When Success Isn't Enough
Every map has an edge. What happens when you reach yours?
I work with accomplished professionals examining what happens when achievement stops providing answers.
GETTING ORIENTED
Unlike a traditional anchor that secures a boat to the bottom, a sea anchor is a tool you deploy when you’re adrift in open water: it keeps your bow pointed into the waves so you don't take them broadside. You're still moving, still subject to the current, but you maintain the orientation that keeps you upright.
This is the work: not eliminating uncertainty, but achieving dynamic stability within it.
THE EDGE OF THE MAP
You’ve done everything right. Followed the path perfectly. Achieved what you were supposed to achieve.
And now you’re standing at the edge of the map, sensing there’s more territory—but not seeing how to navigate without the old landmarks.
WHO I AM
I'm George Laufenberg. I have a Ph.D. in anthropology from Princeton, and I've spent 25 years in wilderness education, politics, nonprofit leadership, and academia helping people expand their sense of what's possible when their current framework no longer fits.
My path has been unconventional: radio & TV → wilderness guide → political speechwriter → academia → educational equity work → nonprofit executive. Each transition taught me something about navigating uncertainty when the old landmarks stop making sense.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED
Every map has an edge. Success has a horizon. Achievement has limits.
But horizons aren't barriers—they're sight-lines from where you're standing. What looks like the edge of possibility is actually the edge of your current vantage point. Different positions make different futures visible.
My Princeton research revealed that even America's "meaning-making experts"—mental health professionals—were themselves having crises of meaning. If the official guides are lost, maybe the real work isn't following better maps—it's learning to navigate unmapped territory.
THE WORK
This isn't therapy. You're not broken.
This isn't traditional coaching. You don't need optimization.
This isn't advisory consulting. I don't have your answers.
What I offer: Extended conversations that go directly to the questions you've been avoiding. Not quick fixes or action items, but genuine inquiry into what's truly yours versus what you've inherited. Space to question the framework itself when achievement stops being the answer.
This is learning to inhabit uncertainty as a generative space—not a problem to solve.
WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING
After 20 years in the tech industry, getting laid off came as a relief. I knew I was well and truly done, but had no idea what could be next. Everyone says to take your time, but what no one tells you is what happens in that time. George helped me see my predicament in an entirely new way. On my own, it would have taken me ages and no small amount of heartache to see what George helped me see. No therapy-speak, no rah-rah pull-yourself-by-your-bootstraps talk, just very clear insight. It's like talking with your smartest friend.
— Dawn Nafus, Ph.D.
Former Senior Principal Research Scientist, Intel
George got to the heart of what I was avoiding faster than I expected. He has a calm and incisive way of taking you into uncomfortable territory - the places you need to go but don't want to. I wasn't ready, but you're never ready. Remarkably substantive for a single session.
— Briana K., Ph.D.
Statistics Consultant & Day Trader
WORK WITH ME
SESSIONS
90-minute conversations for successful people who've reached the edge of their map and are ready to explore what becomes possible when achievement stops being the answer.
WHO THIS SERVES
The executive who "won" - Built the company, made the money, got the title. Now lying awake wondering: "What was this all for?"
The professional who inherited a path - Followed family expectations perfectly. Doctor, lawyer, professor. Successful on paper, but it never felt like their choice.
The achiever at the next transition - 45, 50, 55. Kids growing up, career plateau reached, decades ahead. Asking "Is this it?"
The leader who's lost - Guides others daily but privately navigating their own uncertainty. Can't admit it to colleagues. Needs space to not know.
HOW IT WORKS
Each 90-minute conversation begins where you are: standing at the edge of your map, sensing there's more territory but not seeing how to navigate it.
We explore three core questions:
What's truly yours? Distinguishing between the path you've chosen and the path you've inherited from others' expectations.
What becomes possible? Recognizing what your current position makes visible—and what it doesn't. Not expanding horizons, but examining your standpoint to see what becomes perceptible from different vantage points.
How do you navigate? Learning to move forward when the old landmarks no longer serve as guides.
This isn't a formula. It's genuine inquiry that doesn't let you stay comfortable. Deep, extended sessions that give space for real exploration - not quick fixes or action items, but incisive work on what you've been avoiding.
Some people need one extended conversation to see their horizon clearly. Others return monthly for ongoing exploration as they navigate unmapped territory. You decide what serves you.
WHAT SHIFTS
This work doesn't change your circumstances. It changes your relationship to uncertainty itself.
Before: "I should be grateful. I have everything I worked for. Why does it feel empty?"
After: "I can see now what I actually chose versus what I inherited. That clarity changes everything."
Before: "I'm stuck. Every option feels like someone else's answer."
After: "I'm learning to navigate without needing certainty. The not-knowing is actually the path forward."
Before: "I've succeeded at everything except figuring out what I actually want."
After: "The question isn't 'what do I want?' It's 'who am I becoming?' That's the territory I'm exploring now."
INVESTMENT
Founding Client Opportunity (Through January 2026):
I'm accepting a limited number of founding clients while I establish this practice. Founding client rates are significantly reduced from standard rates beginning February 2026.
Investment depends on engagement structure and your situation. Let's have a conversation about what makes sense.
AVAILABILITY
Currently accepting new clients
Sessions available virtually or in Missoula, MT
CURRENT PROJECTS:
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After Certainty: An American Investigation
A cultural investigation into how Americans create meaning when traditional sources feel absent or inadequate.
Launch: 2026
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A series of conversations with diverse leaders & meaning-makers exploring how they navigate uncertainty and expand possibility.
Launch: Early 2026.
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Developing presentations on navigating uncertainty and expanding possibility for organizational contexts. Available for conferences, leadership retreats, and executive offsites.
Inquiries welcome
Questioning the framework that brought you here?
I work with a small number of individuals who’ve succeeded within their given framework and are ready to question the framework itself.
If you’re lying awake wondering what it’s all for… let’s talk.
Speaking Inquiries Welcome
Based in Missoula, MT • Sessions Available Worldwide