Supporting Your Team in this Moment
Today’s article is the first of a three-part series with my colleague and friend Patty Narváez-Wheeler, Founder and Managing Director of Práctica Consulting. Throughout my years working and learning from Patty, I’ve seen how masterful she is in team development toward equity and systems change. I’m honored she has agreed to share some insights on questions I have about how to lead teams in a moment that is rightfully scary, overwhelming, and unprecedented for nonprofits.
Jordan: Patty, we are facing extremely challenging times in the nonprofit space. People are exhausted, scared, and angry. What advice can you offer to leaders of organizations to support their teams in this moment?
Patty Narváez-Wheeler: First, let’s normalize that it’s okay not to feel okay and remind people that we do have the medicine to get us through. Letting your team know “you’re not alone” and “we’ve got this” can counter the fear and isolation defining this moment. These times are materially, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually hard for many of us, especially those most impacted by the rhetoric, policies, and violence coming from this administration. And while it feels unprecedented, it helps to name the root feeling underneath: fear.
Jordan: Yeah, I think in many ways the anxiety I and others I work with are facing is the result of fear. Fear of what may be coming, of what we could lose. It’s happening so fast it seems. And it can be paralyzing, at least for me. So, how do you not let fear get in the way of your work?
Patty Narváez-Wheeler: Fear is familiar to me in an empowering way because I know its antidotes. Our ancestor change-makers overcame fear; my own lineage survived natural disasters, revolutions, and displacement. I draw from those wells of resilience and remind myself that we have what we need to endure this moment.
Jordan: That’s deep. History always shows us how to lead with courage, we just have to look in the right places. What approaches should nonprofit leaders prioritize to embody the spirits of the folks whose shoulders we stand on?
Patty Narváez-Wheeler: Well, here are four simple practices I keep in my leadership “medicine bag”:
1) Disciplined self-care.
You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you’ll need to up your self-care game this season, I know I’ve had to. My own updated self-care this year has meant early mornings with the ancestors and the divine before my kids wake up, journaling a lot , nostalgic TV, fitness, and protected time with my children who keep me soooo present. Know your “check engine” light, too, so you avoid a stall in the middle of the metaphorical road.
2) Clarity over silence.
Ambiguity breeds worst-case stories. When the anti-DEI Executive Order dropped back in January, junior staff at a large institution heard nothing for two weeks because the leadership team was waiting on SMEs and the Comms team to craft the ‘right’ response. The silence caused far more anxiety among the workforce than a simple “we hear your concern and we’re assessing impacts; expect an update in X days” would have.
3) Practice gratitude.
A mentor once told me, “Gratitude and anxiety can’t co-exist.” And in a moment when we’re inundated with crises, looking for the good becomes a necessary counterbalance. Notice the ED who doubled down on commitments, the community partner organizing mutual aid, the vendor who made your gala stunning, the hummingbird outside your window, the coalition newly formed, the meme that made your team laugh, and the unique contributions of your people. Name the good, together. Gratitude regulates the nervous system, strengthens team bonds, and reminds us that “power over” is not the only power that exists—never has been.
4) More Curious, Less Furious
This moment in our country is undeniably divisive. Shaped by larger forces, echo chambers, and a decades-long erosion of community, but there is learning here for us as transformation leaders. As Daryl Davis asks, can we get curious instead of furious? Not with pundits, grifters, or politicians, but with the everyday people around us who see the world differently, whose fears, values, and even votes are different from our own? Our capacity for curiosity will vary, of course, depending on our positionality and environment, but modeling it helps our teams stay in relationship, adapt with integrity, and remain aligned with mission and values.
Part 2 in this series will arrive in January. Stay tuned!
Research on Improving Lives of Children and Youth - William T. Grant Foundation provides funding up to a $1 Million for studies on evidence-based research. - January 6, 2026
Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation Grant - grants in the areas of health, education, social services, and community development. Jan 1, 2026.
The Cloudsplitter Foundation - support a well-defined project or program that has a defined need, budget, and associated supporting documentation. - Jan 1, 2026.
The Philanthropy Connection - Strengthening organizations working in Massachusetts - Jan 9, 2026
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Fund -competitive grant programs to reflect community needs and the foundation’s strategic initiatives - Feb 14, 2026
The Roblee Foundation - funding requests in race, ethnicity, and gender equity. - Feb 17, 2026
Philadelphia Area Racial Equity Grants - Offered by the Nelson Foundation. - Mar 1, 2026
Grants to Address Mental Health in Criminal Justice System - Sydney R. Baer Jr. Foundation provides grants in this area to nonprofit organizations. - Mar 1, 2026
Frank Hadley & Cornelia Ginn Foundation - education programs that support academic success, social emotional growth. - Mar 1, 2026
Montclair Fund for Women’s grant awards - Supporting education and social justice and focusing on women of color. - Mar 6, 2026.
Black in AI Safety and Ethics Fellowship - Jan 1, 2026
Venture Access NYC Tech Startup Founders Fellowship - Jan 1, 2026
Catchlight Global Fellowship for Social Impact Visual Storytellers - Dec 15, 2025
Seeds of Radical Renewal Fellowship for Spiritual Ecology, the Power of Art, and Leadership - Jan 15, 2026
Seeding Disruption Fellowship - rolling deadline
Folger Institute Long-term Public Humanities Fellowships - Dec 15, 2025
How to Build a Nonprofit 🎙️: Travel Transforms | Bianca Nelson
Bianca Nelson is opening the world to Baltimore youth through travel. After a life-changing solo trip to Australia, she founded Learning to Live Movement in 2015 with zero nonprofit experience—just a dream and an 82-year-old mentor who told her to start now, not “one day.” Today, her organization provides high school students of color with leadership development, cultural education, and travel opportunities to destinations like Brazil, Jamaica, and Belize.
In this episode, Bianca shares her honest journey of starting with nothing, the power of fiscal sponsorship, why events became her fundraising lifeline, and how watching Baltimore students meet a snorkeling guide in Belize shifted their entire understanding of what’s possible in life.
Subscribe and Listen Now on Your Favorite Streaming Platform: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube |
Really valuable framing around gratitude as a nervous sytem regulator, especially when paired with Patty's point that anxiety and gratitude can't co-exist. Naming the good together feels like soemthing teams overlook when crisis mode kicks in. The 'check engine light' metaphor landed hard.