Hi! I'm Stephanie! I'm passionate about building impactful partnerships, enabling businesses to grow, and making sure the social impact community thrives. With over a decade of consistently generating seven and eight figure annual revenue for companies, I understand what it takes to drive success.

Over the last 15 years working with non-profit, government and for profit businesses, I've developed a unique process for building community and generating revenue through a partnership growth mindset. I've been fortunate to develop programs and partnerships that have touched lives across the globe, from India to the United States and beyond. I've created thousands of ecosystems and opportunities that unite governments, educators, employers, and donors to make tangible change.

I believe that together we can achieve great things and am committed to paving the way for a more inclusive, impactful future.

Stephanie Wilson

This weekend I’m spending time at the ISET National Gathering, and I want to name how meaningful it is to be here.

Being in this space is a reminder that workforce development is not just about programs, funding, or outcomes on paper. It’s about people, place, and self-determination. Indigenous communities have been doing this work for generations, building pathways rooted in culture, community knowledge, and lived experience.

What stands out most is the care and intentionality behind the conversations. 

Listening comes first. 
Relationships come before solutions. 
Progress is measured not just by numbers, but by trust, relevance, and long-term impact.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn, to listen, and to be present in a space led by Indigenous voices and priorities. 

Moments like this quietly reshape how you think about the work and how you show up when you return home.

#ISETNationalGathering #ISETGathering2026 #Indigenous #WorkforceDevelopment #Community

Thanks to Jelly Academy for organizing such a collaborative space and to Digital Moment | Moment numérique for the opportunity.

Cross-Sector Growth Strategist | $100M+ in Government & Partner Funding Secured | Nonprofit • Tech • Education • SaaS | Founder – The Uplift Collective

The last five days have been full.

Full in the sense of listening carefully, asking questions, and sitting in rooms where people are genuinely trying to figure out how we do this work better.

Across different events, sectors, and conversations, the thread has been consistent.

How do we build systems that actually serve people, not just programs?

How do we prepare for the future of work without losing sight of the humans navigating it right now?

How do we move past performative solutions and into ones that are grounded, inclusive, and durable?

There’s also a reality I’m hearing more clearly now than ever.

Funding is tight. Budgets have been cut. Teams that once sent three or four people to conferences are now sending one. Many are attending virtually, not by choice, but by necessity.

I’m genuinely grateful to conferences and organizers who make that possible. Access matters. So does recognizing that for many organizations, showing up at all right now takes intention and sacrifice.

What that’s changed is the weight of being in the room.

More people are carrying insights back to their teams. 

More responsibility to listen well, synthesize, and translate what matters into action. Fewer spectators. More stewards.

The conversations I’ve been part of haven’t been about trends for the sake of trends. They’ve been about tradeoffs. Priorities. What we protect when resources are constrained.

Spending this time with practitioners, funders, educators, Indigenous leaders, and workforce builders has been a reminder of why this work matters to me.

Not because the answers are easy.

But because when conditions are tight, clarity matters even more.

It was so great to reconnect, meet new people and learn from so many amazing individuals! Until next time friends!
Wendy Baker Darian Kovacs ♾️ Allain Lauzon Mary Stack, BA, CPHR Jasmeen Sidhu, Ph.D. Allan Govender Virginia Gluska Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia Eleanor Hawkins Nausheen Ali Fatima Saadeddine, MBA,PMP,CHRP,ESPT  Jade (Jadelyn) Psutka Allison Bear BComm Barbara Wilson,🍁CCDP® Lisa Stephenson-MBA, CRSP Kelly Johnson

It was unfortunate that so many people had travel cancelled so they couldn't attend after all - I see you!

#Cannexus2026 #ISETGathering2026 #Community #NonProfit #EmploymentServices #Indigenous #Learning

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The Uplift Collective

https://www.upliftcollective.ca/the-partnership-blueprint-five-proven-steps-for-forging-successful-partnerships

the-uplift-collective

I grew up in a small town in rural eastern Ontario.

When I finished high school, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I just knew one thing very clearly. I did not like school the way it was structured. Sitting still. Being talked at. Memorizing instead of doing.

So I took a year off after high school to try to find my way.

It felt uncomfortable. Most of my friends knew exactly what they wanted to do. Everyone was heading off to university. I felt behind. A little lost. Like I had missed some memo everyone else received.

After that year, I still did not know what I wanted to be “when I grew up.” But I did know I needed some form of post secondary education. I needed skills. I needed momentum.

I chose college and enrolled in executive administration.

It was hands on. Practical. I learned a lot. I worked three jobs to cover rent and school. I learned how to manage money because I had to. Those years shaped my work ethic and my sense of responsibility in ways I still carry with me.

After graduating, I got a job working for a municipal councillor. What started as a role turned into six formative years. It exposed me to government, policy, community, and how decisions actually get made. That path eventually led me into the nonprofit world, where I found my purpose. That part of the story is for another day.

For a long time, I was embarrassed to say I did not have a university degree.

I was screened out of jobs automatically because it was mandatory. I questioned myself more times than I can count.

Do I regret not going to university?

Yes and no.

No, because I do not think I would have thrived there at that point in my life.

Yes, because there were real opportunities I never got access to because I did not have that piece of paper.

Both things can be true.

I am sharing this because I see so many people feeling pressure to follow a single definition of success. A single path. A single timeline.

Education matters. Credentials matter. But lived experience matters too.

Learning by doing counts. Working your way through school counts. Taking a longer or different route counts.

There is no one right way to build a career.

Chart your own path. Pay attention to what energizes you, not just what looks good on paper. 

Choose the pathway that works for how you learn, how you move, and who you are becoming.

#CareerPath #Employment #FindYourOwnPath #NonProfit #Education

Photo is me from 2008, still trying to figure things out.

We have a beautiful owl that lives in the trees near our driveway. Usually across the way. Easy to admire from a distance.

Last night, I went out to grab wood for the stove before bed and nearly jumped out of my skin. 

He was sitting right on the front porch railing. Completely still. Just watching. Probably hunting. Definitely unbothered by me.

I froze. Slowly backed into the house. Turned off the lights.

Then I stood in the dining room, in the dark, and watched him for a while.
No noise. 

Just this quiet, unexpected moment of sharing space with something wild and calm and entirely unconcerned with my plans for the evening.

It was incredible.

Sometimes the best moments are the ones that do not mean anything more than exactly what they are.

#Wildlife #NotAPhotographer #CountryLife 

Alyx Parks and Stephanie Martin - I thought of both of you immediately after it happened.

Some of the most valuable parts of my work live in the things I no longer consciously think about.

After years of building, reviewing, defending, and negotiating government budgets, so much of what I do has become instinctive. 

You stop noticing the hundreds of small decisions you make because you have internalized how funders think, where flexibility actually lives, and which details quietly matter most.

Recently, I had the chance to sit with that experience and write it all down. 

Not the big frameworks or the obvious rules, but the small things you only learn by doing the work. 

The wording choices that reduce scrutiny. 

The assumptions that do not need to be over engineered. 

The places where people think they are locked in, but are not.

There was something unexpectedly grounding about translating years of lived experience into something clear and usable for a client. 

Not to impress. 
Not to overcomplicate. 
Just to make the work easier and less stressful for the people doing it.

This kind of work reminds me why I enjoy what I do. 

Helping smart teams feel more confident, more capable, and less constrained by rules that often feel heavier than they actually are.

If you have ever felt weighed down by process or rules that seemed immovable, I promise there is often more room to breathe than it appears.

#BudgetDevelopment #ProposalDevelopment #NonProfit #GovernmentFunding

One thing I think everyone should try at least once is learning someone else’s job.

Not the polished version. The real, day to day work. The setup. The decisions no one talks about. The small things that keep everything moving quietly in the background.

When you work in teams, so much of that effort becomes invisible. Systems run. Tools connect. Processes exist. You rarely stop to think about how much experience and judgment it takes to make things feel that seamless.

Until those people are not there.

And you have to do one small piece yourself.

You realize how many choices live inside what once looked simple.

Lately, I am spending an absurd amount of time learning tools.
Not the exciting kind. The tiny, fiddly ones. Payment systems. Tool connections. Settings I did not even know existed.

Learning to do something you have never done before, or something that was always someone else’s role, builds more than skills.

It builds appreciation.

It changes how you show up the next time.

#ProfessionalDevelopment #GrowthMindset #Entrepreneurship

I really hate getting a no.

Not because I expect everything to work out, but because I put a lot into the work. Time. Thought. Energy. And more than that, belief. I care deeply about what I do and about the teams and ideas behind every proposal. That makes the no’s land harder than people realize.

Early on, I took them personally. Every declined submission felt like a judgment, not just of the work, but of the care behind it. And honestly, I still feel that sometimes. Loving the work makes you more exposed, not less.

What changed over time was not the feeling. It was what I did with it.

I started sitting with the no’s longer. Looking for patterns. Paying attention to what funders questioned, what they ignored, and what clarity actually meant in practice. Every no taught me something I could not have learned any other way.

That learning adds up. Today, more than 40 percent of what I work on gets approved. Not because the no’s stopped hurting, but because I stayed curious instead of shutting down.

Lately, there have been a lot of yes’s for clients. And I feel genuinely excited for them every single time. 

I also know the no’s will come again. They always do.

When they do, I will feel them. And then I will learn from them.

Because caring about the work is not a weakness. It is the reason the yes’s mean so much when they arrive.

#GovernmentFunding #BusinessDevelopment #ProposalDevelopment

I’ve learned that authenticity isn’t about having a fixed identity. It’s about staying honest as things shift.

I have spent years being the reliable one. 

The person who could hold a lot, absorb uncertainty, and keep moving anyway.

That works. Until it does not.

Because eventually you realize how much energy it takes to live up to a version of yourself that was built for other people’s expectations.

Letting go of who you think you are supposed to be does not mean losing drive or ambition. It means releasing the pressure to look a certain way while you are building something real.

Authenticity is not a reveal or a brand decision.

It is a daily choice to show up aligned, even when that alignment keeps evolving.

And that choice changes everything.

#BeTrueToYourself #Authenticity #Leadership #NonProfit #StartUp

One of the best parts of a panel on AI and the next generation at the AI Policy Conference yesterday was that it did not try to wrap anything up neatly.
Instead, it named the complexity.

AI is already embedded in education, work, and daily life. Young people are forming relationships with systems that shape how they think, learn, and see themselves. Institutions are trying to respond in real time, often without data, shared frameworks, or room to pause.

At the same time, many of the loudest predictions about jobs and disruption have not fully materialized. Change is happening, but unevenly. Slowly in some places. Abruptly in others.

What emerged was a quieter but more useful set of questions.

How do we equip young people to be creators, not just users?

How do we protect without pretending we can stop what is already here?

How do we build literacy, judgment, and human skills that remain valuable no matter how tools evolve?

There was no single answer, and that felt right.

This is long-term work. It requires humility, collaboration across disciplines, and a willingness to sit with uncertainty without defaulting to fear or hype.

If there was a through-line, it was this: the future will be shaped less by the tools themselves and more by how thoughtfully we choose to integrate them.

Panel participants:
Justin Hendrix, Tech Policy Press
Shingai Manjengwa, Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute
Namir Anani, P.Eng., ICTC-CTIC
Laurent Charlin, Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute
André Côté, The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University 

Thankful to Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute for access to the AI Policy Conference and for putting together such a great event!

#AIPolicy #YouthAndAI #Talent #GovernmentofCanada

Creativity is my word for 2026.

Creativity in how I approach work, rest, and everything in between.

Creative problem solving.
Creative contracting.
Creative time off.
Creative experiences.

Creativity is what lets you ask better questions instead of accepting the default answer. It is how you find options where others see constraints. It is how you design work and life in ways that actually fit.

In 2026, the only box is that there is no box.

More room to experiment.

More permission to rethink how things are done.

More trust in the idea that there is almost always another way.

Here is to a year of curiosity, flexibility, and building something that feels as good as it works.

#Focus #GrowthMindset #HeresTo2026

I never thought I would be an entrepreneur.

In fact, quite the opposite. I was convinced I did not have the “it” that founders and leaders are supposed to have. 

I wanted stability. The person who imagined working for others my whole life and being perfectly content doing that.

And for a long time, that made sense.

What I did not realize then is that entrepreneurship does not always look like taking big risks. Sometimes it looks like taking responsibility. For your values. For your time. For the kind of work you want to put into the world.

I did not wake up one day wanting to start something of my own. I arrived here slowly, through experience, through necessity, and through a growing understanding of what I needed in order to feel grounded and aligned.

Entrepreneurship was not a goal. It was a response.

And maybe that is the part we do not talk about enough. Not everyone sets out to build something. 

Some of us end up here because staying the same stopped being an option.

Did you ever picture yourself doing what you are doing now?

#Entrepreneuship #CareerFocus

Woke up to a weirdly satisfying thing this morning.

I’ve had a watch since July that tracks something called body battery. 

I’ve seen it end the day at five more times than I’d like to admit.

Today I woke up at one hundred. First time ever.

That’s it. That’s the post.

#WeekendVibes #QuietWins #SlowDown

READ THE QUOTE IN THE IMAGE!

Now read it again!

Who. You. TRULY. Are

NOT the version that feels easiest to explain.

NOT the version that keeps everyone comfortable.

NOT the version that fits neatly into a role you learned to play well.

Being yourself is not about being loud or visible all the time.
It is about being honest. With your values. With your limits. With what actually matters to you now, not who you were five years ago.

I have learned that the more energy you spend trying to meet expectations that are not yours, the dimmer everything feels. The work. The relationships. Even the wins.

The moments where things start to open up again usually come from a small shift. 

Saying no when you would normally say yes. Choosing alignment over approval. 

Letting yourself evolve without needing to justify it.

Your light is not something you manufacture.
It is something that shows up naturally when you stop hiding parts of yourself to fit the room.

And the right rooms do not require you to dim it in the first place.

#BeYourself #BeAuthentic #ISeeYou #Leadership #Teamwork #BetterTogether

One thing I keep coming back to in conversations lately is timing.

A lot of organizations are doing the right work. Strong ideas. Capable teams. Real demand. And still, things are not moving the way they expected.

Not because they are doing something wrong.

Because the system itself is in motion.

Calls are delayed or quietly reworked.
Programs get folded into other initiatives.
Priorities shift before anything ever reaches a public intake.

From the outside, it can feel confusing. Like you misread the landscape or missed a signal. In reality, the rules are still being rewritten.

This is where patience becomes strategic.

Not passive patience. Active patience. The kind where you keep preparing, strengthening, and paying attention while resisting the urge to force momentum.

A lot of the work right now is helping teams sit with that uncertainty without spiraling. Adjusting plans without abandoning them. Staying ready without trying to rush a system that is not ready yet.

Sometimes the smartest move is not to push harder, but to hold steady until the timing catches up to the work.

#FundingStrategy #GovernmentFunding #NonprofitLeadership
 #StrategicPlanning #SystemsThinking

Join an upcoming FREE workshops to better prepare for what's coming!  https://lnkd.in/e_KQt4jg

Stop beating yourself up!!!

Don’t think you do that?
Here’s what it actually looks like in real life:
- Replaying a conversation on the drive home.
- Second-guessing a decision you already made with the information you had.
 - Assuming a mistake says something about who you are, not just what happened.
 - Feeling like you should have known better, been faster, clearer, stronger.

Sound familiar?

We’ve been taught that self-criticism equals accountability.
That if we’re hard on ourselves, we’ll improve faster.
That pressure produces excellence.

But more often, it just produces exhaustion.

Beating yourself up usually shows up when expectations are high, outcomes are uncertain, and you’re carrying more responsibility than anyone sees.

It’s a signal.
The problem is that self-criticism rarely makes us better.
It just makes us smaller.

So how do you stop when you catch yourself doing it?

1️⃣  Name what’s actually happening.
 Instead of “I screwed this up,” try “This didn’t go the way I hoped.”
 Facts calm the nervous system. Stories inflame it.

2️⃣ Separate intent from outcome.
You can have good intentions and imperfect results at the same time.
Both can be true. Only one needs fixing.

3️⃣  Ask one forward-looking question.
Not “What’s wrong with me?”
But “What’s the next small adjustment I’d make if this came up again?”
That’s it. No spiral required.

If you’re trying to be a good person and you try to do the right thing, that's all that matters.

Growth doesn’t require punishment.

It requires honesty, rest, and the willingness to keep going.

And if you’re reading this thinking, “This sounds like me” then it probably is.
You’re not alone, and you’re not doing it wrong.
Be a little kinder to yourself today.

#BeKind #PersonalGrowth #FallingNotFailing #SelfImprovement #Leadership #Teamwork

You may not control the events that happen to you
 but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

That choice is one I see leaders, founders, and builders struggle with more than almost anything else.

Because a setback can quietly turn into a story about who you are.
A hard moment can shrink your confidence if you let it.
One decision, one missed opportunity, one tough season can start to feel permanent.

But it isn’t.

You’re allowed to be impacted without being defined.

You can acknowledge what hurt without letting it harden you.

You can learn from something without carrying it as proof that you’re not enough.

Resilience isn’t pretending things didn’t affect you.

It’s choosing not to let them take more than they already have.

If you’re in the middle of something heavy right now, this is your reminder

You’re still standing.
You’re still growing.

And YOU get to decide what this chapter means next.

#NonProfit #Leadership #StartUp #GrowthMindset #Resilience #NonProfitLeadership

I watched a video and could not stop thinking about how early we learn to edit ourselves.

Kids start out loud, curious, unapologetic. They ask strange questions. They take up space. They are fully themselves without checking the room first. And then, slowly, they learn when to quiet down. When to blend in. When to stop standing out.

What stayed with me is how familiar that feels in the professional world.

At some point, many of us learn the same lesson.

Tone it down.

Stick to the playbook.

Do not be the odd one out.

Over time, that sparkle does not disappear. It just gets managed. Contained. Brought out only when it feels safe or appropriate.

And yet, the work that actually moves things forward is almost always shaped by people who think differently. 

The ones who question defaults. 

The ones who see patterns others miss. 

The ones willing to sound a little strange before they sound right.

If you have ever felt yourself shrinking to fit a role, a title, or an industry norm, consider this a reminder. 

That part of you is still there. It has just been waiting for space.

BRING BACK THE SPARKLE!!

Step off the well worn path.

Nothing meaningful has ever been built by people who only followed the herd.

https://lnkd.in/emWvkws2 
His Youtube Channel to give him a follow: https://lnkd.in/ehb-AESd [I couldn't find the above video on the channel]

#BringBackTheSparkle #BeYourself #BeAuthentic

If you have ever hit a word limit halfway through answering a funder’s question, this is for you.

One of the hardest parts of writing proposals is answering every part of a funder’s question while staying inside a tight word or character limit.

Especially when appendices or extra attachments are not allowed.

You cannot skip components. You also cannot explain everything.

So when space is tight, here is a rule that helps.

Every sentence must do more than one job. Ideally three.

A strong sentence should:

 1 describe what you are actually going to do

 2 signal eligibility and alignment to the funder’s priorities

 3 imply milestones, outcomes, or credibility

If a sentence only does one of those things, it is a candidate for removal or compression.

This is how you stay compliant and persuasive without running out of room.

It is not about writing less.

It is about making every sentence work harder.

If you have ever hit a word limit and wondered what to cut, start here.

#ProposalDevelopment #GovernmentFunding #NonProfit #Charity

Growth is what you do with what happens.

That is how better decisions get made over time.

#WednesdayWisdom #GrowthMindset

One thing I wish more people understood about funded projects is how messy they usually are behind the scenes.

From the outside, a successful contribution agreement looks clean.

A defined plan. 
A neat timeline. 

It gives the impression that everything is stable and predictable.

That is almost NEVER the case.

Most funded projects are delivered while markets are shifting. 
Project timelines wobble. 
Plans get pulled forward or pushed back. 
Teams make trade offs in real time, often without the luxury of perfect information.

What funders are really assessing in those moments is not whether risk exists. It is how it is understood and managed.

Strong applications and delivery organizations are not the ones pretending everything is fine. 

They are the ones that show judgment.
An ability to adapt without overreacting. 
A plan that can flex while still holding together.

There is a skill in knowing what to surface and what to hold steady. 
In demonstrating resilience without amplifying uncertainty. 
In showing that the work will continue even when conditions are not ideal.

Funding success is rarely about having a flawless story.
It is about proving you can keep moving when the story changes.

#Resilience #NonProfit #GrowthMindset #StartUp #GovernmentFunding

The Dating App Founder | 8M members | Bootstrapped startup with a team of 50+ | Co-founder & COO of Inner Circle | Follow for insights on business, leadership and relationships

Co-founder of Inner Circle. The dating app for people who want fewer matches and better dates.

Built on the belief opposites don’t attract, so you don't waste time.

Bootstrapped since 2012. 8M+ members worldwide.

Try the app with code MK2024 for a month of premium access.

Follow me for honest insights about work, life and love.

Looking for stars to join the team, check out the careers page: www.about.theinnercircle.co/careers. 

About me: 
I believe no strategy is better than its execution. 
My scope includes:
🏆 Hiring and developing winning teams 
✅ Alignment and execution driven by OKRs
🚀 Marketing that drives growth with ROI
🥾 Data to accelerate experiments that move the needle
🍸 Advisor and angel

In 2025, I stepped back into marketing as COO CMO. Content is the most powerful lever for any brand, so I started posting here to understand what makes it tick, share my learnings and lead my team better.

Michael Krayenhoff

The best leaders aren’t just tough.

They're compassionate.

Compassion isn't a weakness.
It's the courage to lead with humanity, especially when the stakes are highest.

It's about delivering hard feedback, but never with cruelty.
Holding firm standards, but always with dignity.
Driving real results, but never at the cost of people's worth.

I've seen leaders who mistake harshness for strength; 
They burn out their teams and themselves.

The ones who last? 
They understand that respect and accountability aren't opposites.

True leadership isn't choosing between being effective and being decent.
It's refusing to accept that false choice in the first place.

Here are 3 leadership reminders that actually hold up in real life:

1️⃣ Compassion takes backbone.
↳ Say what needs to be said, clearly and directly.
↳ Avoiding the truth feels kind in the moment, but it costs trust later.

2️⃣ Compassion needs standards.
↳ Hold the line on behavior, effort, and values.
↳ Being human does not mean lowering the bar. It means being fair about it.

3️⃣ Compassion is built in small moments.
↳ How you listen. How you respond. How you follow up.
↳ People remember consistency more than big speeches.

Strong leadership is not a choice between results and decency.
That is a false trade.

Real leaders refuse to make it.

So ask yourself this today,
How are you showing compassion when it actually counts? 
Lets discuss in the comment 👇

♻️ Repost to inspire your network.
✅ Follow Michael Krayenhoff for more on business, leadership and careers.

I've worked with hundreds of leaders over the years.

The gap between good and great? It's not strategy or skill.

It's self-awareness.

The best leaders don't just drive results;
They develop people while doing it.

Here's what sets them apart:
16 Signs of a Highly Intelligent Leader

1/ They never punish honesty.
↳ People speak up when they know the truth won’t cost them their seat.

2/ They leave room at the table.
↳ Influence grows when others are invited in.

3/ They create calm in the chaos.
↳ Steady energy keeps teams focused when pressure hits.

4/ They admit when they're wrong.
↳ Owning mistakes sets the standard faster than pretending to be right.

5/ They set direction, not demands.
↳ Clear intent beats rigid instructions.

6/ They over-communicate the ‘why’.
 ↳ Clarity creates alignment faster than control ever could.

7/ They give others permission to fail.
↳ Progress only happens where mistakes are allowed.

8/ They hire people smarter than them.
↳ Strong leaders optimize for outcomes, not ego.

9/ They prioritize trust over popularity.
↳ Being respected lasts longer than being liked.

10/ They care deeply but act objectively.
↳ Empathy informs decisions without clouding them.

11/ They ask more questions than they answer.
↳ Good questions unlock better thinking across the room.

12/ They don’t claim credit for the team's work.
↳ They direct praise to the team to celebrate those who execute.

13/ They coach people, they don't control them.
↳ They don't want people just to deliver, they want them to develop.

14/ They don't build followers, they build leaders.
↳ The real test is what the team does when you’re not there.

15/ They show up with the same attitude, every day.
↳ Predictability builds trust and trust drives results.

16/ They step back so others can step into the spotlight.
↳ Progress accelerates when credit is shared.

Intelligent leadership changes teams.

It’s not about being in charge,
It’s about how you show up for the people who trust you.

Which leader does this remind you of?
Drop a name below 👇

♻ Repost if this resonates.
✅ Follow Michael Krayenhoff for more on business, leadership and careers.

If you want success, you need to out-fail everyone.


Most people don’t actually fail.
They just never even start.

They over-prepare.
They wait for confidence.
They wait for permission.
They wait for certainty.

Then they call it being realistic.

Failure isn’t the opposite of success.
Inaction is.

Failure only shows up after you’ve moved.
After you shipped the idea.
Had the uncomfortable conversation.
Put your name on the line.

That’s why failure hurts.

Not because you’re weak,
but because you cared enough to commit.

Execution is the filter most people never pass.
They stay busy.
They stay smart.
They stay safe.
And mistake that for progress.

If you failed, congratulations.
You made it past the hardest step.

The real question isn’t
“Did it work?”

It’s:
Did you step into the arena or stay in the stands?

What’s one thing you’re trying this year,
even if it might fail?

♻️ Repost this to inspire others.
And follow Michael Krayenhoff for more insights on leadership.

Every team problem is a trust problem in disguise.

Fix the trust. Everything else moves faster.

But most leaders miss this.
They focus on results, not relationships.
On performance, not presence.

And yet, 
Trust is the shortcut to speed.
Teams that trust each other make better decisions, faster.

They speak up sooner.
They stay longer.
They own more.

If you want to lead that kind of team, start here:
12 ways to build trust with your team

1/ Show up when things get tough
↳ Be the person who checks in when things are messy, not just when they’re smooth

2/ Protect their energy
↳ Set realistic timelines and notice when people are stretching too far for too long

3/ Say the difficult things with kindness
↳ Give clear, honest feedback that helps people grow instead of leaving them guessing

4/ Show up as the same person every day
↳ Lead with steady behaviour that your team can rely on, no matter the pressure

5/ Keep the promises you make
↳ Follow through on even the small commitments that seem easy to forget

6/ Give trust before it’s earned
↳ Let people take the lead early, and let them know you believe in them

7/ Listen fully
↳ Pause, focus, and make space for people to feel heard without rushing to respond

8/ Avoid the spotlight
↳ Celebrate wins by highlighting your team’s effort, not your own leadership

9/ Check in without checking up
↳ Ask how they’re doing as people, not just as task owners

10/ Make your decisions make sense
↳ Explain the thinking behind your choices so people don’t have to guess the why

11/ Be real, not perfect
↳ Own your mistakes and be open about what you’re still learning

12/ Step in before things snap
↳ Address tension early with clarity and care, before it becomes a bigger issue

Because trust isn’t built in team offsites or leadership slogans.
It’s built one moment, one habit, one choice at a time.

Which habit would you add to this list?
Drop it in the comments 👇

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Fear of failure will keep you average.

Even if you're capable of more. 

Image credits to Alvin Huang

I’ve seen this closely. 
When I started Inner Circle, nothing was guaranteed.
There was no safety net. Just a belief that mattered more than the noise outside.

Failing was simply a part of the process at the time.

Features that didn’t work.
Markets we entered too early.
Hires that looked right on paper but wrong in real life.

Each one felt heavy at the time.
Like maybe this was the moment it all breaks.

But failure rarely shows up as a big dramatic ending.

Most of the time it looks like this,

👇 You try something.
👇 It doesn’t work the way you hoped.
👇 You sit with the discomfort.
👇 You figure out what you missed.
👇 You adjust.
👇 You try again.

That’s not failure.
That’s the job.

After building a bootstrapped company to 8M members, 
I can count the real failures on one hand.
The kind I’d never repeat.

Everything else was just a part of the process of getting better.

Early on, it’s hard to tell the difference.
Everything feels urgent. Everything feels final.

With time, you get faster at spotting what needs killing,
and what just needs another round.

So if you’re in that uncomfortable middle right now, ask yourself:

Are you failing,
or are you just not done yet?

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Changing jobs isn't the same as quitting.

Quitting used to be seen as weak.

Now it's a sign of growth.

Here are 8 reasons leaving may be the smart choice:

1/ You’ve outgrown the role
↳ You’re doing more than the job asks, but the title and scope haven’t moved.

2/ Your pay no longer matches your value
↳ Loyalty feels nice, but the market doesn’t reward it the same way.

3/ The environment drains you
↳ If work costs you your energy, health, or confidence, that’s a signal.

4/ You want better leadership
↳ A great manager can change your entire career path.

5/ You’ve stopped learning
↳ Comfort is great until it quietly stalls your growth.

6/ You want broader exposure
↳ New companies mean new ways of thinking, building, and solving problems.

7/ You need to stretch yourself
↳ Change forces adaptability. And adaptability compounds fast.

8/ There’s no real path forward
↳ Some org charts just don’t have space for what you’re ready to become.

Knowing when to leave isn’t failure.

It’s self-awareness.

Curious, when did leaving work out for you?
Share it in comment 👇

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Toxic leaders can destroy your self-worth.

Don't blame yourself.

Recognize their behaviours.

A toxic leader can ruin your career:

🚨 Creating fear
🚨 Killing confidence
🚨 Controlling opportunity

Here are 9 signs to watch out for:

1. The Favourite Picker
↳ Loyalty is rewarded, not performance
↳ Promotions become politics, not merit

2. The Credit Thief
↳ Takes your wins and does the bare minimum
↳ Recognition is stolen, and so is your recognition

3. The Power Tripper
↳ Uses their title to silence, not support
↳ “Because I said so” becomes their leadership style

4. The Blame Shifter
↳ They spread fear by criticising and blaming
↳ Shames mistakes instead of coaching growth

5. The Control Freak
↳ Micromanages every task but shares no vision
↳ You’re overloaded, under-trusted, and out of oxygen

6. The Burnout Machine
↳ Glorifies overwork and calls it ambition
↳ Well-being is sacrificed at the altar of “urgency”

7. The Fear Builder
↳ Uses silence to protect their authority
↳ People stop speaking up and trust disappears

8. The Mood Swinger
↳ Hot one day, cold the next
↳ You’re stuck guessing which version shows up

9. The Growth Blocker
↳ Rejects change to protect their ego
↳ They never leave their comfort zone and make sure others can't

Which have you experienced?
Let me know below 👇 

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9 Signs Of A Toxic Leader

The best performing teams aren’t the smartest. 
They’re the most curious.

Being with the team in São Paulo this week 
made that obvious again.

Teams move faster
when the energy is right.

Not because they’re smarter.
Not because they work longer.

It comes from curiosity.
From teams that challenge assumptions
Instead of defending the status quo.

5 ways curiosity drives outsized results:

1/ Better questions replace old answers
↳ Progress starts when teams stop defending and start improving.

2/ Testing beats debating
↳ Momentum builds when learning happens in the work.

3/ Less process, more momentum
↳ Clarity reduces the need for endless coordination.

4/ Ownership goes up
↳ People move faster when they help shape the thinking.

5/ Energy compounds
↳ Belief grows when teams see ideas turn into reality.

Curiosity is the unlock to real growth.

Where have you seen curiosity lift results?
Let me know in the comments ⬇️

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What separates the best founders from the rest? 

It's not their vision or the product!
It’s the decisions they repeat every day.

Most people think leadership shows up in big moments.
Fundraises. Pivots. Announcements.

That matters for sure. 
But it is not what shapes the team.

What defines you are the silent decisions no one sees or applauds.
Here are five key decisions that define you: 

1️⃣ Who you build around
→ Notice who you involve early, when the problem is still messy and the answer isn’t clear.

2️⃣ What behavior you protect
→ Pay attention to what you address immediately and what you tolerate because it’s inconvenient to confront.

3️⃣ Where your attention goes
→ Look at what consistently gets your time when priorities collide. That’s what your team learns to value.

4️⃣ What you simplify
→ Track the rules, steps, or approvals you remove so people can act without waiting on you.

5️⃣ How you show up under pressure
→ Observe how you react in the moment things break, not how you explain it later.

These are the moments where your leadership takes shape.
If your team feels cautious, slow, or dependent,
there is a good chance one of these decisions is stuck on repeat.

Which one do you think leaders struggle to change the most?
Drop it in the comments 👇

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Being yourself is the real flex.

Especially when everyone else is putting on a show.

Social media didn’t create this behaviour.
It just made it more visible.

Some people optimise perception over capability.

They become whoever the moment rewards:
- Visible when projects succeed
- Quiet when things get hard
- Quick to talk about outcomes they didn’t own
- Fast to turn team success into personal optics

You see it online.
You see it inside companies.

Perception works at a distance.
Capability shows up in delivery.

When decisions carry weight.
When results actually matter.
That’s when the image collapses.

What’s left is simple:
 1/ Who actually owns the work
 2/ Who stays consistent
 3/ Who doesn’t change depending on who’s watching

That’s why the best operators don’t play the optics game.

They don’t need to.
Their work does the talking.

Where do you see capability beat perception?

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Leadership isn’t a title. 
It’s a craft. 

Most leaders manage work they don’t understand.
That’s when performance breaks.

Every quarter we run a workshop,
where we experience a craft.
This week it was content creation.

We worked in groups of three.
Each group created two pieces of content, 
that had to perform in the real world.

We didn’t just talk theory,
Everyone got to experience;

What makes a great hook.
Where storytelling breaks.
And the practical limits of filming, format and timing.

Once you do the work together, clarity comes fast.
What sounds simple in a meeting
is rarely simple in execution.

Content is one of the biggest growth levers in modern marketing.

When leaders only touch content 
through agencies or dashboards…
They lose the feel for what great looks like.

5 Reasons the best leaders stay close to the craft:

1/ You experience execution, not coordination
 ↳ You feel the friction plans never show.

2/ You understand real constraints
 ↳ Time, format and context shape every decision.

3/ You see where clarity breaks
 ↳ Briefs collapse when they meet reality.

4/ You keep standards grounded
 ↳ Distance turns “high bar” into a slogan.

5/ You earn the right to challenge the work
 ↳ Feedback lands when you’ve done the reps.

Staying close to the craft isn’t micromanaging.
It’s how leaders raise the bar and move faster.

What’s one craft you still do yourself? 

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