Written by 
“Because sustaining change isn’t just a concept—it’s a discipline, a rhythm,
a way of working and living.” – Dr. Peggy Marshall
You’ve likely been part of change efforts that began with clarity and energy. Maybe you even led them. The vision was compelling. The plan was solid. People were engaged. Everything felt possible.
And then… life happened.
The urgency faded. The momentum slowed. What started as a powerful shift began to quietly stall—not because people didn’t care, but because sustainment has its own rules. And most change models stop short of teaching them.
That’s what this work is all about.
Sustaining Impact began as a conversation—a pattern I kept seeing in my work with leaders, teams, and clients who were navigating meaningful transformation. They had clarity, courage, and momentum, but something was missing in the middle. The support systems faded. The habits didn’t stick. The change lost its foothold.
Over time, it became more than a pattern. It became a process, a way of thinking about the often-overlooked middle space of change. A way to create intentional practices that help change not just start, but actually stick.
Now, that process is becoming a book.
Why the Process Matters
You already know how to begin change. You’ve facilitated breakthroughs, designed strategies, inspired new habits. You’ve helped people and systems move toward possibility.
But you also know that insight isn’t enough, and transformation rarely follows a straight line.
That’s where the Sustaining Impact process comes in.
It’s designed to help you—and those you lead or support—navigate the messy, necessary work that happens after the kickoff, when the slide decks are closed and the daily grind rushes back in. When the emotional high has passed and the real-life pull of old habits starts creeping in.
This process gives you language for the space between inspiration and integration.
It builds a bridge between clarity and consistency.
It offers structure without rigidity, rhythm without burnout, support without micromanagement.
And now, it’s being captured in book form, not as a fixed formula, but as a living, adaptable guide you can return to again and again.
You’re Not Doing It Wrong—You’re Just in the Middle
If you’ve ever launched a great initiative only to watch it slowly lose steam, you’re not alone.
So many change efforts stall—not because people lack motivation, but because we treat the sustainment phase like a bonus round, not the core of the work. We celebrate the insight, the spark, the shift. But we forget to build in the scaffolding that keeps the change alive.
You’ve likely felt that tension yourself—that gap between what you know matters and what actually survives the day-to-day. That isn’t a personal failing. It’s a missing structure.
You don’t need more pressure.
You need a different process.
And that’s what Sustaining Impact offers: a framework for staying in meaningful relationship with the change you’re committed to.
The Sustaining Impact Process
A rhythm, not a recipe. A return to what matters.
Over the years, this work has evolved into a clear, intentional framework, one that supports individuals and teams through the full arc of change. Not just at the beginning, but especially in the middle, where sustaining momentum becomes its own kind of leadership.
The process includes eight phases, each offering a specific kind of focus—and a specific kind of courage.
The 8 Phases of Sustaining Impact
- Clarity
You begin with vision. You pause to reconnect with what matters, why it matters, and what’s calling you forward. Without clarity, sustainment becomes survival. - Choosing
Clarity invites agency. You make intentional choices aligned with your values, goals, and energy. Choosing also means deciding what to release. - Clearing
Before new ways of working can take hold, you must let go. Whether it’s outdated habits, limiting beliefs, or simply overcommitment—clearing creates space for growth. - Committing
Sustaining impact requires more than interest, it requires consistency. This is where intention meets discipline, and actions align with values, even on the hard days. - Championing
No one sustains impact alone. You need champions, inside yourself and around you, to advocate, reinforce, and remind. This is about building visibility and support. - Courage
The middle gets messy. Doubt creeps in. Resistance surfaces. Courage is what helps you stay in the work when progress is slow, when the path is unclear, or when you’re tired. - Celebrate
Celebration sustains energy. This phase honors growth, visible or invisible. It reminds you (and others) that change is happening, and that effort is worth pausing for. - Continue
Sustainment is never static. You reflect, recalibrate, and re-engage. Continue is the phase of ongoing integration—where change becomes part of how you live and lead.
These phases aren’t always linear. You’ll move between them. You’ll revisit them. But together, they form a rhythm that helps your work take root, and grow over time.
From Practice to Pages
This book didn’t begin as an abstract idea. It began as a lived experience. As a question I kept asking:
Why do meaningful changes fade?
And what helps them endure?
The answers didn’t arrive all at once. They revealed themselves through real conversations, real teams, and real leadership challenges. As I tracked the patterns, the process emerged—one I’ve used across industries, sectors, and coaching engagements.
Now I’m turning that process into a book.
Not to lock it down.
But to open it up.
To give language to what you’ve probably already felt.
To offer guidance that’s both practical and grounded in humanity.
To help you keep doing work that doesn’t just inspire—but lasts.
Why This Matters to You
If you’re a coach, a leader, a culture builder, or a change agent, you’re in this for more than quick wins. You care about depth. Alignment. Real transformation.
This process, and this book, is for the moments when:
- No one’s watching, but you keep showing up.
- The applause has faded, but the vision still calls.
- You’re tired but still committed to what matters.
Because sustainability isn’t about perfection.
It’s about the willingness to return.
Again and again.
The Work We Tend Grows
You know this in your bones: the work you tend is the work that grows.
The impact you sustain is the impact that transforms.
Sustaining Impact is more than a process. It’s a practice.
One that honors the messy, beautiful, unglamorous middle.
One that helps you hold the thread of change, even when it’s hard.
One that reminds you: this is still worth it.
Because your impact doesn’t begin and end with a launch.
It lives in the way you keep showing up.
The full book—Sustaining Impact: Inspiration Meets Perspiration—will be available late summer 2025. In the meantime, join us on May 7th for a special webinar preview where we’ll explore several of the key concepts that will be featured in the book. It’s a chance to engage with the material, reflect in community, and start thinking differently about what it means to truly sustain change.
