From The Center for Conscious Leadership
2026 Newsletter

A Note From Our Founder

It's February; the month we're supposed to talk about love.

So let's talk about love.

Not the passive, theoretical kind, the kind that builds things. 

The kind that holds people accountable because it cares deeply about what happens. The kind that makes hard calls and stays in connection. 

Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: 

"Power without love is reckless and abusive, 

and love without power is sentimental and anemic." 

When I apply this to leadership, I’ve come to see love without leadership as theoretical at best, disastrous enablement, and complicity at worst. Leadership without love is ruinous extraction–of time, energy, resources, and people.

Love is the why—the reason we do any of this; because we care.

Leadership is the how—the practice of bringing that care into the world in real, tangible ways that matter.

Love names what’s possible and what matters. Leadership identifies the needs, sets boundaries, coordinates power intentionally, speaks hard truths, repairs what breaks, and creates the condition for more love to exist.

Leadership is the architecture that supports and sustains what we love.

And love makes us dangerous.

Because love is powerful enough to make us stand up to power, privilege, and fear. Love disrupts what’s comfortable in exchange for the better world we know is possible.

If you’ve been wondering how exactly do we love in a time like this? you’re not alone.

Here are a few resources that might help:

• If you love your work, but aren’t sure whether to stay: 

  • Stay and Fight or Leave for Alignment?

• If you care deeply about your people, but face tough decisions: 

  • Trauma-Informed Decision Making

• If you care, but are tired of being the one doing all the caring: 

  • Institutionalizing Humanity

• If you want to care, but struggle to balance with results: 

  • The Leadership Trilemma

Holding love and leadership is the existential growth edge of our time. 

The more beautiful world our hearts know is possible will be built by leaders like you who love to lead and lead from love.

With love,

Sharon

This Month’s Featured Piece

What 25 Conscious Leaders Taught Us About Leadership Today

This article shares the five major shifts shaping leadership today, including tiny tweaks in perspective that become strategic advantages, and evolutions in system thinking that are non-negotiable for sustainable impact. Rethinking what effective leadership requires in today’s complex world? This research offers a clear, actionable map forward.

→ Read the article (5 min)

Also This Month

Trauma-Informed Decision Making: Why the Best Leaders Don't Just Decide Fast—They Decide Well

Discover how trauma-informed decision-making transforms leadership. This powerful guide explores real-world examples and actionable strategies to help leaders build trust and culture through every choice they make.

→ Read the article (5 min)

On Sharon’s Nightstand

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

“Our attention isn’t wandering, it’s being stolen. Systems that generate revenue from our endless scrolling deliberately manipulate our algorithms to keep us hooked. The ramifications are extensive, and have direct consequences on our capacity to care, mobilize, and build anything that matters. If you’ve been blaming yourself, stop and read this book–even if it’s just a few minutes at a time.” – Sharon Podobnik Peterson

Have you read Stolen Focus? Join the conversation here.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

On the Horizon

MARCH 3 | 12p EST | FREE WEBINAR | Prevent Stress from Becoming Traumatic. Join Sandra for a neuroscience-backed look at how leaders can support their teams in navigating pressure without creating lasting harm. Leave with a tool to use immediately and a framework to use in your next meeting—seriously. Sign up now.

APRIL 2 | 12p EST | FREE WEBINAR | Protection Patterns: Why High-Performing Leaders Struggle (And What To Do About It). For high-performing leaders, it can feel embarrassing to struggle with defensiveness, procrastination, and people-pleasing. Join Sharon to transforms shame into choice, agency, and dignity. Claim your spot.

APRIL 15 | Holding the Tension of Both/And with Sharon & Suzanne. Explore big questions in a supportive, woman-centered environment. April will explore the concept of grounded agility—and how to embrace steadfast flexibility. Virtual. Register here.

COMING SOON! | Trauma-Informed Leadership. Our transformational program is back! Tools, frameworks, and community to metabolize stress and emerge with post-stress growth. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when enrollment begins.

Now booking for Q2! If your organization is ready for coaching, workshops, or trauma-informed leadership, we’d love to hear what you’re working on—let's talk.

The White Paper Is Almost Here!

The State of Conscious Leadership: 2026

Leadership is at an inflection point. What got us here won't take us where we need to go. Our research reveals new core findings—including why we're facing a paradigm gap, not a skill gap—and why organizations that lead consciously outperform those that don't by up to 202%. → Sign up here to receive first access to the white paper

If this month's theme is landing for you—the both/and of power and love, we encourage you to sit with the question: What would it look like to build love into your systems, not just your leadership? 

That's legacy, and the difference between being a good leader and building something that outlasts you.

Thanks for being here.

Stay bold and brave,