Podcast Summary: "How to Adapt Through Times of Change & Uncertainty"

Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell
Guest: Sabine Gedeon, Executive Coach and Transformational Speaker
Date: January 28, 2026

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, Julia Campbell invites Sabine Gedeon—executive coach, transformational speaker, and host of The Aligned Leader Show—to discuss navigating organizational change, personal growth, vulnerability, leadership strategy, and building resilience during times of uncertainty in the nonprofit sector. Sabine shares practical frameworks and personal insights, focusing on actionable ways nonprofit leaders can adapt, stay grounded, and even harness disruption for transformation.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. Growth Mindset & Navigating Change

• Personal Journey: Sabine explains how her HR and leadership experience propelled her into a career focused on supporting others through growth and change.

  • "There are a few constants in this world and change is definitely one of them." (Sabine, 03:40)
  • She realized fulfillment came not from status, but from directly helping others find their path. (03:38–05:35)

• Normalizing Change in Nonprofits: Julia and Sabine discuss the sector’s natural resistance to change and its tendency to default to the status quo. (05:50)

  • “People do not do well with change. I would definitely agree with that.” (Julia, 05:50)

2. Frameworks for Understanding Change

• Kubler-Ross & William Bridges Models
  • Sabine combines the stages of grief (Kubler-Ross) and organizational transition (Bridges) to help leaders map the nonlinear process of navigating change (06:27–08:50):
    • Beginnings: Denial stage, triggered by things like policy, funding, etc.
    • Neutral Zone: Ambiguity reigns—anger, low morale, self-sabotage flourish.
    • New Beginnings: Acceptance and adaptation.
  • “Leading from the middle is really in that neutral zone... you have to acknowledge and hold space for the emotional impact of change as well as the tangible impact.” (Sabine, 08:37)

3. The Role of Vulnerability in Leadership

• Self-Awareness Before Sharing: Leaders should process their own feelings before expressing vulnerability to their teams.

  • “If you are in a space where all of the changes that you still feel uncomfortable with it in yourself, that's not the time for you to share all of your fears, all of your anxiety, all of your worry with your staff.” (Sabine, 10:03)
  • Notable Story: Sabine recounts how a manager’s simple, honest check-ins after massive layoffs provided critical reassurance (10:25–11:20).

• Effective Communication:

  • Transparent updates—even if there’s nothing new—help alleviate anxiety and rumors.
  • “Some leaders think ‘no news is good news.’ Well, no, it's not.” (Sabine, 11:16)

4. Resilience & Redefining Setbacks

• Avoid Internalizing Failure: High achievers tend to interpret setbacks as personal failures. Sabine advocates a data-driven, detached perspective.
  • “We have all these stories that we make up… This setback happened. If I look at it as information, what is the data telling me?” (Sabine, 13:45)
  • Julia relates this to circles of control: “The only thing you can control is... your reaction and how you are, how you're going to move forward...” (Julia, 15:26)

5. Innovation & Opportunity Amid Disruption

• Embracing Change: Referencing the Great Recession, Sabine notes that many transformative companies started during upheaval.
  • “If we're so fixated on, let's just get things back to where they used to be... we miss out on the opportunity for that innovation to come through.” (Sabine, 17:39)
  • Leaders should ask: What possibilities or gaps does this disruption reveal?

6. Sabine’s 90-Day Visibility Challenge

• Getting Comfortable with Authenticity: Sabine describes her LinkedIn challenge of posting daily, unpolished, thoughtful videos—a process that transformed her own self-perception and authenticity.
  • “By the first 30 days... I realized that this wasn't even about visibility in terms of marketing... this was about me finally seeing me.” (Sabine, 21:06)
  • Even non-public video reflections can help leaders reconnect with their knowledge, voice, and purpose.

7. The ‘Social Capital’ Model

• Beyond Financial Currency: Sabine teaches that value flows through energy, relationships, knowledge, and time—with money as an outcome, not a driver.
  • “Energy, relational capital, knowledge capital, and time capital—when all of those things are aligned, then money becomes the outcome.” (Sabine, 25:05)
  • For nonprofits: Storytelling, donor relationships, and shared expertise create trust and build lasting support.

8. Actionable Tips for Communicating During Change

• Over-Communicate (Within Reason):
  • “You can't communicate enough... even if the communication is, ‘I don't have any updates’... you want to be the one shaping the narrative.” (Sabine, 27:12)
• Celebrate Small Wins:
  • Publicly acknowledge progress to foster morale, even if it's minor. “Find ways to celebrate the big and the small wins…” (Sabine, 28:12)

9. Self-Care and Staying Grounded

• Morning Routine & Community Support: Sabine prioritizes a daily routine combining movement, learning, and prayer, as well as a trusted inner circle (“Fab Five”) who can give honest feedback and support. (29:46–32:09)
  • “You can't serve from an empty cup... Mind, body, spirit fueling.” (Sabine, 29:49)
  • “Community has been... really big... a large network is not the same as community.” (Sabine, 31:04)

10. Hope and the Future of Leadership

• Emerging Leadership Models: Sabine observes organizations shifting toward flatter structures and more cross-functional, collaborative teams. There’s growing recognition that leadership shouldn’t be a solitary burden.
  • “The pandemic cracked open the awareness that we can't lead the way that we used to lead.” (Sabine, 33:12)
  • She’s hopeful about nonprofits becoming more open, inclusive, and innovative.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Change is definitely one of the few constants in this world.” (Sabine, 03:33)
• “As the leader, you want to be the one shaping the narrative, even if the narrative right now is, ‘we're holding steady.’” (Sabine, 27:17)
• “You have to celebrate wins, even if it's the smallest thing, right? Because as human beings... just implementing something, it doesn't have to be big.” (Sabine, 28:09)
• “You can't serve from an empty cup... I start with filling this mind, body and spirit first, and then I pour out into others.” (Sabine, 29:49)
• “Community is different from your network... There's a different way you can call on both of them.” (Julia, 32:57)
• “The pandemic cracked open the awareness that we can't lead the way that we used to lead.” (Sabine, 33:12)

Key Timestamps

• 01:46 – Sabine’s introduction & journey into growth leadership
• 06:27 – The frameworks for navigating change
• 10:03 – The power and caveats of vulnerability in leadership
• 13:17 – Reframing setbacks and the importance of self-awareness
• 17:00 – Lessons from disruption and innovation in tough times
• 19:40 – Sabine’s 90-day Visibility Challenge and its impacts
• 25:05 – The ‘Social Capital’ model explained
• 27:12 – Communicating (even when answers are unclear) and celebrating wins
• 29:46 – Self-care routines and the difference between network and community
• 33:12 – The hopeful future of cross-functional and collaborative leadership

Summary Takeaways

• Change is inevitable and often uncomfortable—but with the right mindset, it offers opportunities for innovation.
• Leaders must communicate transparently and often during uncertainty; silence breeds anxiety and rumors.
• Self-care, authentic community, and vulnerability (balanced with self-awareness) help leaders remain resilient and effective.
• Nonprofits should value relationship-building and knowledge-sharing as much as fundraising.
• Bold self-reflection, even through small tools like video journaling, can spark growth and clarity for leaders.
• Organizations benefit from flatter hierarchies, collaborative cultures, and empowering staff at every level to participate in the mission.

(For links to Sabine's LinkedIn and her resources, check the episode show notes.)