Beyond Business as Usual: Evolving Conscious Enterprise in Calgary

We are living through a transitional moment in our economy. Many business owners, social innovators, and community builders are feeling the limits of conventional capitalism, yet there is no established playbook for what comes next. Instead, emerging leaders are building the road as they walk it—testing new structures, reimagining value, and wrestling with systemic pressures in real time.

If you are running an organization, building a venture, or actively supporting grassroots economic transformation, there are practical maps to orient your effort and a growing community to support you.

Join the Conscious Transformation Collective at Congress Coffee for an open, grounded exploration of how our economic models are evolving to address current shortcomings. Together, we’ll examine how to transcend and include traditional business tools—retaining practical viability and innovation while integrating deep care for community, equity, and ecological wellbeing.

Rather than abstract theory, we will ground our evening in the lived realities of local enterprise.

What We’ll Explore Together

• The Living Case Study: A live conversation with Congress Coffee Company owner Johanna, exploring the practical frictions, experiments, and creative wins of running a community-rooted social hub in Calgary.
• A Four-Quadrant Map: A simple lens to diagnose where your biggest challenges live—whether internal burnout, cultural norms, operational systems, or policy roadblocks.
• An Evolutionary Perspective: Situating our current economic friction within the wider arc of human development—learning to identify and ride emerging societal trends rather than burning out fighting against them.
• Validating the Messy Middle: Recognizing that failed experiments aren’t personal shortcomings; they are how living systems evolve.
• Peer Exchange & Mutual Aid: Structured small-group circles to share your current projects, surface real blocks, pool resources, and build ongoing solidarity.

Who This Is For

• Entrepreneurs, founders, and small business owners testing unconventional models (co-ops, circular loops, social enterprise, shared stewardship).
• Organizers, practitioners, and conscious consumers wanting to support local alternatives and participate in economic transition.
• Anyone seeking a community of practice that balances visionary thinking with practical, ground-level reality.

Facilitator
Christopher Lawley has been practicing and training in the universalist Namgyal lineage of Vajrayana Buddhism and Western Mysteries for close to 2 decades with the Clear Sky Center sangha and Planet Dharma. Christopher is steeped in Integral Theory and uses it to inform his work with individuals, groups, and organizations. He is a trained coach and convener who designs and facilitates group processes using frameworks such as the Art of Hosting. Christopher is also on the organizing committee of the Integral Conference of North America (ICON) which took place in May 2026 in Denver, Colorado.

Dāna - The Practice of Generosity
Generosity (dāna) is a foundational part of our practice. While there is no set fee to attend, we invite you to participate in this cycle of giving and receiving. By offering what you can, you aren't just "paying for entry"—you are actively practicing dāna (generosity) and ensuring these resources remain available for the whole community. Please join us and give as your heart and situation allow.
Learn more about dāna (the Pali word for generosity) here.