C&A Monthly Libation: September 2025

Colemon & Associates Monthly Libation Newsletter – September 2025

Summer is winding down, y’all! We’ve had a pretty toasty couple of weeks, and we are looking forward to the cozy fabrics and turning leaves.  As a reminder, our intention for this newsletter is to offer reflections, inspiration, and resources to feed and nourish our work and practices from three primary perspectives:

1.     What We Are Feeling (Heart)

2.     What We Are Thinking (Head)

3.     What We Are Practicing (Loving and Intentional Action)

"Open" from the 22nd annual Burning Basket at Mariner Park in Homer, Alaska

What We Are Feeling (Heart)

We have been busy! Planning and preparing for client engagements, development opportunities and our very favorite: opportunities to convene with leaders!  There is so much wisdom when we gather and make time to connect across sectors and service strategies. In addition to just the relief of knowing we aren’t alone, these spaces are often rich with opportunities for collaboration and partnership.

We continue to prepare for our upcoming Leadership Lighthouse Convening on October 23^rd from 8:30am-12pm at the Star Center here in Tacoma. We are so pleased to host and curate this free half-day in-person convening for leaders, change agents, and community members. The Leadership Lighthouse will be a space for empowered dialogue, data sharing, and creative resourcing as we navigate the shifts in our local nonprofit landscape. Our goal is to create a meaningful, relevant, and robust conversation that truly reflects the current realities and funding constraints facing our nonprofit community.

To ensure this summit is informed by real experiences and voices, we are inviting you to share your experiences by completing a Pre-Summit Survey. The results of this anonymous survey along with other data will be presented at the summit to help guide our conversation. We’d also appreciate giving this effort a boost by encouraging your networks and community partners to participate in the survey. Feel free to forward them this email or simply share this link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MQMSBJ7

The more perspectives we gather, the stronger and more impactful our collective conversation will be!

What are you looking forward to? How are you balancing presence with preparation? What fellow leaders are you connecting with to build your network?

What We Are Thinking/Reading (Head)

We are thinking about what leaders are holding right now, and the ways we can support each other; resources for the head as well as the heart. As we review the initial survey responses and complete key informant interviews, we are reminded of the speed at which change is coming at us all! Leaders at all levels of organizations are working so hard to be innovative, support their teams, and pool resources to try and sustain vital services to community. We are reading about the balance of being and doing. These reports from McKinsey and Korn Ferry offer high-level reminders and suggestions of what organizations need from leaders right now. While the role of technology increases, many best practices are timeless such as building a culture of feedback and trust, being adaptive and creative, committing to self-awareness and acknowledging implicit biases and our flat sides. Race to Lead remains so relevant for providing data and insights in nonprofit leadership, and it is no surprise that this report confirms the declining interest in nonprofit leadership. We are so grateful that so many leaders, our client partners included, are committed to persist in the work of systems change and community care. However, we MUST tend to our humanity and resilience.

To that end, we are listening to Krista Tippett’s Hope Portals, an incredible series featuring visionaries that are reflecting on how we can resource ourselves to stay in a place of possibility. Guests include Joy Harjo, Ocean Vuong, Joanna Macy, Naomi Shihab Nye, and more! In addition to amazing audio, there are also journaling prompts and additional resources to continue your learning. You can find the first episode in the series here.

How are you balancing the doing and the being? Are you modeling balance for your team? What leaders inspire you to stay in the hard work of change?

What We Are Practicing (Loving and Intentional Action)

We are practicing with stepping into our personal power! As coaches, we are often guiding and supporting others in identifying places of personal power, but we realized it was an opportunity for us to practice what we’re preaching! Despite the chaos of the times, there is joy in claiming power that we have, both as individuals and as a team of change agents. It can feel corny, but affirmations have been an incredible tool for us to remember that we do have power, and the best way to start to stepping into that is by declaring it! Here’s an example of some affirmations that we’ve used, and we invite you to make them your own!

1.     Conditions may change, but my personal power remains.

2.     I grow through and adversity and emerge more powerful.

3.     Even in the face of failure. I am empowered by experiences.

4.     I have the power to _________.

5.     Today, I will use my personal power to ____________.

This Glasshammer article offers some insightful questions, framing, and strategies for stepping into our personal power, especially for those of us that have a hard time seeing power outside of domination or control.

We also enjoyed this post from Simon Thelemaque about stepping into her personal power.

Chris Lipp asserts in this clip that valuing your internal signals and honoring your gut responses are key elements to claiming personal power. He is featured in this HBR Ideacast episode as well.

What are the sources of your personal power? When and where do you feel most powerful? Where do you struggle to find or honor your authentic voice? What’s one action you can take to step into your power at work or in life?

We hope you enjoyed this month’s offering. Please share with those in your network who might enjoy it. Please follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn to stay informed of our upcoming work and/or events, and to keep receiving the Monthly Libation. If you are looking for organizational development consultation, support, or coaching, you can find out more about our work on our website or email us at info@colemonassociates.org.

Stay safe. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other.

C&A Team