About Me
Discover why I’m so passionate about helping nonprofit leaders grow their organizations without sacrificing themselves in the process.
About Becky Brett
Discover why I’m so passionate about helping nonprofit leaders grow their organizations without sacrificing themselves in the process.
I care deeply about your impact and your team. Here's my story...
I have guided over 200 nonprofit leaders to rediscover something many thought they had lost: the ability to lead with clarity, steadiness, and real support from their teams.
The organizations they lead now collectively serve more than 1.5 million people — and counting.
Client communities stretch from Providence, Rhode Island to the west shore of Oʻahu.
Leaders who do this work stop carrying the entire mission alone — and start building teams and cultures strong enough to hold it with them.
I have guided over 200 nonprofit leaders to rediscover something many thought they had lost: the ability to lead with clarity, steadiness, and real support from their teams.
The organizations they lead now collectively serve more than 1.5 million people — and counting.
Client communities stretch from Providence, Rhode Island to the west shore of Oʻahu.
Leaders who do this work stop carrying the entire mission alone — and start building teams and cultures strong enough to hold it with them.
“For a long time, I thought the problem was me. And in some ways it was — leaders shape culture. But no leader can sustainably carry an organization inside a system built on urgency, scarcity, and personal sacrifice. The real work is learning the difference between what is yours to carry as a leader and what must change in the system for the organization to thrive.”
When I first stepped into the role of Executive Director, I was filled with hope and ambition. I believed deeply in the mission and in the difference our organization could make in the community.
What I didn’t expect was the weight of responsibility that would come with the role.
After moving from Chicago to a small rural town in Virginia, I suddenly found myself navigating a complicated landscape: a board struggling to work together, staffing and program challenges, and a serious revenue crisis that threatened the stability of the entire organization — including my own paycheck.
Like many nonprofit leaders, I did what seemed necessary in the moment. I worked harder. I carried more. I tried to hold everything together myself.
For a while, it worked.
But eventually I realized something that would shape the rest of my career: the challenge wasn’t simply about working harder or becoming a stronger leader. The real challenge was the leadership model itself — one that quietly expected a single person to absorb the pressure of an entire organization.
That realization changed everything.
It led me to begin asking a different question: what would it look like to build organizations that no longer depended on one leader’s exhaustion to survive?
That question became the foundation of the work I do today.
When I first stepped into the role of Executive Director, I was filled with hope and ambition. I believed deeply in the mission and in the difference our organization could make in the community.
What I didn’t expect was the weight of responsibility that would come with the role.
After moving from Chicago to a small rural town in Virginia, I suddenly found myself navigating a complicated landscape: a board struggling to work together, staffing and program challenges, and a serious revenue crisis that threatened the stability of the entire organization — including my own paycheck.
Like many nonprofit leaders, I did what seemed necessary in the moment. I worked harder. I carried more. I tried to hold everything together myself.
For a while, it worked.
But eventually I realized something that would shape the rest of my career: the challenge wasn’t simply about working harder or becoming a stronger leader. The real challenge was the leadership model itself — one that quietly expected a single person to absorb the pressure of an entire organization.
That realization changed everything.
It led me to begin asking a different question: what would it look like to build organizations that no longer depended on one leader’s exhaustion to survive?
That question became the foundation of the work I do today.
I realized leadership was never meant to be carried alone.
Eventually, I realized that trying to hold everything together on my own wasn’t going to work.
So I began looking for ways to grow into the leader my community needed.
I joined our region’s leadership program and started building relationships with other local leaders. I slowed down and spent time listening — really listening — to what my community needed from both me and our organization.
At the same time, I began studying leadership more deeply. I sought out mentors, many of them virtual, and learned from people who had navigated challenges like the ones I was facing.
Over time, those experiences reshaped how I approached leadership. They helped me move beyond the idea that a single leader must carry everything alone and toward a way of leading that strengthens the entire organization.
And in the process, I began to become the kind of mentor I once wished I had.
I realized leadership was never meant to be carried alone.
Eventually, I realized that trying to hold everything together on my own wasn’t going to work.
So I began looking for ways to grow into the leader my community needed.
I joined our region’s leadership program and started building relationships with other local leaders. I slowed down and spent time listening — really listening — to what my community needed from both me and our organization.
At the same time, I began studying leadership more deeply. I sought out mentors, many of them virtual, and learned from people who had navigated challenges like the ones I was facing.
Over time, those experiences reshaped how I approached leadership. They helped me move beyond the idea that a single leader must carry everything alone and toward a way of leading that strengthens the entire organization.
And in the process, I began to become the kind of mentor I once wished I had.
What I learned changed the trajectory of my work.
Within 18 months, our organization stabilized and began growing in ways that once felt impossible. The board was working together more effectively, the team had clearer roles, and the organization had stronger systems to support the mission.
Looking back, I realized how much I would have benefited from a mentor who truly understood what it was like to lead through uncertainty and high stakes. That realization set me on a new path. I began building community with other nonprofit leaders, developing leadership practices that worked across organizations, and eventually launching my coaching practice to support leaders like you.
Everything I teach today is grounded in lived experience. I know what it feels like to carry the weight of an organization — and how transformative it can be to lead in a way that strengthens both the mission and the people responsible for it.
What I learned changed the trajectory of my work.
Within 18 months, our organization stabilized and began growing in ways that once felt impossible. The board was working together more effectively, the team had clearer roles, and the organization had stronger systems to support the mission.
Looking back, I realized how much I would have benefited from a mentor who truly understood what it was like to lead through uncertainty and high stakes. That realization set me on a new path. I began building community with other nonprofit leaders, developing leadership practices that worked across organizations, and eventually launching my coaching practice to support leaders like you.
Everything I teach today is grounded in lived experience. I know what it feels like to carry the weight of an organization — and how transformative it can be to lead in a way that strengthens both the mission and the people responsible for it.
“When I discovered a way to grow an organization without sacrificing
myself in the process, I knew I had to help other leaders find that path too.”
If you’re ready to grow your organization without sacrificing yourself in the process, I’d love to talk with you.
If you’re ready to grow your organization without sacrificing yourself in the process, I’d love to talk with you.
For any questions or concerns about this free online training or any of our programs, please email [email protected].