Reclaiming Our Attention and Agency: Five Operational Takeaways from Abha Thakkar
At our latest Nonprofit Leaders Advance event, we had the absolute pleasure of learning from Abha Thakkar, social change practitioner and owner of Mosaic LLC, who gave us all a refreshing and empowering take on wellness. For nonprofit leaders who are constantly running on empty, Abha’s talk was exactly what we needed to hear. She challenged the idea that wellness is just a self-care quick fix you can buy—like a yoga class or a meditation app. Instead, Abha reminded us that true wellness is all about taking back our power, shifting the burden off the individual, and changing the way we actually run our day-to-day workplace culture.
Learning to Navigate the Chaos
To manage the pressures of nonprofit leadership, Abha says organizations need to get comfortable with complexity. This means realizing that a healthy workplace is one where the team learns how to bounce back together. Leaders can model this by normalizing project transitions, giving staff the space to openly talk through workplace grief, and focusing on fixing relationships when internal friction happens. By moving away from hyper-individual survival and leaning into real teamwork, we can create a soft landing place for everyone on staff.
Taking Back Our Focus and Attention
Modern culture is built to steal our focus. “Our attention isn’t just our attention—it is our life,” Abha shared, pointing out that endless notifications and multitasking keep our minds fragmented. She emphasized the need to protect our focus. Nonprofits can put this into practice by auditing the everyday distractions in the office, actively avoiding multitasking, and setting aside uninterrupted "focus zones" so staff can get into a good flow without being constantly interrupted.
Honoring Life Cycles
In the nonprofit world, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking "bigger is always better." But Abha warned that endless growth and piling on more work just isn't sustainable. True health requires matching natural cycles, which always include times of rest, winding down, and endings. Abha challenged leaders to look at their operations and ask: What projects or strategies can we gracefully let go of to create some breathing room? Normalizing these transitions and celebrating the quiet work of maintaining what we have—rather than constantly chasing the next shiny idea—is how we stop burnout before it starts.
Sharing Power and Staying Accountable
Because wellness is deeply connected to how much control we have over our lives, Abha noted that people with the least power over their schedules usually carry the most stress. As nonprofit leaders, we can change this dynamic by breaking down stiff hierarchies and sharing real power. Giving employees more say over their time and a seat at the table directly gives them the space they need to rest and recharge. Crucially, Abha pointed out that sharing power must go hand-in-hand with clear, mutual accountability, so teams feel genuinely supported rather than crushed by the weight of the mission.
Thank you, Abha, for helping us recharge and reset!
The Amanda White Consulting team knows that taking care of your mission means taking care of your people first. If your team needs help streamlining your fundraising systems or designing a strategic plan that creates balance and sustainability, we are here to help! Set up a discovery session today.
