Nabors Coaching Group

Last Friday was a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t shaped only by systems or titles, it’s shaped by stories, courage, and human connection.

I’m deeply grateful to Leadership Lancaster for inviting us back once again and for continuing to honor the importance of second-chance opportunities, re-entry support, and the voices of lived experience. Creating space for these conversations matters. It truly makes a difference.

To my brave students, Kimberly Martinez, Quelbin Amancio, and Kareem Washington, thank you for showing up with honesty, vulnerability, and leadership. Sharing where you’ve been and where you are today is no small thing. Your stories are living proof of resilience, growth, and what becomes possible when people are seen, supported, and believed in.

I’m also grateful for my business mentor, Gerard Loy Glenn, whose steady support has meant more than words can capture, and to Lorena Bravo from Kutztown Small Business Administration for capturing these moments in real time so the emotion, impact, and truth of the day could be remembered.

This is the work.
Honest conversations. Courageous leadership.
And the belief that people are more than their past and are worthy of a future filled with possibilities.
💛

Behind the scenes of work that matters.

Leadership isn’t built in soundbites.

Sitting with one of our former Dare to Lead® trainees, she reflects on how leadership has been reshaped through her team’s training experience: honest conversation, reflection, and the courage to align behavior with values, especially under pressure.

This moment captures the work I’m committed to creating space for leaders to slow down, step into courage, tell the truth, and intentionally choose how they want to show up and be seen, grounded in the Dare to Lead® skill sets.

Grateful to Kutztown SBDC for being on-site to help capture these stories and the impact behind them.

Our behavior tells the truth about our values.

This week, a coaching conversation reminded me how easy it is to confuse being authentic with being reactive.

When emotions run high, it’s tempting to justify our behavior as “keeping it real.” But when we pause and look more closely, we sometimes realize our actions don’t fully align with the values we claim to live by.

It was a powerful reminder for me that our values are only meaningful when they are supported by our behavior, especially under pressure.

I’m sitting with this question today:
How often do we check whether our behavior reflects our values?

Honoring a man who practiced what he preached, especially when it wasn’t easy.

Dr. King showed us that living in alignment with our values requires courage. Courage to speak when silence feels safer, and courage to act when the cost is high.

May we honor his legacy not just with words, but through how we choose to live and lead.

Lancaster County has lost two quiet giants, leaders who lived their values without ever seeking recognition.

What strikes me most about both is this: neither pursued accolades, yet both consistently chose principle over convenience. Deeply committed to serving those often left at the margins of society, they chose the work of service over titles, financial gain, or public praise.

They embodied what we mean by servant leadership, leading for the greater good, grounded in values.

Maureen Powers lived her values through action. While serving as an executive director of a for-purpose organization, she quietly ensured our work could continue by waiving rent when we were operating on a shoestring budget. She never sought acknowledgment, yet year after year, she made sure our program was supported and sustained. Even into retirement, Maureen served on our Advisory Board to stay connected to both the cost and impact of our work.

John Churchville was much the same. Just two weeks ago, I referred a client to him for a potential hire. Instead of pursuing business, John offered thoughtful guidance, free of charge, focused entirely on what was in the client’s best interest. He even took time to call outside of his workday.

One of my last interactions with John stays with me. I ran into him at a local coffee shop and asked what he was looking at. He smiled and said, “I’m just enjoying the sight of my wife, whom I’m still madly in love with after nearly 30 years. Isn’t she beautiful?”

That was John.
Present.
Gracious.
Grounded.

I often speak about values needing to be supported by behavior, because behavior is observable and measurable. Maureen and John exemplified what true value alignment looks like in action.

I’m deeply grateful to have worked alongside both community leaders and can only hope to model even a fraction of the altruistic spirit they lived so naturally.

Until we meet again, friends.

“If trauma can be passed along generations, values can be, too.” -Wagner Moura

This photo from Hopkins Village, Belize, is so much more than a beautiful memory to me. It is a snapshot of my "home rhythms", the quiet, ordinary moments where our true character is forged and passed on.

While leadership calls for strong value alignment at work, it’s often in these domestic spaces where that alignment is first tested.

A thought for my fellow leaders: I know that "showing up at work exactly as we do at home" isn't always easy or even safe, especially for leaders of color. Codeswitching is real labor. But I believe the goal of Living Intentionally is to ensure that even when we must adapt our behaviors for a system, we never lose our identity.

We lead from our roots.

I’d love to hear from you: What is a value or tradition from your home that has shaped how you show up in the world?

As I move through my first week of 2026, I’m being reminded that slowing down has a way of revealing what motion can’t.

While walking the path where we were staying in Africa, I noticed this boat was docked quietly in the middle of the water.

It was available, but not immediate.
It required a pause.
Thought.
Intention.

That moment stayed with me longer than I expected.

It reminded me how often we confuse busyness with progress, and how clarity tends to show up only when we’re willing to stop long enough to notice what’s already there.

I’m learning that living with intention and leading boldly often means being slow to move, so we’re clear about why we’re moving at all.

Sometimes the most responsible thing we can do is pause, listen, and see what’s right in front of us.

I’m curious, how are you starting your 2026?

As the year begins, I’m choosing not to rush into it.

Not with resolutions.
Not with urgency.
Not with noise.

This hasn’t always come easily for me. Slowing down has taken intention and practice.

I’m stepping into 2026 more rooted, clearer about what I’m carrying forward and just as clear about what I’m leaving behind.

I’ve learned that clarity doesn’t come from doing more.
It comes from being honest with ourselves first.

Honest about what’s sustainable.
Honest about what’s aligned.
Honest about the kind of life and leadership we want to actually live.

This year, I’m choosing intention over performance.
Not perfect. Just present.

I’m curious, what are you choosing on purpose this year? 💛

As the year comes to a close, I'm holding a deep sense of gratitude. Grateful for the work, the people, and the moments that asked for courage, presence, and trust. Some seasons unfolded differently than expected, and still, the work met me exactly where I needed to be. Closing this year grounded, reflective, and thankful for all that continues to shape my journey.

Merry Christmas. 🎄

May today give you a moment to pause, breathe, and reconnect with what matters most.

Wishing you a meaningful and restorative Thanksgiving. 🍁💛

This is my father, Fred D. Nabors. A man who taught me that leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about courage, character, and service.

Today, and every day for that matter, I honor him and every veteran who carried the weight of duty with heart and purpose.
Your courage still shapes generations. ❤️🇺🇸