4 Quadrants – AQAL
We make sense of life through multiple lenses at once – our inner experience, our outward actions, our relationships, and the systems we live within. The Integral model brings these together in four quadrants: the internal individual (thoughts, emotions, intentions), the external individual (behaviours, language, physiology), the internal collective (culture, values, shared meaning), and the external collective (structures, roles, environments).
In coaching, this lens helps us move beyond surface-level fixes. What looks like a mindset issue might also live in the body, be reinforced by team dynamics, or reflect values that no longer fit. Working with all four dimensions brings depth, accuracy, and the kind of change that actually sticks:
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A deeper understanding of what’s actually driving their decisions or disconnection
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More embodied emotional intelligence – not just naming feelings, but working with them
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Insight into how their upbringing, culture, or environment still shapes their patterns
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Clearer strategies that honour both their personal values and their external realities
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A feeling of integration – finally bringing all parts of themselves into the room
AQAL isn’t the model I impose – it’s the lens I hold. It allows us to work with complexity, without being overwhelmed by it. And it helps you create real movement, not just mental clarity.
