Resources for social work leaders

Practical, values-based guides you can read in under 30 minutes.

  • “I absolutely loved your resource. The exercises were beautifully evidence-based, but achievable to incorporate into a day. The colours and language made me feel seen and comforted.”

    - Amy Austin, Medical Social Worker, Washington

  • “I love what you have developed. It really speaks to me, the small shifts in thinking and behaviour that lead to bigger change as we navigate the leadership journey.”

    - Nicole Glasson, Senior Program Officer/Social Worker, Services Australia

  • "I really love this resource! What I like most about it is that the questions are all values-led and support recognising leadership beyond titles/traditional concepts. I think it'll be a very valuable reflective tool for emerging social work leaders.”

    - Eliza Graves-Browne, Social Worker, Australian Public Service

  • "I find the five shifts are workable and relevant to our everyday practice. I use micropause (sometimes a few minutes of a screen break) as a third space between tasks and this has worked well for me. In addition to standing up, breathe and reset posture, I also use this micro pause to have water/tea and is a small thing that supports physical/mental resilience."

    - Aisha, Team Leader

  • "I really like how you include evidence to support and explain all your tips. I also think it flows really nicely from the shifts into how this can be applied in action, and the templates for reflection are a useful tool too."

    - Sophie, Team Leader

  • "I snipped your LinkedIn update about Social Work values and shared with a Social Work graduate I am mentor for. She's been talking to me about our system not matching her Social Work values and really appreciated your story posted as it helped her know she's not alone in how she's feeling (and it helps me as a mentor have a bit of an evidence base to support that)."

    - Jodie, Director, Australian Public Service

  • "The bonus reflection is great – the manifestation of who you want to be as a leader, identifying existing strengths and any roadblocks to success. I really appreciate this. I feel like I am good at reflecting, but these are prompts that I wouldn’t necessarily ask myself and I can see how by using these prompts regularly, it will keep the person’s leadership evolution moving forward."

    - Nicole Glasson, Senior Program Officer/Social Worker, Services Australia

Read all my testimonials
Cover of a leadership guidebook titled "Becoming the Leader You Already Are" with a sunset background and three digital tablets displaying related content, including a stone stack and a hand in a field.

Becoming the Leader You Already Are

A Leadership Identity Guide for Aspiring and Early-Career Social Work Leaders

If you have ever questioned whether you are really a leader, or felt unsure where you fit in this guide is for you. In under 30 minutes, you will work through five grounding shifts that help you reconnect with your leadership identity: who you are, what you stand for, and how to lead from there. Part of the Inside Out Leadership Series.

Digital image of a promotional display for a guide titled 'From Burnout to Balance' by Jody Bell. The display features three tablets showing pages of the guide, with the central tablet displaying the cover with a lotus flower background and the title. The background is a gradient shade of brown, and the email jody@beingyourpotential.com is at the bottom.

From Burnout to Balance

A Guide for Social Work Leaders

Burnout in social work leadership is not a personal failure. It is a systems problem, and it has a systems solution. This guide offers realistic, evidence-informed strategies for filling your cup without abandoning your values or your people. Part of the Inside Out Leadership Series.

Cover of a digital journal titled "A Journal for Becoming the Leader You Already Are" by Jody Bell, with greenery in the background, displayed on a marble surface along with two other pages of the journal in the background.

30-Day Reflective Practice Journal

A Daily Companion for Social Work Leaders

A 30-day guided journal to help aspiring and early-career social work leaders build a reflective practice, one question at a time. Designed as a companion to Becoming the Leader You Already Are. Part of the Inside Out Leadership Series.

More coming soon…

New resources, reflective journals and leadership programs are in development, shaped by the Churchill Fellowship research. Join the newsletter "The Inside Out Collective” to be first to know.

Social workers don’t leave the profession because they lack resilience or commitment. They leave when the conditions around them make it impossible to remain themselves.
This work exists to help you hold onto who you are, and build a career you don’t need to recover from.