Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast — Micro-Series Pt1: Why Leading In February Always Feels Heavy

Host: Brooke Richie-Babbage
Date: February 3, 2026

Episode Overview

In this first part of a three-part micro-series, Brooke Richie-Babbage explores the annual "February heaviness" experienced by nonprofit leaders. She reframes this period—not as personal or leadership failure, but as a sign of deeper structural issues within organizations, what she terms “design deficits.” The episode is about recognizing, naming, and beginning to address the invisible weights that bog down the first “real” weeks of the nonprofit year.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The February Shift: Why Things Feel Heavy

• Energy drop after the New Year:
  • The initial surge of energy from January fades; February arrives, bringing a unique fatigue to leaders.
  • “The energy of what is possible has faded and now we're just living our lives. It's just the year.” (02:09)
• Not just you:
  • Every year, nonprofit leaders feel this "wall"—a sense of heaviness and doubt about meeting team goals and funding needs.
  • “You and your team have a set of goals...somehow things already feel wobbly. You’re just not in your heart of hearts sure you’re going to get to where you guys have said you’re going to get to, right?” (03:31)

Naming the Problem: It’s Structural, Not Personal

• Reassurance and clarity:
  • Brooke emphasizes this feeling is not failure or error; it signals something under the surface.
  • “If you’re secretly or not secretly feeling, why does this already feel so hard? I have a whole year to go. You are not alone. And more importantly, you’re not doing anything wrong.” (04:54)
• The myth of ‘the right year’:
  • Leaders often believe that with more focus, hires, or tweaks, things will get magically easier—Brooke debunks this.
  • “That’s not a thing. That’s not real. That pressure that you’re feeling now isn’t a surprise. It’s rooted in that belief, right?” (06:21)
• The true cause: Design Deficits:
  • The heaviness is a sign that systems, structures, and workflows are not built to support current complexity.
  • “If you are feeling heavy, the problem is structural. That’s what I want you to take away from this.” (07:20)

What Are Design Deficits?

• Gaps in organizational design:
  • Examples include ambiguous work plans, lack of accountability, passive boards, or overreliance on memory and grit.
  • “You have organizational cracks in your design that really require that you pay attention to them.” (08:50)
• Natural part of nonprofit growth:
  • As organizations add programs and complexity, their foundational structures often don’t keep pace, creating a “design deficit.”
  • “More programs, more visibility, more team, more expectations. But your internal structure doesn’t even evolve with it.” (10:05)

Key Mindset Shift: Reframing Heaviness as a Signal

• Heaviness = unmasking, not breakdown:
  • Brooke encourages leaders to see heavy feelings as a call to examine organizational systems, not blame themselves or their teams.
  • “Think of it as an unmasking...release yourself from the guilt...ask yourself, where are my systems not designed to be a true container for the work that we're doing?” (12:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you are feeling heavy, the problem is structural. That’s what I want you to take away from this.” —Brooke Richie-Babbage (07:20)
• “You’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not doing anything wrong.” —Brooke Richie-Babbage (04:54)
• “This is not a breakdown. This is not a failure. I want you to think of it as an unmasking.” —Brooke Richie-Babbage (12:00)
• “The energy of what is possible has faded and now we're just living our lives. It's just the year.” —Brooke Richie-Babbage (02:09)
• “More programs, more visibility, more team, more expectations. But your internal structure doesn’t evolve with it.” —Brooke Richie-Babbage (10:05)

Timestamped Structure

• 00:00–02:00 — Introduction: The February wall and setting the theme of the micro-series
• 02:00–04:30 — Describing the annual energy shift and universal nature of February heaviness
• 04:30–07:30 — Reassurance: You’re not alone, and you’re not failing
• 07:30–10:30 — Introducing “design deficits” and naming the real structural roots
• 10:30–12:30 — Examples of design deficits; the mindset shift and call to reflection

Tone and Takeaways

This episode has a supportive, empathetic tone. Brooke is direct but uplifting—her goal is to normalize “February heaviness” and redirect self-blame toward actionable reflection. Leaders are encouraged to see heaviness as diagnostic rather than demoralizing.

Closing Reflection:

• Take time to ask: Where are your systems not truly supporting your mission? What are your organization’s design deficits?
• Stay tuned for the next episode in the micro-series, which will focus on diagnosing specific design deficits.