Definitions

for the purposes of this work

• Pivot: Changing direction with intention, keeping what works while fundamentally changing something else.
• Hosting: Leading by invitation: gathering a small group to reflect, connect, and learn from each other. No title required.
• Adaptive leadership: Navigating uncertainty with curiosity, creativity, and courage.
• Embodying change: A process of aligning actions and behaviors with the values of compassion, accountability, equity, and solidarity to create meaningful change.
• Organizational culture: The unwritten rules and norms that define how things “really” get done within an organization.
• Peer support: A structured way for people facing similar challenges to help each other think, grow, and adapt.
• Power: The ability to influence others' behavior and decisions. (Hint, we're going for more "power within" and "power with", rather than "power over.")
• Regenerative Humanitarian: Someone who contributes to human or planetary well-being while also replenishing their own capacity, clarity, and connection.
• Solidarity: Values-aligned support that honors equity, accountability, and collective care, not self-sacrifice.
• Well-being: Feeling good and functioning well in both personal and professional contexts.
  
• Wintering (sectoral): A period of contraction, pause, or restructuring that requires rest, reorientation, and new strategies.

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Reports

The Well Series: reports on the humanitarian workforce, co-authored in various combinations by Melissa Pitotti, Mary Ann Clements, Rachel Velasco Jacquot, and Nathalie Gons, and published with CHS Alliance and ICVA. The fifth report, Pivoting Well, is coming soon.

• Working Well

Introduces a concept of well-being through the lenses of mental health, people management, and organizational culture.

• Leading Well

Suggests 10 practices for effective leadership, complete with examples and case studies.

• Governing Well

Offers 5 essential questions for boards, accompanied by a fictional scenario based on real-life incidents.

• Funding Well

Provides a 4-stage path towards values-aligned, trust-based solidarity.

• Pivoting Well (coming soon)

Five adaptations humanitarians are making as funding contracts and AI accelerates: Preserve, Pool, Align, Support, and Act.

Podcast

Tune in to the Embodying Change podcast for inspiring stories and insights. More than 10,000 downloads.

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LinkedIn

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn here for regular updates, insights, and community engagement. 

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