Hart & Hustle Podcast

Stephanie Vranich, VP of Outreach & Development at Volunteers of America Florida, breaks down how a $30M nonprofit serving 5,000+ Floridians each year raises funds, tells impact stories that actually move donors, and navigates the uncertainty of federal funding cuts—without losing momentum. In this conversation, you'll learn: ✅ Why direct mail still drives donations (and how to make it imposs...

🔗 Connect with October: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/october 🏥 Central Health: centralhealth.net Community Care Clinic: communitycare.texas.org October Ambrose went from certified nursing assistant to System VP of People Partnerships & Engagement at Central Health — the Travis County Hospital District serving uninsured and underinsured residents across Central Texas. In this convers...

Najla Wortham started at Rock Creek Foundation in 2007 as an employment consultant — boots on the ground, carving out jobs for individuals with disabilities. Eighteen years later, she's the President and CEO, making her the first African American woman to lead the organization in its 52-year history. In this conversation, Najla breaks down exactly how Rock Creek builds leaders from within, how she...

Chrystina Russell flew from Burundi to tell us what nonprofit leaders need to hear right now: how Village Health Works absorbed a $1.4 million USAID funding gap — and didn't blink. In this conversation, you'll learn: ✅ How mission-driven organizations survive sudden federal funding cuts ✅ Why love alone isn't enough — you need love AND skill to serve vulnerable communities ✅ What leading from a...

Josh Goldberg, CEO of Boulder Crest Foundation, shares his journey from corporate executive to suicidal crisis to leading an organization that served 43,000 people last year through post-traumatic growth programs. In this raw conversation, you'll learn: ✅ The exact moment Josh realized he'd built "a false existence" despite external success ✅ How helping others became the path out of his own sui...

What happens when a clinical mental health professional trades direct patient care for executive leadership—and discovers she can make an even bigger impact? In this powerful conversation, Caitlin Summers-Motta, VP of Business Development at First Children's Services, reveals the raw truth about mission-driven leadership in behavioral health. In This Episode: Why waking up at 5:30 AM became Caitli...

Kevin Martone, President and CEO of Bay Cove Human Services, shares what he's learned leading a mental health organization serving 25,000 people annually with 2,000 employees and a $190 million budget—from navigating federal funding cuts to changing how communities think about mental illness. In this conversation, you'll learn: ✅ How to scale mental health services from 300 to 25,000 people witho...

Meredith Johnston from Family Health Centers of San Diego shares how her organization serves over 230,000 individuals annually through innovative community health solutions—from street medicine teams partnering with police to mobile mammography units reaching underserved neighborhoods. In this conversation, you'll learn: ✅ How to build nonprofit culture that prioritizes authenticity and mission o...

Liz Matthews from Covenant House Alaska shares how leading with a "staff-first" philosophy allows her team to serve over 1,200 homeless youth annually—and why treating your staff as your primary client changes everything. As Director of Housing overseeing five programs across Anchorage, Liz has learned that sustainable impact starts with taking care of your team. In this conversation, she breaks d...

Dr. Patrick McGrath reveals the massive misconceptions about OCD and how one chance meeting at a conference led him to help thousands escape years of suffering. In this powerful conversation, the Chief Clinical Officer of NOCD shares how OCD actually works, why saying "I'm so OCD" minimizes a devastating condition, and how technology is finally making evidence-based treatment accessible to million...

From Homeless at 20 to Leading Chicago's Largest Youth Homeless Organization In this powerful episode, Efrain sits down with Jose M. Muñoz, CEO of La Casa Norte, who shares his remarkable journey from experiencing homelessness as a young father to leading an organization that serves over 20,000 people annually across Chicago.

Ann Marie Cook, President & CEO of Lifespan of Greater Rochester, reveals why America's aging population crisis is bigger than most people realize, and what needs to change now. In this powerful conversation, Ann Marie shares insights from leading a $22 million organization serving older adults for nearly three decades. She discusses the uncomfortable truth about elder abuse, the explosion of...

Foster care alumni to nonprofit CEO leading 16,000 lives toward healing. In this powerful episode, Efrain sits down with Merideth Rose, President and CEO of Cornerstones of Care, to discuss her transformation from a foster kid expelled from school to a leader revolutionizing trauma-informed care across Missouri and Kansas.

From Sunday school questions to boardroom solutions. Angela Hood, Chief of Staff at Detroit Parent Network, shares how growing up in Flint, Michigan shaped her commitment to amplifying parent voices in education. Discover why degrees don't define expertise, how to challenge systems without getting shut out, and the real meaning of "no money, no mission."

Dr. Karen DeCocker, Vice President of Clinical Services at Stella Mental Health, shares how she transformed from delivering babies to revolutionizing trauma treatment through innovative mental health care. Learn about the stellate ganglion block, a two-minute procedure with an 80% success rate in resetting the nervous system's trauma response.

Katie Welsh from the Women's Center for Advancement reveals the harsh reality most attorneys won't tell you about domestic violence cases. In this episode, Efrain discusses how legal advocacy becomes the bridge between crisis and self-sufficiency for survivors who can't afford traditional representation.

How does a 63-year-old nonprofit stay innovative while serving those who need care most? In this episode, Efrain sits down with Justin Harland, CEO of Kansas Christian Home, to explore the intersection of elderly care, technology, and mission-driven leadership.

Ken Huey, CEO of The Hope Group, shares how childhood trauma shapes mental health—and what it takes to break the cycle. In this powerful conversation, Efrain explores specialized trauma care for adoptees and foster youth, the groundbreaking ACEs research, and why understanding trauma at its root changes everything.

Most mental health advice treats symptoms—Michael Gershenzon is treating the brain like the organ it is. In this episode, Efrain sits down with the CEO of Stellar Mental Health to discuss how interventional psychiatry is revolutionizing treatment for depression, anxiety, and PTSD without relying solely on traditional therapy or medication.

Dr. Raymond Garcia, Chief Medical Officer at Rosecrance, reveals how psychiatry transformed from pure science into the art of storytelling and human connection. In this conversation, Efrain explores how augmented intelligence is revolutionizing behavioral health while keeping humanity at the center of care.

Brandi Pretlow, VP of Community Initiatives at Active Minds, shares how one college student's grief transformed into a national movement mobilizing youth to change mental health culture on campuses nationwide.

Kristin Lamendola, Vice President of Business Development at Partnership to End Addiction, shares how personal tragedy transformed her career path and why delaying youth substance use by even one year dramatically reduces addiction risk. In this conversation, Efrain discusses the critical shift from corporate sales to mission-driven work, the truth about prevention versus scare tactics, and how fa...

AnnMarie Churchill from Stepped Care Solutions shares how technology can transform mental health access without replacing human connection. Efrain explores the balance between AI-powered support and authentic therapeutic relationships.

Steve Page walked away from investment banking to build psychiatric hospitals where none existed. Now, SUN Behavioral Health operates multiple facilities serving thousands of patients whom others had given up on.

Jill Nosach, CEO of SOS Children's Villages USA, reveals how one trusted adult can rewire a child's brain and break generational trauma cycles. In this powerful conversation, Efrain discusses the neuroscience of healing, the critical gap in foster care systems, and why keeping siblings together changes everything.