Issue 87
Dancing with Complexity
Hello Beautiful Human,
Nonprofit leadership is undoubtedly complex. As a holistic leadership coach, I help passionate individuals elevate their leadership by developing the internal skills necessary to navigate complexity with ease and joy.
In times of uncertainty, it is natural to crave external stability. In an effort to create order, our brain clings to “all-or-nothing” thinking, which, unfortunately, cuts us off from the creative thinking that complexity demands.
Despite a leader’s best intentions, automatic fear-based reactions tend to create toxic organizations. There is no shame in it—no one is perfect. Leaders just need to develop alternative internal responses. Kazu speaks to this in his book, Fierce Vulnerability,
When our traumas are triggered or when we’re in panic, the world becomes black and white. Our brain starts to look for any signs of comfort and safety, and the simplicity of a black and white world is stabilizing. […] We see this all over society, (if you’re not 100 percent good, than you MUST be bad). […] This is the importance of healing work and emotional regulation practices. The more grounded we are, the more we can be ok sitting in the uncertainty of the quantum realm.– Kazu Haga, Author & Nonviolence Practitioner
There is real risk to leadership effectiveness in the face of so much uncertainty.
Building Mental Fitness and Developing Emotional Capacity is essential in social impact work. It enables my clients to step out of all-or-nothing thinking and create a pathway through complexity to new possibilities.

Every leader I work with has a mountain of problems to solve, issues to address, and action to take. It’s never ending.
And yet, in our weekly hour-long call, they are given a moment to pause.
Together in coaching we:
- zoom out and ground in.
- explore new ways of thinking.
- create room emotional processing.
Most importantly internal certainty emerges.
Through these coaching conversations, the skill of dancing with complexity develops.

I will never deny the complexity that social impact leaders face (I’m intimately familiar with it), AND, it is my honor and gift to equip leaders with the mental, emotional, and embodied skills to effectively lead in the unknown.
What complexity and unknowns are you currently facing?
Do you feel like you are drowning in mental overload and emotional exhaustion?
This is your invitation to develop the internal leadership skills necessary to lead with joy and effectiveness.
I support leaders at all levels— from entry to executive. Each leadership journey is unique; there is no single map.
Not sure if coaching is right for you? Check out my website for a brief list of organizations my clients represent and book a discovery call to get all your questions answered.
During your free discovery call, I’ll help you determine which skills, practices, and habits will enable you to level up your leadership, experience more joy, and reach your goals with more ease. It’s all possible.

Be well,
Sonya
Holistic Leadership Development Coach