From early work on Philadelphia’s first zoning reform in 50 years to building a leadership practice rooted in alignment and purpose, Natalie Shieh has seen how meaningful change begins with human connection. In this conversation, Natalie reflects on success, ambition, and what it really means to design a life and work you love.
How Love for Place Becomes a Force for Change
What role has community played in your journey to where you are today?
Community has been a continuing thread, and it really is the drumbeat of my philosophy in how I approach everything. My first “aha” moment about how powerful community can be came earlier in my career. I had just graduated from city planning school, fresh out of college with a new degree, and landed a job with the City of Philadelphia working on zoning reform. It was the first time the city had done zoning reform in 50 years, so it was a really big project.
A major part of that work was community engagement. I met with Philadelphians from all across the city, from all walks of life. They showed up for zoning, which is typically seen as a dry, boring topic. I remember thinking, “People cannot care that much about zoning.” But what they really cared about was their community. They cared about what was going to happen, what the driving forces were, and they wanted a voice in it.
I met incredible people doing all kinds of advocacy work. They were building coalitions and representing their communities. It was powerful to see how love for a community could be expressed in ways that actually changed policy. I came to view that human connection as the most powerful engine behind anything we do. If we can come together and collaborate, the things we can co-create are truly magical. You cannot get that on Zoom.
Letting Go of “Should” and Building What’s True
When you think of designing a life that you love, what is in that life, and are you currently living it?
I am currently designing a life that I love, and for the first time after many years of saying I was still searching for what I wanted to be when I grew up, I feel like I am starting to live it. I have always had a complicated relationship with the idea of work. I come from a Chinese American immigrant family, with very stereotypical tiger-parent expectations. Achievement was drilled into me from a young age.
You start to equate achievement with value. If you look up the definition of work, there are actually two meanings, which I find fascinating. One is about putting energy and effort into something to produce value, meaning, and purpose. The other is a task or chore, something you just have to get done.
In my career, I followed the path of what I “should” do. You go to college, get the first job, then the promotion, and then the next logical step. I followed what I was naturally good at, but in the end, it was not fulfilling. Over the past few years, I found myself job-hopping faster and faster, searching for that sense of purpose, until I realized I was not going to find it that way. I had to design it for myself.
I reflected on moments in my career where I felt the most alive, joyful, and focused, and I built my business around that. It is completely niche and completely me, and it is what I want to do. For the first time, I feel like I am living the life I want.
Success as Energy, Presence, and Fulfillment
What is your definition of success today?
My definition of success is about finding work that is fulfilling. That is a universal human desire. It is about finding the right blend of work and purpose while preserving enough energy to be truly present for my family and fully enjoy time with them.
Before, I had all the traditional markers of success. I had awards and a big job, but I did not feel successful. I was bringing stress home and not showing up as my best self with my family. That was when I realized this was not what I envisioned.
For me, success is doing work that I love, work that gives me energy, and using that energy to be fully present with my family.
The Cost of Wearing the Mask
How do you relate to the idea of being a high-achieving woman and the loneliness that can come with it?
I often felt like I was wearing a mask at work, like I could not show up as my true self. As a woman in a male-dominated industry, there is a constant tightrope walk between being assertive enough but not too assertive. It is exhausting.
There is also immense pressure when you reach a high level in those environments. You feel watched, like you cannot slip up, and that you have to be a model for others. I never felt like I could fully relax or just be myself. It was overwhelming and very lonely.
Separating Expectation from Intention
What do you think keeps women from taking bold opportunities?
A lot of it is noise. There is an internal drive for purpose, but there are also heavy societal expectations placed on women to be caretakers and nurturers. You want to be the best at everything: mom, partner, colleague, leader. That pressure causes overextension and self-sacrifice, and you lose yourself in the process.
What women often need is support in filtering out that noise and reconnecting with themselves. It goes beyond surface-level self-help. Rest and self-care matter, but they are not enough on their own. What truly made the difference for me was separating what I “should” do from what I actually wanted. Once you unlock that, you can make intentional choices. That is what designing a life intentionally really means.
Learning to Follow Energy, Not Expectations
What habits help you design the life you love?
I had to learn how to listen to myself, especially my body. Growing up with that achievement-driven mentality, I learned to ignore my own needs. I had to unlearn that.
For me, listening means noticing physical cues, like tension in my chest or feeling overheated, and getting curious about what that means in the moment. It is not just about rest or vacation. It is about asking, “Why am I feeling this way right now?” and responding to that information. That awareness helps me follow energy instead of forcing ideas that are not aligned.
When Failure Becomes the Teacher
What is a hard lesson you have had to learn?
Failure has been one of my hardest lessons. When your identity is built on achievement, any setback feels personal. Starting a business amplified that. In the beginning, rejection felt overwhelming. I had to learn to refine my offering, trust the process, and rely on my network for support.
Learning that failure is part of the process was not something I was taught growing up, and it is still something I am learning.
Leaving People Better Than You Found Them
What legacy do you want to leave?
I want people to feel like they belonged when they worked with me. That they mattered, that their time mattered, and that I truly cared. I want to have supported them, whether through a client project, a friendship, or simply by being a champion for them.
I want people to become the best versions of themselves, because I genuinely believe that if more of us did, the world would be a better place.
About Natalie Shieh
Natalie Shieh is the Founder of New Anthem Solutions, a strategy and leadership practice helping changemakers move their boldest ideas into aligned action. After two decades shaping major urban and economic development initiatives, she now uses that expertise to guide leaders and organizations through moments of complexity, growth, and reinvention. She is especially passionate about supporting women leaders who want to build impact on their own terms.
