Leadership Inside Out

Hi Reader, How are you? Today's newsletter is a little longer than usual. But I hope you get the chance to sit down with it and reflect on what experiences you might need to compost and the blooms it will lead to. In 5 short days I will be giving the final keynote speech at the virtual Responsive Nonprofit Summit. It's kind of a big deal for me, here's why:Flash back 13 years ... I was invited to speak at the White House. The pictures look impressive and fancy but I was wrecked inside, it was...

Hi Reader, How are you feeling? When you care about the work that you do but also feel exhausted you can sometimes find yourself wondering... Is this "burnout" or is it just the normalized "pour out" of doing social impact work? Without awareness and holistic practices, the self imposed "pour out" can lead real fast to burnout. 🫗 🔥 Becoming aware of what drains your energy and investing in ways to reframe and refuel is critical to regaining the sustainable energy you need to enjoy your work...

Hi Reader, How you doing?! "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, Do better". - Maya Angelou This quote has served as a guiding force in my personal and professional life. You may relate to that constant desire that I feel inside to know better. To me, Maya Angelou’s quote highlights the role of ignorance in poor behavior and performance with a certain amount of grace. Knowledge is power. And the process of learning and knowing continues to evolve collectively...

Hi Reader, How are you? Really. Most likely you are the kind of leader that listens to your people. You know the basics of caring and effective leadership. In fact, you listen A LOT. Or at least you always try to. You know that making space and time to hear the concerns and voices of your team is an important practice. But this issue is not about improving how you listen others. Today's newsletter is about the magical insight and transformation that happen when you REALLY allow YOURSELF to be...

Hi Reader, How are you? At the start of every coaching session I invite my clients to take a moment to return to their body, to let themself feel supported by their breath and let their thoughts float by without judgement. We take 60 seconds together to just be. So often we, as humans are actually lost in our head, lost in the chronic tsunami of information and emotions. Disconnected from the present moment. The information flow and cognitive load we currently carry is A LOT, (more than ever...

Hi Reader, How are you? I start my newsletter with this question because how you are feeling matters. I recently saw a post that asked, “Are you sick of your job or is your job making you sick?” I thought of the nonprofit professionals that I've met at the NTen Nonprofit Technology conference a few weeks ago who resonated with the statement, “We are beyond burnout, we’re crispy”. Eeek is that you?! How you FEEL matters. Not only because you are human but as a leader trying to impact the...

Hi Reader, How are you? Just three words, "Tell me more", can create a powerful and meaningful connection. It's a go-to coaching questions and an immediate bridge builder for any person trying to expand their understanding and create connection. When using it you don't have to agree with your conversation partner. You don't have to fully understand them or know your response. You are simply saying, I care to better understand and I care to know you and your perspective. Rather than take the...

It's International Women's Day. How shall we celebrate? Let's stop ignoring ALL the unpaid work women do. 📣Just cause it’s unpaid, doesn't make it less valuable. There's a reason we're exhausted and it's not our fault. Society expects women to work for free. Everyday women are doing a million things that keep our lives and society going without pay or public recognition. And to make things worse, we normalize shaming ourselves for not getting it all done perfectly. 🤢 Do you do any of the...

Avoidance. (We’ve all been there). You know you should have that feedback conversation, but you aren’t sure how it will go. So you busy yourself with all the other ‘important’ things. An array of thoughts and feelings running through you without your awareness: I don’t want to be mean. I feel like I'm not performing how I would like. How can I hold them accountable without being hypocritical? Everyone is already overworked, but their performance / lack of communication really is a problem....