About the Community of Practice.
The Community of Practice is a facilitated learning and professional development community for mid- to senior-level sustainability and social impact leaders who are actively leading change in business, nonprofits, and industries.
Led by Lindsey Newkirk, a seasoned sustainability leader with 20 years of experience, members meet monthly for peer learning and knowledge sharing, along with an adaptive curriculum and leadership capacity-building to help you lead through complexity more effectively.
Leading change can feel a little like trying to untangle spaghetti.
You navigate barriers and resistance to change—often as a team of one or, if you are lucky, a small but mighty team of a few. You are constantly building awareness across diverse stakeholder groups and persuading others to buy into work that feels morally urgent.
We pick up skills and instincts along the way, but we’re often left to improvise in the face of entrenched cultures, hidden power dynamics, and political pendulum swings.
You figure it out as you go, often feeling isolated when you hit walls. All while living in a polycrisis where the very future of people and the planet feels uncertain.
That’s why now, more than ever, we need community. A place to cultivate the relationships, tools, and capacity needed to build a flourishing future for people and the planet.
Sound familiar? You're in the right place.
This is where you
build your playbook.
Building your capacity to lead through complexity doesn't happen in a silo. It comes from continuous learning, practice, and growth—in community. That's what we do here.
What you’ll experience.
Expert-facilitated sessions responsive to what members actually need
Hands-on learning with practical frameworks you apply immediately
Collaborative problem-solving with peers who have navigated similar challenges
Conversations and practices to strengthen self-awareness, presence, and resilience
Relationships that deepen over time with people who grow alongside you
Part curriculum. Part peer wisdom. Part practice.
3 Pillars of The Lab
The Community of Practice is designed around
three things every change leader needs.
Because real impact happens when change leaders are supported by community, equipped with the right tools, and empowered to lead through complexity.
A Trusted
Peer Network
COLLECTIVE LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING WITH OTHER SEASONED EXPERTS.
Research shows that leaders who grow the fastest are those embedded in trusted communities where they can think out loud, break out of their siloed thinking, and learn from peers navigating similar challenges.
In our facilitated group sessions, members come together for collective learning and mutual support, sharing best practices and lessons learned, and having honest conversations about real-world challenges—including the WTF is happening in the world right now moments.
What folks say about the connections.
Design Tools for Change
PRACTICAL FRAMEWORKS THAT YOU CAN APPLY IMMEDIATELY.
I created the Design Tools for Change to give change leaders structured ways to make sense of the systems you work in, the people within them, the strategies for engaging them effectively, and the collaborative approaches that build real buy-in.
These tools draw on fields including systems thinking, design thinking, human-centered design, strategic communication, behavior change science, creative problem-solving, and organizational change management—adapted for the unique challenges faced by impact leaders.
Want to take a peek?
What folks say about the tools.
Integrated
Leadership
INSIGHTS AND PRACTICES THAT BRING A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP.
Most professional development focuses on competency; developing the skills and knowledge you need to be an expert in your field. These are important table stakes, but they are not sufficient on their own.
Leading systems change requires something different. It requires capacity. Skills that help you upgrade your internal operating system. To change the outer system, you first have to steward the inner one.
Integrated Leadership is a whole-person approach to vertical development that draws on a range of leadership methodologies (e.g., adaptive, transformational, regenerative), with a focus on building inner and interpersonal capacity for outer effectiveness.
What folks say about the leadership approach.
Reserve Your Spot
If you've been looking for something deeper
than skills training, this is your invitation.
What’s Included in Membership
Members get access to one 90-minute facilitated group session per month, plus an optional second session for those who want more, at no additional cost.
Plus, you’ll get:
Curated content aligned to the unique challenges of change leaders
Exposure to facilitation methods you can adapt for your own use
Tips for how to use AI to amplify your impact
Discounts on workshops, events, and individual coaching sessions
Your Investment
Organizational Rate (employer-sponsored)
$4,800/year — $1,200/quarter
This reflects the true cost of running the Community of Practice and enables equity pricing for those who need it.
Individual Rate (self-pay)
$3,600/year — $900/quarter
This discounted rate is available to those who do not have access to employer professional development funds or cannot write off the cost of membership as a business expense.
Investment Support Tips
Equity Pricing
I recognize that access to resources varies. If membership is a stretch for you or your organization's professional development budget, you are encouraged to apply for equity pricing.
Professional Development Funds
Investment in this program not only benefits you as a leader, it also creates direct value for your employer. I encourage you to use professional development funds to cover the membership cost.
Need help getting employer sponsorship? Request a letter template that you can use to build your case.
Ready to Join?
FAQ
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Communities of practice work best when everyone in the room is navigating similar challenges. This CoP is designed for mid to senior-level in-house leaders, consultants, and impact entrepreneurs who are actively leading sustainability, social impact, or ESG change initiatives.
Change leaders who are between roles are welcome!
This probably isn't the right fit if you are:
✗ Seeking entry-level guidance rather than peer-level exchange
✗ In an individual contributor role without change leadership responsibilities
✗ Primarily working in external advocacy, grassroots organizing, or legislative campaigning
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I know your plate is already full. And that you may not have many places to process the weight of what’s happening in the world right now. This community is designed to be both a space for that and a catalyst for your growth, helping you work more effectively rather than just adding to the noise. The time investment is intentionally flexible, and as with most things, you'll get out what you put in.
Time Investment
One 90-minute online session per month
Access to an optional free 90-minute community session per month
Self-directed learning (1-3 hours/month)
Total: ~ 2.5 to 6 hours per month
Meeting Times
Meeting times will likely be held on Wednesday or Thursday mornings, 9:00 am to 10:30 am Pacific Time, on Zoom, in order to accommodate multiple time zones.
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While regular attendance helps build community, scheduling conflicts do happen. Sessions are recorded for members who miss them, however, much of our time is spent in breakouts that recording technology can’t capture.
We try to capture key insights on our Mural board, which you can access at any time, but it’s not always possible to capture the full magic of the live interactions. You will still receive any resources that are shared that month.
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Rather than fixed curricula with predetermined outcomes, this is an adaptive, facilitated community where learning emerges through the intersection of structured curriculum, peer dialogue, personal reflection, and collaborative problem-solving—co-created by and responsive to member needs.
By bringing together diverse perspectives, community of practice groups help leaders see their blind spots and growth edges, and develop creative solutions that they would never find in isolation.
Through this approach, members build:
→ Capacity to navigate complexity with greater presence and clarity
→ Effectiveness in influencing and building buy-in without formal authority
→ Resilience to sustain yourself through the long arc of systems change
→ Authentic relationships with peers who accelerate your growth
→ Practical tools and frameworks for immediate application to real challenges -
There are endless opportunities to grow your technical expertise—industry best practices, ESG frameworks, regulatory updates, etc. Here, the focus is on the human-centered side of leading change: building influence without authority, navigating resistance, engaging diverse stakeholders, and building the capacities that make you an effective change leader.
We also emphasize:
Live monthly connections > online community platforms
Diverse thought leadership > industry-specific niches
Peer learning > lectures
Authentic relationship-building > surface-level networking
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Yes, you are encouraged to explore this option. Membership in the Community of Practice is a meaningful professional development investment with direct organizational value
If you need support making the case to your organization, get in touch and I will send you a letter that you can customize for your supervisor.
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The founding cohort, the first members to join before launch, is forming now.
Joining as a founding member means you help shape the culture, norms, and direction of the community from day one. That's a rare opportunity — and one that won't be available once the community is established.
Plus, founding members are eligible for discounts – see the above section for details.
While there is merit in having a community of practitioners working in the same industry, sector, impact area, the community is intentionally designed for diverse voices to spark fresh insights.
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The magic of community comes with building trusting relationships over time, so we don’t allow drop-ins.
We do offer a variety of events and workshops that provide you with a taste of what is offered in the community. Check out the Workshops and Events page to see what’s coming up.
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Yes. For those paying membership fees on an annual basis, refunds are available on a pro-rated basis. For those paying on a quarterly basis, membership can be cancelled up to one week before your quarterly renewal date.
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You're welcome here. The sustainability, social impact, and ESG workforce is navigating real disruption right now, and many brilliant leaders find themselves in transition. Staying connected to a community of practice during that time can be a valuable resource.
What matters is that you have experience as a change leader and want to deepen your practice in community. If the membership investment is a stretch while you're in transition, equity pricing is available. You are encouraged to re-evaluate what you are able to contribute when your employment situation changes.
Have additional questions?
Book a 30-minute fit call.
Let’s lead change better, together.
Are you ready to:
✓ Navigate complexity with greater presence and clarity
✓ Increase your effectiveness to lead change without formal authority
✓ Foster resilience to sustain yourself through the long arc of systems change
✓ Cultivate collaboration skills that make change stick
✓ Build authentic relationships with peers who truly understand this work
✓ Gain fresh insights for immediate application to your real-world challenges