What happens when a whole sector built on care, solidarity, and global aid faces its biggest funding crisis in decades? In this deeply timely episode of The Invisible Experts Podcast, we speak with Kelsi Kriitmaa, global health expert, coach, and founder of a coaching practice tailored to social impact professionals.
Kelsi brings over 20 years of experience in humanitarian aid, UN agencies, philanthropy, and social impact consulting. Now, as a certified coach, she helps changemakers and organisations navigate burnout, transitions, and systems collapse—with clarity, courage, and strategy.
This episode is a survival map and a call to action. We dive into what the massive USAID and donor funding cuts mean for NGOs, foundations, and frontline workers. We talk about mental health, identity loss, and burnout in the social sector. And we explore how coaching can be a lifeline—offering space to reflect, refocus, and reinvent purpose during times of collapse.
From organisational strategy to individual resilience, from motherhood to Mogadishu, Kelsi shares lessons from across the globe on trust, innovation, leadership, and what truly matters when everything is on the line.
Key Topics Covered
✅ Burnout & Identity in the Social Sector – Why tying your worth to your job can be dangerous
✅ USAID Cuts & Systemic Shock – What the funding collapse means for individuals and institutions
✅ Coaching as a Crisis Tool – Creating space for clarity, purpose, and courageous pivots
✅ Rebuilding Trust & Psychological Safety – A new model for leadership through uncertainty
✅ Career Reset Framework – A 10-step tool for job seekers and purpose seekers in transition
✅ Participatory Funding Models – How to redistribute power and funding back to communities
✅ Women, Parenthood & Leadership – Rejecting the myth that you can “have it all”
✅ What the Global South Needs Now – Moving from dependency to empowerment
✅ Philanthropy & the Future of Funding – Trust-based models and the limits of donor narratives
Kelsi’s voice is one of empathy, clarity, and pragmatism. Whether you're facing organisational uncertainty or personal exhaustion, this episode will help you breathe, reset, and reimagine.
📌 Have you or your organisation been affected by recent funding cuts? What changes are you seeing in the sector? Let us know in the comments.
Guest:
Kelsi Kriitmaa:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kriitmaa/?originalSubdomain=ch
Coaching and Consultancy: https://www.kriitmaa.com
Host:
Andrés Morales:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drandresmoralespachon
Minca Ventures: https://mincaventures.com
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