Nonprofits & Mission-Driven Organizations
Adding functionality to mission and heart
Building Sustainable and joyful Teams That Deliver on Mission
If you’re like many nonprofit leaders, you started this work because you believed in something. A cause that mattered to you. A vision for positive change in the world.
But somewhere between the inspiration and the day-to-day reality, things got hard. Your team is exhausted. Burnout is the norm, not the exception. Despite everyone's dedication and shared values, communication breaks down. Decisions get stuck. Conflict and undercurrents fester beneath the surface.
You watch talented, passionate people leave because they can't sustain the pace. Board meetings feel tense. Money conversations are avoided or fraught. The gap between your mission and how you're actually functioning as an organization keeps growing.
The good news is that there is a better way. A way to build teams and cultures where people can bring their whole selves, work sustainably, and deliver on the mission that brought you together.
That's what I’m focused on helping nonprofits to create.
Why I Do This Work
For 20 years, I've lived both sides of this challenge.
As a founding member and co-leader of Clear Sky Retreat Center, I've experienced firsthand what it takes to build and sustain a mission-driven organization—serving as Board Chair and co-Executive Director, navigating near-bankruptcy to building a thriving, financially sustainable nonprofit.
Simultaneously, I spent 20 years in corporate leadership, pioneering mindfulness programs at IBM and SS&C Technologies that reached tens of thousands of employees.
This combination gives me an unusual perspective: I understand both the heart of mission-driven work and the operational excellence needed to sustain it.
Most organizational consultants come from either the business world or the nonprofit sector—but rarely both. And even fewer bring a contemplative practice foundation.
My approach integrates three essential elements that nonprofits need:
Operational excellence based on heart: Mission-centric approaches to strategic planning, governance, decision-making, financial sustainability
Mindful leadership: Presence, resilience, and skillful communication as foundations for transformation
The real, messy deeper work: Getting into and freeing up the blocks and stuck places around money, hierarchy, power, and burnout that keep organizations from functioning well
In most engagements, I also collaborate with skilled and trusted partners to bring additional expertise—whether that's co-facilitation, specialized training, or complementary perspectives that serve your organization's needs
what makes this work different
how we work together
Discovery Conversation - We start with an exploratory conversation. Share what's happening in your organization, what's not working, and what you're hoping to create.
Team and Trust Development - My core work is facilitating leadership teams, boards, or staff groups to build trust, improve communication, and work through stuck places. We work at the intersection of practical challenges and deeper patterns, with space for real conversations about power, money, hierarchy, and conflict.
Organizational Change - As trust deepens, we can address the core systemic issues holding your organization back. Together we co-create new structures and approaches—whether that's governance redesign, decision-making processes, financial systems, or role clarification—to support genuine collaboration, sustainability, and effectiveness.
Ongoing Support - After an initial workshop, many organizations want continued support: regular facilitation, leadership coaching, help navigating specific challenges, or maintaining momentum.
Mindfulness & Resilience Programs - When burnout is systemic, structured programs provide the foundation teams need—offered standalone or as follow-up to team development work.
However there's no rigid formula—we design the approach around your reality.
what will change?
When we work together, here's what typically shifts:
Trust & communication - Teams feel safer being real. Difficult conversations become possible. Direct, compassionate communication replaces passive-aggressive dynamics.
Better governance - Power dynamics and decision-making become clearer. Boards and staff develop healthier relationships.
Financial health - The poverty mindset shifts. Money conversations become less fraught, supporting rather than undermining your mission.
Reduced burnout - People learn boundaries and sustainable rhythms. Your organization becomes a place where talented people want to stay.
Greater impact - When your team is healthy and operations are solid, you can actually deliver on mission.
This isn't magic. It's the result of doing the real work—the sometimes messy, always worthwhile work—of building conscious, functional organizations.
ready to starT?
If you're leading a nonprofit struggling with burnout, team dysfunction, financial constraints, or the gap between mission and daily reality, let's talk.
Contact us for a free discovery conversation: