We’re heading into planning season—and if you’re anything like the nonprofit leaders I work with, your to-do list is already growing. But here’s a question we don’t ask enough: “How will this plan help us say no?” In this episode, I dig into why most strategic plans are more like overwhelming wish lists, and how to flip the script by building a plan that’s not just visionary, but protective. I’ll walk you through the cost of “yes-by-default” planning, and share the three filters I use with clients to create focused, capacity-aware strategies that actually get implemented. If you’re feeling stretched thin or unsure what not to do next year, this one’s for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why “yes” is costing you more than you think—and how to identify it
• The real reason most strategic plans collapse by Q2
• Three powerful filters to build a plan that guards your team, time, and mission

Key takeaways:

1. Every yes costs something—time, energy, and focus. If your plan doesn’t help you say no, it’s not protecting your mission.
2. Strategic plans fail not because of lack of ambition, but because of lack of filtration. You need sharper priorities, not longer lists.
3. Using filters like alignment, capacity, and opportunity cost helps transform bloated planning into strategic clarity.

The 3-Step Filter for a Focused, “No-Powered” Plan

Use these three questions to evaluate every new initiative before it enters your 2026 plan:

1. Strategic Alignment -- Ask: Does this move us measurably closer to our 1–2 core goals?
2. Team Capacity -- Ask: Do we realistically have the time, energy, and talent to do this well?
3. Opportunity Cost -- Ask: If we say yes to this, what are we delaying or derailing?

Want to work together?

Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.

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What if the fastest path to scaling your nonprofit wasn’t doing more — but doing less, with laser focus?

In this solo episode, I share a story that’s been sticking with me — one that perfectly illustrates the overlooked power of choosing one goal. I break down how singular focus can turn small wins into major momentum and why scattering your energy across too many priorities might be the very thing slowing your organization down.

This one’s for any nonprofit leader who’s feeling stuck, stretched thin, or frustrated by slow progress — because sometimes the key to scaling is subtraction, not addition.

🎧 In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why narrowing your focus can dramatically speed up your growth
• How to set one clear, measurable goal that realigns your whole organization
• What to expect when you prioritize focus over activity — and how to navigate it

🔑 Key Takeaways:

1. Singular focus accelerates progress — Momentum builds when every resource points to one goal.
2. Clarity reduces decision fatigue — A clear target helps filter what’s worth doing and what’s not.
3. Scaling is about precision, not just effort — Doing less (strategically) can actually get you more.

Want to work together?

Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.

Connect with me!

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You know the feeling—you're working nonstop, checking off every task, yet still completely underwater. In this episode, I share why many nonprofit leaders aren't experiencing organizational messiness and chaos because of disorganization or poor time management. It's because they're solving the wrong problem - like mopping up a kitchen floor while the pipe under the sink is still leaking.

I break down four types of organizational chaos I see all the time—tactical, strategic, structural, and leadership—and how each one points to a deeper design deficit. If you're feeling stuck, this episode will help you diagnose what’s really going on and what to do instead.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why time management isn't always the answer to feeling overwhelmed
• The four different types of nonprofit overwhelm—and how to recognize them
• How your organization's design might be causing unnecessary pressure

3 Key Takeaways

1. Most overwhelm is a symptom of misaligned organizational design—not a lack of productivity.
2. Naming the right problem is the first step to leading with more ease and clarity.
3. You don’t need to work harder—you need to evolve your org’s structure to match your scale.

Step-by-Step Breakdown: 4 Types of Chaos

1. Tactical – “ We need better systems”
2. You’re buried in inefficiency. Nothing is repeatable. This points to a systems design issue.
3. Strategic – “We don’t know where we’re going”
4. You’re second-guessing everything. This is a clarity design issue—you need a guiding vision.
5. Structural – “The org structures haven't kept pace with our growth”
6. You're scaling programs without scaling infrastructure. This is a capacity design issue.
7. Leadership Overwhelm – “Everything flows through me”
8. You’re holding what should be shared. This is a leadership architecture issue—you need shared ownership.

Reflection Questions to Take With You This Week

• Where am I applying effort without addressing the root cause?
• What kind of overwhelm am I really experiencing—tactical, strategic, structural, or leadership?
• What might shift if I stopped mopping and fixed the leak instead?

Want to work together?

Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.

Connect with me!

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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 important as what ends up in your plan. If you’ve been feeling stuck in survival mode, quietly absorbing the pressure of growth, or running on grit instead of clarity, this episode is for you.

I walk through the subtle but critical difference between bracing and leading — and how that distinction can reshape your strategy, systems, and capacity going into the new year.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between “bracing” through growth and leading through it
• How to spot signs of burnout-inducing systems (or lack thereof)
• Key mindset shifts for designing a sustainable organization

Key Takeaways:

1. Bracing means absorbing pressure and defaulting to overwork; leading means designing systems to carry the weight.
2. If you’re bracing, your team is too — your operating style sets the tone.
3. You can’t grow beyond the strength of your organizational design.

Reflection Prompts (Step-by-Step Planning Prep):

Ask yourself these questions as you design your goals and work plan:

1. What am I tolerating or carrying that a system could solve?
   → Identify where your energy is patching holes that systems should fix.
2. Where am I overworking to compensate for a weak container?
   → Look for signs you're doing more because your structure does less.
3. What did I ‘white-knuckle’ this year?
   → Pinpoint where urgency, not strategy, drove your decision-making.
4. What part of the organization feels fragile or heavy?
   → That’s your signal for a design upgrade.
5. If I stepped into the role of architect instead of operator, what would change?
   → Envision what would shift if you led through structure, not scramble.

Want to work together?

Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.

Connect with me!

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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—that stretch after a big win where things feel slow, messy, or unclear. I explain why this isn’t a setback—it’s a build phase, a time to stabilize, recalibrate, and reinforce your organization so it can actually hold what you’ve achieved. You’ll hear a story from one of my clients, Maya, who went from breakthrough success to burnout—and how the flat stretch became her most strategic season of leadership. If you’re in that quiet, uncomfortable space right now, this episode will help you reframe it—and lead through it with confidence.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why growth plateaus are a normal and essential part of nonprofit leadership
• How to identify when you’re in a flat (but strategic) season
• What to do during that phase to build a stronger, more resilient organization

3 Key Takeaways

1. Growth is a step function, not a straight line—every leap forward is followed by a flat period where you stabilize and build.
2. The flat part isn’t a problem—it’s a leadership moment to reflect, redesign, and prepare for sustained impact.
3. If you skip the build phase, growth will expose cracks—not fix them.

The Strategic Build Phase: What It Actually Looks Like

This flat part isn’t downtime—it’s the moment to:

• Reflect on what worked and what broke in your last growth cycle
• Redesign roles, systems, and strategies that no longer fit
• Build infrastructure like workflows, communication plans, and financial models
• Recalibrate culture to align with a larger team or new operating rhythm

These steps are not glamorous, but they are essential for long-term, sustainable growth.

Reflection Questions for the Week

• Where in your org are you still relying on hustle when you need a redesign?
• What would shift if you saw this season as strategic instead of stalled?

Resources Mentioned

• Next Level Nonprofit -- My coaching program to help leaders redesign their orgs for sustainable growth—especially during the flat, messy middle.

Want to work together?

Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.

Connect with me!

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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 your genius, you hire reactively and become the blocker. Inside it, you set a pace others can sustain.

Today’s leadership prompt is simple: Which three draining tasks will you delegate, redesign, or delete this month—and which energizing block will you protect weekly?

Use code STRONG26 to get 26% off during this series.

Want to work together?

Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.

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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.

Today’s leadership prompt is simple: Which week of a 20-day prep sprint will you kick off today?

(Week 1: List/Segments; Week 2: Story/Offers; Week 3: Calendar/Cadence; Week 4: Assets/QA)

Use code STRONG26 to get 26% off during this series.

Want to work together?

Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.

Connect with me!

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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; late ones are costly—especially in Q4.

Today’s leadership prompt is simple: For your next pressure point (appeal launch, gala, audit), answer: Where will it fail first? What single safeguard prevents that? Who owns it, by when?

Use code STRONG26 to get 26% off during this series.

Want to work together?

Apply for the Next Level Nonprofit Mastermind, a high-touch coaching and training accelerator for established organizations that want a smart, powerful playbook for taking their growing organization to the next level.

Connect with me!

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