Our Leadership Journey Together
Poonam & Julianne
When we met in 2014 as newly minted supervisors, we bonded over a belief that taking care of our employees as whole humans would create the clinical outcomes our communities desired.
We felt all the things you might be feeling now, such as the 3am worry, the second-guessing, the weight of expectations and your team’s projections. Yet underneath lived our stubborn hope that leadership in mental health could feel different.
The beautiful truth we discovered was that when we messed up (and we did, often), centering repair wasn’t just possible; it transformed our work culture. We learned that relationships were key to our team’s retention and psychological safety. Meaningful shifts happened when we chose vulnerability over perfection, shared power, and made space for complex emotions.
Our teams continued to flourish despite our leadership missteps and errors. They referred former colleagues and friends to join us. Clinical outcomes improved, and the programs we oversaw grew significantly.
As our responsibilities grew to leading 80+ beautiful, complex humans, we learned that the heaviest parts of leadership were never meant to be carried alone. The isolation and depletion you might feel as a group practice owner aren’t signs of failure. They signal that your work culture ecosystem needs tending through relational fluency and systems of trust.
We’ve seen how traditional leadership mirrors oppressive systems, such as chasing perfection, avoiding repair after ruptures, or moving in urgency. We found deep relief in naming these patterns and co-creating work cultures where service and well-being can flourish together.
After 11 years of leadership experience in our field, we know transformation happens when you:
•Replace exhausting oversight with liberating shared stewardship
•Create collaborative work cultures that reclaim your joy and sustain your vision
•Tend the roots of your relational ecosystems beyond performative policies
We see you in all your complexity, the business owner and the exhausted human, the leader and the one who feels lost. Both are welcome here.
Let’s practice this leadership journey together.
With Gratitude,
Poonam & Julianne
Poonam Natha, LMFT
(she/her)
Nurturance, growth, and integrity are the guiding principles in my way of being. I feel most aligned when my heart and moral compass guide me. My greatest joy is witnessing transformation, in individuals, teams, and systems. I hold an M.A. in Counseling Psychology/Marriage and Family Therapy and am a licensed practitioner (LMFT 50522)., I have over a decade of leadership experience in which I’ve had the honor of growing small teams into larger, thriving teams and supporting leaders in their development.
As a co-founder of Level Up Leaders Inc., I aim to support you in cultivating a psychologically safe, values-aligned workplace by stepping into your leadership with clarity, compassion, and courage.
Julianne Guinasso, LMFT (she/her)
Courage, humility, and service are the leading values that drive me at all times. I find that I am most alive and aligned with my values when I take time to come back to nurture my internal landspace. I hold a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and am a licensed practitioner (LMFT 79601). I have over 10+ years of leadership experience, including leading large teams of employees and leadership teams in mental health.
As a co-founder of Level Up Leaders Inc., I aim to help you feel less alone in your leadership. By focusing on the energetics of relational trust in the workplace and by leading with emotional fluency, your team can provide the highest clinical care, and you can feel fulfilled to be a part of the community you created.