Many leaders in caring professions — coaches, therapists, ministers, doctors, nurses — approach self-care the same way they approach their work: with commitment, discipline, and a desire to do it well.

But when we bring our high-achieving, goal-oriented selves into self-care, it can quietly defeat the very purpose.

True self-care isn’t something to conquer.
It’s something that nourishes.

It’s about identifying the practices you look forward to, return to again and again, and rely on to sustain your energy, clarity, and capacity to serve.

If you are someone who leads and serves with heart, you are likely carrying more than most people realize.

Ambitious, values-driven leaders often neglect their own care—not because they don’t know better, but because the needs around them feel urgent and unrelenting. Over time, this takes a toll.

I am declaring this year to be one of Collective Care. The pace of change, the challenge of complexity and uncertainty, the poly crisis before us… you name your stressor. They are taking their toll on our individual and collective well-being. We all have enough to consider, on top of our jobs, to have us feeling depleted, or on the verge of burnout – even in the context of a new year beginning.