A Spatial Strategy Studio for Learning, Engagement, and Connection.
About Us
Guided By Community is a Spatial Strategy Studio for Learning, Engagement, and Connection.
We help organizations connect people, place, and purpose through spatial empathy and compassion — the ability to see people in context and act with care.
Our work bridges engagement strategy, learning design, and empathy practice. We partner with mission-driven teams, planners, educators, and leaders to build systems that are not only effective but empathetic — systems that understand the environments people live, work, and learn in.
We design strategies that teach and trainings that transform. From community engagement to curriculum design, every project we take on begins with a simple question: What would this look like if it were truly guided by community?
Our approach turns that question into action — translating data, story, and geography into practical steps toward belonging, accountability, and measurable impact.
Through our learning branch, Place + Perspective Learning, we also teach others how to embed spatial empathy and compassion into their own work — helping organizations grow through awareness, understanding, and care.
Because we believe equity isn’t just a goal — it’s a practice.
And empathy, when grounded in place, can change how the world learns, leads, and connects.
A Spatial Strategy Studio works at the intersection of people, place, and purpose.
It helps clients see how spatial relationships — where things and people are located, how they move, and what systems shape those interactions — influence equity, engagement, and decision-making.
In other words: it’s about connecting the geography of what’s happening to the strategy of what should happen next.
What is a Spatial Strategy Studio?
Our Services
Community Engagement and Outreach
Research, Capacity Building, & Fundraising
Facilitation, Leadership, & Professional Development
Curious about how our learning or strategy options could align with your organization's unique needs?
Our Values
It’s in our name
Everything we do is Guided By Community. This means our big-picture strategies are driven by the community's best interests, our engagement initiatives are crafted to actively involve the community, and we evaluate equity by considering community-guided needs.
Erica M.
“Lakeshia has become an essential resource for our team helping build skills and knowledge within our team and support our team’s efforts to build justice and equity related skills within our larger organization…”
Alexander D.
