LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR SOCIAL IMPACT LEADERS & COACHES
WE GROW LEADERS
Our Mission & Vision
Messy Roots is dedicated to equipping social impact leaders with the tool of coaching, empowering them with the resources and community needed to navigate challenges, drive meaningful change, and develop leaders.
We envision a world where social impact leaders have access to transformative coaching and resources, enabling them to lead with confidence, drive systemic change, and cultivate thriving, equitable communities.
Leadership Coaching Foundations
At Coaching Foundations, participants learn how to integrate coaching principles into their leadership style in order to grow leaders with purpose and impact. Research consistently shows that leaders who use coaching tools are more effective at inspiring teams, strengthening results, and fostering innovation in complex environments.
Application Open
Cohort Begins: February 19th
THE PROBLEM
Across sectors, leadership development is failing to keep pace with the complexity leaders are being asked to navigate. 77% of organizations report a leadership deficit across levels, and only 19% believe their leaders are effective at developing others, signaling fragile succession and limited growth pathways.
In the nonprofit and social impact sector, the challenge is even more pronounced: only about 30% of C-suite roles are filled through internal promotion, signaling a persistent lack of leadership development and internal pathways for growth.
WHO WE ARE
We are a learning community for social impact leaders and coaches, equipping leaders with the tool of coaching and surrounding them with the resources and community needed to navigate complexity, develop people, and drive meaningful change.
RECEIVE A LEADERSHIP COACHING CERTIFICATION
We offer two coaching certification pathways: one designed to help leaders integrate coaching into their leadership style, and another for leaders who want to build a coaching practice.
Our curriculum, inspired by the work of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde, blends storytelling and data to prepare leaders to support leadership development within social impact organizations.
OUR IMPACT
To date, Messy Roots has grown into a learning community of more than 800 social impact leaders and has awarded over 200 coaching certifications.
FOUNDER & FACILITATOR
Messy Roots was founded by Mario Jovan Shaw, a leadership coach and facilitator with over a decade of experience in the social impact space. His journey began as the co-founder of a nonprofit organization that used coaching as a strategy to retain male educators of color.
Together, he and his team of 30+ coaches achieved a 98% annual retention rate for both educators and staff. That work helped influence the education landscape and earned him recognition on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Social Entrepreneurship.
Today, Mario brings those lessons forward to support leaders in building sustainable, people-centered leadership practices.
COMMUNITY
While some of our programs require an investment, our Leadership Development Community remains free—and we are committed to always offering a no-cost option. We believe that every social impact leader deserves access to high-quality development tools and programs.
Join us in Meet Me in the Garden (Mighty Network), where over 600 social impact leaders come together to connect, network, and host programs designed to support your growth as a leader.
WHAT IS A COACH?
Coaches play a pivotal role in unlocking their clients' untapped potential. Whether guiding clients through career choices or personal endeavors, coaches offer an impartial external perspective that serves as both guidance and a sounding board. A coach's purpose isn't to supply all the solutions or perform the work, but to illuminate the path for clients to uncover their own answers and most effective strategies.
Distinguishing a Coach from a Therapist: A therapist's focus encompasses both past experiences and mental health diagnoses. Although therapists may employ tools to address current challenges, their primary approach often involves referencing past experiences to aid clients in surmounting obstacles.
Distinguishing a Coach from a Mentor: A mentor is typically someone a client looks up to, aspiring to achieve a similar role, position, or lifestyle. Consequently, the client tends to emulate the mentor's actions. The mentor's central function involves guiding the client along a path they themselves have traversed - essentially, walking in their footsteps. In contrast, coaches often work with clients from diverse fields and industries. Their role revolves around steering clients towards self-discovery rather than replicating the coach's own journey.