It’s what happens between people that makes or breaks the work.
I help justice and climate organisations change the way they work, so they can solve complex, interdependent problems with the kindness and dignity we all deserve.
Is the work so urgent that no one looks inward?
If you work in social or climate justice — in a charity, NGO, coalition or cooperative — you may recognise some of this:
These are signs that your people care deeply about the cause, but deserve support with changing how they work internally.
When you change how you work, you change what you can achieve.
When organisations do the internal work, the impact you’re able to have in the world changes too.
Your culture reflects your values in practice
Values are embedded in how decisions get made, how people are treated, and how power moves through the organisation.
The work is sustainable, not just urgent
With a supportive work environment, your people can sustain their commitment and energy over the long haul.
You get the space to think beyond today
Your team trades firefighting mode for the rhythms, trust, and collective capacity to think, plan and work strategically towards your mission.
Real change requires going beneath the surface: to the relationships, the power, the culture, and the structures that shape how work actually happens.
That’s where I come in.
I’m helping teams work with each other, not alongside each other
Hi, I’m Megan McHaney.
I started the chords between so that teams and organisations can solve complex, interdependent problems with the kindness and dignity we all deserve.
In my years leading national and international projects across the not-for-profit, public, and coalition sectors, I built expertise in organisational change, translating big ideas into practical steps, and building the kind of trust that holds under pressure.
Today, I work at the intersection of organisational effectiveness and systemic team coaching, with a feminist and anti-oppressive practice at the heart of everything I do. That means I look at the whole system: people, practices, culture, structure and power to help you align how you work with the cause you work for.
I do my best work when there’s complexity to untangle and people to bring together in organisations that are open to learning and doing things differently.
If that sounds like you, let’s have a chat:
Four ways to work with the chords between
Getting Unstuck
A short, hands-on intervention to get a stuck team or project moving. Usually delivered as 2-3 workshops over 3-6 weeks.
Best when: You already know what’s wrong but your team is overstretched. You need momentum and the space for people to make real progress.
What you get:
- a clear plan forward
- calm and practical support for delivery
- concrete changes you can put into practice immediately
“Megan brought new ideas to the table, as well as successfully facilitating conversations between existing team members to get the best out of all stakeholders.”
— sparqs
Team Cohesion
Systemic team coaching over four to eight months to help teams rebuild connection and find a steadier rhythm of work.
Best when: Your team doesn’t feel like a team. People are working alongside each other, not with each other. You lurch between campaign sprints and the quiet stretches after.
What you get:
- trust that gets rebuilt through real connection
- a steady pace the team can actually hold for the long run
- people showing up for each other as allies, not just colleagues
“Megan is deeply analytical and creative in her approach and understands people—how to motivate them and how to make it fun.”
— Maeve Galvin Head of Partnership, Bridge 47
Values into Practice
Whole-system work with your leadership team: In three to twelve months, we turn your strategy and values into how the organisation actually works day to day.
Best when: You have strong value statements, yet the culture doesn’t quite live up to it. People nod in meetings and disagree in the side chats. No one’s quite sure who owns what.
What you get:
- clear roles and accountability without the blame
- the whole organisation pulls in the same direction
- culture and behaviours reflect your values in practice
- a strategy that includes all the human and non-human actors you serve
“Megan is perceptive and practical. She brings a reflective and creative energy to her work; I particularly valued her insights into organisational and team dynamics, her determination to keep piloting new ways of working and her constant quest to look for inspiration beyond the obvious.”
— Sarah Jefferies, Head of Organisation and People, WWF-UK
Fractional Project Support
Interim project management for a project that’s derailed or lost momentum, when no one on the team has the capacity to pull it back.
Best when: You’re mid-project, it’s gone off track. Maybe deadlines have slipped. Maybe you lost the project lead. So you need experienced hands — now.
What you get:
- someone stepping in as real delivery capacity to fill the gaps
- your plan tracked and the people kept aligned
- your project back on track
“Megan is a joy – the best project manager I’ve ever worked with and also warm and emotionally intelligent. A rare combination!”
— Charlotte Millar, Strategist
Whether you know exactly what you need or you’re still making sense of the problem.
We start with a free 45-minute Team Check-Up to find out together:
“Megan is completely unflappable. She led our team to achieve incredible results and media presence at COP26, despite unprecedented circumstances.”
— Lang Banks, Director of WWF-Scotland
“Megan is an excellent project manager who I would hope to work with again in the future. She is someone who goes beyond the basics, bossing the project at hand and also contributing positively to culture and broader processes. The way that she centres reflection and learning added a huge amount of value for us as an organisation.”
— Lisa Hough-Stewart, Director for Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland
“Megan created a safe and supportive space for us to be honest and address the areas where we felt stuck. She brought deep knowledge and enthusiasm for helping us adopt new approaches.”
— Programme Development Lead, Creative Scotland
“It has been a great experience working with Megan. Her approach to working with our organisation has been creative and collaborative, with clear communication at all stages of the project. She’s brought new ideas to the table, as well as successfully facilitating conversations between existing team members in order to get the best out of all stakeholders. I would recommend her without hesitation!”
— sparqs
Relational, hands-on, and grounded in what’s actually needed.
I don’t do generic away days or one-size-fits-all toolkits. I want to understand the real problem you’re facing today, so we can solve what’s urgent now while building what’s essential for the long term.
Getting to know each other
Our first interaction is a 45-minute call. I want to know the problem you’re facing, the pressures you’re under, and what you’ve already tried. You get to ask your questions, too.
Together, we’ll find the approach that’s right for where you actually are.
Diving beneath the symptoms
This is where we uncover the root of the problem and design a plan that meets your needs today and sets you up well for tomorrow.
Depending on what you need, this might look like:
- Joining a team meeting to share real-time insights
- Running a team audit to surface key tension points
- Working with you one-to-one to map the gap between where you are and where you want to be
Doing the work together
This is where the plan comes to life. We explore, design, and embed the practices, rhythms and structures that help your team and organisation move forward in ways that last.
Throughout the work, I bring a mix of calm, strategic analysis and creativity to your team.
Ready to find the chords that are missing?
Book a free 45-minute Team Check-Up. We’ll find out together what’s getting in the way and what the right next step looks like for you.