Podcast Summary: Nonprofit Mastermind Podcast

Episode: "The Calm You’re Waiting For Isn’t Coming"

Host: Brooke Richie-Babbage
Date: March 17, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brooke Richie-Babbage addresses a common but unproductive mindset among nonprofit leaders: the belief that operational calm and stability must come before they can build solid organizational systems. Drawing from her experience as a strategist and coach, Brooke argues that the “calm” leaders hope for is not coming on its own and instead must be created through intentional design and systems-building—even in the midst of chaos. She presents a compelling reframe of this mindset, explores the concept of "design deficits," and offers three actionable mindset shifts for building resilient, sustainable nonprofits.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The False Promise of Future Calm

• Many nonprofit leaders delay system-building, telling themselves they’ll address core problems "after the gala," "when things settle," or "once we hire a new staff member."
  • Quote:

    “If you've been saying some version of this to yourself... then I want to offer something today that I think can be one of the most important reframes in this work.” – Brooke Richie-Babbage (01:00)

• This is a logical instinct but doesn’t match the nonlinear, unpredictable reality of nonprofit work.

2. Chaos Is the Default, Unless Challenged

• Chaos, left unchecked, only compounds and becomes the organization’s standard operating mode.
• Without systems, ad-hoc and exhausting workarounds become the norm:
  • “Every week without a system, someone will reinvent the wheel... every month, without clear roles, the same ambiguities create new friction.” (02:25)
• Brooke introduces “design deficits”—the gap between the scale of an organization's work and the infrastructure supporting it.

  • "When you're operating with design deficits, your organization is essentially asking the humans...to do what systems should be doing." (03:40)

• This leads to burnout and organizational fragility.

3. Why “I’ll Get to It Later” Never Works

• First reason:
  • There is no “later.” Each urgency simply gives way to the next (06:00).

  • “There is no later. It has to be created as you go.” (06:22)

• Second reason:
  • Waiting allows design deficits to grow. Temporary workarounds solidify into unsustainable norms.
  • Example: A nonprofit continues twice-a-week leadership meetings long after a crisis has passed, drowning them in meetings because they never revisited or formalized meeting structures (09:30).

4. “Renovating While Living in the House”

• Leaders must learn to build and refine systems even during chaotic, busy times. There’s never a perfect time.
  • “It's like trying to renovate a house while you're living in it. It's never going to be the right time. But waiting until you can move out isn't an option either.” (11:25)

5. Core Reframe: Calm Follows Systems, Not the Other Way Around

• Calm isn’t a precondition for design; it’s the result of sound systems.

  • “Calm doesn't come before systems. Calm is what systems create.” (12:15)

6. The Stability Flywheel

• Brooke’s framework for organizational health: When systems are robust, they carry the weight of the work, freeing leaders from constant crisis management.

  • “The organization becomes load-bearing instead of the people... That is what I call a stability flywheel.” (13:20)

• Conversely, deferring design creates an “instability flywheel”—more friction, more fires, and ever-narrowing bandwidth for planning and strategy (15:10).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You don't wait until things are calm to build. You build your way to calm.” – Brooke Richie-Babbage (16:50)
• “A meeting template written on a napkin is still a meeting template.” (18:07)
• “An hour of clear thinking about your structure... That hour has an outsized return. It is a high-leverage hour.” (21:55)

Actionable Mindset Shifts and Strategies

Brooke offers three honest shifts to help leaders rebuild systems amid the everyday mess:

1. Find Your Minimum Viable Moment

• Don’t wait for a perfect window. Take one hour to solve one recurring issue.

  • “You need one hour and one thing... What's the single decision that keeps landing on your desk that shouldn't? Start with one.” (17:10)

2. Treat Imperfect Systems as Real

• Early, rough drafts of processes count and provide immediate relief.

  • “The goal isn't perfection. It isn't polish. It's just something that exists outside of your head...” (18:30)

3. Reframe Planning as Core Work

• Planning is not a break from “real work;” it is the work. High-leverage, intentional thinking must be built into regular routines.

  • “Thinking ahead, being intentional, is always part of the work. It's the work you do so you can do the other work.” (20:35)

  • “An hour of clear thinking multiplies the effectiveness of everything else.” (22:10)

Episode Conclusion

Brooke closes by emphasizing that heavy organizational loads and fragile systems are design problems, not flaws in leadership or work ethic. Leaders can—and must—start implementing small, imperfect systems now, integrate ongoing planning into their work, and use these reframes to start transforming their nonprofit’s culture and infrastructure—even while “living in the house.”

Prompt for Listeners:

“What is one minimum viable moment you can find to begin redesigning, even if you're living in the house?” (24:35)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00-02:25 – Recognizing the urge to wait for calm
• 03:40-06:22 – Design deficits explained and why “later” never arrives
• 09:30-11:25 – Case study of unsustainable leadership meetings
• 12:15-15:10 – Calm as a result of robust systems; the "stability flywheel"
• 16:50-24:00 – Actionable mindset shifts for system-building amid chaos
• 24:35 – Final reflections and listener challenge

For more resources and to take the "From Grit to Good Design" quiz, visit brookrichybabbage.com/strong