RENEWING LEADERSHIP FOR PURPOSE-DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONS
Mission-driven work has never felt more important. Or harder to sustain.
Hi, I’m Lisa Bennett — author, facilitator, and award-winning journalist. For twenty years, I’ve studied how good people keep going in the face of great challenges. Today, I bring that work to purpose-driven leaders and teams through talks and workshops.
“Lisa is a great collaborator.”
FEATURED IN
The BBC, NPR, Harper’s, Vox, Big Think, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
THE PROBLEM
A destabilized world is destabilizing us — and it shows up in three ways.
Purpose-led people step up into a world they love. But exponential change, extreme uncertainty, and constant crises can lead even the most committed leaders to depletion.
01
Clarity takes a hit
Conditions produce reactive thinking, impaired decisions, and narrowed problem-solving.
02
Presence suffers
Overwhelm becomes commonplace. Grief, anger, and despair quietly erode the capacity to show up fully.
03
Agency erodes
Hope seems naïve. Pessimism dampens problem-solving, and a creeping sense sets in that our actions may not matter.
THE SOLUTION
For decades, purpose-led organizations have run on one story: that we must save something bigger than us. But today, the weight of that mission fuels depletion and restricts possibility.
What once mobilized can now demoralize. We need a story big enough to sustain us now.
… because we save what we savor.
How people keep rising to great challenges in tough times begins with unlocking a new story — and then strengthening the skills the moment calls for.
CLARITY
Seeing reality and possibility at the same time.
GROUNDING
Navigating the emotional landscape without being relentlessly triggered.
AGENCY
Acting on what is yours, not on everything.
Keynotes and workshops, sized to your moment.
SPEAKING & WORKSHOPS
KEYNOTE
Savor the World
45 - 60 MIN
What happens when the effort to protect what we care about begins to distance us from it? A talk bout staying connected to what matters, even in difficult times.
For: All-staff meetings and conferences.
Outcome: A new story to work from.
WORKSHOP
HALF DAY
Purpose Under Pressure
Highly interactive sessions that help teams see where to focus, stay grounded through setbacks, and strengthen their ability to act amid uncertainty.
For: All-staff meetings and conferences.
Outcome: Clarity and grounding.
TEAM DAY
FULL DAY
A Day of Inspiration
An experiential day that helps a team reconnect with what first drew them to the work and rediscover what sustains them now.
For: Off-sites, retreats.
Outcome: Renewed purpose and agency.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
“Lisa is able to create completely new ways to engage audiences such that they can listen, hear and then internalize.”
LISA RENSTROM
President & Co-Founder, Values Advisor
“Lisa is the calm in every cultural storm.”
ELIZABETH BIRCH
Former Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign
“Lisa has an incredible talent for guiding conversations in a positive, forward-looking direction while ensuring everyone feels heard.”
ANACRON ALLEN
People & Culture, California Academy of Sciences
SELECTED CLIENTS & PARTNERS
The American Psychological Association
Brown University
California Academy of Sciences
Conferences for Women
Cornell University
Earth Knowledge
The FrameWorks Institute
Human Rights Campaign
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
Southern Poverty Law Center
Woodwell Climate Research Center
Decades spent on one question: how do we rise to times like these without them flattening us?
Lisa Bennett is a speaker, facilitator, advisor, and award-winning journalist. She is the author of the forthcoming Savor the World and co-author of Ecoliterate with emotional intelligence pioneer Daniel Goleman.
A former fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, she has written for The New York Times, Forbes, Big Think, and Vox, and has held leadership roles across education, communications, and organizational strategy.
MEET LISA
6
Books co-authored, edited, or contributed to.
250 +
Leaders & experts interviewed
Selected speaking & media · National Press Club · California Academy of Sciences · Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy · Packard Foundation · BBC · NPR · C‑SPAN
An introduction to this work
What is depleting purpose-driven people, what actually restores them, and the framework I use with teams to get there. A short read, straight to your inbox.
I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
Tell me what’s going on with your team. I read and answer every note myself.