Undercurrent Strategies, LLC

09/25/2026

A little Undercurrent Strategies in the wild this week! 🌊

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to present at the Wisconsin Park & Recreation Association's Fall Workshop.

The topic was "Cost Recovery That Works: A Practical Framework for Implementation."

We talked about something park and recreation agencies struggle with all the time… We know what best practice looks like, but the hard part is actually implementing it when time, capacity, and resources are already stretched so very thin.
..So instead of chasing the perfect cost recovery model, we focused on breaking the work into manageable pieces, building budget literacy throughout the organization, and simply starting somewhere… anywhere.

And a little reminder since it’s been quiet around here lately: Undercurrent is still very much alive and well! 😊

I’m continuing to offer workshops, conference sessions, trainings, and facilitated conversations around strategic planning, cost recovery, leadership, organizational alignment, and turning ideas into action.

Yesterday was a pretty great reminder of how much I love getting in a room with people and doing this work! 🤩✨

04/27/2026

We talk a lot about being helpful as leaders... Saying yes. Showing up. Taking things on.

But in my experience, my feeling to always want to step in and help led to overcommitment, a stretched capacity, and boatloads of stress!

Overcommitting doesn’t just stretch you thin. It creates inconsistency, and consistency is what trust is built on.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea:

👉 Say less. Do more.

Not as a productivity hack… but as a leadership discipline.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to do it all, this one might hit home.

I wrote more about it here! 👇 Check 'er out!

I've said this before, and I will say it again... trust is not built in big moments. It is, however, built in small, repeated actions over time.One of the fastest ways to build trust as a leader is simple. Do what you say you are going to do.And one of the fastest ways to erode it is just as simple....

04/20/2026

We’re wired to solve problems.

It’s what makes us effective. It’s what makes us leaders.

But what if our instinct to fix is actually getting in the way?

Not every problem needs a solution. Some need clarity. Some need patience. Some need to be left alone long enough to understand what’s really going on.

In my latest blog, I explore why the best leaders don’t rush to solve everything and what happens when they don’t.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to have all the answers, this one is for you!

As leaders, we are wired to solve problems. It is often how we got here. We built credibility by being responsive, helpful, and solution-oriented. When something breaks, we fix it. When someone struggles, we step in. When an issue surfaces, we move it forward.That instinct is valuable.It is also one...

03/31/2026

If it feels like your team is working hard and putting in a lot of effort, but you’re still failing to see tangible results, it is probably an alignment problem.

This quick 3-minute read explains what alignment is and why it is so important. Check it out!

I’d love to chat if you’re struggling with alignment on your team!

Alignment is one of those leadership concepts that gets referenced constantly but defined rarely (Guilty as charged here at Undercurrent!!!). We say we want aligned teams, but we do not always stop to clarify what alignment actually means specifically, or what it looks like in practice.Alignment is....

03/28/2026

We just wrapped up Quarter 1 of the 1% Better Leadership Challenge!

For the past 13 weeks, we’ve been focused on foundational leadership skills. The kind that don’t always get the spotlight, but still shape how you show up every single day.

And now, we shift…

Quarter 2 is all about relationships and trust. Because once you’ve done the internal work, leadership becomes about how you connect, communicate, and build credibility with others.

If you’ve been following along, this is your moment to recommit.

If you haven’t started yet, this is your moment to jump in.

You don’t need to go back and catch up. Just start here. Learn more 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

https://www.undercurrentstrategies.com/2026challenge

One focus per week. Small, intentional shifts, and then see how it compounds over time.

By the end of the year, you’re not the same leader.

Week 13 is all about checking alignment. And if I’m being honest, this is my favorite topic.

Alignment sounds simple, but it’s often the root cause of so many challenges leaders face.

Miscommunication. Frustration. Missed expectations. Team tension.

More often than not, it’s not a people problem. It’s an alignment problem.

Alignment is making sure your goals, expectations, priorities, and actions are all pulling in the same direction.

It’s clarity over assumptions.

It’s consistency over confusion.

And it’s the foundation of every single high performing team.

If your team feels stuck, disconnected, or constantly reacting, this is one of the first places I would look.

02/15/2026

Happy Valentine’s Day from Undercurrent Strategies to you!!! 😍😍😍

😉😅😁

01/30/2026

01/29/2026

Week 4 of the 1% Better Challenge is all about noticing your default patterns!

This is a very underrated leadership skill - what are your default patterns - good or not-so-great?

01/26/2026

🚨New Blog Post Alert!🚨

Let's look at how unexamined patterns show up in feedback, expectations, delegation, and turnover, and why intention, pause, and values matter when leadership gets hard.

If you have ever felt like the ground shifted beneath you at work, or if you want to lead more intentionally instead of on autopilot, this one is worth a deeper read!

A highly underestimated leadership skills is pattern recognition.Not isolated incidents. Not one tough week. Not one difficult employee.Patterns.Patterns reveal what is actually happening inside an organization, not what leadership believes is happening. They show up quietly, through repetition. Thr...

01/26/2026