Building What Lasts, Not Just What Shines

How Sophia Okeke leads with faith, clarity, and care, so her work keeps growing long after she leaves the room.

You don’t have to lead loudly to lead powerfully.

Sophia Okeke is responsible for over 1,500 employees at a nonprofit that serves some of the most vulnerable people in her city.

She’s also raising three kids.
Carving space for her garden.
And figuring out what sustainable leadership really looks like—without burning out.

For a long time, she focused on proving herself.
Earning the title.
Managing the pressure.
Wrestling with imposter syndrome quietly behind the scenes.

But when her father passed away in 2023, everything shifted.

“He was such a great leader,” she told me.
“And I realized — I could be that too.
I needed to speak here.”

This Field Note is about what happens after you get the job.
After the title.
After the recognition.

It’s about how to lead with faith, structure, and softness —
So your work doesn’t just shine.
It lasts.

Listen to the full story 👂
Hear how Sophia tends the soil — at work, at home, and in the quiet in-between.

Sophia in her garden | Eastchester, NY

Field Notes from the Work (and the Wild) is a living archive of the work we rarely see:
the rituals, the resistance, the moments before things click.

Each story is recorded in real time.
And each one is an invitation back to what matters.

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What part of Sophia’s story stayed with you?
Hit reply. Share it. Or forward this to someone leading with their whole heart.

See you in the next Field Note,
— Lindsey

P.S Sophia’s story is part of the The Field Year — a year-long archive of stories, portraits, and gatherings that make the unseen seen. If you want to help bring it to life, you can support the GoFundMe here.