Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonya Perez-Lauterbach.
Hi Sonya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a leadership coach, change expert, speaker, and impact cultivator. But my story starts early in my career, as a young, motivated, idealist that wanted to fight global poverty and change the world, I had landed my dream job of working at a large microfinance organization where I was creating a program to inspire others to get involved and flying all over the country to build something new. I was very committed to the work. This was back in 2009… But like many people who find their career in nonprofit or social impact work – the day-to-day pressure of trying to create change, a martyr mentality, limited resources for leadership development, and an unhealthy work culture took its toll.
My passion for creating positive change in the world led me from addressing global poverty to figuring out how to better support the people in organizations that are trying to do good in the world. The incongruence of caring for clients but unintentionally treating employees poorly didn’t seem right to me. My Master’s program at Northwestern University, in Learning & Organizational Change, was a powerful turning point where I discovered executive coaching and the many tools available to support leaders who want to create healthy workplaces.
High-end executive coaching is pretty common at major corporations, but I had never heard about it within the nonprofit or social justice space. I knew that I wanted to bring impact-focused leadership coaching to the leaders of organizations working to create positive change in the world. 10 years later, I have created my own coaching practice that leverages my experience in the social sector, knowledge of the organizational change, and a plethora of insights gained from my own personal breakthroughs and mental shifts. I understand my clients’ challenges of wanting to do the right thing in a world of challenging complexity, working for a volunteer board, and many leadership challenges change agents face.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
For about seven years my work was very much a side project with just a few clients as I chose to stay at home as the primary caregiver for my two children. There was a pull to “do more” but the time away from the intense, hustle work culture was extremely important. I had hands-on learning about brain development, habit creation, emotional regulation, and effective communication. I experienced a lot of personal growth and transformation in that season. The mental space I experienced at playgrounds with toddlers and picnics in the park allowed me to ponder questions and concepts of identity, worth, and culture which now meaningfully impact my work. It also gave me the opportunity to unplug from chronic stress and find a new rhythm for my work that energizes me in authentic and empowered ways. I know many people struggle with career interruptions or apparent detours in their mission but I know for myself that the detours are actually a critical part of the journey.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Change agents seek out my support because they want to lead better. They care deeply about their work and their people, but find themselves exhausted, running on fumes, wondering if having a meaningful career and feeling sustainability energized is possible. I get to help them discover that, YES, you can lead better and feel better. Yes – You can lead in an authentic, empowered way, powered by joy and ease. My leadership coaching approach is holistic – with a focus on mind, emotion, and embodied awareness. There are a million resources telling leaders WHAT to DO to be a leader – but HOW to integrate insights into our personal narratives, mental models, automatic responses is where the real transformation happens.
There are so many of us wanting to be good leaders but we simply are not creating space in our leadership to STOP. Reflect. Reframe. Recharge. My work helps with this.
The pace of work is nonstop when you are serving those in need or addressing critical issues in society. It can often feel selfish to invest in “self-care” or mental wellness, but in fact, it is the most responsible thing leaders in this sector can do. And I am not talking about consumer self-care that elevates the bubble bath or one more latte; I mean investing in becoming aware of how our scarcity mindset is affecting our relationship with donors, how our perfectionism and workaholism is accidentally creating a toxic work environment, and exploring how self-compassion can unlock your very best work. We are a combination of mental models, social narratives, personal preferences, and emotional responses. In that beautiful complexity of being human, we have the power to become more conscious and thoughtful in a way that gives us energy and allows us to infuse sustainable joy into our lives.
I want readers to know that change is possible. I want readers to know that roadblocks to authentic and empowered leadership can easily be overcome. Don’t stay stuck. Don’t live in burnout. Find a coach.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I am so grateful for my coaches over the years and the support that helped me let go of personal limiting beliefs that would have kept me from showing up, creating this business, and serving the people I get to help with my coaching.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.splcoaching.com
- Instagram: @thesonyaperez
Image Credits
Raygen Samone photography
