Always Growing
Community Resources
At Estrategia Group, we believe leadership does not happen in isolation.
The strongest leaders, organizations, and movements learn from others. They ask questions. They stay curious. They borrow ideas. They build relationships.
This page is emergent and always growing; please contribute to this collection of resources, partners, frameworks, and communities that have shaped our work over the years. Some have taught us how to lead. Others have taught us how to listen. Many have reminded us that transformation happens through relationships.
These are books, organizations, and thinkers whose work informs our work, coaching, facilitation, and strategic planning. We’ve also added free tools and downloads that continue to support our shared leadership and community building.
We invite you to explore, learn, and find what serves you. And if you discover a resource that should be here, or shouldn’t be here, let us know.
We are always learning too.
Partners & Learning Communities
Books
By Elizabeth Burgos and Rigoberta Menchú
A powerful first-person testimony of Rigoberta Menchú’s journey as an Indigenous woman, community organizer, and human rights advocate who transformed personal and collective suffering into a lifelong commitment to justice, dignity, and civic action. An inspiration for my commitment to community-centered leadership and service.
My favorite quote: “My personal experience is the reality of a whole people.”
By Prentis Hemphill
This is one of those books that reminds me healing is not a private project. We heal in relationship. We are wounded in relationship. And if we want healthier organizations, communities, and movements, we have to pay attention to how we show up with one another.
My favorite quote: “Healing happens in relationship. So does harm.”
By Loretta Ross
Introduced to me by the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg Book Club. So relevant for me, as I feel we live in a time when people are quick to dismiss, shame, or write each other off. Loretta Ross offers a different path — one that does not lower expectations, but refuses to give up on people.
My favorite quote: “Calling in is a call out done with love.”
By Peter Block
This book changed how I think about community. Peter Block convinced me that transformation rarely starts with a program, a strategic plan, or a charismatic leader. It starts when people gather, share ownership, and decide they belong to one another.
My favorite quote: “The small group is the unit of transformation.”
By Ibram X. Kendi
What I appreciate about this book is that it pushes us beyond intentions. Kendi asks us to look honestly at outcomes, systems, policies, and behaviors. He reminds us that equity is not something we believe in — it is something we practice. Before change comes truth-telling. This is true for individuals, organizations, and communities.
My favorite quote: “The heartbeat of antiracism is confession, recognition, admission.”
By Stephen R. Covey
A classic. When life gets busy, when leadership gets messy, I often find myself returning to Covey's reminder that character and relationships matter more than quick fixes. Even though it's simple, it's not easy. Still one of the best pieces of leadership advice I share and hear often.
My favorite quote: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
By Beverly Daniel Tatum
Having Dr. Tatum as one of my professors at Mount Holyoke College is one of my fun facts. This book helped me understand identity, race, and belonging in a deeper way. Tatum gives language to experiences many people have lived but struggled to explain. She reminds us that meaningful dialogue does not happen simply because people occupy the same space. Faith, trust, and then come the conversations. And conversation is often where healing begins.
My favorite quote: “The absence of dialogue is often the result of the absence of trust.”
By Greg McKeown
I like the simple reminder for discernment in this book. There will always be more good ideas than there is capacity. The challenge is deciding what deserves our attention right now. Every strategic plan, every coaching conversation, and every leadership retreat eventually comes back to this question: What matters most?
My favorite quote: “If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will.”
By James Nestor
This book surprised me. It took something I had never paid much attention to and showed me how deeply it affects every part of our lives. The older I get, the more I appreciate practices that bring me back to the present moment. Breath is one of them. Sometimes the most important leadership practice is not another meeting — sometimes it's taking a breath, or even a collective breath.
My favorite quote: “No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, none of it matters unless you're breathing correctly.”
By Christopher Rivas
As a Dominican woman who has spent much of her life moving between communities, cultures, and expectations, this book hit home. We read it as one of Mi Gente Mi Pueblo's book club reads — and even got to hear from the author. This book reminds me that belonging is not something we earn. It is something we claim. And once we claim it for ourselves, we can help create it for others. Rivas explores questions many of us carry: Where do I belong? Who gets to define me? What parts of myself have I learned to hide?
My favorite quote: “I am enough.”
