Our son is starting middle school this month.

He’s excited — and nervous. His routines are shifting. His friendships are evolving. His sense of self is being reshaped — daily, it seems.

Everything feels a little unfamiliar. He’s not quite who he was… and not yet who he’s becoming.

Lately, I’ve been thinking — it’s not so different from what I’m seeing across the nonprofit sector.

I’m working with organizations navigating deep uncertainty:

• Longtime leaders stepping away.
• Board and staff roles blurring.
• Interim seasons stretching longer than expected.
• Big questions about identity, direction, and sustainability

The energy feels a lot like middle school:

• Wobbly
• Unsettling
• Full of potential… but not without growing pains.

In our house, we talk about how to notice when our inner “Judge” shows up — the voice that says:

“You’re going to mess this up.”

“You’re not ready.”

“Everyone else has it figured out.”

And how we can shift toward something wiser inside — a calmer, kinder part of ourselves.

It’s a practice I comeback to in my work too.

Because whether you’re 11 or 46… leading an organization or just trying to keep up with the pace of change… we all need tools to meet uncertainty with more clarity and less self-sabotage.

That’s where Positive Intelligence has been such a powerful support for me, and for the nonprofit leaders I work with.

It’s a framework for building mental fitness so we can lead ourselves — and others — with greater resilience, calm, and compassion, even when the path ahead is uncertain.

If that sounds like something you could use right now, I’d love to invite you to my fall cohort.

It’s an 8-week journey with weekly group coaching, bite-sized app-based practices, and practical tools to quiet the inner critic and lead from your wiser self.

Join the free information session on September 8 at noon to learn more.

This fall’s Positive Intelligence cohort might be just what you didn’t know you needed.

One thing I know for sure: we are not meant to navigate uncertainty alone.

Katie Weeks is a Senior Advisor with Armstrong McGuire who specializes in coaching, executive searches, and team and staff retreats. Learn more about Katie and check out her other musings in her bio. Be sure to also check out Katie's video on Coaching and Staff Development.