Even though development and humanitarian work is unpredictable, there are some things that we know will happen.

When I was in South Sudan, these included:

- Delayed procurements

- Last minute government meetings

- Late liquidations submitted by partners

I knew these things were going to happen, and yet, I planned my time as if they were not.

Looking back on this, I find it so fascinating how we often resist reality.

Rather than planning based on knowing what will likely happen, we plan as if...

If there's one thing we can count on in humanitarian work, it's CHANGE!

We are constantly making transitions - and as leaders, even more so.

Whether it's managing a new team, a new project or just wanting to become a better leader, being intentional about how we transition can make a big difference in how we show up.

In this episode my guest and fellow coach Asel Ormonova provides ways you can make smoother and better transitions, even as a humanitarian leader.

Resources and links:

Asel's...

This episode is a continuation of last week's, which includes advice my husband Shannon and I have based on 32 years' combined experience in the aid worker and humanitarian field.  In this episode you can learn:

• Best thing you can do for your health when living in a difficult environment
• Our best advice for surviving long distance relationships (we have five years experience)
• Daily habits that made the most impact in our lives in 2018
• Habits we hope to maintain in 2019
• Books that have...

Just when you think you've established a healthy eating routine... you have to travel to the field.  Whether it's the community or a field office, eating healthy can be challenging when travelling outside of our home base. 

I have struggled with eating healthily in some very rural areas, but it is possible.  In this episode I share with you six tips that will help you to maintain your diet when in the field, and by so doing maintain your health and wellbeing. 

Resources:

Our career is unique in that we cannot always escape the stress factors at work just by going home.  I can think of times when I had a lot going on in the office, only to come home and find out there is no power or I am out of water and have to use my drinking water for bathing.  Although by themselves these situations are manageable, over time they can build until you start to become frustrated with small things like staff turning in a report a day late or not being able to reach...

One of the major struggles in aid work that I have encountered both myself and amongst other aid workers is around protecting a certain number of hours during the work week to work on those “important” tasks. You know, the tasks that can help us make a bigger impact, and advance our teams and ourselves professionally. But somehow, it always seems like other things get in the way of working on the “important” stuff. Proposals drop, supervisors invite us to meetings, or...

As aid workers we all strive to get the sometimes elusive "work-life balance."  It can certainly be tricky, with competing priorities at work and emergencies to respond. 

I chose today's guest, Matthew McIlvenna because although he oversees the emergency operations for WFP in nine countries, he somehow manages to go home at a reasonable hour and devote time to extracurricular activities (one of these activities is coaching the tennis wheelchair team here in Kenya).  Matt...

Let's face it - in international development we are faced with a lot of stress in our day to day work.  This stress is only compounded when we go home and the generator is broken, there is a curfew for security reasons, or we develop malaria after last week's field visit.  To add to this stress further, as humanitarians we put even more pressure on ourselves to do our best because we know by doing so we can help more people.

My guest today Elizabeth Whelan has tried a variety of...