224: Leading When the Need Is Growing and the Environment Is Getting Harder with Kelly Coker
Release Date: 05/21/2026
Daily Dose: Regulate First. Lead Second
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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Daily Dose: Own Your Morning
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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Daily Dose: Things We Manage NOT to Say
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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Daily Dose: Which Energy is Leading Right Now?
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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Daily Dose: Do it for the Yorkie
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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Daily Dose: The People Who Make You Better
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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Daily Dose: The Leadership Power of Small Gestures
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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Daily Dose: Pay Attention to Who You're with When You Feel Your Very Best
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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Daily Dose: Change is an Event. Transition is a Journey.
Being [at Work]
Being [at Work] offers a daily dose of leadership focused on helping you, the leader. During challenging times we need all of the encouragement we can get. Sometimes there’s simply no playbook and we just need to do the best we can. Sometimes the best we can is being reminded of the gifts and insight you already have within. Be sure to subscribe and get your daily dose. Subscribe in Subscribe in About Andrea Butcher Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of...
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226: Turning the AI Moment into a Shared Opportunity with Wema Hoover
Being [at Work]
How do we leverage the AI revolution to bring teams together, intentionally shape culture, and ensure our people aren’t just surviving it, but actually growing through it? While most organizations are focused on adoption, implementation, efficiency, and staying competitive, the leaders who will win this AI moment are the ones paying attention to something deeper – the human side of this transformation. This is a learning moment, an unprecedented, unrepeatable opportunity for organizations to bring people together, to give them an opportunity to experiment together, and let that shared...
info_outlineHow do you scale impact, protect culture, and sustain your team when the need keeps growing, but the environment keeps getting harder?
This is a conversation about leading with clarity, compassion, and boundaries. When the stakes are high and the pressure isn't letting up, what does it look like to step into the CEO role of a growing nonprofit?
You’re not alone if you’ve ever found yourself lying awake at 3 a.m., wondering how you can protect your culture, your people, and still make a difference when the world seems to be working against you.
Kelly Coker, CEO of Brightlane Learning, joins me to dig into what it really takes to lead with heart, clarity, and boundaries, especially when life and work feel like a never-ending pressure cooker.
Right now, the difference you make as a leader matters more than ever. If your organization’s purpose runs deep, and you feel the weight of carrying people, staff and client families alike, through a climate of uncertainty, this episode isn’t just another leadership pep talk. It's the tools, encouragement, and mindsets to help you become the steady hand so many need in an unpredictable world.
Kelly shares how she and her team sustain impact while preventing burnout, what it actually means to lead with compassion (without losing yourself), and how building real connection and celebration into your team culture can make all the difference, in any environment.
Leadership Lesson Highlights
(00:00) How do you lead in today’s environment of uncertainty
(02:40) It might take years before you recognize the impact you’re having today
(04:03) How does Brightlane Learning serve the community?
(07:47) What is a day in the life like for a team member at Brightlane Learning?
(10:07) How to recognize and address compassion fatigue in your team
(12:00) Building a culture of transparency, celebration, and connection
(13:21) What are “culture champions” and why do they supercharge team morale?
(17:03) Why collaborative leadership beats going it alone every time
(19:20) Navigating political and financial uncertainty without losing hope
(24:21) The “West Wing” question every overwhelmed leader needs to ask
(25:56) How Kelly personally models self-care and continuous learning for her team
(29:04) Why connecting with other leaders outside your sector makes you stronger
(30:54) Staying grounded in your ‘why’ and attracting a team that believes in the mission
(31:44) How to invite your team into the journey
Connect with Kelly Coker
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-coker-33656640/
Links and Resources Mentioned
Brightlane Learning
https://brightlanelearning.org/
TrueU
About Andrea Butcher
Andrea Butcher is a visionary business leader, executive coach, and keynote speaker—she empowers leaders to gain clarity through the chaos by being MORE of who they already are. Her experiences—serving as CEO, leading at an executive level, and working in and leading global teams—make her uniquely qualified to support leadership and business success. She hosts the popular leadership podcast, Being [at Work] with a global audience of over 600,000 listeners and is the author of The Power in the Pivot (Red Thread Publishing 2022) and HR Kit for Dummies (Wiley 2023).
Connect with Andrea
https://www.abundantempowerment.com/
Connect with Andrea Butcher on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leaderdevelopmentcoach/
Abundant Empowerment Upcoming Events
https://www.abundantempowerment.com/events
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