You owe it to yourself, your team, and the world to build without burnout. It's our mission to help you.
First by Five helps people-first entrepreneurs lead with vision and make better use of their time so that they can build their people and businesses up – not burn them out – and be happier in the process.
Hi, I’m Sonita, First by Five’s Chief Encouragement Officer and Lead Consultant . I get up every day to help entrepreneurs and leaders rise above daily demands and lead with vision and empathy to create results that enable people and businesses to win.
After 18 fast-paced years in the corporate and non-profit worlds with too many destructive life-work tradeoffs, I jumped off the bullet train to burnout. Now my passion is to help business leaders like you grow with more impact and less stress.
My real-world business experience has been a collection of firsts: from being the first Chairwoman to lead my high school’s annually anticipated Model UN Conference, to building a strategic partner function for a global conservation non-profit, to leading the communications rollout for the first international acquisition of a $1B company.
By embracing my experiences supporting people and activating results for organizations ranging from private schools to Microsoft, I’ve come out better equipped to support leaders like yourself as you figure out your “firsts” — solutions that will champion your people and increase your business impact while avoiding burnout.
On a personal note, I love coffee, dawn is my favorite time of day, and I adore being the odd woman out in a family of two soccer-loving sons and a husband. We live outside Washington DC and enjoy finding everyday adventures. I believe life – like business – is an adventure, and the journey is better when you can laugh along the way.
First by Five believes:
LIFE-WORK HARMONY
We live and work with purpose and awareness so that life and work complement one another. And we set and honor boundaries for important things like health, family, and faith so we can work our best and live at our best.
PEOPLE + RELATIONSHIPS MATTER
We value the dignity, uniqueness, and diverse perspective of each individual we interact with and take a relational approach to business. We enjoy working with our clients, partners, and team and support their whole-person success.
POSITIVE LEADERSHIP
We aim for constructive two-way dialogue. We start with listening, are respectful and candid in our communication, and don’t shy away from having difficult conversations when needed. And we take care to close the loop to avoid confusion.
OPEN AND CLOSED COMMUNICATION
We aim for constructive two-way dialogue. We listen, are respectful and candid in our communication, and don’t shy away from having difficult conversations when needed. Then we take care to close the loop to avoid confusion.
1% BETTER EVERYDAY
As lifelong learners, we constantly seek to develop ourselves and improve our services . We use a growth mindset to experiment, fail, and adjust. As we innovate, we strive to find better ways to channel our energy and resources.
