As planning season kicks into gear, I’m sharing one powerful question that every nonprofit leader should ask before setting next year’s goals. It’s a short episode, but it goes deep — because how you approach planning is just as import...

You raised the money. You hired the team. You hit your goals. So why does it suddenly feel harder than before? In this episode, I talk about the under-discussed but absolutely critical phase of organizational growth: the flat part

If most of your week lives in competence—or worse, in weakness—everything slows down.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Your zone of genius isn’t a luxury; it’s leverage. The more time you spend there, the faster the org moves.Outside...

If you start in November, you’re already late.🧭 Today’s belief shift: 80% of year-end success is built by October—list health, story assets, pledge calendar, board roles.A calm runway beats a frantic sprint, every time....

Stress doesn’t create cracks—it reveals them. Your job is to see them before they break.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Simple stress tests can X-ray your org and show the first points of failure now.Early fixes are cheap;...

If a problem feels urgent today, it started months ago.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Waiting has a cost curve—and the interest compounds. Courage early is cheaper than heroics later.Delay narrows options, burns trust, and raises ...

If shiny opportunities keep diluting your plan, your vision needs a lock.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Vision isn’t just direction; it’s a boundary. It protects the North Star you set in Episode N.Every “yes” spends from a finite...

If your most important work keeps getting bumped to “tomorrow,” you’re in an urgency loop.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Urgency is addictive; importance is strategic. Important work only ships by design.Pre-committing time and gu...

If every win creates more strain, you’re likely underfunding infrastructure.🧭 Today’s belief shift: A budget is a design tool. If you don’t fund the true cost—people, tools, stewardship, reserves—you fund burnout.Under-reso...

If your appeal is accurate but donors don’t move, the story is missing.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Data justifies; story decides. Donors fund a narrative they can step into.A clear arc creates urgency without pressure and align...

If great people are still missing deadlines, you might have a seat problem—not a people problem.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Good people can’t fix broken roles. The right person in the wrong seat is still the wrong fit.Misaligne...

If every week starts from scratch, you don’t need more hours—you need rhythm.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Cadence beats heroics. A simple beat—plan → execute → review—turns intention into predictable progress.Rhythm reduces deci...

If you’re busy all week but nothing meaningful moves, you don’t have a time issue—you have a priority issue.🧭 Today’s belief shift: A priority is a chosen outcome that makes other work easier or unnecessary. Everything else is eit...

If drafts keep boomeranging back to your desk, you’re not delegating—you’re rescuing.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Overfunctioning isn’t leadership; it’s a design pattern that trains the system to rely on you.People can’t own wha...

If every decision turns into a debate, you don’t have a people problem—you’re missing a filter.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Clarity doesn’t come from consensus; it comes from design. Your North Star is a decision filter, not a slogan.<...

If every day ends at 0%—no time, no energy, no cash—you’re not leading strategically; you’re firefighting.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Margin isn’t a perk. It’s infrastructure. It’s the shock absorber that keeps your mission from crack...

Let’s talk about the part of leadership no one sees—but everyone feels: your headspace.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Your org can’t grow beyond the headspace you lead from.If your leadership is cluttered, reactive, or stuck in survival ...

Measuring everything? You’re moving nothing.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Data isn’t clarity. If you measure everything, nothing moves.Pick 2 metrics. Align everything to them.📥 Download: KPI Priority Matrix🎯 The

If every major decision still runs through you, your board isn’t governing. They’re spectating.🧭 Today’s belief shift: You’re not getting enough support because your board doesn’t have clear goals to own.What you’re experiencing i...

Hiring won’t fix overwhelm if your systems can’t support growth.🧭 Today’s micro-shift: You don’t necessarily need more people. You could just need stronger systems.Ask yourself: What process do you keep fixing manually? That’s you...

Let’s talk about burnout—but not the emotional kind.🧭 Today’s belief shift: Burnout isn’t emotional. It’s habitual.Most nonprofit leaders aren’t exhausted because they’re weak or disorganized. They’re exhausted because they’ve bui...

If your board feels disengaged or misaligned, the issue may not be effort—it’s clarity.🧭 Today’s micro-shift: Your board isn’t disengaged. They’re disoriented.Ask: Where has your board outgrown its role? What expectations need a r...

If your fundraising feels harder than it should—slow responses, low returns—it might not be donor fatigue. It’s likely a system problem.🧭 Today’s micro-shift: Stuck fundraising isn’t a donor problem. It’s a design problem.Run a qu...

This is Letter E of the Design Your Strongest Year End Ever podcast series, and it’s about trimming the noise.Teams that seem disorganized usually have a different problem.They’re drowning in a sea of “priorities” ...

This is Letter D of the Design Your Strongest Year End Ever Podcast Series! This one is for anyone dragging bricks uphill.In this episode, I talk about what your overwhelm is really telling you:Yous current structu...