When Success Isn't Enough

Every map has an edge. You've reached yours.

I help successful people learn to navigate uncertainty when achievement stops providing answers.

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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. For 25 years—through wilderness education, politics, nonprofit leadership, and academia—I've been helping people expand their sense of what's possible when their current framework no longer fits their lived experience.

My path: Rock-and-roll DJ → political speechwriter → wilderness instructor → Princeton Ph.D. → nonprofit executive. Each transition taught me something about navigating without a map..

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

Every map has an edge. Success has a horizon. Achievement has limits.

But horizons aren't natural boundaries—they're constructed. And what's constructed can be expanded.

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.

This is existential consultation—deep conversation that helps successful people see beyond the horizon of their current achievement.

This is learning to inhabit uncertainty as a generative space—not a problem to solve.

A man outdoors in a grassy area with cloudy sky in the background. He is wearing a black puffer vest over a blue button-up shirt.

WORK WITH ME

EXISTENTIAL CONSULTATIONS

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

  • Executives who've "won" but feel empty

  • Professionals questioning paths they never consciously chose

  • High achievers sensing there's more but not seeing how to get there

  • People whose expertise has led them to questions their training can't answer

  • Those ready to develop uncertainty as a navigational skill

  • Anyone standing at the edge of their achievement, ready to explore unmapped territory

HOW IT WORKS

Deep, extended sessions that give space for real exploration. Not quick fixes or action items, but genuine inquiry into how to navigate when the old frameworks no longer fit.

Some people need one conversation to see their horizon clearly. Others return monthly for ongoing exploration. You decide what serves you.

INVESTMENT

By conversation. We'll discuss what makes sense for your situation.

AVAILABILITY

Currently accepting new clients

Sessions available virtually or in Missoula, MT

CURRENT PROJECTS:

Scenic landscape with mountains in the background, a body of water, and a person walking along the shoreline during sunset.

  • After Certainty: An American Investigation

    A cultural investigation into how Americans create meaning when traditional sources feel absent or inadequate.

    Book completion: Early 2026.

  • A series of conversations with diverse leaders & meaning-makers exploring how they navigate uncertainty and expand possibility.

    Launch: Early 2026.

  • Presentations and workshops on expanding horizons of possibility within successful frameworks.

    Available Now

Ready to expand your horizon?

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