Introducing Trail Guides

OwnTrail’s mission is to advance women individually and systemically. So far we’ve been tackling this from a foundation of technology, building ways for women to share their authentic life paths and browse those of others. But we know that succeeding at this major ambition also requires real human connection. And our recent survey results and user interviews confirmed this: you told us that you want more opportunities to connect with each other and build your personal community of women helping women.

Our team went deep (including a 24-hour forest trip) in exploring the many ways we could best build connection on top of the inspiring stories being shared on OwnTrail. How might we go from sharing trails to bringing women together in meaningful ways? How might we create a bridge from inspiration to action? The result is Trail Guides, our new cohort-based program for women to tap into the tools, confidence and connection to take blazing their own trail to the next level.

Our first cohorts kicked off this week, bringing together groups of amazing women across geographies, industries and generations. They’ll spend roughly an hour a week over the next four months taking part in ‘me’ and ‘we’ activities based on the OwnTrail framework.

We developed this framework and the activities that became the Trail Guides program with insight from Shian Chuan, a certified Master NLP (neuroscience) practitioner, trainer, speaker and business consultant who has mentored hundreds of clients and presented to thousands of leaders around the world on behavioral science and human psychology.

This facilitated peer cohort model can serve women seeking community and navigating transition either personally, professionally or both. It consists of four phases: reflect, imagine, aspire and act. Each phase has a distinct intention, and the outcomes from one phase flow naturally into the next. The weekly activities are designed to be powerful on their own and collectively.

Our first cycle of cohorts reached capacity in less than a week, but we’re gearing up to launch additional cycles this winter. The short, free application is open, and we’d love for you to join us on this journey full of new insights and connections. Welcome to Trail Guides.