The health of social change leaders is critical to lasting impact.

In contexts where poverty, violence, and injustice feature in daily experiences, creating meaningful impact requires immense personal capacity. For leaders who work in these contexts, the spillover effects of the mental health burden can lead to compromising their performance, their personal relationships, and their overall wellbeing.

In order to address poverty and injustice effectively, we need high-functioning, healthy leadership that can go the distance without burning out. Investing in wellbeing across sytems and programs can both build organizational resilience and amplify impact with integrity.

For leaders with lived experience, the stakes are raised personally.

As we move toward a world where leaders with lived experience are relied upon to create innovative solutions to poverty, we cannot ignore the burden placed upon them to educate, represent, and fight for justice on behalf of their communities. Working to meet the needs of neighbors always hits closer to home—causing both joy and despair. Without effective ongoing support, leaders’ mission impact and personal relationships suffer under this double burden.

Social change organizations that include mental health will see greater engagement and participation.

It is time for a new narrative in social impact leadership, where leaders and teams are included in the vision of flourishing they work daily to pursue. Brio offers a variety of trainings and consultations that address the needs of the grantees, leaders, and social impact teams in your networks.