Friends,
I’ve spent the last few months navigating a lot of transitions—physically moving from Austin to the Boston area and professionally pivoting into this new chapter of coaching and leadership. Amid all that movement, I keep coming back to a single question: Where is the center?
When life gets loud and the pressure mounts, it’s easy to lose our “nerve” and drift. That’s why I’m launching Centerline. This newsletter is designed to be a brief, regular recalibration for those of us trying to lead and live with intention.
Every issue, we’ll look at the world through four specific lenses, and provide a thoughtful quote or resource that builds our capacity to stay centered:
The bedrock that ensures your values aren’t just fair-weather preferences.
If it isn’t tested, it’s just a preference. If you lack the courage to stand by your convictions during a “point of testing,” those convictions effectively cease to exist in that moment. (C.S. Lewis)
The internal courage to stay calm when the system starts spinning.
The chronic anxiety that characterizes our society… is not a reaction to a specific threat; it is a way of life that is driven by a ‘failure of nerve’ in leaders who have become more concerned with consensus than with clarity. (Edwin Friedman)
The “Black Sheep” edge that gives you the capacity to see what others miss.
The real challenge of leadership is the ability to see “not yet” possibilities in an “already” messy world. (George Eldon Ladd)
The safe harbor where we sharpen one another for the journey ahead.
For a powerful testimonial illustrated this truth, check out this interview with Jenn Orenstein.
Your Companion on the Path
Support the work!
The Van Waarde Foundation underwrites and supports a variety of educational projects, tools, and environments for leaders who are committed to living and leading centered and aligned.
Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration.
https://www.patreon.com/c/pietvanwaarde
