Leading with Quiet Strength: How Self-Awareness Transforms Leadership
✨ It’s one thing to witness transformation. It’s another to hold space for it.
As a leadership coach and facilitator, I often find myself standing quietly at the edge of remarkable moments. Moments where leaders choose presence over performance, self-trust over external validation, and authenticity over exhaustion. One of those moments happened recently while supporting a culture initiative at the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Two leaders, Alyssa and Katie, helped guide an internal program that has now been recognized as a finalist for the Pittsburgh Human Resources Association Learning and Development ENGAGING PITTSBURGH Award. Their work wasn’t just strategic or operational — it was deeply human. They committed to building trust, cultivating feedback, and strengthening cross-departmental relationships in the midst of massive organizational change.
As a facilitator in that initiative, I had the privilege of supporting the growth of the employees at the airport and witnessing the impact of the program. But more importantly, I saw firsthand the kind of inner work that makes sustainable leadership possible.
Why Self-Awareness Is the Unsung Superpower
Burnout, disconnection, and culture fatigue aren't unique to the nonprofit sector — but during the pandemic, nonprofit leaders were especially vulnerable. That’s when my colleague Angie Shirey and I partnered to create a coaching experience rooted in self-awareness. We later wrote about it in the Forbes Funds’ 2022 Tropman Report because we knew: the internal world of a leader shapes the external outcomes of a team.
And while that work began in the nonprofit space, the message is universal: When leaders develop self-awareness, they don’t just cope. They lead differently.
That philosophy is the foundation of my Quiet Strength RISE framework.
The Quiet Strength RISE Framework
RISE is a four-stage process designed to help leaders release old conditioning, integrate deeper truths, and step into impact without losing themselves in hustle. Here’s a brief look at what it includes:
R — Release
Let go of inherited beliefs, performative habits, and pressure to prove. This stage is about unlearning what no longer serves you. It asks: Whose voice are you following? And what would it mean to let it go?
I — Integrate
Reclaim your inner compass by aligning your values, wisdom, and lived experience. This is the stage of re-connection. It’s where leaders begin to feel whole again. The question here is: What do you know to be true about yourself?
S — Step In
Activate your voice, your vision, and your presence. This is where alignment becomes visible. Not performance, but embodiment. The invitation is: How are you showing up, now that you’re clear?
E — Elevate
Lead from wholeness. Not hustle. This stage is about creating impact with integrity — leading from the inside out. The question becomes: How can your leadership ripple out without burning you out?
This framework is the foundation of my work with women, teams, and organizational leaders who are ready to lead from within.
Reflect: What Are You Leading From?
Whether you’re a CEO navigating cultural change, a nonprofit director holding space for your staff, or a team lead trying to stay human in a high-output environment — the real question is this:
Are you leading from wholeness, or from hustle?
The answer doesn’t need judgment. It just needs awareness. And from that awareness, everything can change.
Ready to Lead from Quiet Strength?
If this resonated, I invite you to:
Book a compatibility call to explore coaching options.
Read the full Tropman Report article to learn more about self-awareness as a tool for burnout prevention.
Because transformation isn’t always loud. But it is powerful.
#QuietStrength #RISE #HumanCenteredLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #SelfAwareness #EmotionalMaturity #BurnoutPrevention
