Your leaders know what to do.
Their nervous system is why they don’t.
Aligned Co. delivers organizational transformation programs built on the RISE Method - the missing link between knowledge and behaviour under pressure.
$340B+
spent globally on L&D annually
Josh Bersin
“The gap between what leaders know and what they do under pressure is not a skills problem. It’s a nervous system problem. And until organizations address it at that level, the investment in training will keep underdelivering.”
70%
of transformation initiatives still fail
McKinsey | Kotter
72%
of failed initiatives cite people behaviour as the #1 barrier McKinsey
Organizations are investing in
the wrong layer
of change.
Most learning & development and change management programs work at the cognitive level. Leaders learn what to think, what to say and what to do differently. And they work.
Until they don’t.
Under stress, under pressure, in a difficult conversation, in a restructuring - the knowledge escapes, the learned behaviour collapses, and the old pattern returns.
This isn’t a failure of training design. It’s a biological reality. A dysregulated nervous system cannot access the prefrontal cortex effectively.
Strategic thinking, empathic listening and regulated decision-making require a nervous system that feels safe enough to stay present when things get difficult.
That’s what is missing. And that’s what Aligned Co. creates.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Organizations where the
human layer is the missing piece
HR + PEOPLE LEADERS
You already see it - you need the language and the proof
You see how nervous system regulation is the missing link in your leadership development work.
You’re redefining competency frameworks, building ways of working programs, introducing culture initiatives. Aligned Co. gives you the methodology, the evidence base and a program that helps your work land.
PEOPLE LEADERS + MANAGERS
Something is off - and you can’t quite name it.
Your team is technically capable. The strategy is clear.
But there’s a gap between what gets agreed to in the room and what actually happens. Between feedback given and the behaviour that shows up.
The RISE Method closes the “say-do” gap your team is experiencing.
THE RISE METHOD
Transformation methodology built for organizations
The RISE Method is a four-phase organizational transformation framework that works at the nervous system level. It integrates neuroscience, behavioral science and proven change methodology and can be applied across a variety of use cases. Whether you’re trying to define a new strategic direction, introduce new leadership competencies, develop engagement and cultural shift programs, the RISE Method helps your organization evolve.
FOUR PHASES | Measurable and Sustainable Change
WHAT LEADERS LEARN
The Window of Regulation and what happens when we operate outside the window, or the window collapses
How nervous system dysregulation shows up in leadership behaviour and team dynamics
The biopsychosocial model and how it influences transformation efforts
PRACTICES INTRODUCED
Exteroception to stay present in high-stakes conversations
Contract points and containment for leaders under pressure
Breath and sound as real-time regulation tools for meetings and difficult conversations
WHY THIS COMES FIRST
You cannot conduct an honest organizational audit or hold a difficult conversation from a dysregulated state.
Regulation is the prerequisite for every phase that follows.
PHASE DELIVERABLE
Regulation Playbook, Practices and Rituals
WHAT WE EXAMINE
Internal and external data sources which could include engagement survey data, strategic documents, external research reports and investor sentiment analysis.
Engage in conversations with senior leaders to examine what’s working, what isn’t and what has been avoided.
The RISE Method is equally effective for people practices or strategic planning processes.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Companies are operating in environments that are increasingly complex and unpredictable.
Billions are invested in leadership development and training programs, yet 70% of transformation efforts continue to fail, and 72% of failed transformation efforts cite people behaviour at the #1 cause.
Regulated leaders create psychologically safe working environments, which allows for difficult information to be shared and received.
WHAT THIS PRODUCES
Regulation (Phase 1) makes honest inquiry possible. Without it, difficult feedback and uncomfortable data points get rationalized, not responded to.
Built on honest inquiry, a clear, shared picture of organizational reality emerges.
PHASE DELIVERABLE
DIAGNOSTIC REPORT FOR YOUR SPECIFIC CHANGE CHALLENGE
Culture | Engagement | Strategy
WHAT WE DESIGN
Create the vision for the new organization.
Define the specific priorities, leadership behaviors, team agreements and cultural norms of the desired state.
Create a neuroscience backed path from the current reality to the desired future.
New ways of working guide outlines how to embed behaviors into the organization.
THE METHODOLOGY
Here we lean on tried and tested management methodologies including Strategy Design, Design Thinking, Habit Forming, and Change Management Practices.
We layer on nervous system regulation techniques into the new ways of working so that actions are grounded in regulation.
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
Most change programs deliver a new strategy or set of values that resides in a PowerPoint deck and Board Notes but never makes it way into how the organization thinks and acts.
This phase delivers a behaviorally-grounded plan for your Company’s specific change challenge.
This phase is where we create alignment between who your Company wants to be and how they will act to get there.
PHASE DELIVERABLE
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR YOUR SPECIFIC CHANGE CHALLENGE
Culture | Engagement | Strategy
New Ways of Working Guide
WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE
Neuroscience and nervous system informed communications roll out
Facilitated workshops for employees to learn the same nervous system regulation practices that allowed leaders to embrace change
Leadership modelling and reward mechanisms
Embed new practices, rituals and rhythms into the organization
BUILD INTERNAL CAPABILITY
Internal champions trained to sustain the RISE Method independently
Daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly rituals that make the change self-reinforcing
Ongoing quarterly pulse to measure what was said, what’s been done and continue to embed the new ways of working into the organization.
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
Every phase in the RISE model builds your organization’s internal capacity to sustain the change. You don’t need an external consultant forever - you need the tools, practices and a methodology your people can live.
PHASE DELIVERABLE
SCORECARD & 90 DAY PLAN FOR YOUR SPECIFIC CHANGE CHALLENGE
Culture | Engagement | Strategy
YOUR TRANSFORMATION PARTNER
SARAH LERNER, CFA, MBA
The change expert who
bridges both worlds
Most organizational consultants bring strategic frameworks. Most wellbeing practitioners bring holistic tools. Sarah Lerner is one of the only practitioners in North America who brings both - at the same level of depth and credibility.
Through her 15 years of business experience, Sarah has excelled in roles ranging from finance to strategy, communication, culture and inclusion. She has experienced and contributed to many transformation efforts along the way, working with her own teams and executives to influence and contribute to successful change efforts, including multi-billion dollar acquisitions and divestitures at one of North America’s largest energy companies.
When she got burned out in 2020, she rebuilt herself using yoga, sound healing and Chinese Energetic Medicine, tools her professional world had always dismissed, and discovered they were exactly what her former world was missing.
The RISE Method is the framework she built that exists at the intersection of the realities of business and biology. It is the only organizational transformation methodology she knows of that addresses change at the nervous system level - not just the cognitive one.
CFA | MBA | Certified Coach | 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training | Sound Therapy Teacher | Masters of Medical Qigong (Candidate) | Change Leadership | Strategy and Business Design
Let’s Talk
Tell us about your organization and what you’re navigating. We’ll be in touch within 48 hours to explore whether the RISE Method is a fit for your change challenge.
