Trauma-Informed · Human-Centered · Results-Driven
Trauma-Informed Leadership Coaching and Organizational Development
Your people are doing some of the hardest work in the world. We help them lead it sustainably through executive coaching, organizational development, and compassion fatigue training built for the environments where the stakes are real.
15+
Years of Combined Experience
2
Specialized Founders
Nationwide
Virtual & Onsite Availability
100%
Trauma-Informed Practice
Who We Are
Leadership Development That Starts With the People Doing the Work
At The NIXX Project, we provide trauma-informed leadership coaching and organizational development for nonprofits, behavioral health organizations, and mission-driven professionals navigating the real pressures of purpose-driven work. Whether you are a leader trying to stay grounded under pressure or an organization trying to build a culture that actually sustains your people, we meet you where you are.
We specialize in trauma-informed approaches to leadership development and staff training grounded in how people actually experience stress, change, and growth. The result is coaching and organizational consulting that builds genuine capacity, not just short-term performance.
We Work With
Mission-Driven Companies
Nonprofits
Behavioral Health Organizations
Addiction Treatment Centers
Community Programs
Healthcare Organizations
Individual Professionals
What We Offer
Three Ways We Help You Lead and Grow
Whether you are an individual navigating leadership pressure, an organization ready to invest in your people, or a team that needs practical skills to sustain the work, there is a clear path forward.
For Individuals
Leadership, Executive & Career Coaching
One-on-one executive coaching for professionals and leaders navigating burnout recovery, career transitions, and the pressure of leading in high-stakes environments. We help you lead with clarity and confidence without losing yourself in the process.
- Executive coaching for burnout recovery & prevention
- Career transition & advancement
- Emotional intelligence & self-trust development
- Business coaching for entrepreneurs & founders
For Organizations
Organizational Leadership Development & Culture Advisory
We partner with nonprofits, behavioral health organizations, addiction treatment centers, and mission-driven companies to build stronger leadership, healthier cultures, and operations that actually support your people so your mission does not come at the cost of the people carrying it.
- Nonprofit leadership development & culture building
- HR advisory & people operations
- Burnout prevention & psychological safety systems
- Compliance & audit readiness
- Program design & implementation
For Teams
Trauma-Informed Staff Training & Compassion Fatigue Workshops
Practical, skills-based staff training designed for teams working in high-stress, high-stakes environments. We cover burnout prevention, compassion fatigue, trauma-informed communication, and leadership development, available onsite, virtually, or as an ongoing annual training plan.
- Burnout & compassion fatigue prevention
- Trauma-informed communication & staff training
- Emotional intelligence development
- Conflict navigation & de-escalation
- Leadership development workshops
Who We Support
Built for the Organizations and People Doing the Most Important Work
Our work supports three distinct groups, each with different needs, but all united by a desire to lead and operate with greater clarity, health, and integrity.
Individuals & Professionals
Leaders, managers, and professionals who want to grow in their careers, their confidence, and their capacity to lead under real pressure.
- Managers stepping into leadership
- Executives navigating burnout and career pressure
- Professionals in career transition
- Business owners seeking executive coaching
Nonprofits & Mission-Driven Organizations
Organizations that need more than good intentions. They need leadership infrastructure, healthier cultures, and operational systems that support both their people and their mission.
- Behavioral health organizations
- Addiction treatment centers
- Nonprofits & community programs
- Social service agencies
Teams & Staff Groups
High-stress teams in healthcare, social services, and behavioral health that need practical, evidence-informed skills to sustain their work without burning out.
- Clinical & behavioral health staff
- Nonprofit program teams
- Healthcare & social service workers
- Leadership & management teams
How We Work
Our Approach to Trauma-Informed Leadership Coaching and Organizational Development
Our approach isn’t built on frameworks that look good on paper. It’s built on how people actually experience leadership, change, and growth — including the parts that are hard to measure.
01 — People Before Performance
We build people and systems designed to sustain performance, not hit short-term numbers at the cost of culture and wellbeing.
02 — Clarity Over Urgency
We slow down to understand what is actually happening beneath the surface: the unspoken pressures, the repeating patterns, the systems that quietly shape behavior.
03 — Transparency as a Foundation
We give honest feedback and hold people accountable to the standards they claim to uphold, because real transformation requires both empowerment and truth.
04 — Long-Term Capacity Building
We don’t create dependency. We build the internal skills, systems, and leadership capacity that allow individuals and organizations to thrive independently.
The Phoenix – Our Symbol of Rebirth
The phoenix does not represent perfection. It represents the willingness to begin again with greater awareness, clarity, and purpose.
Our trauma-informed approach centers psychological safety, compassionate accountability, and honest feedback. We believe meaningful change is possible for individuals, for teams, and for entire organizations.
The People Behind the Work
The NIXX Project was founded by two professionals who spent years inside organizations that talked about wellness and leadership and rarely delivered either. They built something different.
Marissa Lemus
Co-Founder & Lead Coach
Marissa has served diverse and vulnerable populations across addiction treatment, domestic violence, human trafficking, school systems, and crisis response. With a Master’s in Neuropsychology and a doctorate in progress, she brings clinical depth and trauma-informed insight that shape every aspect of our program design and organizational development work.
M.S. Neuropsychology
Doctorate (In Progress)
Trauma-Informed Practice
Program Design
Sterling Como
Co-Founder & Lead Organizational Advisor
Sterling brings deep experience across behavioral health, compliance, operations, and leadership development. After working within systems that lacked transparency and meaningful staff support, Sterling co-founded The NIXX Project to build organizations that care for their people, develop real leaders, and live out their mission with integrity — not just on paper.
Behavioral Health
Compliance & Operations
Leadership Development
Financial Advisory