What Works: Conversations on Nonprofit Leadership with Marla Moody

Brad Voss left a successful business career, boarded a plane to Nairobi, and chose the hardest mission of his life, rebuilding futures for street-connected children through Remade. When Kenya's government mandated the shutdown of every residential care facility in the country, Brad did not fight it. He listened. He researched. And he led a complete reinvention of a 30-year-old organization from in...

What if the only thing standing between a child and their future was one person who believed in them first? Thais Rezende, CEO of BUILD.org and former CEO of BizWorld.org, scaled a nonprofit into the world's largest teacher led entrepreneurship education movement, reaching 850000 students globally. This is not charity. This is the unleashing of talent the world keeps overlooking. In this episode o...

Most nonprofits are bleeding talent and calling it a budget problem. Heidi Bailey, Founder of Bluebird Coaching LLC, spent years inside the eye of that storm as both an HR Director and Executive Assistant, and what she discovered will permanently change how you think about your people strategy. 📌 The Hidden Price Tag Nobody Budgets For Turnover costs up to 50% of an employee's salary. Every time....

Tyler Chein walked away from a neuroscience PhD to answer one question no nonprofit dares to ask out loud: who is your data actually working for? From brain development labs at the University of Michigan to leading research and evaluation strategy at TRAILS, a national school-based mental health nonprofit, Tyler brings a framework that transforms data from a compliance burden into the most powerfu...

What if the real reason your nonprofit is quietly falling apart has nothing to do with your team and everything to do with the culture you are building as a leader without even knowing it? Alex Montgomery, Managing Director of Team VKA, left a civil rights law career to spend over 20 years transforming how mission driven organizations operate, lead, and sustain impact. She is not here to recite th...

Most people think rescuing a trafficking survivor is the finish line. Merrie Karimov, Founder and CEO of Harbour Hope International, is here to prove it is only the beginning. With over 28 years of nonprofit leadership and a front row seat to some of the most overlooked truths in the anti-trafficking space, Merrie is rewriting what restoration really looks like inside Central Florida and far beyon...

What if the secret to a thriving nonprofit was not a bigger budget, but a braver culture? Henriette Recny, President of People and Organizational Strategy at The Literacy Lab, has spent over 15 years building workplaces where purpose does not cost people their wellbeing. A former career teacher turned organisational architect, Henriette brings a radical yet grounded philosophy to nonprofit leaders...

What if the antidote to a fractured, algorithmically poisoned society was already broadcasting 60 years ago? David Fischer, President and General Manager of KNKX Public Radio, walked away from a 35 year performing arts career, picked up a ringing phone on a beach, and said yes to the most urgent mission in media today. 🎙 From Burnout to Broadcast: A Career Reinvented Against All Odds 📡 The KNKX B...

She walked into nonprofit leadership with zero nonprofit experience and built one of the most purposeful equine welfare movements in America. Melissa Kitchen, President of the Equine Network Foundation, is proving that rescued horses do not just need humans. Humans desperately need them too. 🎬 What You Will Explore in This Episode 🐴 The Rescue Crisis Nobody Talks About 200,000 horses in transiti...

What happens when the world counts you out, your in-laws are breaking you down, community leaders are working to destroy your name, and you have no home to call your own but you build something anyway? Minister Dr. Maddie Cheatham did exactly that. Her story is not a motivational myth. It is moral courage made real, lived out in the darkest corners of survival with a daughter watching and a mother...

One mother's love for her son became a lifeline for hundreds of families navigating autism, and the ripple effect is still growing. Christine turned the everyday challenge of raising a neurodivergent child into Sun, Moon, and Stars & Company, a nonprofit built on joy, community, and the radical belief that no family should ever feel alone. In this deeply moving episode of What Works, host Marl...

The nonprofit sector is running on a broken hiring system and it is silently destroying mission driven organisations from the inside out. Most leaders are hired to check boxes, onboarded like an afterthought, and handed a role with zero clarity about what change is actually supposed to look like. The cost is not just financial. It is cultural, strategic, and deeply human. With over 30 years across...

The nonprofit world has a broken system nobody wants to admit , passionate people are being burned out, under directed, and blindsided by leadership gaps that quietly destroy impact. Robby Burroughs, former Managing Director at NDN Collective, Pomo tribal member, college professor, and coach, pulls back the curtain on the uncomfortable reality of working inside mission driven organizations. From f...

Most nonprofit boards are silently killing the very organizations they were built to protect. The uncomfortable reality? It is not a funding problem. It is a governance problem nobody wants to talk about. 25-year C-suite advisor and bestselling author Heather H. Bennett, Partner and Managing Director at Newport LLC, pulls back the curtain on what actually makes a board of directors powerful versus...

The nonprofit sector is running on a broken system nobody wants to admit exists. Behind the mission driven work, there’s a hidden truth leaders rarely say out loud scarcity thinking is quietly destroying team performance, leadership growth, and long term impact. This conversation exposes the uncomfortable reality of outdated leadership strategies, why high performing professionals fail when promot...

The nonprofit hiring crisis nobody talks about is quietly breaking organizations from the inside. While leaders focus on funding, programs, and impact, the hidden truth is that poor onboarding and weak leadership practices are silently destroying team retention, culture, and long term mission success. In this powerful conversation, Addie Candib of American Farmland Trust exposes the uncomfortable...

The nonprofit fundraising playbook is broken and most organizations are still running on outdated strategies that quietly drain donor trust, stall growth, and limit real impact. In a world driven by data, digital engagement, and rising donor expectations, the uncomfortable reality is this: relationship driven fundraising beats transactional tactics every time. Global nonprofits, development leader...

In this conversation, Coach Marla Moody speaks with Burt Rosen, co-founder of Hold On To Hope, about his journey through personal loss and how it shaped his leadership in the nonprofit sector. They discuss the importance of planned transitions in leadership, the impact of grief on purpose, and the role of transparency in healing. Bert shares his experiences of navigating the pain of having a missi...

In this conversation, Coach Marla Moody speaks with Vanessa Volz, the president and CEO of Sojourner House, about the complexities and challenges of leading a nonprofit organization. They discuss the importance of sustainability, the growth journey of Sojourner House, the impact of COVID-19 on service demand, and the significance of self-care for nonprofit leaders. Vanessa shares insights on build...

The conversation emphasizes the importance of community and connection at conferences, highlighting that while online education is valuable, the real benefits come from personal interactions and relationships formed during informal settings. We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!  - Marla and the What Works Podcast team :) Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leader...

In this conversation, Edward Amey , CEO of Jay Nolan Community Services , discusses the organization's mission to create inclusive communities for individuals with neurodiversity. He shares insights on the importance of changing societal language around neurodiversity, the challenges faced by nonprofits, and the need for community engagement and contribution. Edward emphasizes the value of relatio...

In this conversation, Coach Marla and Scott Schubert discuss the complexities of nonprofit leadership, focusing on the challenges faced by leaders, the importance of creating a joyful workplace, and the need for effective talent management. Scott shares his experiences transitioning from a nonprofit CEO to a for-profit venture, emphasizing the significance of collective decision-making and empower...

The conversation explores the grant writing process as a means to reframe the narrative around charity work, emphasizing the importance of agency and leadership among community members. It discusses how negotiating with grantors can lead to social change and larger impacts within communities. We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!  - Marla and the What Works Podcast team :) Are you a Lead...

In this conversation, Coach Marla Moody and Stacey Efaw, director of Sailor Freedom, discuss the challenges and strategies of nonprofit leadership, particularly in the context of emotional health and self-care. They explore the mission of Sailor Freedom in combating sex trafficking, the importance of prevention, and the need for gratitude and celebration of successes within the organization. The d...

In this conversation, Coach Marla and Megan Steckly discuss the mission and impact of CompuDopt, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the digital divide. They explore the organization's innovative approach to providing technology access, digital literacy, and technology education to underserved communities. Megan shares insights on the challenges and growth experienced during the pandemic...