Meghan was a fantastic collaborator for our workshop on meeting norms: organized, transparent, and thoughtful, she very much met the moment when we called for it."
Brian Chou — Senior Specialist, World Wildlife Fund
"Any team would be lucky to have Meghan as a leader and facilitator. Her research-based, human-centered approach always led our partners and stakeholders to trust her and the outcomes of the work we did together."
Madelyn Smith — Program Manager, Southeastern Wind Coalition

Ready to explore working together?

I truly delight in helping clients think through challenges together. Let's connect without expectation and see what emerges.

Services

Ways I can support you

Each engagement is shaped around your specific context. I don't offer off-the-shelf programs — I work with you to design what's right.

Collaborative puzzle — pieces coming together

Strategic Facilitation & Collaboration

This may resonate if...

Your group holds diverse or competing perspectives and needs a structured, trusted process to find a path forward. You need someone who can hold the complexity, not simplify it away.

Collaborative workshop notes and stakeholder input

When people gather with care and can bring their whole selves to problem solving, it unlocks creativity, compassion, and commitment. I design and facilitate processes that support connection and authenticity — from consensus-based policy design to multistakeholder convenings, conflict navigation, and strategic workshops.

I work at the intersection of the analytical and the relational, bridging structured approaches with practices that help groups slow down, connect, and access their own wisdom.

  • Multistakeholder dialogue and consensus-based policy design
  • Strategic planning workshops and offsites
  • Conflict navigation and mediation
  • Convening design and facilitation
  • Pre-read and materials development
  • Post-session summary and next-steps documentation
"Meghan is a master at bringing folks together. And from those discussions, Meghan helped us envision what might be possible — how we could move forward together."
Neil Anthony Sims — CEO, Ocean Era Inc.

Organizational Thriving

This may resonate if...

Your team is doing important work but something is straining beneath the surface — burnout, unclear norms, transition, or tension that isn't being named. You want to tend to the people, not just the output.

Culture of care workshop wall

Organizations doing vital work deserve cultures that sustain the people within them. I work with teams navigating tension, transition, and the question of how to work together better — bringing both strategic thought partnership and approaches that center wellbeing.

I am a certified RISE Facilitator for evidence-based stress resilience and mindfulness in the workplace, and hold certifications in Trauma Informed Leadership and Trauma Informed Coaching and Consulting. I've spent years building and reinforcing cultures of care from within.

  • Culture assessments and team norms development
  • Strategic planning and organizational direction-setting
  • Stress resilience training for the workplace
  • Sharing circles for collective processing
  • Leadership coaching and thought partnership
  • Board governance design and facilitation
"Meghan was a fantastic collaborator for our workshop on meeting norms: organized, transparent, and thoughtful, she very much met the moment when we called for it."
Brian Chou — Senior Specialist, World Wildlife Fund

Immersive Retreats & Multi-Day Experiences

This may resonate if...

A one-day workshop won't cut it. You need people to actually reconnect — with one another, with the mission, with what's possible. You're ready to invest in something that creates lasting change.

Retreat participants in a moment of awe

Some of my most meaningful work has happened over multiple days, away from the ordinary. I design and lead immersive retreats that build over time, weaving together dialogue, learning, connection, reflection, nature, and renewal.

These experiences create the conditions for durable shifts: new relationships formed, new perspectives unlocked, new resolve to act. Past retreats have contributed to outcomes including groundwork for consensus-based legislation, lasting cross-sector partnerships, and teams that return genuinely changed.

  • Full retreat design — agenda, flow, and facilitation plan
  • Multi-day immersive experiences for teams and coalitions
  • Weaving together dialogue, learning, connection, nature, and renewal
  • Collaboration with co-facilitators where needed
  • Follow-up materials and accountability structures
"Meghan has a thorough, research-based and human-centered approach to the projects she leads. This always led our partners and stakeholders to trust her and the outcomes of the work."
Madelyn Smith — Program Manager, Southeastern Wind Coalition

Not sure which fits? That's what conversations are for.

Many engagements draw from more than one area. Let's talk about what you're navigating.

Let's Connect

I'd love to hear what you're navigating.

I truly delight in helping clients think through challenges together. I am always happy to connect without expectation of a specific outcome and see what emerges.

Thank you for reaching out. I'll be in touch soon.
Maine estuary at sunset

About working together

I work primarily with non-profit organizations, foundations, and mission-driven leaders — though the work is not sector-specific. If you're committed to creating change and sense that the way you're working needs to shift, we're probably a good fit.

Engagements range from a single workshop to multi-month partnerships. I'm happy to talk through what might make sense for your situation and budget.

Based in New England. Available for travel.

Not ready to reach out yet?

Take a look at the Services page, or explore the Community space — no pressure, just an open door.

Community

None of us navigates this alone.

Alongside the organizational work, I believe deeply in the power of community — spaces where we can slow down, be witnessed, and remember that we are not alone in what we are carrying. This page is a gathering place for those resources.

Antique compass — navigating the unknown
Sharing Circles

A soft place to land

Who else is feeling the strain? The tension between our old systems falling apart and the unknown ahead. Who else is feeling overwhelmed, disconnected — and also, perhaps, quietly inspired by the courage and grace finding its way through the darkness?

However and wherever you find yourself, I believe we are all navigating the unknown in some way. These circles are for anyone who would like to be in community for practice, presence, and witnessing.

Come as you are to be with yourself and remember you are not alone. Leave feeling resourced to step back into your day a little more grounded, a little more connected.

"What I know for sure is that none of us does it alone — we need community spaces to be with both the struggle and the savor of the moment"

Circles feature guided meditation, reflection, and open sharing time. Information shared is treated as confidential. Sessions are kept intentionally small — no more than 20 participants.

Join the waitlist

New sessions are forming. Add your name below and you'll be the first to hear when registration opens.

Participating in these sharing circles has been a deeply restorative experience.

As a CEO, association leader, and someone who spends much of my time holding space for others, I rarely find environments that invite me to slow down, reflect, and simply be present. These circles offer exactly that.

What stands out most is the way Meghan holds the frame. Whether participants know each other well or are meeting for the first time, she creates a space that feels safe, welcoming, and grounded. People arrive carrying very different experiences, questions, losses, hopes, and needs for connection, and she navigates those differences with remarkable care and skill.

The combination of guided meditation, personal reflection, thoughtful sharing, and deep listening creates something increasingly rare: a disciplined space for presence. Clear agreements around confidentiality and no cross-talk allow participants to feel heard without needing to be fixed, advised, or redirected. The experience invites both speaking and listening as acts of generosity.

In a world that rewards speed, productivity, and constant reaction, these circles offer an opportunity to pause, reset, reconnect with ourselves, and experience meaningful human connection without demanding more than we have to give.

I leave each gathering feeling more grounded, more connected, and more capable of returning to my work and life with clarity and intention.

Kathleen Lovenbury — President & CEO, Crystal Springs, Inc.
A Shared Resource

Music for Moving With Resilience

Music can be such a support in navigating the unknown — from bold reclamation of joy to deep resourcing of knowing we are not alone. I started this playlist in a moment when I needed it most, and since then it has been built collaboratively as a community created jam dedicated to rooting in together, and rising up to meet what's ahead. Add it to your library, draw inspiration, return to it when you need grounding. And, if you'd like to add a song, please reach out!

Grounding Resources

Research & Inspiration

A curated collection of the ideas, research, and frameworks that ground this work is being assembled. Check back soon.

Resources coming soon

Want to bring a circle to your organization?

Sharing circles can also be designed as a contained offering for teams — a structured space for collective processing during times of transition or strain.