One year ago, I wrote an article that would become the first blog published on our website. In it, I shared that my personal and professional goals were inextricably connected and that “instead of setting (New Year’s) resolutions, I decided to pick two words that would guide and ground me personally and in my consulting work with clients throughout 2024. My words for 2024 (were) “Peace” and “Pride.” 

One year later, reflecting on all that we accomplished in 2024 and all that we envision for the year ahead, I am engaging in this process once again. As our work expands, it seems only fitting to add a third word to the mix. So for 2025, I am grounding myself with these three anchors: Connection, Clarity, and Empowerment.

Connection

Many of our clients- and many of us as individuals- fear the changes on the horizon. I know that when I feel overwhelmed and/or powerless I have a survival instinct to isolate and a desire to grab my loved ones and burrow somewhere safe and warm until the storm has passed. When we are in survival brain- individually or as an organization- we can start to believe the lies that survival brain will try to convince us are truths: that it’s all on us, that no one else can help us, that we alone are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the people we love or the communities we serve. When I operate from a survival mindset I feel as though I am walking through a dark tunnel, where all I can control and all I can focus on is getting one foot in front of the other. I am staring so intently at my feet to avoid any upcoming obstacles that I don’t look up to see if others are walking beside me or if there are any tools or resources that could make my journey any easier. 

My instinct to isolate may not serve me, but it is a very real instinct and one that I have to honor before I challenge myself to move past it. Connection- to self and others- is what will allow us to weather whatever storms lie ahead. Many nonprofit organizations are already struggling internally with retention, employee morale, and organizational transitions. It can feel like there’s constantly so much to do and never enough people to do it. If your teams or employees feel isolated from one another, this will directly impact the work offered to those you serve. We may be an organization that addresses crisis, but we cannot operate from a place of crisis or we will unintentionally harm those we are working to serve and those who are working for us. 

We have to prioritize building connection within our organizations and with others, but to find the bandwidth to connect and/or partner can feel impossible. Connection isn’t just nice to have when things are going well- connection is what will save us, our organizations, and our movements when things are impossibly tough. We can do hard things but we cannot do them alone. The work and energy we offer our clients and communities needs to be replenished through connection and support. The exhale requires an inhale or we will not be able to keep going. 

When I find myself in a dark tunnel again, I will resist the urge to look down. I will challenge myself to look up and around and reach for the resources and people who can help me not only move forward but transform the journey itself. And I will be walking beside our partners to remind them that they are not alone in this experience and that together transformation is still possible. 

Clarity

In late 2019, I attended a conference that was… not great. The rooms were dark and freezing, the presenters (and attendees) were exhausted, and I found myself struggling to remain present and attentive. That all changed in our final session. The facilitator spoke about the connection between urgency and clarity. She used personal examples of things she wanted to change in her life- delegating more, having better boundaries with work, being more present with family, traveling more- and how there was always a reason to put off those goals. She’d tell herself, “after this big project launches, then I’ll get to those things” but there were always more big projects, more important opportunities waiting on the other side. She convinced herself that the work stuff was more urgent and more important and the other “life stuff” could wait. But then she had these moments of inflection when she or a loved one experienced health crises. And suddenly it was very easy to delegate at work, to set a boundary to focus on her health or her family, to take the trip she had been putting off to see a loved one. These moments of urgency, she said, allowed her to find clarity about what was truly important and necessary.

I thought a lot about this conversation a few months later as everything began to shut down in the first wave of the pandemic. I thought about the things I stressed over in February of 2020 that seemed so big and important. I wished I could be stressing over those things instead of panicking about the health and safety of my loved ones, wondering if bleaching our groceries was enough to save our lives, if my daughter’s school would ever reopen for in-person learning, if I’d ever be able to hug my family or enjoy a party or sit in a crowded movie theater again. I had such painful clarity about what was important, truly important, to me in those early months of the pandemic.

My goal for 2025 is not to wait for crisis- individual or global- to ground my priorities. I want to get curious and reflect on my values to help inform what needs to be prioritized, what is truly urgent, and what can wait. I love supporting organizations engage in strategic planning that allows us to create sustainable and attainable goals that are not simply a response to crisis but will help to weather challenges and are grounded in organizational values and are aligned with the mission and vision. 

Empowerment

In early 2024 I was having a bizarre internal juxtaposition. I felt so capable and confident when it came to my professional life; I had launched my business and my website, brought on a dear friend and colleague who inspires me daily, and secured partnerships that felt meaningful and effective. I could see and feel the impact I was having. Countless times I would end a meeting or presentation and have this recurring thought, “This is exactly what I was put on this earth to do.” There is nothing like living your purpose.

But when it came to my health, I was spinning out of control. In a few short months, my body looked and felt unrecognizable to me. I did not understand what was happening and that terrified me. As a survivor of sexual assault feeling out of control in and over my body was really triggering. I didn’t know what to do, but I did a lot. I sunk thousands of dollars into medical testing, I took dozens of supplements, and I pushed my body harder and harder. I cried. A lot. A friend told me that it was like my body was screaming at me to listen, but even as she said this, I just covered my ears. The more I pushed, the more disembodied I became. I would give a speech and feel totally at home and grounded in my power, and then totally lose that feeling as I punished my body more, trying more and more things that didn’t help and made things worse. I just desperately wanted to understand what was happening and why. I wanted to feel at home in my own skin again.

In April, two things happened. My husband and I did a vow renewal ceremony for our 10th wedding anniversary and made promises to each other and to our family. And I found a coach, which is a way of making a promise to myself. I found a coach who listens to me and helps me to hear myself. She finally helped me understand what was happening to me physically (and mentally) and over the next several months helped me develop an understanding and the tools I had been searching for. The change I feel internally has very little to do with the change happening externally (although I’m so happy to report how much better and at home I feel in my body). What I needed, and what I am achieving, is an internal wisdom and skill set that allows me to feel and be empowered.

An effective partner, coach, or consultant doesn’t come in and tell you what to do. A true partner listens, really listens, first. They build trust by forging authentic connections and they reflect on what they’ve heard and learned from you. A good partner can provide clarity- they can shed light and perspective and find opportunities for intersections with your experience and wisdom. A good partner ensures that the connection you build together results in a stronger and more sustainable organization. 

That is what we strive to do at JT Consulting. When we partner with schools, businesses, and organizations, our goal is never to create a dependency on what we offer. I want every partnership to enable each and every client to have the wisdom, the skills, and the road map to build on what our partnership began. We want the time we invest in each other to create more sustainable organizations and partners who are more capable, confident, and empowered. 

What makes the work of JT Consulting effective and transformative? We prioritize connection, we provide clarity, and we partner to achieve empowerment. What can we help you to achieve in 2025?