When Systems Crumble: Running a Values-Based Business in a Dumpster Fire World
"I'm not a good capitalist. I'm not interested in being a good capitalist. I am interested in having enough. I'm interested in my team members having enough. And I'm more driven by the possibilities of what's true in our community, has what they need than of me being successful and watching other people go without." - Rachel D'Souza
When Systems Crumble: Running a Values-Based Business in a Dumpster Fire World
What do you do when the world feels like it's falling apart and you still have a business to run?
In this raw and powerful conversation, Rachel D'Souza from Gladiator Consulting opens up about navigating one of the most challenging years in recent memory. From losing a third of projected revenue when Black-led clients had funding pulled, to making the choice to double down on values instead of backing down, Rachel shares what it really looks like to lead with courage when everything feels impossible.
But this isn't just a story about surviving crisis—it's about the radical decision to choose community over competition, transparency over pretense, and love over fear. Rachel breaks down the practical strategies she's using to keep her team together, the emotional toll of leadership during unprecedented times, and why she believes "community is survival."
Whether you're struggling with how to show up authentically in your business right now, wondering if you should tone down your values to protect revenue, or just need to hear that you're not alone in feeling like the world has gone completely sideways, this conversation will remind you why doing the right thing—even when it's hard—is always worth it.
Highlights:
Crisis reveals your true values—and that's your competitive advantage. When Rachel's business faced significant revenue loss, doubling down on equity and justice messaging didn't hurt her business—it attracted clients who specifically sought them out because they trusted Rachel's values and approach.
Radical transparency builds stronger teams. Rachel's weekly staff meetings include discussions about cash flow, revenue projections, and the reasoning behind difficult decisions. This vulnerability has created a team culture where people proactively find solutions and support each other through challenges.
Business development timelines are longer—plan accordingly. What used to be predictable revenue streams now require patience and relationship-building. Rachel went from knowing her full year's revenue by May to having conversations in June about work that won't start until January.
Community over competition creates sustainable growth. Instead of hoarding opportunities, Rachel actively refers work to other values-aligned consultants and builds referral networks. This collaborative approach has created a stronger pipeline for everyone involved.
"Enough" is a business strategy. Rachel's commitment to having "enough" rather than maximizing profit has allowed her to make decisions based on values rather than pure financial gain—from taking compensation cuts to ensure team stability to closing for three weeks every summer for rest and family time.
Timestamp summary:
[00:00 - 01:31] Introduction and context setting - why this conversation is happening mid-crisis
[01:31 - 03:00] Rachel introduces herself and the multiple roles she's inhabiting during this challenging time
[03:00 - 07:01] The concept of "hypernormalization" and losing a third of projected revenue when two Black-led clients had funding clawed back
[07:01 - 11:04] What "doubling down on values" looks like in practice - maintaining website messaging, creating dialogue spaces, and adding conflict resolution services
[11:04 - 14:31] The business impact of taking a values-first stance - longer development cycles but stronger client relationships built on trust
[14:31 - 16:21] The reality that "we're not going back" and the opportunity to reimagine what's possible
[16:21 - 21:59] Practical business management during crisis - working with fractional COO, transparent team meetings, and making compensation decisions
[21:59 - 25:00] Business development strategies - building referral networks with values-aligned consultants and longer timeline planning
[25:00 - 28:00] The emotional reality of leadership during crisis - vulnerability, team support, and crying in meetings
[28:00 - 31:57] Self-care strategies including walking meetings, somatic check-ins, and literally touching grass
[31:57 - 34:39] Rachel's confession: "I believe with every ounce of conviction that I have in my body that love wins"
[34:39 - 35:26] Where to connect with Rachel and Gladiator Consulting
[00:30:00] Collective Check-Ins Team uses a shared emotional check-in tool to align on energy and support needs.
[00:32:00] Final Confession Rachel believes “Love wins.” It’s the long game—but she’s all in.
[00:33:00] Connect with Rachel Follow on LinkedIn and Instagram, and sign up for Gladiator’s newsletter at gladiatorrds.com.
[00:34:00] Episode Wrap Cindy and Jess close with takeaways: community, courage, and leading with love.
Resources Mentioned:
Collective Impact Forum team check-in tool (free download)
Purpose First Advisors (Christy Maxfield, Fractional COO)
Gladiator Consulting newsletter
Rachel's Friday live streams on current events and values
Connect with Rachel:
LinkedIn: Search for Rachel D'Souza or Gladiator Consulting
Instagram: @gladiatorrds (for cooking content with her kids!)
Website: gladiatorrds.com (sign up for their monthly newsletter)
Connect with Cindy:
Cindy Wagman Coaching: cindywagman.com
Fractional Fundraising Network: fractionalfundraising.co/
LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/cindywagman
Connect with Jess:
Out In the Boons: outintheboons.me
TRANSCRIPT:
[00:00:00] Cindy: Welcome to the Confessions podcast. I'm Cindy Wagman.
[00:00:03] Jess: And I'm Jess Campbell. We're two former in-house nonprofit pros turned coaches and consultants to purpose-driven organizations.
[00:00:11] Cindy (2): After years of building up our separate six figure businesses from scratch, we've thrown a lot of spaghetti at the wall and have lived to see
[00:00:19] Cindy: what sticks.
[00:00:20] Jess: We're on a mission to help other nonprofit coaches and consultants looking to start or scale their own businesses past the six figure mark by pulling back the curtain.
[00:00:30] Cindy (2): Whether you're still working inside a nonprofit and thinking of one day going out on your own, or you've been running your consulting business.
[00:00:37] Four years. You understand that working with nonprofits is just different. We're giving you access to the business leaders who serve nonprofits as their clients, you know the people who
[00:00:49] Cindy: truly get it.
[00:00:52] Jess: No more gatekeeping, no more secrets. This podcast is going to give you an inside look at what running a [00:01:00] successful nonprofit coaching and consulting business looks like.
[00:01:03] Basically, we're asking people how much money they make. How they get paid and what has and hasn't worked in their businesses.
[00:01:11] Cindy (2): Listen in as these leaders share their insights, their numbers, and the good, the bad, and the ugly. When it comes to building a nonprofit coaching or consulting business, we're gonna empower you to make the power moves that give you the income and freedom you set out to create from day one.
[00:01:28] You ready? Let's go.
[00:01:31] Cindy: Hey, Jess. Hi. Hi. I feel like we need to go. I know we're, well, we just, we were in the, like, let's call the green room where we chat with our podcast guests. Before we hit record and we're like having this big conversation. So we just decided to hit record. So we're coming in the middle.
[00:01:55] we are talking to Rachel D'souza from Gladiator consulting, please [00:02:00] correct me if I miss any of the gladiator business. Name by name is Gladiator. Rachel's been on the podcast before. We had such a great conversation that we're just like, we need to do it again. Keep going. And we happen to be having this conversation when the world is a dumpster fire and a half.
[00:02:19] And that is like a
[00:02:20] Rachel: nice way to say it. That is like the host
[00:02:23] Cindy: kind, literally. unreal. I don't even know how to describe, and I'm in Canada, I'm not seeing it the way you all are seeing it in your communities. and it's hard. It's hard. And we have businesses to run. And so we're gonna talk about that.
[00:02:40] Because I don't think any of us have ever run a business in this kind of environment before. and the nonprofit sector is particularly targeted and struggling with lots of shit. I don't know, Rachel, do you wanna kick us off with a little bit of, how, like you in the [00:03:00] conversation we were having offline Yeah.
[00:03:01] You are talking about. Literally kind of inhabiting all these different spaces of, you have your business, you represent your business in conversations around, organizations stepping up, you live in a community that was hit by a tornado. and you were also like boots on the ground rebuilding shit.
[00:03:21] and you have two kids. One just graduated, elementary, middle school, like life is. Life. Be life, right? this is a lot. Yeah. So maybe don't, you don't have to give us a solution, but maybe give us some context for what you're seeing and the sort of spaces you're inhabiting right now.
[00:03:43] Rachel: Yeah.
[00:03:43] first of all, I'm so happy and feeling energized to be back with both of you. I love relationships. I believe that community is survival and I am just honored to be a part of yours, first of all.
[00:03:55] this year has been, just flat out bonkers in ways [00:04:00] that I think I'm still struggling to like parse through and understand.
[00:04:04] I recently came across a Guardian article, that, named and described this term like hypernormalization, which gave me language for the way that I think my body has felt, since the administration's, inauguration back, here in the States back in January. but it really talks about this idea of, Trying to do your normal everyday tasks and responsibilities, like whilst existing as like institutions and systems, that have functioned more reliably historically are not functioning, crumbling. or being ripped apart. and then there's a sort of other aspect of it, that was described in this article about feeling like you are alone and not being able to like, navigate the complexities of it.
[00:04:58] so I think [00:05:00] the first thing is that if that's something you're feeling like we are 100% not alone, and I am. Have always been a fan of telling the truth in public. And so I'm hoping that we can embrace that today. I think you already do, in your confessions, but shit's hard man. the year, for us started out with two of our black led clients.
[00:05:26] being informed that their, funding was being, clawed back or was not going to be renewed or, was not actually gonna be funded. And so immediately at the beginning of the year,lost like a third of the revenue that we had been projecting for the year. And I like to think of myself as a pretty nimble, business owner.
[00:05:47] And I, it's been really important for me to have really transparent conversations with, my colleagues at our team, on a regular basis. and so we have talked about back in [00:06:00] Q1,and throughout this quarter, What does this mean for us as like a business, right? We are in a relationship, not just because we like each other and we respect each other's work, but because we're, in a business together, and how do we wanna respond to it?
[00:06:12] And at least for our team at Gladiator. We realized that it was more important than ever to double down on our values, to double down on the communities that we care about serving and the way that we wanna organize money. and that is not a path that most folks have chosen. I've watched a lot of other businesses remove language from their website.
[00:06:40] fire or layoff, people in work, culture work especially, whose, work has been attached to this concept of DEI. I've seen organizations, continue to do their work, but like quietly because they like, don't wanna get caught or punished. and that's not the path, that our team has [00:07:00] chosen.
[00:07:01] and so what is, I think true. From a business perspective, first of all, is that, we know who we are and we've cared about the same things for the last decade, and that's not gonna change because someone has decided that, certain class of people are less than or are not deserving, of the same opportunities or.
[00:07:21] Don't deserve the respect to acknowledge that we live in a country that has privileged a certain identity for a really long time whilst saying that our laws applies, apply equally to everyone. I just, I'll throw that out there first. 'cause that was a lot.
[00:07:37] Cindy: I'd love for you to talk a little bit about what doubling down has looked like for you and for your business and for your colleagues.
[00:07:45] we have no precedence for this, to my knowledge. so how did you navigate that? What did you decide, in the end and what does it look like?
[00:07:54] Rachel: Yeah. so I will say that while we don't have. [00:08:00] I think necessarily clear precedent in the United States for what's happening.
[00:08:05] I actually earlier today on my LinkedIn posted an article, that sort of followed a Nicaraguan nonprofit through some sort of similar clawback of resources like having to reimagine. And so I do think that there are. An incredibly vast amount of lessons that we can learn, from civil service or, non-governmental organizations abroad, maybe even in Canada.
[00:08:31] I don't know, Cindy, tell us. so I think that's true. what it has looked like at Gladiator was a verbal commitment to each other that. We're in it, like we're in it, we're not backing down. So we have not changed, the language on our website. we have been more intentional about creating.
[00:08:54] Spaces for dialogue, and just having [00:09:00] conversations. So we actually started a little 30 minute live stream every Friday afternoon where we talk about other. we talk about what's happening in our community, what's happening in the world. We've had a couple guests on, Deanna came on right before the Ethical Nonprofit Summit.
[00:09:18] got to talk to Donna James at Community Centric Fundraising following the Rooted in Rising Conference last month. have more folks, but like our, talking about what our values look like this week, if people wanna join us, A chunk of our team will be on the call to talk about the sabbatical we take every summer.
[00:09:35] So we close for three weeks, to give us the opportunity to rest, to be the kind of parents and friends and humans that we wanna be in the world outside of our paid work. that feels more important now than ever. and then I think the third thing that is new, and that will. Announced more robustly later this summer is the addition of another set of services.
[00:09:59] [00:10:00] So I, completed a program at the Washington University School of Law last summer, and my concentration was in conflict resolution in what will be adding to gladiator services is essentially social justice mediation and conflict resolution. as organizations find themselves in this tenuous place.
[00:10:21] Maybe even having to decide if they're going to sunset, if they're gonna emerge or acquire another organization. how do we do that? Because there is no going back. And with crisis, there is opportunity. And if we know that philanthropy is shifting in the US and we know that government funding, is shifting, right, those sort of two resource pillars are being swept out from under this system.
[00:10:44] That last pillar is the people and we are. Are not good at working together. So what does it look like? to be able to be in more radical collaboration, be in deeper, collective impact work and [00:11:00] understand how to navigate, having different perspectives, and a group of people that want the same thing.
[00:11:04] So that is something we're adding to help. Transition us to whatever this sort of next normal is gonna look like, for civil society in the us.
[00:11:13] Jess: congratulations again on your, graduation. Exactly. I was gonna say like, what, what's so exciting and Gosh, I can't imagine how good it feels to also be, completed with that. Yeah. I'm wondering how Taking a stance and, voicing your, commitments.
[00:11:32] How has that played out in terms of business? Have you found that it's helped you attract clients that you're wanting and meant to work with? and maybe turning folks who don't quite get it away, has it actually hindered business? I guess I'm wondering because I know there's people listening who.
[00:11:51] are probably thinking how brave you are and wanting to do this too, but are legitimately afraid for the repercussions, both, [00:12:00] like socially, financially, all the things. and so yeah, I'm just curious like what some of the results have been for you.
[00:12:07] Rachel: Yeah. I think that's a really, a much more sort of complex question.
[00:12:12] I have been in regular conversation with many other. Women of color led, consultancies or independent contractors,and also, sorry, white women led, organizations who have generally in this year, found it much more difficult to secure, first time clients. and that seems to really be, a function of.
[00:12:38] Nonprofits being scared to spend the money that they have. and also the market being flooded by a number of government folks who now don't have a job and are doing contract work. so I would say that for Gladiator, I think. We are experiencing that sort of similar trend, that there is [00:13:00] maybe a longer business development process or like a more competitive business development process, with clients who may not know us.
[00:13:08] I feel like this is really where our sort of like relationships move at the speed of trust. value has supported us, while we are bringing in less resources, less revenue than we were at this time last year. The work that we are doing is with organizations who came to us specifically because they trust us, because they trust the work that we do and the values that we bring to the work.
[00:13:35] and it is quite frankly, things that I am, I. Wildly proud of. so for example,at the, I, and I would say this, like at the end of every year in Q1, I'll reach out to, former clients to be like, Hey, what do you guys have going on? let's catch up, let's talk. and a lot of those conversations were like, fear, are we gonna exist?
[00:13:54] Am I gonna have a job? and now those conversations, I think we've gotten to a point at [00:14:00] least here where. Even if people are scared, the choice between being scared and staying small or like being scared and taking up space. Like I'm starting to see people show up here and I think I. The more of us that do that.
[00:14:18] I will say this forever. Community is survival. I'm not gonna stop like the more of us that are willing to just be like a little courageous. I think that behavior raises all ships.
[00:14:31] Cindy: A hundred percent agree. And hopefully people hearing this can be in. Not just inspired, but actually take action and do those things as well.
[00:14:43] and I think to your point, like at some, this is not like a little blip in the matrix, so to speak. We have to either step up or yeah, we're giving away the power that we do have to control the things that we can't [00:15:00] control. So whether you're a business owner or a nonprofit, We can't take this line down, Yeah, no. Yeah.
[00:15:06] Rachel: And I don't, We all have to decide what level of harm or risk we're willing to take. Yeah. and as you all are aware, like I am a solo parent, and, just finished another, master's program and feel like I have all the tools that I need, to be able to take care of myself and my family, but also have cultivated a community of.
[00:15:31] Family and chosen family and friends and organizations who like are not gonna let me fall or fail in the same way that I'm not gonna let them fall or fail. And that is not in a business plan, right? That's not in any kind of mission statement, but it is true. And so I think part of this moment, which is a crisis and like I deeply mean it when I say that, like there is actual violence happening against nonprofit organizations in the us.
[00:15:58] Like this is violence. [00:16:00] S in all the ways that means, we have an opportunity. 'cause we're not going back. Things aren't gonna be the same, right? We're not making nothing's being made great again. Okay? So if that's true, how do we reorient ourselves to the new normal or the next normal? And it's not.
[00:16:21] Being in silos and it's not embracing scarcity. Y'all, we didn't even know. We didn't even know what scarcity was when that language popped into the sector, right? So like, how do we give ourselves the freedom to imagine what's possible in a way that might be hella uncomfortable? And the best thing that we could do for ourselves, for our communities and our causes.
[00:16:48] Us.
[00:16:48] Cindy: I wanna ask a little bit about some of the specifics of running a business during this time of change and,I wholeheartedly believe [00:17:00] that this will come back tenfold. Doing I, maybe naive, but like doing the right thing to me has always, in my heart, I believe that
[00:17:09] I'll come back, but in the short term, you've mentioned, you had a significant loss of revenue. you run a business, you have employees, you have children, and you're a provider that who, to whom you're a provider for. have you had to make any changes in how you operate the business, in how you structure compensation?
[00:17:34] I feel like we don't talk about these things enough either, and really, it's hard. Yeah. For me, one of the hardest things when I ran a small agency was making those decisions and doing right by all the people around me. And sometimes those are conflicts. How do I do right by my children and by my employees in a time of crisis?
[00:17:55] And so I'd love to just hear some of the things that you have been thinking about [00:18:00] or actions that you've taken.
[00:18:01] Rachel: Yep. I've worked in close partnership with a woman named Christy Maxfield, who has her own consulting business called Purpose First Advisors, but for the last year and a half, she's been functioning as our fractional COO.
[00:18:16] So part of the work is me and Christy getting really clear on, cash flow and expenditures and payment schedules and things like that. So what are the resources? When are they coming in? And then how do we prioritize, costs and expenses? And there are, things that her and I have like lovingly bickered about because she is like very.
[00:18:41] Practical. And she's this is what the numbers are saying. And I'm like, that's great. And I don't wanna sacrifice, small pieces, of our work, for, this sort of like longer term piece. So had to say and negotiate, navigate, compromise on the okay, you're gonna do that, but we're gonna do a little bit less of it.
[00:18:58] so that was one [00:19:00] piece, like how do we, get a little bit. More, I guess tightened up in terms of our like client engagement and prospect engagement work and expenditures. The next piece is that we meet, we have staff meetings every week and we talk about, what cashflow is looking what's coming in.
[00:19:20] And as I have had to make decisions, I have not only had to talk with like individual contractors about those things, but have also shared the reason why those decisions are being made with the whole team. So like a hell of a lot of transparency and vulnerability. I also had to decide what kinds of cuts to my own sort of compensation and benefits I could take on and what that would look like and what was negotiable and non-negotiable.
[00:19:49] and so was then able to be mindful and plan for. Compensation. for example, my son's off to high school next year and I'm gonna have to make like a big fat [00:20:00] tuition payment in August. So what does it look like to run a little bit leaner in terms of my compensation earlier in the year so that when that milestone hits, like I can make that payment without being stressed out or worrying about other expenses in my households.
[00:20:14] and then the team, I have an incredible team. I have an incredible team of like empathetic. Beautiful humans who could say to me, I actually need less time to do this. Or I actually could do this for clients at the same time. Or we actually don't need to like move in this way. and that meant for them that they also had to assess like what was happening, in their life and what.
[00:20:51] It made sense for them. And so we have been in regular dialogue about things and I was even on a call today where my [00:21:00] colleague, who's a graphic designer was like, you actually budgeted like 30 hours for this project and I'm gonna need 10. So what does it look like to redirect those resources to another person on this team who has lost business because of what's been going on this year?
[00:21:15] and so I think. What has always been true about Gladiator, and I have been criticized about this in the past, is that I am not a good capitalist. I'm not interested in being a good capitalist. I am interested in having enough. I'm interested in my team members having enough. And I'm more driven by the possibilities of what's true in our community, has what they need than of me being successful and watching other people go without.
[00:21:48] maybe that also makes me like a very foolish business owner. I don't know. But I, it feels better knowing that my community and my team have what they need, than the alternative.
[00:21:59] Jess: And we love you for [00:22:00] that. so I'm wondering what, if anything you are doing as far as business development goes, knowing how unpredictable Yeah.
[00:22:12] Things are. not just now, but
[00:22:14] Speaker 3: Yeah, like
[00:22:15] Jess: as far as we can see. For the remaining time,and I'm just curious if, for example, in my business, I. used to be able to call in business within four weeks and pretty much count on a fill. Now I'm bumping that to eight weeks. okay.
[00:22:35] Where maybe, for example, I'm trying to grow a specific wait list to 300. I thought it would take 30 days. It's going much slower. And so I now, I'm having to have a lot more patience with myself around the timeline. Yep. what, if anything, are you doing, is it sending a, shooting my shot type of notes to your ideal clients?
[00:22:57] like what are you doing?
[00:22:59] Rachel: Yeah, [00:23:00] okay. I wanna say first one thing that we're not doing is capitalizing on people's, like pain and trauma. So I've seen a lot of folks say Things are really tough and you might feel uncertain, join the thing and pay me blank to do, to help you fix the problem.
[00:23:20] Or, I we're gonna offer such and such at a discounted rate. we are not doing either one of those things, but what we have been doing is. I would say there are two pieces to it. For me, it's been really important to be in regular dialogue with other values aligned business owners. so Aperio philanthropy would be one of 'em.
[00:23:45] learning for Action would be another one. elevate Philanthropy is another one where, I know that there are some clients that like we have worked with in the past that, May not need what Gladiator does, but they [00:24:00] may need what Esther does or they may need the evaluation work that, Emily and her team at Learning for Action do.
[00:24:06] And it is building a more robust prospect pipeline that isn't based on the success or revenue generation just for my business. But what do all of these values aligned organizations, who. May do different things, but do them in similar ways. Like how do we have each other's backs in that space?
[00:24:26] So that is one thing that like Gladiator used to do at I think a smaller, more minimal level. And now that is taking up more space, because I don't, again, I don't want it to be about like, how do I write my own ship? It is like, how do I figure out a bigger arc for this story and make sure that if.
[00:24:46] We have a client that needs an event plan, I am calling my colleague Grace in, you know, and say, Hey, like I know you have this Planned Parenthood conference coming up, but I need to like add something else to your radar, right?
[00:24:57] So there's that piece of it. [00:25:00] the other piece, Jess, I think to your point is. Yeah, the timelines for business development are longer and if relationships move at the speed of trust, even if there is trust there, it's hard to trust all the things that are happening around us. it is about all of the members on my team, being in regular communication with the organizations and the people that we care about and trying to figure out like.
[00:25:24] What do you need and when do you need it? we started a conversation with a prospective client, last Friday that needs, a variety, like a very holistic approach to where their organization is. And like I know that if we were able to move forward with that work, it's not gonna start till January.
[00:25:43] there are, and that's different There was many years, I would say pre pandemic, where I knew in December where the first half of my year's revenues coming from. By April or May, I knew where the rest of the year was gonna come from and got to be really picky and choosy [00:26:00] in July, August and September if we were gonna take another project or we were gonna bump it.
[00:26:03] We're not like living in those days anymore, like where it is cobbling it together. The timelines are moving and decisions are gonna be made. so that is where I think Personally, like my ability, and maybe it's like a trauma response to be nimble in crisis has been really beneficial to how we've been able to manage, that doesn't mean that I'm not like crying in the shower or like freaking out at night or, like eating like my feelings.
[00:26:29] and what, how we're managing it is right now working for us.
[00:26:33]
[00:26:37] Cindy: I think that we sometimes have this okay, just show up. Just show up. So it looks like we're really good at showing up
[00:26:45] What people don't see is the struggle is the crying in the shower and the hard things. and I would love to just create some space to talk about that because I think we are all going through these things. Yeah. And [00:27:00] there's ups and downs and. I like the self-doubt, the imposter syndrome, all those things that are usually already there I think are like extremely heightened during this time.
[00:27:11] And, it's funny, like I was raised again, like my, response to things is always double down, try harder. but that doesn't always, that also isn't always like the most productive or the healthiest. And so we're all Destabilized in that as well. Yeah. And so yeah, what have there been, you don't have to share specific moments necessarily, but tell us a little bit about the journey.
[00:27:38] Rachel: Yeah, like I said, we have really transparent conversations as a team. it is. Not often, but regular that like somebody might cry on a call. I definitely cried yesterday on a call. my brother's in LA and I think the, just many places in which it feels like our [00:28:00] systems are either functioning as intended or failing, which.
[00:28:04] Might be the same thing. both are scary as shit. Yeah. Yeah. Both are scary as shit. And it might, the Venn diagram might be a circle,yeah, I made it through two client meetings and I'm like, all right, I'm on it. And then I stepped into this space and we had this, how are you feeling?
[00:28:17] And I was like, okay. here, this is it. I. Have to be willing to be vulnerable as a leader. that is really important to me. We also, as a team, regularly talk about what it looks like for us to take care of each other, and so I. I have a colleague who does our, org culture and capacity building work, whose 4-year-old child is gonna be home for the summer, and she has had to be really clear about her boundaries, like when she can meet and when she wants to be a parent.
[00:28:53] I threw out my back in April, which was like another just ridiculous [00:29:00] hiccup in this. Wild year and have had to go to physical therapy. And so my brilliant, wonderful assistant, Coco has been like, okay, I am blocking out these times on your calendar. And I'm like, oh, I can like work when I get back.
[00:29:15] And they're like. No, you don't have to. there is nothing important for you to produce or create, like you have permission to rest and to do what you need. I'll add one more thing that I think is really important. We have added a more sort of somatic and like feelings check-in into our conversations, not just with our team but with our clients.
[00:29:40] to, for people to be able to name and have language for what their feelings. So we use the collective impact forms, like team check-in tool. It's on their website. It is free. You can download it. It is a color grid and. It isn't just about [00:30:00] saying, I'm a green today, or I'm a blue today. if you read the like how to use this tool, it's okay, now that we all know how we're feeling as a team, what do you have to offer or what do you want to receive from these people?
[00:30:16] And you make agreements about how we are going to get this important work done today or over the course of a week or a month or whatever. it lightens the load a little bit. I think. for me personally, I have had to walk, I have probably done more, I. Walking meetings in my neighborhood on Zoom in the last couple months than I probably have in the last year.
[00:30:44] it's not feel good for me to sit at a desk on a Zoom call, or on seven Zoom calls in a row. it just, it makes it feel even a little worse. and I am not friends. I am not like a naturey, outdoorsy human [00:31:00] being like. I already said no to the Girl Scout camping trip this summer.
[00:31:04] 'cause absolutely not. but having some sun shine on my face and like seeing the flowers and just like literally touching grass, like literally, is healing in ways I think that people in capitalism forget.
[00:31:26] Jess: That's so good. I think there's actually like research too that. Talks about how when you get out in nature, you get among the trees, you touch the grass, you see the water, it like, I don't know, whatever it amplifies, whatever.
[00:31:41] It's real.
[00:31:42] Rachel: We're animals. We are animals.
[00:31:44] Jess: yeah. We think we're
[00:31:45] Rachel: not, but we are. And there's things about nature that benefit us greatly if we allow it. And again. I'm not that girl y'all, but I am here stumping for it.
[00:31:57] Jess: I feel like so much of this conversation [00:32:00] has been a confession, but as with every ending of our podcast, we ask for a confession.
[00:32:06] So if there's anything else that you feel is maybe something you've said to yourself in your head or maybe not quite out loud or I don't know, just anything. Now is the time to confess. Give us your confession.
[00:32:23] Rachel: I believe with every ounce of conviction that I have in my body that love wins. Might take a while, might take longer than we want it to. but I am on the winning side of this.
[00:32:39] Jess: I love that. Definitely. Rachel, thank you so much for this conversation. I already know that you are going to brighten so many folks. Stay when they hear and listen to your words. For folks who wanna be in touch or learn more about your work or follow you on LinkedIn or [00:33:00] share the
[00:33:01] Cindy: love,
[00:33:01] Jess: or share the
[00:33:02] Rachel: love, where can people be in touch?
[00:33:06] Yep. LinkedIn is a really easy place to get connected with me and with Gladiator Consulting. if you're interested in funnier content and or me, and my cooking with my children, you can. Join us on Instagram. and then I would actually also encourage folks to, sign up for our monthly newsletter at our website, gladiator rds.com.
[00:33:28] You can just scroll to the bottom of the homepage and sign up. what we've been trying to do is not only tell really wonderful stories of work that is happening right now, but also connect different organizations to each other in the hopes that building, unlikely relationships is gonna generate.
[00:33:44] really wonderful possibilities. So would love to invite people to sign up for that as well.
[00:33:49] Cindy: thank you so much. I just wanna wrap up with the things that I'm feeling, coming outta this conversation, which is we are out there, the community is [00:34:00] out there, doing the work, find each other, collaborate, put people first and lead with love.
[00:34:10] And we'll get through this shit. But, only together. Only together. Yeah.
[00:34:17] Speaker 3: Yeah.
[00:34:17] Cindy: Thank you so much for sharing everything. I know everyone is struggling as well, and, yeah, you're shining light, I wanna say that. Know, it's so cheesy, but I think, what you're doing is just.
[00:34:29] So thank you for sharing it.
[00:34:32] Rachel: Yeah. I appreciate it. And it's the thing I can do and everybody has a thing they can do, right? Can't do everything but this I can do.
[00:34:38] Yeah.
[00:34:39] Speaker 6: Thank you again for listening to the Confessions podcast for nonprofit coaches and consultants. If you enjoyed today's episode, which I sure hope you did, you can show your support
[00:34:51] Speaker 7: in one of three ways. Number one, post a screenshot of this episode to your Instagram stories or LinkedIn profile. And text Cindy, India and I so we can [00:35:00] repost you.
[00:35:00] Number two, share this podcast with a fellow nonprofit coach or consultant. And number three, leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts so we can continue to grow and reach new listeners. And of course, make sure you subscribe so you can get the latest and greatest interviews as they drop. Every Thursday and to our fellow nonprofit coaching and consulting friends, remember we're an open book and here to answer your burning biz questions.
[00:35:26] See you next time.