Hi, I’m
Yedda Stancil
Strategic Advisor
sitwithyedda.com,VA
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou
Summary
For nearly three decades, I have advised executives, founders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and organizations navigating consequential questions: Who are we? What matters most? Where are we going? How do we bring people with us? And ultimately, what do we want our leadership, resources and influence to make possible?
My career has given me an unusual perspective across the entire ecosystem of impact. I have built and led businesses, served as an Executive Director, advised founders and C-suite leaders, worked alongside boards and donors, served nonprofit organizations and communities, taught entrepreneurship and leadership internationally, and personally participated in philanthropy. I understand both the people seeking to deploy resources for good and the organizations and communities responsible for translating those resources into meaningful change.
My approach combines business strategy with human behavior. I believe resources alone do not create transformation; they create access, opportunity and possibility. Sustainable change occurs when people and organizations have both the resources and the human capacity to move beyond survival and reaction toward awareness, choice and creation.
That philosophy informs my work with leaders, families, philanthropists and organizations—clarifying purpose and values, facilitating complex conversations, aligning stakeholders, developing leadership, shaping philanthropic and social-impact strategies, and translating intention into meaningful action.
I am particularly effective in rooms where different worlds need to understand one another-business and community, wealth and need, donor and recipient, board and leadership, strategy and humanity. My work is grounded in curiosity, belonging and the belief that meaningful impact is created not by dividing people into sides, but by creating the conditions in which people with different experiences, resources and perspectives can participate in something larger together.
Overview
27
years of professional experience
25
Countries Global Leadership & Cross-Cultural Experience
50
+ Organizations Advising, Developing & Facilitating Leaders
50
+ Partnerships Transforming Teams for Social Impact
Work History
The Innerwork CenterRichmond, VA
Executive Director
04.2024 - Current
Job overview
Lead a longstanding nonprofit organization dedicated to translating inner development, human behavior and contemplative practice into greater individual, organizational and community well-being.
My role extends beyond traditional nonprofit executive leadership. I work at the intersection of philanthropy, organizational strategy, human behavior and social impact, partnering with donors, families, foundations, boards, community organizations and business leaders to think strategically about how resources can create meaningful and sustainable change.
I bring a consultative approach to philanthropy grounded in a core principle: giving creates access; what we do with that access creates change. Financial resources can reduce barriers and create opportunity, but lasting impact requires understanding the human conditions that influence behavior, decision-making, belonging and change.
I work with philanthropic partners to clarify values and desired impact, connect generosity to thoughtful social-impact strategy, and identify opportunities where resources can create access to education, tools, experiences and communities that increase people's capacity to move from survival and reaction toward awareness, choice and creation.
As Executive Director, I bring the perspective of multiple seats around the philanthropic table—as nonprofit executive, strategic advisor, fundraiser, board partner, community collaborator and donor. This enables me to understand both the aspirations of those seeking to create social good and the operational realities of organizations responsible for converting philanthropic capital into measurable human impact.
Sit With YeddaRichmond, VA
Chief Empowerment Officer
01.2000 - Current
Job overview
My expertise lies in transformative business leadership development, uniquely balancing the intricacies of internal well-being and external success. My passion is rooted in advocating for and nurturing the deep, mindful work that propels individuals and organizations towards their fullest potential. At Sit with Yedda, I have established myself as a beacon for leaders seeking serenity amidst life's turbulence. My role involves empowering coaches and leaders with mindfulness-based techniques, fostering a harmonious blend of inner peace and professional achievement.
I provide comprehensive guidance and resources that encourage coaches and clients to embrace calmness, letting go of stress and anxiety to unlock their true leadership capabilities. My approach is innovative, tailoFor more than two decades, I have built businesses and advised high-performing executives, founders, entrepreneurs and organizations on the human and strategic questions underlying growth, leadership, transition and legacy.
What began through as an entrepreneurial venture integrating human performance, organizational wellness and business strategy evolved into Sit With Yedda—an advisory practice centered on human behavior, executive leadership, organizational strategy, purpose and transformational change.
My role has consistently been to work alongside accomplished people at consequential moments: building or scaling a company, navigating leadership transitions, redefining success, developing organizational culture, understanding the human dynamics affecting performance, or asking what they ultimately want their business, leadership and resources to mean.
My work combines the analytical discipline of an MBA-trained business strategist with decades of study and practice in human behavior, neuroscience, narrative, mindfulness, executive coaching and organizational development. I help clients see both the system and the human being operating within it.
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
Entrepreneur in Residence and Adjunct Professor
08.2012 - 05.2020
Job overview
Served at the intersection of business education, entrepreneurship, leadership development and global economic opportunity, advising founders, developing emerging leaders and translating business principles across cultures and communities.
As Entrepreneur in Residence within the VCU School of Business, I advised entrepreneurs and emerging companies on business strategy, leadership, team formation, marketing, partnerships, growth and access to capital while helping strengthen the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Through VCU's partnership with the Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy, I helped develop and deliver entrepreneurship, leadership and business-development education internationally, working across Africa and the Middle East with entrepreneurs, community leaders and emerging business owners.
This work required more than teaching American business principles in another country. It required understanding human behavior across cultures—how people communicate, build trust, interpret leadership, make decisions and create opportunity within vastly different economic and social environments.
I also served as adjunct faculty across business and health/human-performance disciplines, teaching subjects spanning entrepreneurship, leadership, stress and performance, health systems, human behavior and the relationship between individual well-being and organizational effectiveness.
Education
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA
MBA from Business Administration And Management
05.2012
University Overview
Awards and honors
- Attained Summa Cum Laude distinction upon graduation, reflecting exceptional academic excellence.
- Achieved a high Cumulative GPA of 3.90/4.00, demonstrating consistent scholarly rigor and dedication.
- Consistently recognized on the Dean's List every semester, highlighting sustained academic achievement.
- Awarded 1st Prize in a highly competitive Capstone Project Competition, showcasing innovative thinking and practical application of business concepts.
- Served as Vice President of the International Business Program, evidencing leadership skills and expertise in global business strategies.
- Completed a Minor in International Business and Leadership Development, underlining a commitment to developing global leadership competencies.
- Honored as a recipient of the VCU Cultural International Business Certificate Program, underscoring a deep understanding of cultural dynamics in international business contexts.
Undergraduate Education
Virginia Commonwealth University, 2000 – 2004
Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Behavior, magna cum laude
Skills
- Certified Master Coach International Coaching Federation
- Certified Narrative Coach WBECS
- Certified High Impact Coach Coachingcom
- Certified Inner MBA Consultant Mindful NYU
- Certified Consciousness Coach Evolving Wisdom
- Certified Team Coach Global Team Coaching Institute
- Certified Executive Coach Center for Executive Coaching
- Certified Mentor Coach International Coaching Federation
- Certification Mindfulness Meditation Instructor Sounds True
- Certified Primordial Sound Meditation Teacher Chopra Center
- Certified Global Strengths Finder Coach and Facilitator Gallup
- Certified Integrative Development Practitioner Moment Institute
- Certified International Cultural Business Consultant Virginia Commonwealth University
- Certified Health Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Sport Nutritionist, Certified Yoga Instructor, Certified Hypnotherapist ACE
Accomplishments
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• 30 years of leadership, entrepreneurship and strategic advisory experience spanning business, philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, higher education and human development.
• 20,000+ hours advising and developing leaders, including founders, CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs navigating growth, transformation and consequential decisions.
• Built and led successful entrepreneurial ventures, advising 100+ businesses and organizations at the intersection of strategy, leadership, human behavior and organizational performance.
• Executive Director of the Innerwork Center, leading strategy, governance, philanthropy, donor engagement, partnerships and the evolution of a 30-year organization focused on expanding access and sustainable social impact.
• Bring a 360 degree perspective to philanthropy through experience as a nonprofit executive, donor, board participant, fundraiser and strategic advisor—connecting resources with access, opportunity and meaningful human change.
• Global leadership experience across 25+ countries, teaching, speaking and developing entrepreneurs, executives and emerging leaders across cultures.
• Entrepreneur in Residence at VCU School of Business and international educator with the Henry Ford Entrepreneurship Academy, advising entrepreneurs and delivering leadership and business education across Africa and the Middle East.
• Trusted facilitator and strategic thought partner known for creating alignment across diverse stakeholders, navigating complex human dynamics and translating purpose and values into strategy, action and measurable impact.
THE THROUGHLINE: I help leaders and organizations clarify what matters, understand what drives people, align resources around purpose, and turn intention into impact that lasts.
My Value Proposition
I understand people, strategy and impact and how to connect them.
My value lies in an unusual combination of experiences that rarely sit within one professional profile.
I understand business because I have built businesses, earned an MBA, advised founders and executives, managed people and P&Ls, and worked with entrepreneurs across industries and cultures.
I understand human behavior because I have spent decades studying and working with the patterns, beliefs, narratives and behaviors that influence how people lead, decide, communicate and change.
I understand philanthropy and social impact because I have led nonprofit organizations, worked with boards and donors, raised and stewarded resources, participated personally in giving, and worked directly within communities where philanthropic intention becomes lived human experience.
And I understand leadership because I have spent my career in the room with the people responsible for making consequential decisions.
That allows me to do something particularly valuable: translate between worlds.
I can sit with an entrepreneur discussing enterprise value, a CEO navigating organizational complexity, a philanthropist exploring purpose and legacy, a board wrestling with stewardship, or a community confronting barriers to opportunity and help uncover the human story beneath the strategy.
My role is to ask the questions that clarify what matters, identify what is getting in the way, bring people into meaningful conversation and translate intention into action.
Purpose becomes strategy.
Resources create access.
Leadership creates movement.
And aligned action creates impact.
Timeline
Executive Director
The Innerwork Center
04.2024 - Current
Entrepreneur in Residence and Adjunct Professor
Virginia Commonwealth University
08.2012 - 05.2020
Chief Empowerment Officer
Sit With Yedda
01.2000 - Current
Virginia Commonwealth University
MBA from Business Administration And Management
Strengths in the Workplace
WHERE I ADD VALUE
Strategic Thinking + Human Insight
I see both the system and the people within it—connecting business strategy, human behavior and organizational dynamics to uncover what others may miss.
Purpose, Values + Vision
I help leaders, founders, families and organizations clarify what matters most and translate purpose into decisions, strategy, impact and legacy.
Trusted Advisor + Thought Partner
I create the trust necessary for candid conversations, thoughtful reflection and consequential decision-making—particularly during moments of growth, transition or complexity.
Philanthropy + Social Impact
I understand multiple sides of the philanthropic conversation and help connect values and resources with thoughtful strategies that create access, opportunity and sustainable human impact.
Facilitation + Stakeholder Alignment
I bring different perspectives into the same room, find the common ground beneath competing priorities and move people from conversation toward shared purpose and action.
Executive Presence + Communication
I communicate complex ideas with clarity, humanity and conviction—equally comfortable engaging executives, philanthropists, boards, entrepreneurs and community stakeholders.
Cross-Cultural Leadership
Experience working across 25+ countries has strengthened my ability to navigate differences in culture, communication, worldview and lived experience with curiosity and respect.
From Insight to Action
I don't stop at awareness. I help people translate insight into choices, choices into strategy and strategy into meaningful, measurable impact.