TOOLS TO HELP SOCIAL IMPACT LEADERS AND TEAMS THRIVE IN A WORLD THAT NEEDS THEM.
Social impact leaders are deeply committed to the mission of their work, yet in today’s social and organizational climate, many teams feel the strain. Disengagement increases, morale dips, and impact can begin to feel minimal despite everyone’s best efforts. Leaders are often aware that something needs to shift, but are unsure how to intentionally respond.
WHAT DO WE DO?
A coaching culture fosters continuous growth, leadership development, and deeper engagement within an organization or community. By integrating coaching principles into daily interactions, leaders empower individuals to maximize their potential and create lasting impact.
Why Build a Coaching Culture?
Enhances personal and professional development by supporting leaders in deepening self-awareness and building the skills needed to grow.
Strengthens collaboration and team dynamics by fostering trust, reflection, and more intentional communication.
Creates sustainability and succession leadership support, ensuring long-term impact beyond individual roles.
Improves retention by helping team members feel valued, supported, and invested in.
Drives social impact by equipping individuals to lead effectively in alignment with mission and values.
OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER WITH US
GROW: Leadership Coaching Team Building Workshops
At the heart of every thriving team is the courage to grow. Grow is a half-day leadership and coaching development workshop designed to help teams root into their purpose, share stories that deepen connection, and align personal vision with organizational mission.
Through storytelling, reflection, and coaching practices inspired by the words of James Baldwin & Audre Lorde, participants explore the question: What risks must we take in order to truly bloom—individually and collectively? This experience invites teams to recenter, and cultivate a culture where clarity, care, and courage are the foundation for growth.
Workshop Goals:
Ground the team in purpose and presence: Invite participants to reflect on what anchors them personally and professionally through guided intentional conversation.
Cultivate deep roots through shared stories and connection: Use narrative exercises to build trust and illuminate the lived experiences that shape how each team member leads and contributes.
Practice leadership coaching through storytelling: Equip participants with frameworks to tell and receive stories that clarify purpose, affirm values, and inspire change. This includes using coaching questions to draw out deeper meaning from personal and team narratives.
Water personal visions and align with organizational mission: Create space for individuals to envision a thriving future self and identify where their aspirations meet the mission of the team or organization.
Assessments: Participants will complete a leadership assessment specifically designed for social impact leaders to identify areas for growth and development. Through guided reflection and coaching support, leaders will intentionally strengthen these areas and translate insight into practice.
Click here to schedule conversation.
We also offer one hour shops on storytelling, leadership mission and visions or core values.
CREATING A COACHING CULTURE TRAINING: COACHING FOUNDATIONS COURSE
A coaching culture equips organizations with the tools to create systems where leaders are actively growing the people they support. When leaders use coaching as a core part of their management approach, they foster accountability, trust, and meaningful development. Coaching also boosts team sustainability, engagement, and productivity.
What You’ll Learn:
Transformational one-on-one coaching conversations that support performance, growth, and alignment
How to conduct wholeness-based performance reviews grounded in feedback, aligned vision, core values, and actionable next steps on a consistent review calendar
Integrating coaching questions and presence into your everyday leadership style
Utilizing coaching tools to retain talent and reduce burnout
Fostering emotional intelligence and psychological safety within your team
Building systems that allow for feedback without hierarchy
Session Details:
Participants will complete eight sessions, each lasting two hours, facilitated by our coaching facilitators.
Sessions can be conducted online, in person, or in a hybrid format with a combination of both.
A minimum of three participants is required. (orgs are allowed to merge teams to make up the minimums)
Upon completion, participants will graduate with a Coaching Foundations Certificate, helping distinguish your organization while demonstrating your commitment to developing and growing your team members.
Schedule a conversation so that we can chat about it!
CASE STUDIES
Black Men Teach
Black Men Teach is dedicated to creating an environment in Minnesota where Black male elementary educators not only enter the profession—but thrive in it. They partner with universities to support the development of Black men into high-impact, passionate educators. Their initial goal: for each of their eight partner schools to have at least 20% of their teaching staff made up of Black men.
To reach this goal, Black Men Teach employs a unique model led by classroom-based coaches—current educators who are actively shaping the next generation. In 2023, Black Men Teach partnered with Messy Roots to deepen the development of their coaching team. Together, they designed a customized training approach to help coaches grow in their leadership and effectiveness—while also protecting against burnout.
Their coaches participated in the Coaching Foundations course, and their directors received personalized, one-on-one coaching from Mario, ensuring tailored support at every level of leadership.
The results have been remarkable: today, Black male teachers make up no less than 40% of the educators in each of their eight partner schools—doubling their original target. This success is a direct reflection of intentional investment in leadership and sustained development.
In addition, Black Men Teach has retained over 90% of its coaching team, allowing for deep, consistent relationships between coaches and the educators they support.
Our partnership with Black Men Teach continues, as we provide ongoing coaching and leadership development to support their vision and amplify their impact.
Native Renewables
Native Renewables is an Indigenous-led organization advancing solar power knowledge and solutions with Hopi and Diné (Navajo) families and communities. They specialize in installing off-grid solar systems with battery storage to bring reliable power to households across the Navajo and Hopi Nations.
A key challenge for Native Renewables was their team structure—over 20 team members spread across different locations, with some living and working off-grid. This decentralized setup made leadership development and internal communication particularly complex. The organization needed a way to grow leaders from within who could manage teams effectively despite the logistical hurdles.
In 2023, Native Renewables partnered with Messy Roots to address this leadership development gap. Through this collaboration, managers received coaching training, including a Coaching Foundations course designed to equip them with the skills to lead impactful one-on-one coaching conversations with team members. The program also included 360-degree reviews and introduced a structure for regular team development: bi-weekly team conversations and quarterly feedback sessions.
As a result of the training, Native Renewables has successfully cultivated new leaders from within. One standout example is Chelsea Chee, who stepped into a key leadership role, helping further expand the organization’s mission and impact.
Since the leadership training, Native Renewables has seen impressive results: team expansion, a job satisfaction increase, and a retention rate now exceeding 95%.
OUR PARTNERS:
African American Community Service Agency
The School District of Philadelphia