PARTNER | Public Interest Rese

The Self Navigation Initiative by Able & Keen

We welcome:

Philanthropic partnerships
Strategic partnerships
Speaking/education partnerships with Businesses, Nonprofits, Educational institutions, Veteran/military organizations and Community organizations

PARTNER WITH US

Jo Standing

Executive Director
The Self Navigation Initiative

As Founder and Executive Director of The Self Navigation Initiative, I lead the development of an interdisciplinary research, education, and leadership initiative dedicated to advancing human flourishing through the practice of self-navigation.

The Self Navigation Initiative was established in response to a growing need in contemporary society: while we have become increasingly adept at navigating the external world, comparatively few practical frameworks exist for helping individuals consciously navigate their inner lives. The initiative explores how greater self-awareness, identity integration, reflective practice, and courageous self-observation can strengthen individuals, organizations, and communities as they move through life's complexities and transitions.

Drawing upon more than two decades of independent scholarship, educational leadership, lived experience, and graduate research in depth psychology, the Initiative bridges theory and practice by integrating insights from depth psychology, leadership development, human development, contemplative traditions, and reflective inquiry into practical methods that support personal and organizational growth.

Working in collaboration with co-author Billy Barnett, I am helping develop Parallels of Me: Navigating the Self with Courage, an evolving body of work that serves as one expression of the Initiative's broader mission. Together, we are building research-informed educational resources, leadership programming, workshops, speaking engagements, and strategic partnerships designed to support self-awareness, resilience, ethical leadership, and meaningful human connection.

Our long-term vision is to establish The Self Navigation Initiative as a trusted interdisciplinary center for research, education, and implementation—advancing the study and practice of self-navigation while helping individuals and organizations cultivate greater wisdom, resilience, purpose, and humanity.

Billy Barnett

Director of Field Research and Implementation

The Self Navigation Initiative

As Director of Research and Implementation for The Self Navigation Initiative, I help develop and translate interdisciplinary research into practical methods that strengthen self-awareness, resilience, leadership, and human flourishing.

My work brings together years of experience in endurance athletics, wilderness-based experiential learning, leadership development, and practical problem-solving with a commitment to understanding how individuals navigate challenge, transition, and personal growth. Through lived experience and collaborative inquiry, I have become increasingly interested in the relationship between self-observation, purpose, and the capacity to respond intentionally to life's complexities.

Working alongside founder Jo Standing, I am co-authoring Parallels of Me: Navigating the Self with Courage, an evolving body of work that explores how conscious self-navigation can help individuals cultivate greater clarity, courage, and integration in both their personal and professional lives. Together, we are developing educational resources, leadership programs, workshops, speaking engagements, and research-informed training that bridge depth psychology with practical application across business, nonprofit, educational, military, and community settings.

Within the Initiative, I focus on transforming ideas into accessible practices that individuals and organizations can apply in everyday life. My work emphasizes experiential learning, resilience under pressure, leadership through service, and the belief that meaningful growth often emerges through willingly engaging life's challenges with presence, curiosity, and purpose.

The Self Navigation Initiative seeks to collaborate with universities, philanthropic foundations, nonprofit organizations, businesses, healthcare professionals, military communities, and civic leaders to research, refine, and implement practical approaches that foster individual and collective flourishing. Our long-term vision is to help establish Self Navigation as an evidence-informed framework that supports leadership, well-being, and human development across diverse sectors.