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REFRESH: The Courage to Row Toward a New Destiny
REFRESH: A Leadership Call for 2025
By Dr. James C. Rodríguez, MSW, CADC
President & CEO, Fathers and Families Coalition of America
There is a sacred moment in every leader’s journey when they must pause—not to quit, not to retreat, but to refresh.
Not just to take a break, but to breathe new life into their purpose. Not to abandon the mission, but to remember why it began. Not to drift, but to reset the sails.
In 2025, the need for refreshed leadership is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
We are living in a season marked by relentless demands—shifting policies, workforce shortages, rising emotional fatigue, and overwhelming expectations. Organizations across the nation are feeling the weight. And too often, leaders and team members alike are asked to give more from wells that have long since run dry.
That is why I created the OAR Leadership Institute—to provide a place of restoration, reflection, and recommitment for those who give so much of themselves. It is for those who are no longer inspired by “business as usual,” but are yearning to lead with meaning and clarity again.
This is more than professional development. This is an invitation to rediscover yourself as a leader—and to empower your team to do the same.
In the rush of deadlines, demands, and deliverables, leaders often forget the essential truth: we all need to refresh. Not just rest, but truly reset—to recalibrate our inner compass, re-center our values, and recommit to our shared purpose.
In 2025, as our nation and world face increasing volatility, uncertainty, and fatigue, the OAR Leadership Institute offers a timely and transformative opportunity for organizations who recognize the need to invest in their people—not just with professional development, but with soul-aligned growth.
One of the cornerstone experiences I bring to every OAR Leadership session is a powerful reflection called:
“The Courage to Lose Sight of the Shore.”
The Courage to Lose Sight of the Shore
We begin with this truth as one of the signature activities I use in the OAR Leadership Institute is called “The Courage to Lose Sight of the Shore.”:
You cannot reach the destiny that is calling you by staying tethered to what is familiar. I ask every participant to visualize their professional journey not as a ladder, but as a boat—one that requires both balance and courage. At some point, to grow, to evolve, to lead—we must be willing to row away from the shore of comfort and row toward the unknown potential that lies ahead. You cannot discover new lands while holding tightly to the shoreline of what is familiar.
This isn’t just metaphor—it’s a wake-up call for every supervisor, manager, coordinator, and executive. If your team is stuck in cycles of burnout, low morale, or resistance to change, it may not be because they lack talent or effort.
It may be because they haven’t been given permission to refresh.
It begins with a truth that touches every leader at some point: The greatest growth doesn’t happen when everything feels safe. It happens when we choose to move forward—even when we’re uncertain what lies ahead. This activity is not just theoretical. It’s personal. Participants are challenged to reflect on the areas in their leadership, their relationships, and their own self-awareness where they’ve stayed anchored too long. Where fear has replaced vision. Where routine has replaced passion.
And then, through guided reflection, we begin to row—not recklessly, but intentionally—toward a renewed destiny. Toward the best version of who we were always meant to become. In a world pushing everyone to go faster, the OAR Leadership Institute encourages us to go deeper.
What Does It Mean to REFRESH?
To refresh is not to erase the past, but to restore the power of your present. It’s a call to leaders—whether you are a supervisor, a manager, a coordinator, or an executive—to take inventory of what matters most and align your actions with that truth.
To refresh is to give your team members space to reconnect with their why—to be seen not just for what they do, but for who they are becoming.
The OAR Leadership Institute is grounded in evidence-based practices but led by something even deeper: heart, purpose, and human connection. We create spaces where professionals feel recharged, not just informed. Empowered, not just trained. Inspired, not just instructed.
Participants engage with topics such as:
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Navigating adversity with emotional intelligence
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Leading with authenticity and self-awareness
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Creating cultures of safety, resilience, and trust
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Centering purpose in decision-making and collaboration
We don’t just teach strategies. We model transformation.
Why Organizations Must Choose to Invest in Their People
Organizations that thrive in 2025 and beyond will not be those who demand more from their teams. They will be those who invest more in their people.
When your staff is invited to pause and reflect, they don’t return weaker—they return stronger. When they are trusted with the space to refresh, they begin to lead with new courage and conviction. When they are equipped to row into deeper waters, they begin to help others do the same.
I’ve seen it firsthand. Staff members once burdened with burnout return to their teams with renewed purpose. Supervisors once overwhelmed by constant change begin to lead with grace and direction. Teams divided by stress begin to rediscover unity in shared vision.
And it all begins when we answer the call to refresh.
This Is Your Moment
You may not control every storm, but you can choose when to anchor and when to move. You can choose when to step back and reset. You can choose to believe that what lies ahead is worth letting go of what holds you back.
This is your moment—your team's moment—to refresh.
To lead not from exhaustion but from empowerment.
To lead not from fear but from faith.
To lead not from the edge of the shore—but into the horizon of your highest potential.
Join us for the OAR Leadership Institute.
Because the next chapter of your organization’s impact depends on one simple truth:
Refreshed people refresh the world.
Let’s row into a new destiny—together.
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Ready to Refresh? Join the OAR Leadership Institute Today.
The OAR Leadership Institute is typically available through direct organizational contracts—customized to meet the unique needs of your team and delivered in-person, virtually, or through a hybrid model.
Over the past several years, we’ve partnered with a wide range of remarkable agencies across the United States and Puerto Rico, including:
- El Nido Family Centers – Los Angeles, California
- Northeast Valley Best Start – Panorama City, California
- Lassen County Child Support Services – Susanville, California
- Madera County Child Support Services – Madera, California
- Madera County Behavioral Health Agency – Madera, California
- Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Ponce – Puerto Rico
- Kings County Child Support Services – Hanford, California
- Randolph County Caring Community Partnership, Inc. – Moberly, Missouri
- Region II Head Start Association (Module One) – San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Long Island Head Start, Inc. – Patchogue, New York
These partnerships reflect the diversity and depth of impact we aim to create—empowering professionals who work with children, families, and communities to lead with clarity, compassion, and courage.
New Opportunity to Join Us in 2025
For the first time, we are opening up limited seats to the public during our 27th International Families and Fathers Conference, taking place April 13–18, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.
One of our exclusive Pre-Conference Specialty Training Tracks will feature the OAR Leadership Institute. This is a unique chance for individuals not affiliated with a contracting agency to experience the full power of this institute, surrounded by passionate leaders from across the globe.
This is more than a workshop—it is a sacred space to refresh your leadership, renew your purpose, and reconnect with your vision. In a time when those who serve children and families are being pushed to their limits, we must rise with strength, not just survive with stress. This is your invitation to rise.
To reserve your spot for the upcoming conference offering or inquire about contracting the institute for your organization:
Email us at:
Call: 424-225-1323
Together, let’s row into a new destiny. Let’s lead the future—refreshed.
