Inside or Outside
November 3, 2025
I love to travel. Obviously. I love my Been app on my phone, where in geeky fashion, I record all the countries to which I have traveled. It is humbling to think you are traveling a bunch and then you realize how large the world is and how much you don’t know and haven’t seen. It’s a good reality check. For another reality check, type in ‘quiz about countries in Africa’ and pick one of sites and test your knowledge. Humbling for this woman with a passport from the USA.
When I am away from my home with every new place I travel, I work hard to I add on sightseeing time, not just ‘get over jet lag’ time. This past month I had the privilege to travel for work to Saudi Arabia and Sweden. Try doing that temperature and cultural change with only a carryon. For me, it wasn’t possible.
In Riyadh, I gave myself the treat of taking a trip out to the Edge of the World. Two hours out of the city, one finds oneself in the desert. On this day, once two couples left the area (it was a Sunday, a workday in Saudi Arabia), my guide, Ahmed, and I were completely alone. The wind blew around us for a sound accompaniment but that was about it. And, although I am not the most balanced person, I went, with Ahmed’s assistance, to the top of a piece of rock jutting out into more desert. Please see the 15 second video below for more.
I made it, slowly, and intentionally, to the summit, sat down, and had Ahmed take the video. It was a good ‘stretching at my edges’ experience. Fun for the picture. Fun to listen to Arabic music on the way there and back and get a ‘massage’ on the bumpy road to what felt like nowhere else I had been.
I speak of stretching at my edges a lot. But for me, traveling outside of my country isn’t nearly as stretch-y as the work I do of going within. My next stop was in Stockholm and attending the Inner Development Goals Summit. The IDGs are 25 capacities and capabilities that we all need in order to do the BIG work of transforming the world in the ways we must for a sustainable future. The IDGs directly align with the facets from Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work.
The stretching that was required as I sat for 5 days at the pre-con (with Peter Senge and Gustav Boll) and then at the summit, was deeply important learning on many levels. I was outside my comfort zone with others outside the field of education and with speaking about challenges that were overwhelming for us all (i.e. climate change, politics, war, etc.) One might have the immediate response of overwhelm and want to shut off, hunker down, and check out.
Huh. That ‘checking out’ response sounds like what some educators do when a change initiative comes into their school. Or when a team member becomes less than helpful. Or when something emotional comes up inside and one can’t self-regulate so they regress to less than who they’d like to be at that moment.
Now that’s a moment where you can stretch at your edges. A moment where you can grow (up) at work. Ah, those learning opportunities are endless IF we take them.
Ask Yourself:
- When was the last time I intentionally placed myself in a situation—professionally or personally—where I didn’t feel fully comfortable or competent?
- Where in my current work might I be “traveling light,” trying to carry only what’s easy or familiar—rather than allowing myself to fully experience the bumps, surprises, and growth opportunities that in front of me?
- As I think about my own “inner development goals,” what practices or mindsets could help me expand my inner capacity to handle the complex challenges coming my way?
Stretching can happen with an inside mindset shift or an outside behavior and action. What might serve you (and others) for you to stretch next? Join me.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Feel free to email me at jennifer@jenniferabrams.com.
Cool Resources
Center for Systems Awareness
“Growing compassionate systems change through the cultivation of systems awareness, helping people reorient and choose a different way of showing up and being in relationship with themselves, other people, and the world.”
Sovereign: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty, and Chaos by Emma Sappala
“Sovereign delivers a radically new and enlightening message, made for this age of suffering and confusion. It’s a manifesto that awakens us to all the areas in our life where we have subjugated ourselves to self-destructive beliefs and tendencies. And it’s a roadmap to reclaim our full psychological sovereignty so we can live free, happy, and authentic lives.”
IDG & Mobius Transformative Learning Journey – online
“This program offers a carefully curated experience that blends business cases, expert keynotes, and reflective “So What” dialogues designed to turn insights into action. Participants join peer cohorts of eight, matched by company size and leadership level, creating space for deep exchange, shared practice, and co-innovation. The journey continues through quarterly community gatherings that foster reflection, collective action, and the onboarding of new voices. All sessions and discussions are seamlessly integrated with River AI, a dedicated Wisdom Agent, giving each participant personal access to an AI companion that supports ongoing strategic reflection and learning.”
