JYO–Maddie’s Fund Leadership Program
A New Way of Leading in Animal Welfare
JYO–Maddie’s Fund Leadership Program
Leadership as Transformative Practice
At Journey You Own, we believe that leadership is an intentional practice, a way of being that shapes how we show up in the world. The JYO-Maddie’s Fund Leadership Program is not your traditional leadership course. It was born from a vision shared with Maddie’s Fund, whose generosity and belief in transformative learning made this program possible. This initiative is about more than developing skills; it’s about fundamentally shifting how leadership is cultivated in animal welfare.
Why This Leadership Program, Why Now?
The landscape of animal welfare is evolving, and so are its challenges. We are witnessing burnout at unprecedented levels, misalignment between values and action, and a need for leaders who can hold complexity with curiosity, compassion, and courage. Traditional leadership models often emphasize efficiency, hierarchy, and skill acquisition – but what if leadership could be something more?
This program was designed to deepen self-awareness, build intentionality, and foster interdependence. It invites participants to explore what it means to lead from a place of alignment, integrity, and generative communication within their organizations as well as in their own lives.
A Mindful, Experiential Approach to Leadership Development
Rather than a linear path of skill-building, our leadership course unfolds as an experiential, reflective, and deeply personal journey. Each participant is paired with a dedicated coach, offering one-on-one guidance to navigate the challenges, questions, and resistance that naturally arise when stepping into leadership with intention.
What This Leadership Program Offers
This isn’t a typical course. It’s an immersive, personalized journey.
Each participant is paired with a dedicated guide to explore not just what they do, but how they lead, why they lead, and what they might need to unlearn.
Core Themes in Animal Welfare Leadership
Through a mix of guided sessions, reflective practices, and facilitated discussions, participants explore themes such as:
Intention
Completion and Integrity
Values
Personal Mastery
Strategic Leadership
Generative Communication
Organizational Alignment
Data and Innovation
Interdependence
The structure of the program is deliberately non-traditional. It asks participants to engage deeply, to sit with discomfort, and to lean into a new way of learning. Insights do not come in neatly packaged lessons, but in the spaces between the conversations, in the moments of reflection, and in the willingness to unlearn as much as we learn.
Transforming Animal Welfare from the Inside Out
The reality is that systemic change begins within us. The way we care for ourselves, the way we show up for our teams, and the way we engage with our communities all ripple outward. If we want animal welfare to evolve – to be more just, more sustainable, more humane for the people who work within it – we must start by redefining how we lead. The heart of the JYO-Maddie’s Fund Leadership Program is in cultivating leaders who understand that change is not just about strategy and policy, but about awareness, courage, and connection. It is about fostering a new kind of leadership in animal welfare —one that is deeply human, profoundly impactful, and fundamentally sustainable. If you’re interested in learning more about the program, feel free to contact us. We are grateful to Maddie’s Fund for seeing this vision and making it a reality.
Leadership Resources
Reimagining Leadership in Animal Welfare
Leadership Program
At Journey You Own, we believe that leadership is an intentional practice, a way of being that shapes how we show up in the world. The JYO-Maddie’s Fund Leadership Program
With gratitude to Maddie’s Fund
Maddie’s Fund® is a family foundation established in 1994 by Dave and Cheryl Duffield and is the fulfillment of a promise to an inspirational dog, Maddie. She provided them much joy for over ten years and continues to inspire them today.
The Foundation has awarded over $301.3 million in grants toward increased community collaborations and live outcomes, pioneering shelter medicine education and establishing foster care as a standard across the U.S.
Maddie’s Fund proudly offers the industry a national voice, important funding opportunities for bold ideas, learning resources and access to collaborate and share innovative solutions. The Foundation invests its resources in a commitment to keeping pets and people together, creating a safety net of care for animals in need and operating within a culture of inclusiveness and humility.
#ThanksToMaddie