Are you still trying to lead by "knowing everything" and carrying the weight of your organization alone? In the modern NGO sector, that old model isn't just outdated—it’s a recipe for burnout.

In this episode, I sit down with Fiona MacCaulay, Founder and CEO of the WILD Network (Women for Impactful Leadership in Development). We dive deep into why the "work harder" mentality is failing humanitarian leaders and explore the specific traits you need to succeed in 2026: curiosity, continuous learning, and the courage to build a network that supports you.

Fiona shares behind-the-scenes insights on the WILD Forum, the power of the "Catalyst Circle," and why normalizing failure is the secret weapon of high-performing teams.

In this episode, you will discover:

1. The "Modern Leadership" Shift: Why agency and self-leadership matter more than your job title.
2. The WILD Network Explained: How this global community is redefining professional development for women in the sector.
3. Networking with Intention: How to design a career aligned with your values (without the "gross" networking feel).

Resources Mentioned:

1. Check out the WILD Network & Forum
2. Get the book "Aim High and Bounce Back"

Watch on YouTube

Are you steering your leadership career—or just reacting to whatever opportunities and funding happen to appear?

In a sector shaped by funding shifts, restructuring, and constant uncertainty, it’s easy to feel like your career path is out of your hands. This episode helps you move from reacting to circumstances to intentionally creating a leadership direction that gives you clarity, confidence, and control—even when everything around you feels unpredictable.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

1. Why so many humanitarian leaders feel forced into career changes and the hidden mindset that keeps them stuck in reaction mode.
2. A practical three-step approach to designing your own path instead of waiting for roles to appear.
3. Powerful reflection questions that help you clarify your vision, align your actions, and build momentum toward the leadership future you actually want.

Press play now to learn how to turn uncertainty into direction and start shaping a leadership path that’s driven by your vision—not your circumstances.

Watch on YouTube Here

If this episode resonated with you and you’re ready to stop reacting and start leading with intention, I invite you to join Becoming the Modern Humanitarian and Development Leader.

In this six-week course, you’ll clarify the impact you want to have, let go of habits that keep you overextended, empower your team, and gain back time while increasing your effectiveness.

The next cohort begins March 10th.

Learn more and register here: https://www.aidforaidworkers.com/modern-course

I’d love to support you inside the course.

Do you feel like your team always brings you problems but rarely offers real solutions?

If you're constantly fielding the same questions or feel like your team can't move without your input, the issue might not be your team—it might be how much you believe in them. This episode challenges a common leadership blindspot that’s quietly holding your people back.

In this episode you'll learn:

1. Discover the subtle ways leaders unintentionally shut down initiative and creativity.
2. Learn how to ask questions that build ownership instead of dependence.
3. Understand how to spot and amplify hidden potential in your team—starting today.

Listen now to shift from micromanager to empowering leader and watch your team grow in confidence, initiative, and problem-solving power.

Watch on YouTube Here

What Is Your Leadership Style? Free Quiz:

Want to know how to lead better? It starts by understanding your leadership style. To find out yours, take my free quiz “What Is Your Leadership Style” - you’ll immediately find out your default style, how it may be impacting your team and a few practical ways to become an even better leader. Just click on the link fill out your quiz and click submit.

This podcast empowers international development and humanitarian NGO UN leaders to achieve high performance teams, fostering diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing, overcoming burnout and overwhelm, while maximizing impact and productivity.

Have you ever worked hard to “fix” a problem—only to watch it come back again and again no matter what you do?

As an NGO leader, your time and energy are too valuable to waste on band-aid solutions. This episode speaks directly to the frustration of constantly firefighting recurring issues and helps you shift toward solving the real root causes so you can create lasting change, stronger teams, and more sustainable leadership.

In this episode, you’ll gain:

1. A simple question that helps you identify whether you’re solving the wrong problem before you take action.
2. Real-world examples of how leaders often mistake technical issues for deeper emotional or systemic blockers.
3. A practical method to uncover root causes so you can prevent problems from repeating instead of constantly reacting.

Press play now to learn how to stop wasting effort on temporary fixes and start leading like an architect of long-term team success.

What Is Your Leadership Style? Free Quiz:

Want to know how to lead better? It starts by understanding your leadership style. To find out yours, take my free quiz “What Is Your Leadership Style” - you’ll immediately find out your default style, how it may be impacting your team and a few practical ways to become an even better leader. Just click on the link fill out your quiz and click submit.

This podcast empowers international development and humanitarian NGO UN leaders to achieve high performance teams, fostering diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing, overcoming burnout and overwhelm, while maximizing impact and productivity.

What if the leadership skill your burned-out team needs most isn’t more urgency—but more fun?

If you’re leading in high-stakes humanitarian or development work, you’re likely carrying constant pressure, decision fatigue, and the fear that lightness equals irresponsibility—this episode flips that belief and shows how integrating fun into serious work can actually reduce burnout, restore empathy, and help your team perform better under stress.

1. Learn why fun is a core resilience tool that calms the nervous system and prevents burnout in crisis-driven teams
2. Discover practical, professional ways to integrate fun directly into daily work without undermining credibility
3. Unlock more creativity, motivation, and follow-through by turning heavy tasks into engaging, energizing work

Press play now to learn how making work more fun can immediately strengthen your leadership, protect your energy, and help your team thrive under pressure.

Watch on YouTube Here!

What Is Your Leadership Style? Free Quiz:

Want to know how to lead better? It starts by understanding your leadership style. To find out yours, take my free quiz “What Is Your Leadership Style” - you’ll immediately find out your default style, how it may be impacting your team and a few practical ways to become an even better leader. Just click on the link fill out your quiz and click submit.

This podcast empowers international development and humanitarian NGO UN leaders to achieve high performance teams, fostering diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing, overcoming burnout and overwhelm, while maximizing impact and productivity.

What if leadership isn’t about solving everyone’s problems—but about creating a vision so clear your team doesn’t need you to?

If you’re feeling stuck managing tasks, constantly firefighting, or unsure how to prioritize your time as a leader, this episode speaks directly to that tension. It explores how gaining clarity around your unique leadership vision can help you stop reacting to the status quo and start intentionally shaping the team culture and impact you actually want.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

1. Clarify a leadership vision that excites you and guides how you spend your time and energy
2. Shift from being the chief problem-solver to empowering your team through coaching
3. Build a stronger, more intentional team culture by leading with purpose rather than permission

Press play to discover how defining your unique leadership impact can save you time, sharpen your focus, and help you lead with confidence instead of exhaustion.

Watch on YouTube Here

What Is Your Leadership Style? Free Quiz:

Want to know how to lead better? It starts by understanding your leadership style. To find out yours, take my free quiz “What Is Your Leadership Style” - you’ll immediately find out your default style, how it may be impacting your team and a few practical ways to become an even better leader. Just click on the link fill out your quiz and click submit.

This podcast empowers international development and humanitarian NGO UN leaders to achieve high performance teams, fostering diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing, overcoming burnout and overwhelm, while maximizing impact and productivity.

Are your good leadership habits actually driving you closer to burnout?

If you’re a humanitarian or development leader who’s constantly saying yes, pushing for perfection, and always trying to be available for your team — you may unknowingly be suffering from High Performance Syndrome.

This episode explores the subtle emotional cues that reveal whether you're truly thriving or on the path to exhaustion.

In this episode you’ll learn:

- How to identify if your motivation is coming from a healthy place or from obligation.

- Discover a powerful emotional test to prevent burnout before it starts.

- Hear real-life stories of NGO leaders who redefined what being a “team player” truly means — and reclaimed their time and energy.

Listen now to uncover the mindset shift that could save your energy and amplify your impact as a modern humanitarian leader.

Watch on YouTube Here

What Is Your Leadership Style? Free Quiz:

Want to know how to lead better? It starts by understanding your leadership style. To find out yours, take my free quiz “What Is Your Leadership Style” - you’ll immediately find out your default style, how it may be impacting your team and a few practical ways to become an even better leader. Just click on the link fill out your quiz and click submit.

This podcast empowers international development and humanitarian NGO UN leaders to achieve high performance teams, fostering diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing, overcoming burnout and overwhelm, while maximizing impact and productivity.

This episode is one of the most popular for 2025 for good reason. Uncertainty has become even more of a reality for NGO leaders with all the funding cuts and manmade as well as natural crises. The good news is there are ways to cope and be more resilient for 2026.

In this episode we dive into how you can transform uncertainty from a source of stress and anxiety into a catalyst for growth and resilience.

More specifically you're going to learn:

1. The surprising link between your perspective on uncertainty and your leadership effectiveness.
2. One simple mindset shift that transforms anxiety into empowerment.
3. How to uncover hidden opportunities in the most unpredictable challenges.

Whether you’re facing funding cuts or grappling with global unpredictability, this episode will help you lead with clarity, confidence, and courage.

Watch on YouTube Here

WHAT IS YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE? QUIZ

Want to know how to lead better? It starts by understanding your leadership style. To find out yours, take my free quiz “What Is Your Leadership Style” - you’ll immediately find out your default style, how it may be impacting your team and a few practical ways to become an even better leader. Just click on the link fill out your quiz and click submit.

This podcast empowers international development and humanitarian leaders to achieve high performance teams, fostering diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing, overcoming burnout and overwhelm, while maximizing impact and productivity.