What does it mean to actually lead from a place of integrity, without ignoring outcomes, or relinquishing your sense of self?

That question is surprisingly complicated to answer, and incredibly tempting to oversimplify.

As you try to figure it out, you might find yourself face-to-face with worries like:

How do we account for people’s full humanity while also having expectations for them?

How do we address important internal issues without getting completely sidetracked?

How do we make sure we’re not replicating harmful greedy-capitalism practices, while balancing the goals of our movement or organization?

How do we balance idealism and realism, impacts and failures?

And as a human and leader, you might find yourself wondering:

How do I show up fully for and as myself, given the realities of my identities and how I have to navigate the world?

How do I ensure I’m being fair and principled, while still letting myself be a human?

How do I accomplish the impossible with a sense of self-preservation?

Why is it so hard for me to _______? (rest, deal with conflict, say no, tune out what others think, be assertive, prioritize - you name it)

When am I being value-driven, and when am I actually avoiding something and calling it a value?

Or it’s possible you’ve never actually articulated any of these things, because you’ve been too busy over-extending and putting out fires to actually know what’s going on inside yourself.

Sound like you? You’re in the right place, my friend.

Radical Redefinition (for Leaders) is a yearlong coaching relationship in which (you and I) get clear on your workplace identity and leadership. I primarily work with people who view yourselves as service and integrity-driven leaders.

Capitalism and supremacy culture too often force us into molds, teaching us to override and mistrust our natural proclivities in order to succeed. And for people with marginalized identities, workplace aggressions and oppression can worsen the types of messages that we internalize and the calisthenics we go through to avoid them. At the same time that you leverage critiques of harmful systems and principles, you may find your sense of self-worth and self-assessment hinging upon those very things. Perfectionism, workaholism, constant self-criticism, boundary struggles, self-censorship, a nagging worry that you’ve never done enough, self-doubt: any of these sound familiar?

And to make matters more complicated, movement and radical spaces can also be imbued with these same perfectionistic, dogmatic tendencies, often disguised within liberatory principles. Navigating all of this can make leadership feel like a giant, impenetrable trap.

We’ll never get out of the loop by forcing ourselves to meet ideas of how ideal leaders should look and behave. Instead, we must ask ourselves what do I look like as a leader? How am I meant to lead? What does my integrity look like, even in the most complex situations? That’s why I don’t write prescriptions for effective leadership. Instead, I bring my coaching skills to real leadership dilemmas you’re dealing with, and help you unearth and enact what effective and integrity-based leadership looks like for you, and what patterns need to go.

We use insight to drive practical change: when you and I understand the root of what’s driving a challenge for you, it becomes possible to find solutions that address that root cause. When we understand a fundamental way that you operate and think as a person, it becomes possible to determine what structures and approaches align with who you are.

At your core: who are you, how do you naturally operate, and how can you begin to align your practices with yourself, rather than the other way around? What are you afraid of, and how do you want to respond to those fears? Because this is where liberated leadership is ultimately found: in self-trust.

My coaching is whole-person oriented - while our coaching focus will remain on work and leadership, true alignment means the ability to show up in leadership as a whole, vulnerable, courageous, authentic person in all spaces of your life. We can and will explore ways that struggles you have at work echo struggles you may have in your life.

Being a service-driven leader can feel incredibly lonely - but you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Let me help.