Beyond Burnout: How Tauna Batiste's "Strategy as Resistance" is Revolutionizing Nonprofit Leadership

nonprofit burnout nonprofit leadership strategic leadership strategy as resistance tauna batiste Oct 21, 2025

A conversation about authentic leadership, strategic boundaries, and transforming uncertainty into opportunity

The Leadership Crisis We Can't Ignore

The numbers are staggering. According to the Center for Effective Philanthropy's 2024 State of Nonprofits report, 95% of nonprofit leaders express concern about burnout, with 34% reporting that staff burnout has been "very much" a concern in the past year. Nearly half of nonprofits struggle to fill vacant positions, while 22% of nonprofit employees live paycheck-to-paycheck, unable to afford basic necessities despite working for organizations dedicated to helping others.

But what if this crisis could become a catalyst for revolutionary change in how we lead?

Enter Tauna Batiste, Founder and CEO of Drew Alexander Consulting, whose approach to leadership challenges everything we think we know about sustainable impact. In a recent conversation on the ALC ChangeMakers Podcast, Tauna shared insights that are reshaping how mission-driven leaders navigate uncertainty while protecting their most valuable resource: themselves.

The Affirmation That Changes Everything

Tauna's journey from nonprofit executive to transformational consultant began with five words that initially "messed her all the way up":

"I am first in my priorities."

It took over 100 repetitions before this affirmation felt authentic. But learning to say it, and mean it, transformed not just her leadership but her entire approach to sustainable impact.

"That one messed me all the way up, but it was so essential to hear myself say that what I needed was a priority," Tauna explains. "If I took care of me, I could in fact take care of everyone else."

This isn't selfishness; it's strategic leadership. Research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior confirms that employees with clear boundaries between work and personal life are less likely to think about work outside of work hours, leading to better mental health and job performance.

The Art of Strategic Boundaries

One of Tauna's most powerful examples of boundary-setting came during a client negotiation. She literally watched herself lean back, put down her notebook, and cross her arms as she withdrew her energy from what felt like an unsafe space.

"I sat there and felt myself doing it, but I was withdrawing my energy to say, 'This is not a safe place for me. And I choose not to engage,'" she recalls. Before the call ended, she withdrew their proposal entirely.

This decision reflects what workplace psychology research calls "healthy balanced boundaries", limits that create psychological safety while maintaining professional effectiveness. As Harvard Business Review research shows, 94% of people in professional services work over 50 hours per week, creating a domino effect of compromised sleep, declining relationships, and decreased productivity.

The lesson: Every dollar isn't worth your energy, and every client isn't worth your peace.

"Big Auntie Energy": A New Leadership Paradigm

When Tauna's marketing team kept asking about her brand, it took nearly two years to articulate the answer: Working with her is like working with your auntie.

"I bring this big auntie energy: I come and I hold you accountable, but I also encourage you, I also want to make sure I feed your soul, protect you, and see your dreams come true."

This authentic leadership style creates what researchers call boundary-spanning leadership, the ability to integrate organizational goals with individual needs while creating psychological safety for diverse team members. Studies show this approach leads to higher employee engagement, clearer communication, and lower turnover rates.

Strategy as Resistance: The Revolutionary Framework

Perhaps Tauna's most powerful contribution is her concept of "Strategy as Resistance," a fundamental reframe that turns uncertainty into opportunity.

"We can decide to accept what it is, or we can decide that we're going to create strategies that look for opportunities within threats," she explains.

This approach aligns with Harvard Business Review's research on strategy under uncertainty, which found that traditional strategic planning often underestimates uncertainty, leading to strategies that neither defend against threats nor capitalize on opportunities.

Tauna uses the concept of "wartime profiteering": not to encourage exploitation, but to illustrate strategic positioning. If you know there's going to be increased need for canteens, you start making canteens. If you see funding challenges coming, you position your organization to meet emerging needs.

Hurricane Season Planning: Strategic Preparation for Uncertain Times

Tauna's most practical innovation is her "Hurricane Season" approach to strategic planning, which acknowledges we're not in "normal" times. She teaches three levels of organizational preparedness:

Level 1: High Alert

Batteries charged, plans ready
May not hit, but we're prepared to move quickly
Scenario planning with flexible resource allocation

Level 2: Definite Impact

Storm is coming, we're taking intentional action
Implementing contingency plans
Securing critical operations

Level 3: Direct Hit

Strategic evacuation to continue existing
Core mission preservation mode
Minimal viable operations planning

This framework reflects what McKinsey research calls the four levels of uncertainty, where different strategic tools and approaches are needed based on the level of residual uncertainty facing decision-makers.

The key insight: Your strategic plan needs scenarios for all three levels, with check-ins every six months instead of "set it and forget it" approaches.

The Business Case for Self-Care

Tauna's transformation from someone who was "too people-centered" to a leader who puts herself first in her priorities isn't just personal development—it's organizational sustainability.

"The cost to me, when it comes to my peace of mind, when it comes to my longevity as a leader... I am treasured and valued by the people who love me. They could care less about that $5,000 or $50,000. Their investment is in my presence, in me continuing to exist."

Research supports this approach. Studies show that leaders with strong emotional boundaries have higher employee engagement, clearer communication, and lower turnover rates. When leaders model sustainable practices, it creates permission for their teams to do the same.

Why This Matters Right Now

The nonprofit sector is uniquely positioned to navigate current uncertainty. As Tauna notes, mission-driven organizations are accustomed to:

Running on constrained budgets
Solving complex problems with real community impact
Getting things done under challenging conditions
Being innovative and solutions-oriented

But this sector is also on the front lines of current challenges. Recent research shows that 60% of nonprofit leaders cite staffing concerns—including burnout and losing staff to higher-paying positions—as their organization's biggest challenge.

The opportunity lies in reframing these challenges strategically rather than reactively.

The Free Resource That's Changing Organizations

Tauna is offering a free Strategy as Resistance Masterclass—her "love letter back to the nonprofit sector." The masterclass provides:

Refreshed strategic thinking skills for overwhelmed leaders
Hurricane season approach to planning in uncertain times
Action worksheets for immediate deployment
Options for individual leaders and organizational networks

This reflects what research on strategic planning in uncertainty identifies as crucial: organizations need "strategic flexibility, scenario planning, data analytics, and collaborative learning" to thrive amid disruption.

Key Takeaways for Leaders

1. Redefine Self-Care as Leadership Strategy

Taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's essential leadership. You can't pour from an empty cup, and sustainable leaders create sustainable impact.

2. Master the Strategic "No"

Not every opportunity is worth your energy. Strategic boundary-setting protects your capacity for high-impact work.

3. Plan for Multiple Scenarios

Traditional strategic planning assumes predictability. Hurricane season planning prepares for high alert, direct impact, and evacuation scenarios.

4. Transform Uncertainty into Opportunity

Instead of accepting what's happening around you, create strategies that position your organization for opportunities within threats.

5. Lead with Authentic Energy

Find your own version of "big auntie energy"—leadership that combines accountability with encouragement, protection with empowerment.

The Path Forward

The nonprofit sector's current challenges—from funding cuts to staffing shortages—aren't temporary setbacks to endure. They're strategic inflection points that can catalyze transformation in how we lead, organize, and create impact.

As Tauna reminds us: "Strategy can be resistance to all that's happening around us. If we can position ourselves so that when challenges do come, we have a plan that can take us around, through, under, over—then we are empowered in a way that prevents the hopelessness that comes otherwise."

The question isn't whether uncertainty will continue—it will. The question is whether we'll meet it with reactive fear or strategic intention.

The choice, as always, is ours.

About This Article

This piece is based on insights from Tauna Batiste's appearance on the ALC ChangeMakers Podcast, where she discussed her journey from nonprofit executive to transformational consultant. Tauna is the Founder and CEO of Drew Alexander Consulting, specializing in strategic advising, leadership development, and operational excellence training.

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Have you experienced the tension between people-centered leadership and self-care? How are you applying "strategy as resistance" in your own leadership? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

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