Lynn Horan is a gender and leadership scholar and professional life coach specializing in women's leadership and life development. A doctoral researcher through Antioch University's PhD Program in Leadership and Change, Lynn's work focuses on inter-personal boundaries and psychological safety of empathetic women leaders.
A former Presbyterian clergy and health policy analyst for the New York State Senate, Lynn holds a deep understanding of complex religious and political systems and their impact on social narratives. Lynn is committed to cross-cultural and inter-generational relationship-building, having worked in health education, homeless advocacy and domestic violence prevention in communities in Southern Mexico, Central Peru and Upstate New York.
A trained contemporary dancer and yoga practitioner, Lynn believes strongly in the restorative capacity of movement and embodied awareness as a means of cultivating healing, wholeness and reconciliation in individuals and communities. She currently lives in upstate NY with her husband and three children.
View Resume HERE
Download Dissertation HERE
A former Presbyterian clergy and health policy analyst for the New York State Senate, Lynn holds a deep understanding of complex religious and political systems and their impact on social narratives. Lynn is committed to cross-cultural and inter-generational relationship-building, having worked in health education, homeless advocacy and domestic violence prevention in communities in Southern Mexico, Central Peru and Upstate New York.
A trained contemporary dancer and yoga practitioner, Lynn believes strongly in the restorative capacity of movement and embodied awareness as a means of cultivating healing, wholeness and reconciliation in individuals and communities. She currently lives in upstate NY with her husband and three children.
View Resume HERE
Download Dissertation HERE
Books:
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www.amazon.com/Dismantled-Abusive-Church-Culture-Clergy/dp/1966655134/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0Dismantled: Abusive Church Culture and the Clergy Women Who Leave
(Tehom Center Publishing) ORDER HERE |
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Called to Leave: Clergy Women Reconstituting Self Beyond Toxic Church Culture
in Inspirational Women Leaders: The Challenges and Rewards of Religion, Spirituality, Purpose, and Calling in Leadership (International Leadership Association’s Transformative Women Leaders Book Series) Available 2026 MORE ON THIS BOOK SERIES |
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Activism, Performance, and Spiritual Ritual: The Roots of Embodied Social Change
in Leadership at the Spiritual Edge: Exploring Emerging and Non-Western Concepts of Spirituality and Leadership (Routledge) TOP 20 Kindle - Occupational & Organizational Psychology TOP 100 Kindle - Workplace Behavior & Applied Psychology CLICK HERE TO ORDER |
Podcasts:
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Feminist and Embodied Methodologies for Trauma-Informed Research
The Epistemic Alchemy Podcast Hosted by leadership scholar, author, and editor Dr. Mohammed Raei LISTEN HERE |
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Leadership at the Spiritual Edge
The Edge of Everyday Podcast Hosted by author, actor, and theologian Sandra Bargman LISTEN HERE |
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Breaking Free From Toxic Systems and Leading at the Spiritual Edge
Live the Width of Your Life Podcast Hosted by author and transformational leadership coach Aneta Ardelian Kuzma LISTEN HERE |
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Hope Lives in the Body The Blue Room Podcast Hosted by theologian and leadership coach Maryann McKibben Dana, author of "Hope: A User's Manual" (Eerdmans, 2022) LISTEN HERE |
Conferences & Presentations:
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A ‘Wicked’ Reframing of the Self-Differentiated Scapegoat
as Transformational Heroine and Visionary Leader Heroes in Contemporary Popular Culture: Figures, Forms, and Functions McGill University & Concordia University October 2025 |
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Boundaries and Psychological Safety in Pastoral Practice
Gender and Family Systems Theory in Workplace Culture Princeton Theological Seminary Fall 2024 |
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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging from a Spirituality Perspective
International Leadership Association's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit June 21-22, 2023 CLICK HERE |
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Mimetic Scapegoating and the Disappearance of Protestant Clergy Women Global Center for Religious Research's Conference on Religious Trauma June 10-11, 2023 CLICK HERE |
What people are saying...
Lynn is an engaging, empathic, and relational scholar whose interdisciplinary social science approach integrates feminist theory and sociology of the body, gender, religion, and family systems. Within her extensive knowledge base, she combines an embodied way of learning and leading, building new theory as it relates to the psychological safety and interpersonal boundaries of women leaders. Lynn’s mastery of diverse concepts, theoretical frameworks, and methods provides fertile ground for innovation as a gifted scholar, practitioner, coach, and relational leader.
Amy Rutstein-Riley, PhD, MPH
Dean, Graduate School of Leadership and Change
Antioch University
Lynn is incredibly thoughtful and insightful, full of empathy and passion, and committed to addressing change that creates more just and inclusive institutions. As Dean of the GSLG, I have witnessed hundreds of committed and engaged students, mid-to-senior level professionals from every sector, engage in rigorous interdisciplinary study as they seek to lead change for the common good. Although a scholar/practitioner program, we occasionally have students with extraordinary academic talent and Lynn is one of those. She will make significant contributions through her practice and scholarship and I am proud she is a student in Antioch’s PhD program.
Laurien Alexandre, PhD
Former Dean, Graduate School of Leadership and Change
Antioch University
Lynn’s approach to leadership is embodied and centered in engaging the full self in meaningful ritual. She understands the importance of taking a creative, holistic approach to spiritual formation and integrates contemplation and action to foster a grounded sense of self. Her integrity is evident in the outcomes of her work as well as in her relationships. Additionally, she embraces dance and movement as both an important expression of spirituality and a platform to promote understanding of social justice issues.
A.T. Moffett, MA
Executive Director
Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education
Lynn knows her field well and is exceptionally well-read. She is extremely articulate both in oral defense, and in her writing style. She communicates with clarity and purpose, and she can convey complex ideas with ease, which is supported with the deep reflexivity that she engages in within her work. I was able to witness first-hand Lynn's tenacity, commitment, strong communication skills, and deep scholarship.
Sarah-Jane Page, PhD
Professor of Sociology and Social Policy
University of Nottingham, UK
Lynn is among the most gifted of our graduates, with evident strength in academic study and practical gifts for creative service and leadership, as well as a rare and graceful capacity for integration of the two poles of theoretical concentration and practice. She is a significant leader with and among her colleagues, forging strong bonds and supporting others in ways that strengthen the common work we seek to do. She demonstrates a spirit of exploration and collaborative discovery that pushes into new areas of creative engagement.
Christopher Elwood, PhD
Professor of Theology
Louisville Theological Seminary
Lynn's research looks at a deep, understudied, often unspoken-about lived experience, one that sits in trauma – and brings it forward, holding it with care, navigating its complexity, and through this work has and will help others heal, while challenging systems and destructive cultural norms. And this, will lead to humanizing change.
Harriet Schwartz, PhD
Professor for Leadership and Relational Practice
Antioch University
Occasionally, someone like Lynn comes along who is doubly blessed – not only with a strong professional background but someone with obvious academic talent as well. She approaches her work on boundary leadership with uncommon assurance, weaving together other nascent leadership theories in the best traditions of integrative scholarship. Her work is quite possibly to best of its type I’ve ever read.
Jon F. Wergin, PhD
Professor of Education Studies
Antioch University
Lynn’s scholarly excellence is on display with her depth and nuance of analysis. She connects philosophies with empirical work in a variety of areas, bringing together current strands around feminism, boundary work, and psychological safety and connecting with mimetic theory and embodied leadership. Lynn’s writing is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read. Her thinking is every bit as good as her writing.
Beth Mabry, PhD
Professor of Leadership and Change
Antioch University
Amy Rutstein-Riley, PhD, MPH
Dean, Graduate School of Leadership and Change
Antioch University
Lynn is incredibly thoughtful and insightful, full of empathy and passion, and committed to addressing change that creates more just and inclusive institutions. As Dean of the GSLG, I have witnessed hundreds of committed and engaged students, mid-to-senior level professionals from every sector, engage in rigorous interdisciplinary study as they seek to lead change for the common good. Although a scholar/practitioner program, we occasionally have students with extraordinary academic talent and Lynn is one of those. She will make significant contributions through her practice and scholarship and I am proud she is a student in Antioch’s PhD program.
Laurien Alexandre, PhD
Former Dean, Graduate School of Leadership and Change
Antioch University
Lynn’s approach to leadership is embodied and centered in engaging the full self in meaningful ritual. She understands the importance of taking a creative, holistic approach to spiritual formation and integrates contemplation and action to foster a grounded sense of self. Her integrity is evident in the outcomes of her work as well as in her relationships. Additionally, she embraces dance and movement as both an important expression of spirituality and a platform to promote understanding of social justice issues.
A.T. Moffett, MA
Executive Director
Delaware Institute for the Arts in Education
Lynn knows her field well and is exceptionally well-read. She is extremely articulate both in oral defense, and in her writing style. She communicates with clarity and purpose, and she can convey complex ideas with ease, which is supported with the deep reflexivity that she engages in within her work. I was able to witness first-hand Lynn's tenacity, commitment, strong communication skills, and deep scholarship.
Sarah-Jane Page, PhD
Professor of Sociology and Social Policy
University of Nottingham, UK
Lynn is among the most gifted of our graduates, with evident strength in academic study and practical gifts for creative service and leadership, as well as a rare and graceful capacity for integration of the two poles of theoretical concentration and practice. She is a significant leader with and among her colleagues, forging strong bonds and supporting others in ways that strengthen the common work we seek to do. She demonstrates a spirit of exploration and collaborative discovery that pushes into new areas of creative engagement.
Christopher Elwood, PhD
Professor of Theology
Louisville Theological Seminary
Lynn's research looks at a deep, understudied, often unspoken-about lived experience, one that sits in trauma – and brings it forward, holding it with care, navigating its complexity, and through this work has and will help others heal, while challenging systems and destructive cultural norms. And this, will lead to humanizing change.
Harriet Schwartz, PhD
Professor for Leadership and Relational Practice
Antioch University
Occasionally, someone like Lynn comes along who is doubly blessed – not only with a strong professional background but someone with obvious academic talent as well. She approaches her work on boundary leadership with uncommon assurance, weaving together other nascent leadership theories in the best traditions of integrative scholarship. Her work is quite possibly to best of its type I’ve ever read.
Jon F. Wergin, PhD
Professor of Education Studies
Antioch University
Lynn’s scholarly excellence is on display with her depth and nuance of analysis. She connects philosophies with empirical work in a variety of areas, bringing together current strands around feminism, boundary work, and psychological safety and connecting with mimetic theory and embodied leadership. Lynn’s writing is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read. Her thinking is every bit as good as her writing.
Beth Mabry, PhD
Professor of Leadership and Change
Antioch University
Women's leadership and life development
Individual & corporate leadership consulting
Research collaboration & publishing
Speaking engagements & retreats
General inquiries
Individual & corporate leadership consulting
Research collaboration & publishing
Speaking engagements & retreats
General inquiries