As we explore urgency, stress, and burnout in the context of systems collapse and cultural stories, it’s worth asking: what does it take to lead from a different rhythm— one that’s attuned, resilient, and regenerative? In The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimaging Ourselves, Dr. Shawn Ginwright offers a powerful framework for shifting from reaction to … Read more
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood Urgency doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s shaped by the cultural, systemic, and narrative waters we swim in—whether we know it or not. Many of us, especially in mission- driven organizations, are swimming in waters that carry conflicting currents. Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects offers a helpful framework to name and … Read more
Photo by Tara Winstead Picking up where we left off, it’s important to understand what urgency, when left unexamined, can lead us toward. Remember that when something feels urgent, our bodies feel it. We shift into sympathetic arousal: This is stress. Stress is not just a mental state. It’s a full-body pattern of activation. The … Read more
Lately, I’ve been carrying stories from clients that shook me. Two leaders in moments of deep personal vulnerability. Both pushed past their limits— not by the demands of their work, but by the demands of their bosses. One received a call the night before a major surgery. Her boss was anxious about a grant proposal … Read more
Recently, I’ve been hearing a recurring theme in the coaching conversations I’m privileged to hold. It sounds something like this: “There are too many fires, and no time to breathe.”“I used to know how to distinguish real urgency from the noise—but now that seems so much harder.”“I can’t hold this much. Everything and everyone needs … Read more
In my work with leaders across nonprofits, social movements, and BCorps, I keep hearing a familiar refrain: “I just need to hold them accountable.” But when we scratch beneath that phrase, something more complex is going on. What if accountability isn’t something we hold over others—but something we tend with them? What if true accountability … Read more
The qualities of working together as a team comes up over and over in my coaching, facilitating and consulting work. Recently, reframing teamwork in ways that focus on the whole more than its individual parts has been a consistent theme, so it seems worth speaking directly to. One of the most powerful shifts a leadership … Read more
This is the kind of leadership we need more of. Leadership that doesn’t rely on hierarchy to be impactful. Leadership that honors the agency we do have, even in systems that feel heavy or stuck. Leadership that’s alive in the moment and rooted in values.
“Polycrisis” is a word that I’m seeing and hearing more and more. It describes living in a time with multiple crises overlapping—political, environmental, social, technological, and more. People and teams leading through polycrisis are finding it hard to plan, challenging to support their team members at the level they need it, and taxing to carry … Read more
Like so many, I’ve been focused on the drastic and rapid changes happening in the US in the last few weeks. Most of my work is in supporting nonprofit leaders and organizations. As many of you reading this will know, the sector, and the people and issues they are advocating and caring for, have been … Read more