Our Philosophy

Meet Our Team

Jonathan Gibson

As a small child, Jonathan loved giving hugs and taking risks (his mother will happily tell you the story of how, at under 9 months old, he climbed onto the kitchen counter to turn on the toaster oven). He wouldn’t realize it until much later, but these values are at the core of who Jonathan is and how he lives his life. Jonathan is a genuine, caring person who thrives on forming connections and building community. He is passionate about personal growth and self-discovery and has spent his career as an experiential educator honing his skills to facilitate people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

Along the way, Jonathan has received extensive education and training in social and cognitive psychology, social emotional learning, leadership, and group development (at Duke University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, National Outdoor Leadership School, and beyond). He has also sought out valuable life experience in various roles such as World Traveler, Mad Scientist, Hug Trainer, Preschool Teacher, and Wilderness Instructor.

His most recent (and most challenging) undertaking has been the role of Daddy to his lively daughter Lilah. Jonathan strives to grow and further discover how to be true to himself, and he looks forward to continuing this journey along with fellow travelers.

Co-Founder & Lead Facilitator

Michelle has a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from Claremont Graduate University in Southern California and two Bachelor's degrees (one in Psychology and one in Business Management) from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She taught at multiple universities for almost two decades before starting a college from scratch - Wayfinding Academy - in 2016. While she was President of Wayfinding Academy, she was featured in The New York Times, The Oregonian, University Times, and The Chronicle of Higher Education and was interviewed on CBS Sunday Morning and Oregon Public Broadcasting's Think Out Loud. In 2019 she gave this TEDxSalem talk on "How to do college better" about why she founded a college and her vision for the future of higher education. She is now a full time faculty member in the Master's in Organizational Leadership program at Western Oregon University helping leaders and aspiring leaders in our community lead with purpose, courage, and integrity.

Michelle has also started multiple nonprofit and for profit businesses and is currently the co-founder of both Smith & Jones Innovation and Sonder Collaborative. She serves on the Board of Directors for several nonprofits, including Stumptown Scholars and Weird Portland United. She lived in a tiny house (85 square feet!) for 15 years until the summer of 2025 when she bought a house ten times that size (small, but not tiny). Her biggest hobby is walking and she takes several trips each year, usually focused on walking, including walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage 8 times with groups of students and friends.

Sean Aiken is a bestselling published author at Penguin-Random House, a formally trained Executive/Career Coach, and an accomplished TEDx speaker/workshop facilitator having spoken to hundreds of audiences at conferences, companies, and schools throughout North America and Europe.

He is a former Associate Professor and founding team member at Wayfinding College, a two-year accredited college in Portland, Oregon designed to revolutionize the higher education system. And he is the Co-Founder of the Rad Dad Collective, an initiative to support the well being of fathers and their families.

Sean has been featured in The New York Times, TIME Magazine, Wall Street Journal, and has been interviewed on CNN, Good Morning America, Rachel Ray Show, and countless other media outlets around the world.