I LOVE my career. I love the diversity of my work, the people I’ve met along the way, and the fact that I’ve never really been someone who wanted to do just one thing.
I also love my current work schedule. As I move through my 50s, I’m finding that my personal and professional goals aren’t getting smaller – they’re multiplying and magnifying. I’m becoming even more intentional about how I want to use what I’ve learned, what I’ve built, and what I still want to explore.
If you know me, then you know I love to explore and challenge myself in different ways. {I’m still working my way through my 26 New Things of 2026 journey.}
Over the past 20+ years, I’ve had the opportunity to work across nonprofit leadership, program development, education, community engagement, workforce development, facilitation, organizational strategy, and leadership development.
Those experiences have given me a pretty unusual combination of skills. I understand people. I understand systems. I understand communities. And I know how to turn that understanding into strategy, engagement, organizational capacity, and measurable results.
So, I’m opening myself up to new and expanded work – and because many of you know me in different capacities, I wanted to share what I’m exploring.
FRACTIONAL EXECUTIVE
I’m open to fractional executive leadership opportunities, particularly as a Chief Program Officer or Chief Operating Officer.
I’m interested in organizations that need experienced leadership, strategic thinking, and operational capacity but may not need – or be ready for – a full-time executive.
SENIOR LEADER
I’m also open to senior leadership opportunities with mission-aligned organizations.
I’m open to full-time, part-time, hybrid, and remote roles where I can bring my experience in people, programs, systems, strategy, and community engagement to help an organization grow and deliver meaningful results.
CONSULTANT
I’m expanding my consulting work with organizations that want to design, implement, or strengthen internship programs. You know that I love working with youth, young adults and students!
I bring experience in workforce development, education, organizational strategy, and leadership development to help organizations build internship programs that strengthen their workforce pipeline, organizational culture, and leadership capacity.
I’m particularly interested in connecting with organizations that are thinking about internships strategically – not simply as a short-term student placement.
COACH
I’m also growing my leadership coaching practice, and I’m open to new clients.
My work is focused on high-performing Women of Color who have been successful at navigating leadership – but are beginning to question the cost of doing leadership the way they’ve been taught to do it.
My mission is to redefine leadership culture by helping women recognize and dismantle the leadership conditioning that keeps them in survival mode.
SPEAKER / TRAINER / FACILITATOR
And, of course, I’m always interested in opportunities to speak, train, and facilitate.
My signature topics include:
- Women of Color in Leadership
- High-Performance Hazards
- The Matriarchy Advantage
- Leading from Professional Sovereignty
- You Can’t Pout From an Empty Cup: Self-Love, Self-Care, and Self-Preservation for Women in Leadership
SO, HOW CAN YOU HELP?
This is the part that matters most.
You don’t have to know exactly where I fit. I’m sharing all of this because you know me, and you may see a possibility that I don’t.
If you know:
- an organization that could use a fractional executive leader,
- an organization looking for a senior leader with my background,
- a nonprofit or educational organization that wants to strengthen its internship program,
- a high-performing woman who could benefit from leadership coaching,
- a conference, association, organization, or event looking for a speaker or facilitator,
- or someone who simply should know what I’m building…
I’d love an introduction.
And if you have expertise, ideas, or connections that could help me think more strategically about any of these directions, I’m open to those conversations too.
You don’t need to have a job lead or a referral. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can offer is simply, “Have you thought about talking to this person?”
That’s often how the best opportunities begin.
I’m excited about this next chapter – not because I’m trying to figure out what’s next, but because I have a much clearer sense of what I want to do with everything I’ve learned along the way.
If something here makes you think of a person, organization, opportunity, or conversation, please email me or reach out.
I’d love to hear from you!
Nicki Sanders, MSW is the Founder and CEO of Nicki Sanders Leadership Consulting and the creator of the S.O.F.T. Leadership™ framework – a liberation-centered approach to people-first, aligned leadership. With over 20 years of professional experience including nonprofit leadership, organizational development, and higher education, she works passionately with high-performing Women of Color leaders and values-driven organizations to build cultures rooted in wholeness, purpose, and lasting impact. Nicki is a nationally recognized thought leader, professor, coach, and facilitator proving that sustainable success does not require self-sacrifice.
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