A Tribute to Elza Maalouf

Elza Maalouf (1965 – 2024)  was an attorney, author, visionary and humanist. It was at an Integral Leadership program in the early 2000’s that Elza learned about Spiral Dynamics and the work of Don Beck. Intrigued by Don and Spiral, Elza recognized she could offer a perspective arising from her experience growing up with the trauma of civil war-torn Lebanon and ethnocentric rivalries. She worked side-by-side with Don Beck in the early 2000’s and together they forged a vision for Palestine based upon Spiral Dynamics values systems and conflict resolution principles. Maalouf and Beck co-founded Human Emergence-Middle East, with Board members Beck, Jean Houston, Said Dawlabani, and Fadwa Al-Homaizi. She and her husband Said Dawlabani  influenced business, politics, economics, and leadership. Elza was a spiritual person at her core.  She was an example of “living the change you want to see”. Those who knew her, knew her big heart, her beauty, her optimism, and her unique intelligence. An interview of Elza by Russ Wolckmann was published in Integral Leadership in Review in June 2013, providing an overview of her work and leadership up to that time. Her life is an example of personal evolution and creating profound hope and change for a better world. She was truly loved and admired by those who knew her spirit, generosity, and brilliance. Elza was a survivor, a visionary, who used her talents for the greater good.

The Heroine’s Journey: Women’s Courage and Integral Voices. Using integrally-informed processes, we will explore women’s sense of self and their world. The Heroine’s Journey is an archetype that will serve as a background for exploring the unique perspectives of women. The focus of this workshop will be developing co-creative conversations to enhance the voice of women. How do women show-up with each other, with their larger community, and in the world at large? How do you wish to transform and what is your transformation journey?  What risks must be taken to create the vibrant ownership and leadership of the feminine voice? AQAL provides a template for learning about female styles, influence, and energy, both individually and collectively. This workshop will help develop an understanding of interior, exterior, cultural and systemic influences in your own heroine’s journey, and how you relate to the larger feminine zeitgeist. A brief review of Spiral Dynamics and AQAL models will be followed by small and large group conversations in a world-cafe format. Conversations will be followed by discussion to promote a deeper connection with uniquely feminine archetypes and interpersonal styles. States of body, mind, soul and unity spirit will be manifested as participants relate to feminine values and state experiences. Marilyn Hamilton’s article (Where are the Women? Saging the Invisible into the Visible, 2011) provides rich themes on women’s Integral voices. It will be referenced to pose questions of our personal transformations, our futures, and becoming change agents.