You Matter As Much As the Mission
(no matter what the imposter syndrome tells you)
Imagine a permission slip to put your own oxygen mask on first.
Career and Leadership Coach for Neurodivergent, Sensitive, and Introverted Badasses
aka your personal imposter syndrome repellent
Deep in a fit of 5th grade ecstasy, I sat in Mr. Wurtzel’s class and worked on a mini-novella about a colorful alien invasion.
I could have drowned in the tidal wave of my own hyperfocus, as I set out to build a fantastical world that could rival any of J.R.R. Tolkien’s.
It was delicious in the kind of way that only getting blissfully lost in your adventures can ever truly be.
It was also probably the last time I felt truly free.
By 6th grade, I would realize that my brain was different, and I would spend the next 20 years trying to fight that fact.
I started by trying to camouflage it with Abercrombie & Fitch clothing. Weird, innuendo-y phrases I didn’t understand plastering the front of my “babysitting money blouses.”
By 10th grade, I’d decided I was goth. (ask me about pre-gentrified Williamsburg mosh pits and the guys I hoped and didn’t hope would approach me, outside the venues)
When I completed my master’s in education and had to start showing up as some kind of “real adult” in the workplace, I didn’t know which version of myself to choose.
Which parts were allowed to exist and which weren’t.
So, I hid.
I wanted to be the person who could handle everything.
And, I was.
I excelled.
Terrified, every moment, that I’d be found out, somehow.
It took me more than 10 years as a nonprofit professional and educator to realize that there wasn’t actually any finding out to do.
I knew what I was doing.
In all my weirdness, in all the quirky social awkwardness I brought to conversations, I belonged in leadership. As someone who was simultaneously different and skilled.
As me.
I tell you this, because you’re gonna hear me talk a lot about imposter syndrome and I want to prepare you for it.
I talk about imposter syndrome because it fueled nearly every leadership struggle that I had as a sensitive, neurodivergent kinda manager.
The perfectionism, the burnout, the indecision, the difficulty giving feedback. It all came back to feeling like I, fully expressed in my leadership, didn’t belong.
I’m also going to tell you regularly that your brain belongs in leadership.
When I do, it isn’t just a mantra. It’s a reclaiming of everything you and I were taught to silence.
This isn’t just leadership coaching. It’s a step towards re-imagining who’s allowed to hold power and who isn’t.
I’m done with masking. How about you?
Let’s change the system
You believe in leadership that is rooted in empathy, fueled by authenticity, and ready to change the world
You know, for a fact, that your brain isn’t broken.
And, you’re ready to use yours to make your organization healthier, more equitable, and more just.
You’re ready to go deep.
You’re not just looking for a couple of simple strategies. You want to take a look at why you’re struggling and uncover a brain-friendly leadership paradigm that works for you.
You want a neurodivergent leadership coach who’s been there
…and who’s proud to have been the quirkiest Director on the team.
You know that supporting others isn’t about sacrificing ourselves
And you’re ready for the more-than-occasional log off at 5pm and forget you have a job kind of night.
Awkward and nerdy are sorta your jam.
Because what’s coaching without some LOTR references thrown in, with a Studio Ghibli frame of reference to boot?
My Unmasked Leadership Framework and 1-1 coaching program will support you to uncover your unique leadership paradigm and the concrete steps you can take to become the leader you want to be, so you can have the impact you want to have.
We’ll start by establishing your anti-SMART goals, grounded in exactly how you want to feel every day as a leader. With your clear vision in place, we’ll take a look at the stories that are preventing you from getting there and discover your authentic leadership style–one that feels natural, sustainable, and aligned with your unique brain.
By the end of our work together, you’ll not only know how exactly you want to show up in the workplace, but will have the brain-friendly structures and systems to make leadership, dare I say it, enjoyable? Instead of just “surviving” leadership, you’ll feel confident shaping a culture where you and your team can actually thrive.