Welcome to the online press kit for Rebecca Sutherns
Helping Leaders Stretch Without Snapping
Rebecca Sutherns, Ph.D., on Navigating Change With Clarity, Strategy, and Heart
Rebecca Sutherns, Ph.D., is a strategic facilitator, coach, and author with more than 25 years of experience helping leaders and organizations navigate complexity. She is a respected advisor to mission-driven teams and a media source on adaptive leadership and practical strategy.
As the author of "Elastic: Stretch Without Snapping or Snapping Back," Rebecca introduces a leadership framework built around seven core capacities that foster nimble leadership in uncertainty: Energy, Likeability, Adaptability, Strategy, Trust, Imagination, and Curiosity. These are not traits — they’re skills that leaders can develop.
Rebecca is one of the first 10 people globally to be certified as an AQai (Adaptability Quotient) professional coach, equipping her to leverage AQ assessments to help leaders and their teams improve their adaptability and performance.
Rebecca’s approach combines sharp strategy with a human touch. She created the “Possibility Packs” to help leaders generate new ideas, reframe challenges, and move forward with confidence. She’s known for helping individuals and groups align their values with action.
She’s available for interviews and features on topics including:
Adaptive leadership
Strategic planning
Group decision-making
Burnout prevention through alignment
Navigating transitions and reimagining your next chapter
About the Book
Elastic: Stretch Without Snapping or Snapping Back
In "Elastic," Dr. Rebecca Sutherns offers a practical, hopeful take on how to lead through uncertainty. Her ELASTIC framework helps leaders learn how to stretch when needed — and hold firm when it matters.
This isn’t about being endlessly flexible. It’s about building capacity. Each of the seven skills — Energy, Likeability, Adaptability, Strategy, Trust, Imagination, and Curiosity — can be strengthened. Rebecca shows how to build these muscles to lead with purpose and resilience.
Whether you’re facing change at work, in your community, or in your personal life, "Elastic" helps you stay clear-headed and grounded.
Praise for "Elastic"
“Dr. Sutherns has created a field guide for the modern leader — compassionate, wise, and urgently relevant.”
“'Elastic' isn’t just a book about adaptability — it’s a mindset shift for changemakers and those who guide them.”
“The ELASTIC framework gave our leadership team a shared language to navigate uncertainty — and make better decisions because of it.”
What Does ELASTIC Stand For?
Rebecca’s leadership model centers on seven learnable capacities:
E – Energy: Sustain momentum with presence and focus.
L – Likeability: Connect with competence and care.
A – Adaptability: Adjust with intention, not just reaction.
S – Strategy: Make smart choices about where to focus.
T – Trust: Build it quickly by extending it, rather than expecting it.
I – Imagination: We have to see it to be it, together.
C – Curiosity: Lead with more and better questions.
Each element is something leaders can grow and people individually learn to know. Together, they support the ability to lead well—especially when conditions are volatile.
Book Club
Reading Is Optional. Staying Relevant Isn’t.
Rebecca runs a regular book club for leaders looking to stay current when they don’t have time to read as much as they’d like to. She reads the books so you don’t have to. Titles are drawn largely from airport bookshelves on topics such as creativity, resilience, and purposeful leadership. Where else can you cover four to six recent titles in just one hour? It’s a space for thoughtful conversation that supports real-world leadership.
Download a one-sheet for Rebecca Sutherns.
Learn more at rebeccasutherns.com.