We come to lead

A piece crossed my desk recently. Twenty-one practical tips for new artistic directors, written by a long-tenured white man at a major regional theater. I read it twice. The second time, I felt tired. Not because the advice was bad. Most of it was technically correct in the way general advice tends to be technically correct. The tips are not the problem. The tips are the symptom. The choice to wri...

This week on We Come to Lead , I take on celebrity scandal — not as gossip, but as a leadership case study. After watching the America’s Next Top Model docuseries, I found myself revisiting a familiar tension: why does our culture immediately narrow harm to a single person? Why do we focus on character and intention while leaving the system untouched? From ANTM to Ray Rice, from Puffy to the BAFTA...

In the face of so much pain and state-sponsored terror, Nataki Garrett pauses to share a story about Black love. Recorded after an evening out to dinner with two other Black couples, this episode reflects on the quiet power of listening to Black people tell the stories of how they found each other. Nataki explores how Black love is so often framed as service, sacrifice, or survival—and what it mea...

Check out my latest Podcast. Heres a video teaser. Listen to Ep. 14 of We Come to Lead: Evolution REVOLUTION” on Substack, Spotify, Apple , or wherever you’re listening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bealadderleader.substack.com/subscribe

For 2026, I did promise myself I was going to drink my water and mind my business. But this morning, a Artistic Leader friend (it’s late and I didn’t ask permission to reveal their name) and someone I deeply admire and respect sent me a text—with a post attached—and every once in a while, you just have to respond. Im taking a quick moment to return to the folks who actually lived and understood re...

Voices from the Top Rung: A Conversation with Lynette A. Turner In this episode of We Come to Lead series Voices from the Top Rung , host Nataki Garrett sits down with trailblazing arts leader, consultant, healer, and author Lynette A. Turner . For more than three decades, Lynette has shaped American theatre and the national arts landscape—as one of the first Black women Producing Directors at a m...

Just a little thank you for your support. Thanks for reading, listening, watching as I grow into this new calling. I am grateful to share in and with you. Happy to be in community. Feel free to upgrade to a paid subscription on Substack — all proceeds go directly to supporting my Pay It Forward coaching program, which provides up to 85% off coaching for nonprofit arts leaders and organizations doi...

In this episode, I share a story from my early days applying to grad school for theater directing — a story about gatekeeping, truth-telling, and the illusion of belonging. If you’ve ever had to shrink your brilliance to fit a space that wasn’t built for you — this one’s for you. You can share your reflections on my Substack, Be a Ladder Leader → upgrade to a paid subscription on Substack — all pr...

Over the next few months, we’ll be focusing on a new series here on We Come to Lead called Voices from the Top Rung —featuring industry leaders and changemakers whose work lives at the intersection of transformation, systems change, and collective solidarity. So join us on the next episode where we hear from Pati Navalta , founder of Navalta Media. Pati is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-nominated journ...

Welcome our latest series: Voices from the Top Rung I sit down with the fierce and formidable Pati Navalta of Navalta Media . She breaks down why owning your story — and knowing exactly who you are — isn’t optional, it’s essential. This fierce, full, and F🔥 episode drops Monday. Stay tuned. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episo...

What happens when your leadership is questioned—not because of what you did, but because of who you are? In this solo episode, I’m naming the quiet, exhausting truth: that for many of us, leading means carrying more than just responsibility. It means navigating systems that were never designed for us, confronting bias disguised as feedback, and sometimes being betrayed by the very people who shoul...

Leading Through Fire (Part Two) What do you do when the emails stop, but your body is still bracing for impact? In this episode, I talk about the quiet, often invisible work of healing after professional violence. I share what I lost—my ability to listen to music, to write poetry, to feel like myself—and how I slowly gave myself permission to rest, retreat, and return. I speak honestly about what...

We’ve spent years believing that DEI could make leadership safer. That if we walked in with vision and care, our institutions would meet us there. But what happens when they don’t? What happens when the very systems you were hired to transform turn on you? In this episode, I speak directly to the leader who’s been targeted, silenced, undermined—or simply worn down by the quiet violence of institut...

Too often, visionary leaders — especially women of color — are told to “let the work speak.” But your vision can’t move forward unless you do. In this episode of We Come to Lead , Nataki Garrett unpacks the power of self-advocacy as a leadership practice, not a personal defense strategy. You’ll learn why clarity is not just internal, but vocal — and how advocating for your needs is what protects y...

In this powerful episode, Nataki Garrett unpacks the urgent need for leadership development coaching in the performing arts—especially for women and leaders of color. Drawing from her own lived experience at the helm of major institutions, Nataki explores why coaching is too often withheld until a leader is in crisis, and how systems designed to protect traditional power structures actively resist...

What if the only way we believe in danger is by living through it? In this episode of We Come to Lead , I ask the hard question: Are we a country, a culture, a people who need collapse to finally believe the warnings? I’ve been in rooms where qualified leadership was met with skepticism. Where vision was treated as fiction. Where the fire alarms I sounded were dismissed—until the building started...

This Week on We Come to Lead Don’t let the latest news about what’s happening fool you—real leadership isn’t about power hoarding or standing alone at the top. It’s built by and for the collective. This week, we’re talking about what it means to Ascend the Ladder with intention and Be a Ladder for those coming after us. Because leadership isn’t just about rising—it’s about making sure no one climb...

In this episode of We Come to Lead , Nataki Garrett reflects on the power of art, leadership, and resistance in the face of our current politic. From Sandra Bland’s birthday to the urgency of systemic change, she explores how artists serve as conduits between humanity and the heavens. This episode is a call to action: We build, we act, we keep going. This is a public episode. If you'd like to disc...

In this episode of We Come to Lead, titled Mercy Asks Us Not to Separate Our Whites, Nataki Garrett dives into the complexities of allyship, whiteness, and accountability. Inspired by the courage of Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Nataki reframes the idea of mercy—not as passive pity but as bold action requiring truth, accountability, and justice. This episode calls on listeners to embrace mercy as a ra...

In this episode of We Come to Lead, titled Mercy Asks Us Not to Separate Our Whites, Nataki Garrett dives into the complexities of allyship, whiteness, and accountability. Inspired by the courage of Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Nataki reframes the idea of mercy—not as passive pity but as bold action requiring truth, accountability, and justice. Through sharp critique and candid storytelling, she exam...

When I proposed the idea that consensus is not a universally applicable tool, I was met with a dismissive response: “Well, you can’t change everything.” That sentiment struck me, not because it was surprising, but because it underscored a broader issue. The prevailing systems of DEI work are designed with a one-size-fits-all mentality, assuming that the same tools can be applied equally across all...