Candace Thompson-Zachery | Leadership/Org Coach & Strategist

Hot take! So when I realized that my year was gonna look the way it did with many pressures at once, ambitous professional goals, but with a strong desire to maintain the wellness I had built, I knew I had to be more efficient with the time I had (which I've talked about before). And part of that realisation was that I also needed what I'm calling 'emotional efficiency'. Efficiency feels like a strange word to use for emotions. But when you know the journey is gonna be challenging and can't control the inputs, what we can control is how we process it all. Because how we process could be the difference between make or break (and lord knows I've experienced the break - not a fan! ). So I started with small things: 👇🏾 Trying to name discomfort when it appears - not waiting or suppressing. 👩🏾‍🎓 Getting curious about resistance and motivation - what is driving it? And then the biggest ones: 🧘🏾‍♀️ Wholeheartedly surrendering to the physical experience of both the good things and the not so great. 🌊 So allowing the waves of anger and frustration move through my body and also the waves of joy, gratitude, and fulfilment when they show up. Because the random crash outs, burnouts, and flare ups ain't cute no mo'. We AIN'T GOT TIME. We got stuff to do. What does have to do with leadership and wellness? Well everything. How we manage our emotions is how we lead, is how we make decisions, is how we connect to others. This is also definitely an area for the support of a therapist (shoutout to mine!) BUT making the connection between our maturity in this area and our ability to be the artist, leader, and maverick that we want to be is the point I want to make. If this one is hitting you deep say 'phew!' in the chat 😉. #leadershipdevelopmemt #wellnesscoaching #leadershipcoaching #CliftonStrengths #proudlymultifaceted

POV: me trying to get a workout in while my house is a mess and my toddler is doing his own thing while also not leaving me 😅 So one of the things I’m learning in class right now is this concept of 'goal inhibition'. And basically what it’s saying is — anytime you’re pursuing a goal, you also have to block out other goals. Because the reality is… your goals are competing. Like, I want to be a present parent. I want my house to be together. I want to look put together. AND I need to get this workout in because this is part of how I’m sustaining everything else I have going on right now. So in this moment? The house is messy. My hair is.... My kid is entertaining himself. And I’m choosing not to stop and fix any of it. Not because those things don’t matter — they do. But because they’re not the priority right now. And I think that’s the part we don’t talk about enough. The distractions are NOT random. They’re actually really important things. But if you don’t actively block them out, they will absolutely pull you away from the thing you said you wanted to do. Because pursuing a goal isn’t just about doing the thing. It’s also about what you’re willing to let be a little undone in the process. So if you’re working toward something right now, ask yourself: ◇ What are the things — even the good things — that you need to say “not right now” to? Tell me below! #proudlymultifaceted #gradschoollife #workingparent #selfregulation #goalsetting realmomlife leadershipdevelopment

In d capital! (+ commitment?) In January I was honored to lead a professional development workshop for NYC Schools (DOE) Dance Educators called 'Trinidad Carnival: From Tradition to Creative Practice'. I got to give them a taste of what its like to turn teaching quote unquote simple steps into a practice of cultural embodiment. The response was overwhelmingly positive. But guess what that meant?! It meant I had to be fully embodied and committed to each carnival energy: - to be as vibrant as a Carnival Queen on Dimanche Gras night - to be as wicked as a bubbling champion wining in her element - to be as overjoyed as a masquerader crossing the stage - to be as terror-inducing as a jab molassie looking for that 'pay' And my commitment is what brought people along a journey that was otherwise out of place. Why would anyone want to be gesturing a pitchfork on a random Tuesday in a pristine nyc dance studio?! This lesson has taken me a looong time to learn but never too late 😉 And it applies so broadly telling us: How commitment attracts commitment How 'vibes' are built How we have to get comfortable embracing the spotlight and the cringe How our enjoyment is really in our hands. And in so many areas of our life: career pursuits, creative pursuits, leadership, even community practice. Where do you think you need to apply this in your life? Thankful to the educators I got to be in the room with who dove straight in bringing their own energy. Thankful to @caribdance_edu_ for the invitation, to fellow master facilitators that day including @batingua_arts @nadiadieu @omoya9 pat dye for your continued contributions to our culture and Shirlene Blake for making a PD on Caribbean Dance possible! #caribbeandance #leadershipcoach #organizationalconsultant #proudlymultifaceted Video: Candace leading a class across the floor wearing a black and white leotard with purple joggers dancing vigorously going across the floor side to side with strong exaggerated layeral steps and arm movements. Music: In d Capital by Patrice Roberts and Mical Teja

Where have I been? Adjusting to a new normal...as a GRAD STUDENT! I am a first semester student in the Industrial Organizational (IO) Psychology Masters program at Baruch College. Why IO? Because as a dance industry leader and arts advocate I learned A LOT about what was wrong with our industry. What was lacking? Not how to fix it but how to implement the fixing in a way that solves the right problems, that sticks, and that brings people along the way. I am learning so much that will influence my research skills (IOs are scientists), my facilitation and coaching, and my work with organizations. It's so gratifying to understand more about how humans work together to make greater impact in my corner of the universe. So much else has happened in my life in the last 40 days alongside this journey that I don't even know where to begin. But all I'll say is that moms get it done. So send me luck, your best reading tips, and take a nap or two in my honor 😅. #IOpractitionerintraining #gradschoolpart2 #proudlymultifaceted Candace in a Baruch College dark blue sweater with white text in a white room with books on the shelf while wearing a yellow multicolored headwrap.

One of my words for 2026 is ambition. And that wasn’t an easy one to claim. In a lot of the circles I’ve moved through, ambition is treated like a dirty word. Don’t want it too much. Don’t try too hard. Don’t stand out. Don’t make anyone uncomfortable with your drive or your competence. And growing up, especially in some dance circles, and also culturally for me as someone born and raised in Trinidad, ambition wasn’t celebrated. Hard work was. So ambition got renamed. Because hard work was acceptable. It became “she works really hard.” Dreaming out loud? Wanting more? Naming audacious goals? That was met with: Who she feel she is? Why she think she can do that? So for a long time, I hid my ambition inside hard work. I stayed busy. I stayed productive. I stayed committed. But I didn’t always name what I wanted. In 2026, that changes. I am AMBITIOUS. I want more for my life. I am actively working toward it. And I’m no longer carrying shame around that. Ambition doesn’t make you arrogant. It makes you honest. ✨ What are you claiming in 2026? (You don’t have to justify it. Just name it!) And if you want help claiming your next chapter—without shrinking or apologizing—my DMs are open. Image on Candace in a red halter back leotard, black skirt on a parkway covered in trees in a deep side lounge with the right leg extended out to the side and the right arms crossing over pressing into the floor as she looks into the camera. Photographer: @shocphoto

Your multiplicity is your business And how anyone else feels about that is not your concern. You keep building and growing and stretching. And leave them be! You're welcome ;) And if you need help figuring out how to do that you know where to find me. #proudlymultifaceted #leadershipcoach #wellnesscoach Video of Candace talking in a her office wearing a black turtleneck longsleeve top with small white pattern on it.

With less friction! A conversation I had with a friend at the top of the year set me straight on one thing: efficiency is not optional for me in 2026. Not efficiency in a hustle sense. Efficiency in a make-time-stretch sense. Because when I look at everything I want to build this year, I don’t need more motivation — I really need less resistance. Here’s what I knew: 🛑Small inefficiencies were leaking a shocking amount of energy and not the big life stuff. The tiny things. – Not knowing what clothes I actually own – Avoiding outfits because I didn’t want to iron – Losing 60 seconds every morning looking for my son’s hair brush – A front closet that was so annoying to open we avoided using it None of these things are catastrophic but they were quietly draining. **What did I do?** 1. I invested in removing friction everywhere!! 👗 I reorganized my closet. ♨️ Bought an ironing board (I never had one — which explains a lot). 💇‍♀️ Put a second brush by the door so mornings aren’t chaos. 🗝 Fixed a jerry-rigged closet latch we’d been “meaning to deal with.” 💆‍♂️Bought a bonnet that actually stays on my head. None of this is glamorous but definitely strategic. These are just a few of the things. There are more. 2. I also cleared future mental load. 🩺 Doctor. 🦷 Dentist. 🏥 Screenings. ⚕️GP. All booked and already done! Because I don’t want my cognitive capacity — the thing I actually need for my work — wasted on preventable tasks or background stress. Here’s the reminder I’m sitting with: The “small things” you keep putting off are quietly taxing you and stealing time from the multifaceted work you care about. They’re adding friction to days that are already full. It’s still January. You have 11 months. Look for where energy is leaking and plug those holes now! The October version of you will thank you. The November version of you will thank you. What’s one small fix or investment that would make your daily life noticeably easier? If you want support redesigning for subtle efficiency for your multifaceted gifts to live - let's talk! #leadershipcoach #wellnesscoach #proudlymultifaceted

This image was taken the day after the worst day of my career. I had just returned from maternity leave. My son was three and a half months old. I was still nursing. Sleeping three to four hours a night. My husband was away on a one-month residency. And I hadn’t yet put my son in daycare. I look back at this moment and wish I could tell myself: *As terrible as this feels, you’ll be okay. This will become a defining moment.* As a leader, your journey is built on defining moments like this. Early in your trajectory, they’re incredibly painful. They feel very impossible. And yet—most of us find a way through but often at a high cost unless we have the right resources. Here’s what this one taught me: 1. Life doesn’t pause for your circumstances. This is harsh, but it’s true. My role didn’t care that I wasn’t sleeping. The responsibilities still existed. Naming that reality helped me stop personalizing the moment and start navigating it. 2. I learned what recovery actually looks like. Leadership literature calls moments like this career derailers. What this experience taught me was how to recover from one: how to accept responsibility, name shortcomings, repair where needed, and turn failure into usable information. 3. Confidence isn’t *never failing*—it’s trusting your ability to recover. I wish I could say this was the last day like this in my career. It wasn’t. But after this, I knew something I didn’t know before: No matter how hard it feels, I will get through it. That belief—grounded, earned confidence—is what strong leadership is made of. It’s also the kind of confidence I help leaders build, using strengths as one of the core modalities. ✨ If this resonated, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken. DM me if you want support building that grounded confidence for whatever you’re navigating next. #leadershipcoaching #strengthscoaching #nonprofitleader Image: Candace sitting in a chair with a small baby in a blue and white striped onesie with a grey bib on. Here full coily kinky hair is framing her face and she is wearing a grey top, light blue denim shorts and head tilted down looking at the baby.

Some preliminary thoughts after watching the inauguration! I had the inauguration on in the background last night while I was building furniture, and here are my topline thoughts. 1️⃣ The music was poignant! That playlist felt audacious, hopeful, a little braggadocious — in a good way. Serious about change, but playful and rooted in joy. To me, it continued to seal the message that Zohran Mamdani is serious about business, but not divorced from culture, joy, or imagination. 2️⃣ The range of culture felt very NYC. Hip-hop, Afrobeats, Reggaeton, Punjabi music, ballads — that variety landed. And the performances themselves carried really strong messages. The youth choir from Staten Island with Mandy Patinkin singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow especially stood out to me — a reminder of who the change is for -the kids- and of the importance of the arts, and arts education as part of the fabric of this city. 3️⃣ The inclusivity in his speeches still lands. Mamdani’s way of naming people across class, culture, and community continues to feel genuine and not like pandering. It’s clear what he’s doing, but it still feels heartfelt and genuine, and that really matters. 4️⃣ Some powerful leadership moments. Jumaane Williams’ speech really moved me — the vulnerability, the honesty, and bringing in Maurice Bishop and ideas of participatory government, education for all, and leadership that works for the people. I also appreciated Mark Levine addressing the audience in four languages and being clear about his role as comptroller — as someone who will serve as a check and balance, not just a cheerleader. 5️⃣ Accountability was a throughline. What stood out to me was the repeated emphasis on transparency — that this administration won’t hide, and that they expect to be held accountable by the very people supporting them. That willingness to face discomfort publicly feels important. Overall: The ceremony was moving + really brought home the importance of city government as an institution along w/ the reminder that we all play a role. Did you watch? Whatcha think? Pic of me giving a speech on a very cold day in times square as a dance advocate.

Here are the reflections I’m using to close this year with clarity and intention as a multifaceted leader: 1️⃣ Name what you want to be known for Then list the progress you made toward that this year—even if it wasn’t perfect or permanent. Eg. wanting to be known for being organized and starting a new to do list tracking system that worked for you. 2️⃣ Name the roles you played Dancer. Administrator. Advisor. Leader. Then name the impact you had in each one. Eg. You were an advisor on a program that doubled its enrollment. 3️⃣ Notice what lit you up Which moments gave you energy? That’s data for how you want to show up in 2026. Eg. You realize that you love the beginning ideation parts of a project. 4️⃣ Get honest about energy leaks Where did things feel harder than they needed to be? Plan habits—not just goals—to support your capacity next year. Eg. You found yourself scrolling when you hit the messy middle instead of problem solving. Which habits could support that process? 5️⃣ Choose one unifying theme for 2026 A single guiding force that connects everything you do—so when it feels like “too much,” you remember why. Eg. My theme for 2025 was 'impact through connection'. Multifaceted doesn’t mean scattered. It means layered, adaptive, and deeply resourced—when you pause long enough to see it. Which reflection do you need most right now? #proudlymultifaceted #leadershipreflection #yearendreframe

Most people experience defining moments — the kind that split your life into before and after. Moments that force you to reckon with your capacity. With what you’re willing to accept as “normal.” With whether you’ll stay the same… or step up. In my recent history, two stand out clearly: 1. Becoming a mother. 2. Stepping into executive leadership. The photo above is me with my son at about six weeks old. I’m holding him — and studying for the wellness certification that quietly changed everything. Motherhood forced me into the driver’s seat of my life. I could no longer coast on work that looked successful but didn’t fully fit. I had to ask the hard questions: What am I actually here to do? How do my gifts want to be used now? That questioning led me to wellness work — to seeing the body as a site of transformation, not just performance. It began on maternity leave, without a clear map, only a sense that I needed to build something truer. Three and a half years later, my son is almost four. I look at this photo with pride — not because I had it figured out, but because I chose a braver path. The end of the year can feel like that kind of threshold too. **Who are you becoming next? What are you choosing for yourself?** As you think on that here are a few things I’ll name honestly about my transformation: 1. There were many unseen failures, late nights, starts and stops, moments of despair that were never seen. 2. I didn’t do this alone. Having a coach and having a small circle of cheerleaders helped me hold the uncertainty long enough for clarity to emerge. Shoutout to @askpetrushka ! 3. Where I landed is not where I started. Wellness was the opening --> Working with leaders, creatives and teams through strengths based development that includes the body and with orgs on larger transformation and capacity building is where it has evolved while still being able to be a mom+wife, perform, support community + be in peak shape. ✨ If you’re standing at a threshold and need support as you step forward, my DMs are open. AND most of my packages for coaching are discounted through midnight! #leadershipcoaching #proudlymultifaceted #newyearsresolution

Hello all, I am so grateful to all the work we've done together. I will be off of IG until Dec 30 and off of email until January 5. Services on my booking platform are discounted until December 31 so feel free to book there if you want to get ahead of next year. It's been such an honor to share and exchange with you in 2025. Here's to more growth, embodiment, and wellness in 2026! #naptime #holiday #coaching