Meet Julie Stuart | Experiential facilitator & strategy consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Stuart and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It happened kinda naturally. I was working in environmental politics and after being on a congressional campaign I came home and couldn’t find another job in my field so I had to create a job. Someone had dropped a seed a few months before about this fairly new thing, at the time, called graphic facilitation/visual mapping as a way of facilitating a meeting, gathering or conference by drawing large-scale visual maps so that people can see their thinking and make better decisions. I took a workshop to learn this skill, and found that it brilliantly brought all my past experience together– as a creative visionary, a political strategist, an artist, a process consultant, a systems thinker, a journalist, and an experiential facilitator–under one umbrella. I’ve been doing this work ever since going on almost two decades. My work continues to evolve as I evolve. I’ve since added another aspect which is embodiment (body-based) practices as a somatic movement teacher of the 5Rhythms.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
When I first got into this work almost 20 years ago, no one knew what it was. I had to whip out my iPhone and give a little slide show that had photos of the visual maps I made then people would totally get it. Eventually a lot of people got into my field and it became crucial to differentiate. Now I’m positioning myself as a Wayfinder and Strategist because there’s so much chaos and complexity in the world that my clients need someone who can help them navigate their way forward. In the last handful of years I’ve become a sailing captain so I’m pulling aspects of that into my brand story.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I really love the nature places that we have here in Atlanta and nearby. We would for sure go sailing on Lake Lanier, hike to a waterfall in the mountains or find a walking trail along the Chattahoochee. Take in some art at the High Museum and the Goat Farm.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve had a lot of friends who’ve supported me along the way, one especially who’s no longer with us: Laurie Foley. We were each other’s thought leaders. I’ve also been in several self-organized masterminds which have been super helpful. And I use coaches who tend to be intuitive and energy workers.

Website: https://www.makingideasvisible.com/ and https://www.julie-stuart.com/ and https://www.juliestuart5rhythms.com/

Instagram: @atlanta5rhythms

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliestuart/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djbutterfly-592222190