speaker-photo

Dr. Laura Calderon de la Barca

Collective Change Lab, Senior Associate, Healing Systems Co-Lead.
Laura Calderón de la Barca, PhD is a psychotherapist and systems change practitioner specializing in collective, intergenerational, and systemic trauma. As Senior Associate at the Collective Change Lab, she advances healing as the key to transforming social systems. She is the lead author of Healing Systems, published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review (2024), which was the most-read SSIR article of the year. Rooted in her lived experience as a Mexican Mestiza reconnecting with her Indigenous spirituality, Laura bridges trauma healing, decolonial practice, and spiritual reconnection as pathways for changemakers. She teaches internationally, with particular focus on Latin America, and collaborates with global spiritual and social impact communities in events such as the Skoll World Forum (Oxford University) and the Wellbeing Summits (Bilbao, Bogotá and Saltillo). She has also facilitated collective trauma healing labs, support spaces for people of color and Spanish-speaking communities with Thomas Hübl through the Academy of Inner Science and the Pocket Project, and served as a panelist and host for the Collective Trauma Online Summits (2019–2023). She is currently working on a documentary about Healing Systems with the Collective Change Lab and Pirata Films, scheduled for release in mid-2026.
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM

6 October, 7 October, 8 October Event days

DAY 1

Gathering the Questions

The first day begins by grounding ourselves in the human experiences that connect us.
  • What challenges are we facing in this moment?
  • What are we holding alone that we might hold together?
  • How can we care for ourselves and one another as we navigate uncertainty and change?

Helping guide this exploration will be Dr. Laura Calderon de la Barca, whose work explores the intersections of faith, justice, and human dignity. Through her perspective we will reflect on the deeper questions shaping this moment and how spiritual traditions can help communities face uncertainty with courage and compassion.


Through music, dialogue, storytelling, and cultural exploration, we begin by recognizing the shared questions that bring us together.


Day One reminds us that meaningful change often begins with honesty, listening, and connection.


9:30am - 11:00am

Tuesday 6 October Day 1

Main Session 1: Grounding in Purpose

Gathering: What is connecting us? What problems are we seeing? What are we holding
alone that we can better hold together? How can we take care of ourselves and one
another?