What We Believe
Why Wisdom?
“Wisdom has important implications at both individual and societal levels, and warrants further research as a major contributor to human thriving. There is a need for a greater emphasis on promoting wisdom through our educational systems from elementary to professional schools.”(1)
About
Sophia is a consulting agency that partners with our schools to achieve the high standards that have been placed on them.
If the health and wealth enable you to breath physically and creatively, it is in order to get to this. And in a return, meaning promotes higher personal health and wealth. Meaning is imperative to healthy lifestyles, united communities, and thriving schools.
Sophia specializes in embedding meaning in communities.
Meaning
When we say wealth, we define it as the amount of money necessary for you to work creatively and focus on meaning.
In our early stage analysis, we will look at research and reports from the school and the community around it to see what wealth promoting habits, knowledge and ideals are being practiced or should be implemented.
Wealth
The last few years showed us how imperative the role schools play as teachers and entire school systems put their students health as a top priority. As much as it has become a priority, schools are not traditionally outfitted to deal with every health issue.
We will analyze the top health risks of the school and recommend solutions.
Health
Schools were designed to be primarily places of learning, and that is still the case, only now they are expected to prepare their students to live productive and high quality lives. The role of the school has continued to expand, and Sophia partners alongside them to help them meet their increase in expectations.
Research shows that Wisdom leads to a high quality life. We sum up a high quality life into three categories: health, wealth, and meaning. Our work promotes increased health, wealth, and meaning in the lives of every stakeholder, not just every shareholder.
A Helping Hand
Everyone is a leader
Although everyone may not spark a social movement or become a CEO, everyone has a sphere of influence. Everyone has people they care for and are cared for by, people they inspire or dispirit, people who notice their actions. No person in any community has no impact. To strip them of that title is to undermine the potential power and change-making ability we all have. If everyone is a leader, then everyone should be taught the responsibilities of leadership, and beyond that, deserve to be treated as leaders as well.
Everyone has an equally deserving purpose
Put simply, purpose is the combination of gaps you’re meant to fill in the world. These gaps could be physical (skill sets and abilities), mental (perspectives and insights), or emotional. If everyone has an equally deserving purpose, every leader should seek to help others develop a sense of their purpose, as opposed to blindly following their own. This principle also encourages humility. No matter how skilled or naturally talented one student may be, each young leader will learn to respect the gaps that all of them fill, no matter how nuanced they are.
Our Principles
Wisdom is loving in nature
Love and Wisdom are inseparable concepts. One can not exist outside the other: to move in Wisdom is to move in love, and vice versa. In the context of change, your motivation for it needs to be derived from love if it is to be Wisdom-led. Love is more than good intentions and heartfelt sentiment. It needs to be proven over time, just like Wisdom. Anyone can say they are Wisdom-led, but their actions need to back it up.
Our Team
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David Mahan
Founder
David oversees strategy and development at Sophia. After writing the Foolish Genius, he started to find ways to embed Wisdom into systems.
Malik Daley
Program Director
As the Program Director, Malik oversees Student Programming. He enjoys philosophy, making music, and is a community-minded teacher at heart.
Charity Butler
Consultant
Charity Butler oversees our event planning and consults on strategy and operations. She is involved heavily in education and youth development.
Dr. Tom Edwards
Advisor
As the head advisor, Dr. Tom's passes on his wisdom gained from his 35-year career that was framed through the lens of diversity, inclusion, reconciliation, and equity.
Us in Numbers
$100M+
Clients’ Income during the Last Quarter
5
Industry Awards
355
Business Partners in over 30 Countries
27
Years of Experience