In today’s episode of the Authority Builder Podcast, Charlotte is joined by Patti Dayleg (MPH), a leadership coach, consultant, and CEO of Malaya Solutions.

Patti partners with nonprofit leaders, small business owners, and coalitions to build cultures rooted in care, clarity, and collective power. With over a decade of experience advancing equity across government, philanthropy, the arts, and community organisations, she brings a practical, human approach to leading through uncertainty.

If you’ve been watching DEI become increasingly politicised, budgets shrink, and roles disappear, this conversation is timely and grounding.

Who Patti works with (and what problem she solves)

Patti supports people working in mission-driven roles who are carrying a lot right now.

She describes a reality many leaders are living: fear, instability, and secondary trauma (and for some, primary trauma), while still showing up every day for communities whose needs are rising.

Her coaching helps leaders:

• Stay grounded in their “why”, even when the environment feels hostile or unpredictable
• Stay connected to one another, so they’re not trying to hold everything alone
• Keep going in a way that protects their wellbeing, not just their output

How her DEI and public health background shapes her coaching

Charlotte asks what’s most front-and-centre for Patti right now, given the wider DEI landscape.

Patti’s answer is clear: healing.

She speaks about how easy it is for leaders to feel pulled outside of themselves when they’re navigating internal politics, external threats, and constant pressure.

So the work starts with the basics:

• Coming back into the body
• Regulating the nervous system
• Finding steadiness before trying to lead others through change

It’s somatic, practical, and deeply relevant for anyone trying to lead with integrity in a charged environment.

Why coaching became the lever for impact

Patti shares an early career experience in a nonprofit where they had five executive directors in four years.

The work still had to happen. The team still had to deliver. And the instability at the top created instability everywhere else: funding, jobs, priorities, and morale.

That period shaped her view of leadership and sustainability. It also ran alongside her own healing journey.

In fact, Patti’s first day working in government DEI was also her first day training as a health coach. Those two paths have been intertwined ever since.

What leadership instability teaches teams

Charlotte and Patti unpack how leadership churn impacts an organisation, even for junior team members.

Patti reflects that having a strong manager can buffer the impact, but when you don’t have that protection, every leadership change is felt.

The takeaway is important: leadership isn’t just about the executive layer. The whole organisation absorbs what’s happening at the top, whether leaders acknowledge it or not.

Mission-driven success vs private sector success

Charlotte asks how Patti defines success differently for mission-driven leaders compared to private sector leaders.

Patti shares a real-time example: an organisation where one leader measures success by scale and revenue, while another is focused on solving a social challenge (affordability).

When those definitions clash, it affects everything:

• Where money goes
• Who gets hired
• Which projects get prioritised
• What offers get built

For many mission-driven leaders, success is more collective. It’s not only about personal achievement.

It’s also about sustainability, including a question that comes up again and again:

“Can this organisation last beyond me?”

What’s happening with DEI funding and support on the ground

Patti describes a messy, constantly shifting landscape in the US, especially when funding is connected to federal sources.

Decisions are challenged in court. Budgets can be cut suddenly. Organisations that have already delivered work can find invoices delayed or stuck.

In response, Patti is seeing two patterns:

• Some funders are tightening their belts due to uncertainty
• Others are doubling down, and even collaborating to reduce risk and pool resources

That collaboration piece is particularly interesting: more funders working together to resource a movement, rather than acting alone.

How leaders stay focused when the work is politicised (and resources are shrinking)

Charlotte asks the key question: how do leaders stay focused when the work is politicised and resources are shrinking?

Patti breaks it into two parts.

First: recentering.

Leaders need ways to come back to themselves when the world is loud, threatening, and overwhelming. Without that, it’s hard to show up at all.

Second: staying connected to impact.

Hopelessness and “nothing I do matters” thinking is a fast track to burnout. Leaders need to see how their contribution connects to the bigger picture, even if their part is small.

Charlotte links this to a powerful point about evidence: when you can measure the difference your work makes, you can stand firmer in your value and keep moving forward.

The overlooked role of “overhead” and resourcing the people doing the work

The conversation also touches on a tricky topic: the pressure for nonprofits to claim minimal overhead.

Patti questions whether “low overhead” always equals effectiveness. She argues that organisations need to resource their people properly, including leadership development and relationship-building, which often sits in overhead budgets.

Her view is straightforward:

• Leadership coaching is an overhead cost
• But investing in leadership and sustainability reduces scarcity and reactivity
• Better-resourced teams can do better work for longer

Business development without the online hustle: what worked for Patti

Patti shares a refreshingly grounded approach to business development.

When she went full-time in her business, she didn’t start by building an offer in isolation and selling to strangers.

Instead, she reconnected with her network using:

• One email
• One Instagram post

People who already trusted her reached out when they needed coaching support, including:

• an old funder
• a previous government contact

It was timing, yes, but also trust built over years.

If she had to start again from zero

Charlotte asks what Patti would do if she had to restart from scratch with no relationships.

Patti’s answer: show up in other people’s spaces.

She’d focus on:

• Local events
• New communities and conversations
• Connecting with people who naturally “weave” networks together

It’s a long-term play, but a sustainable one, especially for leaders and coaches who want work rooted in trust, not constant content churn.

Where to find Patti Dayleg

If you’re leading in a mission-driven organisation, doing equity work, feeling burnout, or trying to unlearn toxic leadership patterns, Patti is a great person to follow and reach out to.

Patti’s links:

• Instagram: @patti.malaya
• Website: malayasolutions.com
• Podcast: Malaya Solutions Podcast

Listen to the episode

This episode is titled: Build Authority Through Care Led Leadership with Patti Dayleg.

Listen to the full episode on Buzzsprout

If this conversation resonated, consider sharing the episode with a leader or colleague who’s carrying a lot right now and could use a steadier, more human approach to leadership.