About Us
HeadOver Heels for Caring Sustainability™ mission is to help in the co-creation of communities that promote graceful, ecologically balanced lives through personal well-being. Through caring leadership, we work to build synergy and trust with others. By listening deeply, and by virtue of respect, we connect with the harmony in all of nature.
We are a non-profit that fosters a sustainable future striving to lead communities to embrace social justice through the lenses of Caring Sustainability™ and earth-based practices. We continuously learn and grow by building and nurturing community relationships that contribute to social and environmental health.
HeadOver Heels provides innovative ways through collaboration for those who seek to be change-makers, transformers, and leaders for today and the future. We offer more than ten years of experience in collaborative education and leadership, and over forty years in earth-based ways of knowing.
Caring Sustainability™
Caring Sustainability™ is a framework developed by Dr. Debby Flickinger that asks: how can anything truly be sustainable if caring is missing? It recognizes that people, relationships, communities, organizations, and the earth are deeply interconnected.
In practice, Caring Sustainability™ means thinking about what we want to sustain, what may be draining or harming us, and what practices of caring might help us create something healthier and more enduring — for ourselves, our communities, and the world.
Our Focus
Caring Leadership
We cultivate leaders who lead with compassion, deep listening, and a commitment to the well-being of all people and the planet.
Social Justice
We believe sustainability and social justice go hand in hand. We center equity, dignity, and the voices of those most impacted by systemic injustice.
Earth-Based Practices
We draw on earth-based wisdom and embodied ways of knowing to reconnect people with nature, with one another, and with themselves.
Community & Gathering
Through intentional gatherings, storytelling, and shared experience, we create spaces where people feel seen, heard, valued, and connected.
Our Commitment
Building community through caring, connection, and transformative change.
HeadOver Heels for Caring Sustainability™ is rooted in the belief that meaningful change begins with caring — for ourselves, for one another, and for the world we share.
We are committed to creating spaces where diverse voices are welcomed, where learning is experiential and relational, and where every person has the opportunity to contribute to a more just and sustainable future.
Meet Our Founder
Dr. Debby Flickinger is the founder of HeadOver Heels for Caring Sustainability™ and the creator of the Caring Sustainability™ framework. Her work spans Caring Science, sustainability, transformative leadership, and earth-based education.
With over forty years of experience in earth-based ways of knowing and more than a decade of collaborative education and leadership, Debby brings a rare depth of wisdom, warmth, and purpose to everything she creates.
Caring Sustainability™ is federally registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and grew out of Debby's doctoral research on the relationship between caring and sustainability.
Have questions about our organization, events, or how to get involved?
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Sponsorship helps Head Over Heels for Caring Sustainability™ create meaningful gatherings that foster connection, learning, leadership, and transformative change. Your support helps make these experiences accessible and provides resources for programming, speakers, materials, and community engagement.