Building Clarity, Courage, and Capacity to Meet This Moment

Facilitation, coaching, and change projects for organizations that organize.

The ground keeps shifting. The freedoms organizing depends on are under threat, technology is reshaping our lives, and the tools many of us honed through decades of advocacy campaigns don’t seem to be working.

We feel this differently. Some teams are stretched thin, reacting to whatever's loudest. Some are fighting each other, or retreating into silos. Some are just tired.

What we share is this: the pace of change has outrun the way we work together and organize. Research from Hahrie Han's P3 Lab calls the answer strategic capacity: the ability to learn rapidly as a team, and to shift your people and resources to meet what's next.

That’s why I started Groundswell Lab: to help build shared frameworks, trust, and deliberate space to reflect, learn, and try new things.

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Hi, I’m Valerie

I’ve been in your seat: working hard to make an impact and keep the energy alive through disruption and burnout.

As Organizing Director at Greenpeace USA, I built national volunteer programs, worked closely with Jane Fonda on Fire Drill Fridays, and produced trainings with leaders like Stacey Abrams and Marshall Ganz — training thousands of activists and reaching over 5 million voters.

Since then, through Groundswell Lab, I’ve led Freedom Trainers workshops in cities across the US with the Protest book tour, stepped in as interim leadership for the Committee for the First Amendment, and facilitated team retreats for organizations like TransitCenter.

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Learn more about me

Trusted by Movement Leaders

  • Inspiring Action

    Borne from both intuition and experience, Valerie has a deep understanding of how to connect with people and what they need to step into their own power to effect change. Her authenticity and positivity light up a room when she is facilitating a group, connects people across differences, and leaves everyone feeling more inspired and equipped to join the fight for a better world. I can promise any project she is part of will be both more fun and more successful for having her involved!

    Annie Leonard

    Co-Author, Protest: Respect it, Defend it, Use it
    Creator, The Story of Stuff
    Former Executive Director, Greenpeace


  • Aligning Teams

    Valerie is an incredible asset to any team. She's strategic, organized, and thoughtful. Her commitment to consultation and data-based decision making is second to none. Valeries ability to engage differing viewpoints using tools like ORID and MOCHA have moved teams quickly from disagreement into understanding and alignment.

    - Jenna DiPaolo Colley
    Chief Brand and Communications Offer, Ocean Conservancy

  • Centering Care

    Valerie brings a rare combination of strategic clarity, deep emotional intelligence, and heartfelt presence that has made me not only a more effective organizer, but a more grounded and compassionate leader. She is a highly skilled coach and facilitator who knows how to help individuals and teams tap into their purpose, align their values with their actions, and move forward with confidence and care. If you’re looking to create a more connected, impactful, and visionary team, I highly recommend weaving Valerie’s wisdom and expertise into your work.

    — Heidi Harmon
    Former Mayor, San Luis Obispo

  • Transforming Vision to Action

    Valerie is a fantastic manager, a strategic thinker, and pays great attention to detail. She’s patient but firm, and has an extraordinary ability to transform a vision into a detailed action plan.

    -Jose Diaz-Martinez,
    VP of Leadership Networks, Run for Something

What I Offer

Pulling in different directions, or stuck in meetings don’t move the ball forward?

I deliver trainings on shared frameworks for what time it is in America, strategy, and teamwork skills. And I facilitate meetings, retreats and strategy sessions that build trust, surface tensions, and turn conversations into action.

Facilitation & Training

Carrying a lot, burned out, or unclear where to put your energy?

I offer 1:1 and small-group coaching for movement leaders navigating power dynamics, strategy pivots, and the weight of this moment. Together we build the clarity and steadiness to lead with clear eyes and an open heart.

Coaching

Got a wild idea that doesn’t fit into how you usually work?

Maybe it's risky, out of the box, or has no obvious home in your org chart. From testing a campaign pivot to reimagining volunteer infrastructure, I partner with you from idea to execution — to design a scrappy pilot, learn fast, and decide what's worth keeping.

Change Projects

Let’s connect

Have a project, idea, or challenge you’d like support with? I’d love to hear from you and explore next steps together.

Book a free consultation