Nicole Stewart is the Executive Director of Boston CASA, a nonprofit that trains and supports community volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) for children who have suffered from abuse and neglect. She has over 25 years of experience supporting vulnerable children and advancing equity, education, and justice. Key Takeaways: Effective leadership begins with a clear sense of purpose, as understanding and communicating the “why” behind change builds trust, inspires alignment, and ensures the work stays centered on the mission. Establishing and living by shared guiding principles creates alignment in values and goals, making organizational change smoother and more unified. Bringing in outside facilitation during team change processes allows leaders to fully participate alongside their teams, while benefiting from an objective perspective that supports collaboration and engagement. Guiding principles should function as living documents that actively shape daily work, rather than being treated as one-time exercises or check boxes to complete. “Together, we created some guiding principles to ensure that there was alignment in our values and in our goals, which just makes leading an organization through this process a lot easier when you have, you know, those basic core values and you're working in sync.” “What I wanted to make sure is that once we came up with these guiding principles, that it became a living document.” “One of our guiding principles is that we create a culture of self-care so that we can perform at our very best.” - Nicole Stewart Reach out to Nicole Stewart at: Website: https://bostoncasa.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BostonCASA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boston.casa Let’s Work Together to Amplify Your Leadership + Influence 1. Group Coaching for Nonprofit Leaders Want to lead with more clarity, confidence, and influence? My group coaching program is designed for nonprofit leaders who are ready to communicate more powerfully, navigate challenges with ease, and move their organizations forward. 2. Team Coaching + Training I work hands-on with nonprofit teams to strengthen leadership, improve communication, and align around a shared vision. Whether you’re growing fast or feeling stuck, we’ll create more clarity, collaboration, and momentum—together. 3. Board Retreats + Trainings Your board has big potential. I’ll help you unlock it. My engaging, no-fluff retreats and trainings are built to energize your board, refocus on what matters, and generate real results.