Leadership Development · Organizational Guidance · Cross-Cultural Relationships

Holistic leadership. Stronger relationships. Thriving communities.

Leadership development and organizational guidance that bring cultural understanding, community priorities, and long-term well-being into the way we plan, collaborate, and grow.

About Lorna

Builder of bridges

Lorna McLeod is an enrolled member of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, with Swinomish, Sauk-Suiattle, and Scottish heritage, and a consultant within Redwood Region RISE and its Tribal Table.

She is a NorCal SBDC advisor specializing in pre-venture and early-stage startups: business viability and research, market validation, customer research, business planning and coaching, and workforce reentry.

Her work starts from a simple belief: economic and organizational development grows stronger when it stays connected to culture, education, youth, spiritual well-being, and care for land, air, and water.

How we can work together

Leadership, relationships, and thoughtful approaches to change — tailored to where you are, from first idea to an established business, Tribal council, or Native-led organization.

Leadership & Organizational Development

Support for leaders navigating change — seeing how priorities connect, weighing what matters over time, and making thoughtful decisions that serve both the organization and the community it answers to.

Cross-Cultural Understanding & Tribal Relationships

Help for mainstream organizations, businesses, and economic development groups building cultural sensitivity and respectful collaboration with Tribal communities — grounded in listening, trust, and room for each community's own priorities and decision-making processes.

Financial Coaching

Certified financial coaching for Tribal-led and mainstream organizations alike — one part of organizational health and informed decision-making, alongside grant and loan readiness.

Four decades of work that speaks for itself

Redwood Region RISE Tribal Table

Consultant to the Tribal Table supporting in the vicinity of 33 Tribes and bands across Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties — supporting them to advance Tribal priorities, ecological knowledge, and the principle that culture is economic development.

North Coast Small Business Development Center

Business adviser since 2014, guiding pre-venture founders, new start-ups, and arts-related businesses through launch and growth. She also has experience supporting people reentering the workforce or starting a business, including individuals with developmental, cognitive, or physical disabilities.

New Earth Foundation

As Foundation Manager, developed grant-giving policies that guided more than $700,000 in funding to 60+ organizations across the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Author

Author of Make Peace with Money (2018) and The Grant Readiness Workbook (2014), with a new book on money harmony in committed relationships forthcoming.

Credentials and Recognition

  • Certified Financial Coach™ — Academy for Financial Coaching, 2006
  • Licensed Trainer — Academy for Coaching Excellence
  • Certified Life Coach — Academy for Coaching Excellence
  • 2026 California Regional Steward Leader Award
  • Enrolled member, Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, with Swinomish, Sauk-Suiattle, and Scottish heritage

Ready to lead with clarity — and build relationships that hold?

Let's talk about your organization, agency, or business, your community, and where you want to go next.

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