Matriarchal Leadership Series - 5 - In Practice: How We Lead Differently

Core Pillars of Matriarchal Leadership

I still remember those early days as the Director for Startup Grind Houston.

Back then, building a thriving startup community meant more than just organizing events and networking. It meant cultivating leadership — not the kind defined by authority, but by self-awareness, collaboration, and care.

One thing I took seriously was supporting founders who wanted to grow as leaders. My team and I encouraged the use of tools like Sally Hogshead’s Fascinate assessment — a resource designed to reveal how others see you, offering a mirror to your strengths and areas of growth. It wasn’t about labeling ourselves. It was about understanding how we show up, how we lead, and how we contribute to the whole.

But we didn’t stop there. After every event, we held monthly debriefs. Together, we asked:

• What worked?

• What didn’t?

• What could we do better next time?

We weren’t afraid to confront our blind spots or celebrate our strengths.

Each conversation was an act of reciprocity — offering our insights to one another, trusting that each of us had something valuable to contribute.

Over time, we started noticing the subtle shifts. Small adjustments that others might ignore became the very things that optimized our team.

We learned when to stand fully in our strengths and when to step aside and uplift a teammate’s brilliance.

That’s what Matriarchal Leadership looks like in practice. It’s not about domination or control; it’s about knowing yourself, valuing others, and leading from a place of interconnected wisdom.

And just like the soil nourishes a plant, we grew by recognizing what environments allowed us to flourish — and where we needed new nutrients to thrive.

So, how well do you know your own leadership strengths? And how might leaning into a matriarchal lens change how you show up for yourself, your team, and your community?

Let’s explore that together.

Next up: Real-World Examples of Matriarchal Leadership in Action.

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Matriarchal Leadership in Practice: How We Lead Differently

Welcome back to the Matriarchal Leadership series.

In the previous post, we explored how patriarchy hijacked leadership — twisting it into a system rooted in power, extraction, and control. But knowledge alone isn’t enough. The question now is — how do we lead differently?

Matriarchal leadership offers us that path. Not as a theoretical ideal, but as a lived, practical approach to leadership that prioritizes collective well-being.

It’s leadership that understands strength is not about domination but about care. That decisions are most effective when they come from reciprocity, interconnectedness, and wisdom.

Let’s talk about what this looks like in action.

This series is part of Leadership Revealed, my paid offering where I bring you the depth, emotional labor, and spiritual insight that my clients hire me to deliver to their teams.

The first post in each series is my gift to you.

Did you miss part 1 or 2 or 3 or 4?

For the following posts, you’ll receive a preview before hitting a paywall—an invitation to support the work that goes into crafting these profound and necessary conversations. If this resonates with you, I invite you to become a paid supporter and continue this journey with me.

What to Expect in This Series

This is a 7 part series for Leaders + Learners where you and I take an honest look at “Matriarchal Leadership” series.

Here is a succinct outline of what you can expect in this first of seven posts in this series here on Verbal Vortexes.

Thank you for joining me and my mind-heart-gut approach to where we can do the work both internally (with our inner game) and externally (our expression the outer game)

Series Outline:

1. Reclaiming Matriarchal Leadership: What It Really Means «(Click to read)

2. Matriarchal Leadership Across Cultures and Time: Where Matriarchal Structures Thrive «(Click to read)

3. The Core Pillars of Matriarchal Leadership—Returning the Power of Collective Women

4. How Patriarchy Hijacked Leadership and How We Take It Back

5. Matriarchal Leadership in Practice: How We Lead Differently

6. Personalizing Matriarchal Leadership: What This Means for You

7. Matriarchal Leadership for the Future

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1. Reciprocity Over Extraction

In matriarchal leadership, power is not something to hoard. It's something to circulate. Leaders actively distribute power, resources, and opportunities so communities can flourish.

• Example: Worker cooperatives where employees have decision-making power and share profits.

• Reflection: How would your leadership shift if power wasn’t a scarce resource but a shared responsibility?

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2. Interconnected Decision-Making

Matriarchal leaders see beyond the immediate. They consider the long-term impact of their choices on people, ecosystems, and future generations. Every decision is relational — nothing exists in isolation.

• Example: Indigenous land management practices, rooted in care for the earth and community resilience.

• Reflection: What would it look like to lead with future generations in mind?

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3. Wisdom From Lived Experience

Matriarchal leadership values diverse voices — particularly those with lived experience and ancestral knowledge. Wisdom is not limited to degrees or titles; it’s grown through resilience and relationship.

• Example: Councils of Indigenous elders offering guidance based on collective memory and cultural knowledge.

• Reflection: Who are the knowledge keepers in your community or organization that you could learn from?

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4. Leadership as Care

Care is not weakness — it’s a form of strategy. Matriarchal leaders build sustainable systems by ensuring that people are well-resourced, supported, and rested. They understand that well-being fuels resilience.

• Example: Leaders prioritizing mental health, offering flexible work environments, and fostering cultures of belonging.

• Reflection: How would your leadership shift if care was central to your decision-making?

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Matriarchal Leadership in Action

We’re already seeing these principles reflected in movements and organizations:

• Black maternal health initiatives led by doulas and midwives reclaiming community-centered care.

• Mutual aid networks that operate without hierarchy, demonstrating the power of collective responsibility.

• Restorative justice programs that prioritize healing and accountability over punitive punishment.

These are not abstract concepts. They are the blueprints for a future where leadership serves the whole.