The Catalyst Perspective

You Don’t Need a Podium to Lead; You Need Proximity.

A couple months ago, I walked into the DG Fish Food Pantry… not as a strategist, not as a coach. Just a woman ready to serve.

There was no speech. No clipboard.

Just a quiet welcome from a circle of women who let me observe, move alongside them, and be part of the rhythm.

They were collaborative.

Calm.

Focused.

Kind.

Then someone walked in with tomatoes—garden-grown, deep red, still warm from the sun. A few minutes later, someone else arrived with cucumbers and peppers.

All fresh. All freely given.

And I stood there, taking it in. Not just the vegetables, but the deeper truth:
These neighbors had every reason to keep what they grew… and they chose to share it.

That hit me in a place I don’t always talk about.

Because I remember the quiet hunger of my childhood. I remember opening a refrigerator with little in it.

So to stand in a room decades later and witness strangers feeding each other without spectacle or shame? That was full-circle power.

This moment isn’t about charity. This moment is about humanity.

And in this time when everything feels chaotic and leadership is too often reduced to soundbites, here’s the question I’m asking:

The Power Move: Strategy & Perspective

Want to Lead? Get Closer to the Ground.

I recently joined journalist Robin Hamilton on her new podcast, Democracy Does.

We talked about the fear people are carrying, real fear.

Political instability. Rising authoritarianism. The sense that everything is unraveling.

But what grounds me and what I shared on that episode…is this truth:
​The antidote to national chaos is local connection.

That’s what I experienced at the food pantry. And that’s what the SCALE™ Framework is designed to build:

• S – Strengths-Based Leadership
  ​Your lived experiences are leadership tools. Don’t bury them.
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• C – Confidence & Cognitive Reframing
  ​Emotion isn’t weakness. It’s a leadership signal. Follow it.
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• A – Aligned Values & Boundary Negotiation
  ​You don’t have to say yes to everything. But say yes to what matters.
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• L – Leadership Longevity
  ​Your purpose can refuel you faster than a vacation.
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• E – Ecosystem Building
  ​Every pantry, every garden, every act of care builds power.

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Ally in Action: A Note for the Men on This List

Leadership rooted in care doesn’t belong to women alone.

If you’re on this list, it’s because you believe in equity, accountability, and collective power.

This is your invitation to step in—not for praise, but for purpose:

✔️ Show up where systems have failed.
✔️ Use your platform to make room, not take space.
✔️ Prioritize service over performance.
✔️ Stand alongside, not above.

The future we need doesn’t just include you. It depends on you.

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Just soul, strategy, and truth-telling for women leading through fire.

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Now Enrolling: Catalyst Power Retainer™ (Q4 Cohort)

You don’t need another webinar.
You need a power strategist who’s lived this work, and a confidential space that protects your vision and purpose.

The Catalyst Power Retainer™ is now enrolling four (4) women leaders for October–December.

This is a high-impact private container for leaders who want strategy that protects their capacity, not drains it.

✔️ You want strategy that respects your time and amplifies your leadership
✔️ You need support from someone who’s governed, led, and understands the stakes
✔️ You’re ready for confidential, customized sessions—on your schedule, not someone else’s

Includes:

• Private monthly 1:1 strategy
• Ongoing support between sessions
• Customized SCALE™ Guidebook
• Access to the Leadership Response Vault™
• And your EmpowerHer Luxe Welcome Box

No shrinking. No posturing. Just powerfully aligned partnership.

Only 4 seats available for October–December.

Final Words

Leadership isn’t about visibility.
It’s about proximity……to pain, to people, to purpose.

I showed up because someone needed me and I refuse to lead like the most vulnerable aren’t watching.

If your leadership doesn’t touch the people who’ve been ignored, erased, or cast aside…
Then it’s just performance.

Connection is the strategy.

So show up not for recognition, but to recognize the ones who’ve been overlooked.

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In partnership and purpose,

Chasity Wells-Armstrong Founder, Catalyst Coaching & Transformation ​ Former Mayor | Village Manager | City Councilor | School Board Member Strategic Leadership Partner to Visionary Teams in Government ​Creator of the SCALE™ Framework for Public Sector Leadership

Everything I share, from assessments to workshops is grounded in the SCALE™ Framework I created for women in government leadership. It’s rooted in lived experiences and inspired by what is possible when women are supported.