Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa McClanahan.
Hi Lisa , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Greater Grounds didn’t start as an organization. It started with a growing awareness that something wasn’t working. Not with faith or life itself—but with the way we were experiencing it.
For many of us, faith and even our lives had become something we talked about more than something we actually lived.
Conversations stayed on the surface. Community felt difficult to access. And spiritual formation often stopped at understanding, without ever becoming transformational.
And at some point, it becomes hard to ignore the question:
Is this really all there is?
Because deep down, many of us sense there is more.
More depth. More honesty. More connection. More life with God than what we’re currently experiencing.
Greater Grounds was born out of a decision not to ignore that tension—but to follow it.
At first, it looked simple. Gathering with people. Creating space for real conversations. Asking honest questions without rushing to easy answers.
But what we discovered is that when people are given permission to slow down and tell the truth about their lives, something begins to shift.
Walls come down.
Awareness grows.
And transformation—real, embodied transformation—starts to take root.
Not all at once. But in ways that last.
It also became clear that people don’t just need occasional moments like this. They need intentional space and consistent support to keep going.
That’s where the work of Greater Grounds took shape.
Through life coaching, we walk with people as they get honest about what’s no longer working, name what matters most, and take meaningful steps forward.
Through spiritual direction, we help people pay attention to how God is actually moving in their lives—not just how they’ve been taught to think about God.
And through retreats, we create space to step out of the noise and distractions of everyday life so the deeper work—the work most of us avoid or delay—can finally begin.
Along the way, a simple rhythm emerged: Encounter, Explore, Engage, Express.
Not a formula. Not a program.
But a pattern we kept seeing whenever real growth was happening.
Greater Grounds has become a place where:
you don’t have to pretend or perform
your questions are taken seriously
and your life—not just your beliefs—is the focus of transformation
This isn’t about having everything figured out.
It’s about being willing to be honest about where you are—and open to where God might be leading you next.
What started as a few conversations has grown into a community, a set of practices, and a vision that continues to expand—including spaces like The Grove, where this way of living can be practiced more fully, day by day.
Greater Grounds exists because settling for surface-level faith and life is no longer enough.
And instead of walking away, we’re choosing to go deeper.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, if anything it’s been a rough road full of many challenges. We started out as four founders and through time 3 have slowly walked away for a variety of reasons. One was navigating a divorce, another didn’t care for the direction we were moving at one point, and another wasn’t down for the roller coaster ride of being an entrepreneur. Over time one of the founders returned and plays an advisory role and partners with us on our workshops and retreats.
In addition, as time progressed we became clearer and clearer on our offerings and our niche, helping people navigating change courageously and discovering a new way of being that brings life, hope, and increasing levels of trust and faith.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Greater Grounds?
What is Greater Grounds?
Greater Grounds is a relational, formation-centered practice that helps people live and lead more courageously from their true self and purpose.
At its core, this work is about reconnection.
I’ve found that many people are moving through life with a quiet sense that something feels off. Not necessarily broken—but disconnected. From themselves. From God. From clarity. From purpose.
And when that disconnection goes unaddressed, it tends to show up everywhere—our decisions, our relationships, our leadership, even our faith.
Greater Grounds exists to create space for people to come back to what is already within them.
I believe each person carries a kind of inner wisdom—a seed of who they truly are—that doesn’t go away, even if it gets buried over time. This work is about uncovering that again and learning how to live from it.
What do you do?
I create intentional spaces where people can slow down, be honest about their lives, and begin engaging real transformation.
That happens primarily through three avenues: life coaching, spiritual direction, and retreats.
In life coaching, I work with people in a more structured, forward-moving way. We focus on clarity—what’s true, what’s getting in the way, and how to move forward with intention.
In spiritual direction, the pace is slower and more attentive. It’s about learning to notice how God is actually moving in your life and developing the ability to listen and respond.
And through retreats, I create environments where people can step out of their normal rhythms and engage this work more deeply. For many people, it’s the first time they’ve had the space to really pay attention to what’s going on beneath the surface.
These aren’t separate things—they’re different expressions of the same work.
What do you specialize in?
Most of my work centers around a few key areas:
Helping people reconnect with their identity—who they actually are beneath expectations and assumptions.
Clarifying purpose—what matters most and how they want to live.
Developing healthier, more honest relationships—with themselves, with God, and with others.
And supporting people in living and leading with courage—not just thinking about change, but actually stepping into it.
A lot of people I work with are in some kind of transition or tension. They know something needs to shift, but they’re not sure how to move forward. That’s where this work becomes really meaningful.
Why do you do this work?
Because I’ve seen how easy it is for people to settle into a version of life that looks fine on the outside but doesn’t feel aligned on the inside.
People can be thoughtful, capable, even deeply faithful—and still feel stuck.
What’s often missing isn’t information. It’s space. It’s honesty. It’s a process that actually helps them engage their lives differently.
I do this work because I believe transformation is possible—but it doesn’t happen by accident.
It takes intention, attention, and a willingness to be honest about where you are.
What are your core values?
A few things shape everything I do:
I value honesty over performance. This is a space where you don’t have to pretend or have it all figured out.
I value curiosity over quick answers. Growth usually starts with better questions.
I value embodiment. This isn’t just about insight—it’s about how your life actually begins to change.
I value relationship. Transformation doesn’t happen in isolation.
And I value intentionality. We don’t rush the process, but we also don’t avoid it.
What makes your work different from other life coaches?
There’s a lot of good coaching out there, but much of it focuses primarily on goals, performance, or external success.
That’s not where I start.
I’m less interested in helping you become a more optimized version of yourself, and more interested in helping you become a more honest and integrated version of yourself.
This work brings together spiritual direction, coaching, and relational formation.
So we’re not just asking, “What do you want to achieve?”
We’re also asking, “Who are you becoming?” and “What is shaping your life right now?”
I’m not here to fix you or give you answers.
I’m here to help you pay attention, tell the truth, and take meaningful steps forward.
What is the E4 Framework?
The E4 Framework is a simple rhythm I use to guide this work: Encounter, Explore, Engage, Express.
It’s not a formula—it’s a pattern I’ve seen over and over again in real transformation.
Encounter is about slowing down and becoming aware of what’s actually happening in your life.
Explore is getting curious—asking questions, noticing patterns, and resisting the urge to rush to solutions.
Engage is where you begin to respond. You make intentional choices based on what you’re seeing.
And Express is where that change begins to take shape in your life—how you live, how you relate, how you show up.
It’s a cycle, not a one-time process. Most people don’t need more information—they need a way to stay engaged in their growth over time.
What should someone know before working with you?
This isn’t quick-fix work.
It’s intentional, relational, and it unfolds over time.
You don’t need to have everything figured out to begin—but you do need to be willing to be honest.
This process will likely challenge some of your assumptions and patterns, but that’s part of what makes it meaningful.
You’ll be supported, but you’ll also be invited to take responsibility for your own growth.
And ultimately, this work is about real, sustainable transformation—not just a temporary sense of clarity or inspiration.
What are your plans for the future?
For over 15 years, the Greater Grounds community has walked alongside individuals and organizations through some of their most significant seasons of change — helping people reconnect with their true self, discover their purpose, and find the courage to live it out. The Grove is the next expression of that work: a place and a community where everything we’ve learned comes to life in a more rooted, embodied way.
The Grove is a micro-retreat center, intentional community and ‘living laboratory’ where people from all faith traditions will be welcomed to show up as their authentic selves. Here, we are all students and teachers at once, practicing the art of shared power and collaborative leadership. By teaching what we learn through our own experience, we hope to inspire a more connected, equitable, and compassionate way of being in our families, workplaces and communities.
The Grove operates on two levels — each distinct, each essential. It is a place you can come for a weekend or a week: to step away, breathe, and find your footing again. And it is a community you can choose to live into over time: practicing a different way of being together, day after day, and carrying that into every sphere of your life.
Both are rooted in the same conviction: that the life you’re searching for is within you — and that it flourishes best in the company of others who are doing the same work.
We are in the beginning phases of this project having just secured land.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.greatergrounds.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greatergrounds/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreaterGroundsLLC
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-d-mcclanahan/
