Sustaining leaders for social change

Welcome to LumiTalent

More Impact. Less Burnout.

What We Do

Illuminating sustainable paths to success for mission-driven leaders and their teams.

We can show you the way to:

Simplify

Streamline your priorities for amplified impact & start saying no to shiny objects

Strategize

Spend less time in the weeds and more time on your strategic vision

Strengthen

Develop your promising leaders to create lasting change without endless hours

Danielle Pickens

Meet your coach

Founder and Chief Strategist

Danielle Pickens brings over two decades of experience in developing mid to senior-level leaders and teams within K12 public education, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations. As an independent consultant and coach for the past 13 years, Danielle excels in crafting practical, sustainable talent development strategies that yield exceptional organizational results without individual burnout.

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services

Sustaining Leaders for Social Change

Mission-driven leaders often sacrifice their wellbeing for their cause, but sustainable leadership isn't about choosing between impact and personal fulfillment—it's designing systems and practices that advance your mission effectively while prioritizing your people.

  • For organizations, it's a retention and performance issue.

    When leaders burn out and leave, you lose expertise and momentum. We help you create a workplace where people thrive, keeping talent while advancing your mission.

    Learn More

  • For individuals, it's a quality of life issue.

    Your mission demands your best, but dedication shouldn't compromise your relationships and health. We help you stay present, maintain wellbeing, and reconnect with what first drew you to mission-driven work.

    Learn More 
insightful statistics

Your leadership is what drives employee retention and fulfills your mission.

In fact, it’s crucial to keeping your organization afloat…

According to a Nonprofit HR study, 45% of nonprofit staff are planning to leave their jobs in the next five years – that’s nearly half of your staff and institutional knowledge gone.

10X

A toxic work culture is the single biggest predictor of burnout and attrition, 10x more powerful than compensation.

38% of mothers with young children say without workplace flexibility, they’d have to leave their company or reduce their hours (McKinsey, 2023)

The stakes could not be higher.

If you don’t support your team’s ability to thrive, you’re going to lose them. LumiTalent can help.

We refuse to accept that burnout is the price of changing the world. 

  • Danielle has been an invaluable asset to our team and our clients.

    As we’ve grown, her strategic feedback and adaptability have been instrumental in scaling our impact.

    One of the most impressive aspects of Danielle's coaching is how she is able to coach such a wide range of individuals, with impactful results across the board. Her coaching style is unique in that it is very action-oriented. You leave sessions with a real, concrete plan for next steps.

    Danielle's ability to balance individual coaching support for clients with strategic systems thinking to help support our business is a rare combination. She’s a true partner for mission-driven leaders.

    — Allison Whalen, CEO, Parentaly

  • Danielle has provided such incredible support to me personally as CEO.

    Her deep expertise in talent management has helped advance and expand USHCA as a thought leader in the field; her facilitation and program design skills ensure we have best in class learning and development for HR and talent leaders; and her detail-orientation ensures we’re internally well-organized and aligned across all of our programming. I cannot speak highly enough to the many talents Danielle possesses and how grateful I am that she has chosen to work with us for the last 13 years.

    — Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Arons, USHCA

  • Danielle is a savvy program strategist with deep expertise regarding talent best practices.

    She is also a gifted facilitator who is always attuned and responsive to participant and client needs. I hope to have many more opportunities to work with and learn from her in the future.

    — Gianna Bruno, Education Pioneers

  • I would recommend Danielle in a heartbeat.

    Over the course of a few sessions, her coaching propelled my career while also giving me time back in my day. Her guidance allowed me to think more strategically which resulted in the ability to influence within an organization, not think about work after hours and focus on the big picture.

    — Ashley Binford, Coaching Client

  • Danielle is what you want in a coach.

    First and foremost you know she cares — about you, about achieving freedom from the limitations and stresses we put on ourselves, and about making an impact. Second, she is structured and organized. If you want to walk away with notes and reflections on how you are doing along the way and tools to practice on your own, she’s there for all of that. She is also organized in her thinking, giving feedback and sharing inquiries that scaffold the conversation towards a bigger outcome. Thank you Danielle for putting your talents out there for others to benefit from!

    — Jeff Kang, Coaching Client

  • Danielle is authentic and insightful and practices what she preaches!

    She has tons of great tools for setting up holistic systems to enable you to thrive across all aspects of your life - both personally and professionally. She is able to make complex challenges simple and teach you to apply those tools in your everyday life.

    — Laura Owens, Coaching Client

  • Working with Danielle has been transformative.

    Danielle helped me reframe my mindset, lighten my mental load, and focus on what truly matters. Her thoughtful support and resources were pivotal in navigating burnout and realigning my perspective.

    As a result of our work together, my professional and personal life have improved immensely. I’ve gained a greater sense of calm and the ability to resist the perfectionism that used to weigh me down. I’m more confident in setting boundaries and focusing on what truly matters.

    Danielle’s thoughtful, personalized coaching has made a lasting impact, and I’m so grateful for her guidance during such a critical period in my career. I highly recommend her coaching to anyone seeking clarity and actionable strategies for growth.

    Sarah Fawzy, Director of HR, Modern Classrooms Project