About Susan Comfort
Basic backstory / bio
Movement classes & training
Movement classes & training
Susan Comfort hails from the land of Orioles and Ravens, but she is a Tar Heel at heart. Susan is a bilingual facilitator, an out bisexual since 1993, before it was cool, and a bicyclist.
Susan's three decades in the nonprofit trenches were invested in raising millions, working on political campaigns, serving on boards, mentoring advocates and developing leaders.
Trained as an organizer and educated in organizational development, she now consults with nonprofit and schools who want to shift their workplace culture.
Susan is also cultivating Casa Comfort in Takoma Park (MD), where multiple generations interact with nature and physical activity. There's a sidewalk yoga/planet obstacle course, a rock climbing course, a tree climbing course, and a rain garden, all in one corner property.
Susan co-founded and co-directs a new nonprofit, NonprofitWellness.org which focuses on TEAM-care (more important than SELF-care for world-changers).
Movement classes & training
Movement classes & training
Movement classes & training
Susan is a Registered Yoga Teacher (she completed a 400-hour teacher training program at Anusara-inspired Willow Street Yoga in 2004)
Susan learned hatha yoga to stay sane while working as a parent and fundraiser. She also dabbles in Circus, Acro and Kids yoga.
Susan has been practicing yoga with little kids at bilingual LAMB for many years, teaching middle schoolers with Breathing Space Yoga, and is now a Leader of Tinkergarten nature classes for ages 2-8.
(Susan's daughter chanting the Gayatri mantra, long ago: here)
Hometown, Organizing & Education Bona Fides
Hometown, Organizing & Education Bona Fides
Hometown, Organizing & Education Bona Fides
Susan is a proud, out Baltimore native who spent many summers serving crabs at Bo Brooks (even while vegetarian). She earned Phi Beta Kappa (B.A., Communications), was a leader with the Student Environmental Action Coalition, and served as a basketball statistician under the leadership of Coach Dean Smith at UNC.
Some of Susan's fave professional highlights include: being a queer female leader in the 90s environmental movement, leading 16 Campus Green Vote, Environmental Justice and Environmental Journalism training academies for college students, co-founding an early AmeriCorps program, overseeing EWG.org's massive email list growth, developing corporate partnerships at BoardSource, and bringing play to kids via Playworks and KaBOOM!
Susan completed Georgetown's certificate in Organizational Consulting and Change Leadership and is a graduate of many other training programs including: Green Corps, Midwest Academy, Rockwood Institute, Dismantling Racism, Landmark Education, Circus Yoga Ring One, and Willow Street Yoga's 400-hr Teacher Training. Susan is a divorced co-parent of teens with two moms, which is a privilege as well as the hardest school/self-improvement program of all.
Susan considers whistling tunes, practicing handstands, dancing salsa, basing flyers, making granola, provoking LOLz, juggling scarves, listening to Lin-Manuel, snuggling cats, cooking plants, quaffing caffeine, and exploring LGBTQ+ identity as key wellness strategies.
Finding Susan Online
Hometown, Organizing & Education Bona Fides
Hometown, Organizing & Education Bona Fides
Here are her Medium stories, plus LinkedIn & YouTube channels.
Susan's on Instagram @ComfortConsulting & also posts @NonprofitWellness & @Earthalopes
occasionally Tweets @ComfortSpeak
You can always reach her the ol-fashioned way,
202-246-5336 (talk or text)
or email susan@nonprofitcomfort.com
For more words from Susan,
An archived Washington Post chat on "Benefits of Recess"
A Tech Soup blog based on her Zoom Fatigue rec's
2018 podcast w/ Jakub Górnicki: Burnout Among Activists
2021 Ty & Susan on Northstar Sleep School: Teacher Wellness
2021 Nonprofit Radio: Team-Care
2021 NTC Training session
Why "Team-Care"?
They always ask: is your name really Comfort?
Yes. I'm the kid of a swimming coach and a physical therapist. I've had this name for 48 years. I've spent a half a century learning workout skills from my dad and nutrition and posture skills from my mom. I learned yoga on my own (I still have terrible posture, though. Sorry, Mom).
Now, as facilitators, we love getting people outside of their "Comfort zones," which is where learning happens. Tyecia Powell (above) and I appreciate and often provoke uncomfortable conversations or physical movements that challenge people and challenge conventions.
Everyone must take their physical and mental health into their own hands (self-care).
It's even better when a team takes care of each other (team-care).
That's why we're here -- to draw that out of any group.
Comfort Zone
"Take Five" Testimonials
"a reminder to breathe during these challenging times"
"Susan's presentation was super fun and a timely reminder to breathe during these challenging times. She delivered up the right mix of interaction, laughs, a-ha moments and brain science to make it a highly enjoyable brown bag lunch training."
--Suzanne Ehlers, President & CEO, PAI
"highlighted the type of breaks that help us most recharge"
"A fun and informative session, that provided not only science backed research, but connected that to the needs for breaks to prevent burnout, and highlighted the type of breaks that help us most recharge." --PA, Development & Finance Manager, national justice organization
"now, we keep juggling scarves in our break room"
“We all need breaks, especially ones that involve moving around and having a little fun. Susan got us started on the concept with Playworks’ recess program. And now, thanks to her talk, we keep juggling scarves in our break room to encourage employees to take a moment for play. What a fun, engaging session Susan provided! Can’t wait to have her back again.”
-- Rachel Gaur, Sr. Manager, Facilities and Events, Promontory Interfinancial Network
"play is a powerful tool to combat burnout"
"As a resident physician, burnout is a huge problem and very difficult to combat given our crazy hours. Susan gave great insight and had a wonderfully interactive workshop. I think if everyone took a few minutes out of their day to relax and play, we would all be happier. It is a powerful tool to combat resident burnout."
-- Dr. Ferrin Ruiz, coordinator of Med/Peds Residents Conference at UCLA
"...but not a lot of humans being"
"I really enjoyed your talk “the new smoke break” at the CPA conference last week. Great information, great class interaction, and you are an excellent speaker. More people need to hear your message. A great quote I heard from a Buddhist monk “I see a lot of humans coming and going, but not a lot of humans being”. The ceaseless activity of modern life breeds disease of mind and body. Everyone needs to take time to smell the roses…before the roses wither up and die, or before they do. Keep up the great work and keep spreading the message. We need it now more than ever.
p.s. I have mastered the thumb/index finger exercise by the way!" --B.M. (Johnstown, PA)
BOOK THE TALK
Susan can deliver Take Five as a 30- or 45-minute brown bag, 60-minute keynote, or 2-hour workshop. Longer versions have more activities and small group work. Appropriate for groups large or small. Contact info@nonprofitcomfort.com