WELCOME
LEADERSHIP DESIGN
Coaching and consulting for
leaders and organizations working for justice
For more than 25 years, I have partnered with leaders at the forefront of social change — helping them govern, lead, and operate in ways that are equitable, sustainable, and joyful. I've supported hundreds of organizations — working for human rights, gender justice, indigenous rights, environmental justice, and more — in aligning individual and organizational practices with deeply held values. I bring expertise in leadership development, governance design, and organizational transformation to those doing the hardest and most important work of our time.
FOR ORGANIZATIONS
Consulting supports building the structures, cultures, and strategies vital to your purpose
Strategy Setting
Being adaptive and strategic in uncertain times
I support nimble, strategic decision making that responds to changing circumstances without becoming reactive. I can lead a light and fast strategic planning process, or help you update your strategies and priorities in real time, while holding strong to your vision.
Team Culture Building
Setting foundations for healthy and effective teams
Organizational and team culture can make or break your organization's ability to navigate uncertainty, make strategic decisions, and have impact. I can help teams - especially remote and hybrid teams - in strengthening communication and decision-making skills, improving conflict literacy, and understanding and navigating power with care.
Shared Leadership and Liberatory Governance
Aligning structures and practices with your values
Many organizations are trying new ways of leading, managing, and governing - to varying degrees of success. Having supported dozens of organizations through governance transitions — and having led a worker self-directed nonprofit myself — I bring hard-won, practical experience to what can otherwise be an overwhelming process.
Equity in Philanthropy
Helping grantmakers align their practices with their values
I have designed and facilitated leadership cohorts, workshops, and multi-year organizational transformation journeys specifically for philanthropic institutions seeking to embed racial justice, equity, and values-aligned practices into every aspect of their work. I take on one client per year for deep organizational accompaniment, and am available for mentorship and targeted support.
Vision, Values, and Purpose
A participatory and narrative approach
Some of my favorite work is helping organizations come to a shared vision, statement of purpose, and set of values. With these components of an organizational identity set in a participatory and comprehensive manner, strategy and culture work can flow. I use a story-based approach that is fun and engaging, and avoids the often painful "writing by committee."
Facilitation and Curriculum Design
Engaging design for successful programs
It is a joy to bring my many years of experience in facilitation and curriculum design to support others. I can provide guidance and feedback on your meeting and/or program design that will set you up for success. From a 1-hour meeting to a 10-year long capacity building program - in person or online - I have countless tools and ideas to share to get you to your vision.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
One-on-one coaching helps you clarify thinking, set goals, solve problems, and take strategic action
Courageous Leadership in Challenging Times
Executive Coaching for Executive Directors, CEOs and foundation leaders
Leading a social justice organization or foundation is unlike any other leadership role. You are navigating immense external pressure while managing internal complexity — holding your team's wellbeing, your board's expectations, and your community's needs simultaneously. And often, you're doing it without a true peer to think alongside. As your coach, I bring 25+ years of deep sector knowledge — so you never have to explain the landscape, the politics, or the stakes. I can help you:
- Adapt your strategies to changing contexts
- Problem-solve complex or charged situations
- Uplevel understanding and action to create thriving and equitable work cultures
- Succeed through empowering and supporting others
- Communicate powerfully and authentically
- Manage organizational growth and transitions
- Sustain yourself through managing stress and tending to wellbeing
Coaching provides invaluable support to leaders at any stage:
- If you are new in your position, coaching can help you start off on the right foot.
- If you are reaching a plateau, coaching can help you identify areas of growth or new goals that reinvigorate your work.
- And, coaching can help you in all aspects of succession planning, from the emotional and relational to the strategic and tactical.
Your Wellbeing is Not a Luxury, it is Essential
Resilience Coaching
Social justice leaders are asked to carry an extraordinary amount. Sustaining yourself is not optional - it is the foundation required for action and impact. This work is not separate from your leadership — it is your leadership. As your coach, I can help you:
- Develop practices to support your emotional wellbeing
- Understand and address your biggest stressors
- Leverage your body as a source of information and resilience
- Improve your sleep, nourishment, and physical wellbeing
- Sustain yourself through healthy boundary setting and management of commitments
- Strengthen your emotional intelligence
In addition to a mastery of coaching skills, I bring a life-long exploration of these topics to our sessions, sharing reflections and tools when appropriate. I am particularly passionate about helping people address metabolic health in a way that is holistic, body-positive, science-based, and behavior-focused. (You can find more about this part of my work at www.becomingvibrant.com.)
DON'T TAKE IT FROM ME:
HERE'S WHAT CLIENTS SAY
James Irvine Foundation
Grantee Capacity Building
“Rachel is such a wise soul. Her trainings and coaching for our organization have been incredible, and have brought energy and focus to our team during a time of great change. She has been a fantastic facilitator of our Central Coast peer learning network, bringing a wealth of knowledge and tools to our group. We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to reflect and grow as individuals and an organization under her guidance.”
Karyl Lynn Burns
Producing Artistic Director
Rubicon Theatre
(Arts Regional Initiative Grantee)
Global Citizen Year
Team Culture Building
“Rachel provided invaluable training to our global staff on vital organizational issues like decision-making, communication, and managing commitments in our fast-paced, growing organization. She struck the perfect balance between sharing her knowledge and drawing out our own. Moreover, we felt closer as a team and ready to take on the challenges ahead of us after the workshop. I highly recommend her for your next training, workshop or retreat!”
Lee Lucca
Chief Operating Officer
Global Fund for Women
Facilitation
“Rachel is adept at striking a balance between relationships and results. Ensuring that everybody's voice gets heard while making progress toward desired outcomes isn't easy, but Rachel has an intuitive ability to do just that. Her balanced facilitation style ensures that decisions are reached in a collaborative, supportive environment that strengthens interpersonal relationships in the process.”
Kelly McVicker
Development Officer
International Accountability Project
Executive Coaching
“Executive coaching has far exceeded my expectations: not only has Rachel helped me grow as a leader, but staff has expressed that 'the work with Rachel has benefited the whole organization.' Weekly coaching has created a vital space for me to address truly important issues which otherwise are overshadowed by an endless stream of other pressing problems. I am proud of all that my organization has achieved since I began as ED, and Rachel has been an integral part of that success.”
Joanna Levitt
Executive Director
LeaderSpring Center
Succession Coaching
"As a certified coach who oversees a coaching program for social sector leaders, it is my privilege to recommend Rachel Humphrey’s coach services. Rachel, a seasoned leader and manager, astutely helped me prepare my organization for a leadership succession at a time of growth and fast change. Her support was no small feat given this pivotal and complex transition, both professionally and personally. Among other lessons, when faced with challenging decisions, I learned from Rachel to more swiftly identify and weigh simultaneously conflicting values and priorities at hand, enabling me to make otherwise difficult choices with greater clarity and confidence. Without hesitation, I wholeheartedly recommend Rachel as a trusted coach and advisor."
Cynthia Chavez
Former Executive Director
Techbridge Girls
Executive Coaching
"I began working with Rachel as a first-time CEO. My goal was to have an executive coach that provided a safe space to grow, learn and evolve my leadership. Rachel is extremely easy to talk to and a wonderful listener. She has the ability to guide your thinking so that you are able to come up with a solution or path forward that is authentic to you. She also brings a deep awareness of the nonprofit sector especially in areas of social justice. That lens was extremely important as I navigated my leadership experiences in the sector."
Nikole Collins-Puri
CEO
CARESTAR Foundation
Vision, Values, and Statement of Purpose
"As the first CEO of the CARESTAR Foundation I had the initial goal of integrating race equity into the foundation from the start, and Rachel supported me in that goal by working though our mission and values as well as supporting the board in their understanding and pursuit of that north star. Rachel is a phenomenal facilitator as she so adeptly demonstrated in numerous trainings with us, but particularly the intense wordsmithing of our mission and values language. She is unflappable!"
Tanir Ami
CEO
Patagonia
Culture Building and Embedding Justice
We were seeking a partner to help us evaluate our programs and identify opportunities for embedding equity and justice throughout all of our work. Rachel has been on this journey with us through thick and thin. Her thoughtful, knowledgeable, positive, and patient approach has helped our team build trust, empathy and confidence in building and carrying out a cohesive, impactful and restorative vision. She has truly become a natural extension of our team, enabling us to make significant strides and setting us up for success in the future. I can’t speak more highly of Rachel.
Lisa Myers
Director of Environmental Grants
Reflection and Facilitation Tools
These cards are designed to work on their own, with a self-facilitation guide for groups, or as part of a structured session. If you are purchasing for a team or organization and would like support, I'm happy to talk through what is right for your purpose and context.
CONTACT ME
Email
rachel (at) rachelhumphrey (dot) com
LinkedIn
/rachelzhumphrey
Phone
415.598.7174
