Hi friend, and welcome back — or hello for the first time! We’ve missed this. After a longer-than-expected article & email sabbatical, we’re returning with a special invitation to what we’ve been creating 👇🏽. But first …
A few honest words on where we’ve been while MIA:
Adriana has been recovering from a winter respiratory virus by running and hiking this spring in the hills of California, and also joined an intensive YouTube coaching program to create a channel that helps impact professionals live their best lives with leadership development, guided resets, and more.
Meanwhile, Abigail has been navigating a big life transition — settling her family into Benin, West Africa. She loves it!
The step back gave us both space to ask: what does ImaginePod most want to be in 2026?
The answer, it turns out, is this: simpler, warmer, more centered, still useful. We’ve redesigned our focus, and we’re coming back with even more intention. This newsletter is part of that. Here are five things that might make your work and life feel a little more possible and a lot more clear + focused.
We will do our best to be consistent with weekly opportunities for you in your inbox, while still recognizing we are human … and life happens.
Thank you for still being here! — Abigail & Adriana, Co-hosts, ImaginePod
🎉 We are excited to invite you to apply to the first session of The Impact Workroom! It’s our free live gathering on Zoom for mission-driven professionals who want dedicated time to work on the projects already on their plate … in a space that feels grounded, focused, and connected. Each month!
📆 Thu, June 4 | 📍 Zoom | 🪑Seats limited
The workroom opens with a guided meditation by Kelly Southcott, who’s based in the United Kingdom, to help you arrive and get centered. We then do two timed “Pomodoro” work sprints where you’ll quietly work alongside others on your own priorities.
In between the work sessions, Maria Bryan of Donorbox will lead a short training on building a meaningful monthly giving program that’s so much more than a series of transactions.
Think of it as focused co-working for people doing impact-driven work: space to make real progress, reconnect with your purpose, and remember you’re not doing this alone.
We’re thrilled to have the first applicants coming in already from our networks and The Bloom 🌱 !
Note: To ensure the right community, you do need to apply (via a quick form) in advance. Applications are reviewed and seats are limited.
Adriana here. This 👇🏽 is what I’ve been working on during my sabbatical from email. I recognize it’s such a gift to be able to join a coaching program and spend time learning … I think it’s like being at a spa.
Now I get to share it with you and find out for whom it helps and resonates. (If you watch one, please comment in YouTube so I know!)
You’ll see mine are filmed in nature so YOU can have an adventure while I get more healthy and happy! [As they say, “Sitting is the new smoking.”]
a) This week, filmed on my back patio with ancient oaks and fire pit around me, my new video is on my 2026-27 journaling system for mental clarity. Watch and share tips from what works in your system! We all have key hacks on what works for your own productivity.
Note: Please only start the video if you have 11 minutes to watch it so my YouTube channel stats benefit rather than suffer! If you have a YouTube channel, this is a tip you can share with your viewers.
b) One thing I keep hearing incredibly high performing professionals say is, “I feel like I have ADD or ADHD.” I created this video 👇🏽 while walking from a mountain top down to a gorgeous creek, sharing what I’ve found personally and in my work with impact professionals around the world:
c) And here 👇🏽 is my most popular video to date with my recommendation on what to address so your nervous system can regulate better and better, which in turn increases your focus, productivity, and happiness. Meanwhile, you’ll walk with me from a vineyard, through a jungle, down to the Russian River:
Plus you’ll find more helpful topics, such as somatic meditations in beautiful places, on my new channel!
Pro Pitch Tip: STOP PITCHING YOUR PROGRAMS, AND START PITCHING THE PROBLEM.
Adriana here again. By day, I get to serve as Strategy & Partnerships Specialist at a community foundation in California, and have the honor of reviewing many proposals. Plus, I’ve written many successful proposals and pitches.
My favorite people to write grants for are ministers working in inner city environments to mentor youth and offer skill building for careers on a path out of poverty. I work with one minister in Marin City, California and another in the Southside of Chicago. Ministers are good at talking about the bigger picture why, so I just listen and capture it straight from them, in their own raw words … but we all can do that. Channel your inner Reverend, as it were!
In contrast, I find that most funding proposals and pitches of other types spend ~80% of the space describing WHAT you do.
However, funders who say “Yes” to the big asks spend their attention on WHY this problem cannot wait, and whether you’re the right people to solve it.
So here’s the reframe to remember: Lead every proposal, pitch, email, and conversation with **the human stakes of the problem.** Then introduce your solution as the inevitable response. Your programs are evidence of the need. They are not the headline.
💡 This week’s prompt for you: Rewrite the first paragraph of your current pitch so it opens with the person most affected by the problem — not with your organization’s name.
Pro Job Tip: If you’re applying for a job, do LOTS of practice interviews. Get comfortable with the types of questions that would be asked and what you would say so that you show up powerfully. A class, coaching, or smart friend can help with this.
We share great roles for impact professionals, across sectors and geographies. We know these are times when you may need a boost of spirit for your career. We highlight a job opportunity each week and a great source to find more opportunities.
New role: A Dev Ops Engineer role just opened at The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. Find out about McGovern via this opportunity. $70K-$106K. This foundation is redefining what a tech-enabled, tech-forward foundation can be in these times. The position supports the tools + platforms the foundation builds for its grantees.
We invite you to learn more about this featured role and find more great job opportunities gathered by our friend Nick Martin here on his Nick@Noon Substack post:
Grant Writing Pro Tip: Before you look below, visualize your mission and vision statement. Then you won’t get sidetracked by an opportunity suddenly and change your scope ;-) That happens! You want to find opportunities that align with your mission.
Abigail here! We spotlight one grant, fellowship, or funding stream each week. You can quickly judge if it fits and whether it’s worth applying:
Research Grants on Reducing Inequality — Build, test, or increase understanding of programs, policies, or practices to reduce inequality in the academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes of young people ages 5-25 in the United States. 100,000 to 600,000 over 2-3 years, including up to 15% indirect costs.
In this LinkedIn article we just published to accompany this Substack post, we share seven more opportunities in fellowships, challenges, and cohorts that look exciting and game-changing.
When you apply for something that’s the right fit for you, metaphorical doors and real connections have the possibility of opening.
Thank you, friends! 😍 It feels so good to be back in touch. We hope to see you in the upcoming session of The Impact Workroom.
Please send us a quick reply or comment to share what resonates with you or what you’ve been up to!
Warmly, Abigail & Adriana
P.S. If you too are someone who needs a small group for accountability to get your emails and articles out & published, this is the one Adriana has just re-joined gratefully, facilitated by the very insightful Tanya Brody: https://emca.tanyabrodycopywriter.com/ewag-sales — in each session we have time to write our next email, then get a review with great editing suggestions.
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