Welcome back to Beneath the Transaction.

This week we sit down with Alix Prassas — an organizational effectiveness leader with more than two decades of experience in People & Culture, global organizational development, DEI, and change management.

But this conversation isn’t about frameworks.

It’s about the moments that shape culture quietly and powerfully.

Alix shares her journey from working in a family business to leading large-scale transformation efforts, and what she’s learned about trust, vulnerability, and accountability along the way.

Together, we explore:

Why culture is formed beneath the surface

How small leadership moments shape belonging

Why vulnerability is a prerequisite for trust

What accountability looks like when it’s rooted in relationship

Why conversations around diversity require courage and openness

And what it means to “have the conversation anyway”

This episode is honest. It’s practical. And it reminds us that transformation isn’t about bold declarations — it’s about consistent courage.

It takes a Tribe to practice transformation.

Let’s practice this together.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Culture Change

01:58 Alix's Background and Journey

06:32 The Importance of Culture in Retail

14:34 Building Trust and Vulnerability

20:25 Navigating Difficult Conversations

30:58 The Role of Accountability in Leadership

40:28 Personal Stories and Lessons Learned

50:11 Final Thoughts on Culture Transformation

What if the version of yourself you bring to work… isn’t the real you?

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, I sit down with Kendra Davenport, President and CEO of Easterseals, to talk about what it really means to lead beyond the surface.

Kendra leads an organization that impacts over 1.5 million people each year, overseeing a national network of 70 affiliates and 38,000 employees across the country. With more than three decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, her leadership has consistently been rooted in one thing:

People.

But what stood out most in this conversation wasn’t her scale—it was her willingness to go deeper.

To be vulnerable.

We talk about the tension so many leaders feel—showing up professionally while leaving the personal at the door—and why the best leaders don’t operate that way.

Because culture isn’t built through policies or processes.

It’s built through relationships.

And the leaders who are willing to show up fully—

This is a conversation for leaders who want more than performance.

Who want connection.

Because transformation doesn’t happen at the surface.

It happens when we’re willing to be known.

If this resonates, take a moment and ask yourself—where am I holding back as a leader?

Follow Beneath the Transaction for more episodes like this. Thanks for listening!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Nonprofit Landscape

When profit becomes the focus, something deeper starts to break.

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, I sit down with Brian Belliveau, Chief Growth Officer at Columbia Southern University, to talk about what leaders often miss when they’re trying to grow an organization.

Brian brings over 20 years of experience leading growth at scale—but what stands out most isn’t strategy. It’s how he thinks about purpose.

As a U.S. Navy veteran and former Hospital Corpsman, his leadership is grounded in service, discipline, and people. And in this conversation, he challenges a common pattern in leadership:

We move too fast to solutions…

We talk about how profit can quietly become the driving force behind decisions—and how, over time, that disconnects organizations from their purpose, their people, and their impact.

Because the issue usually isn’t what we’re doing.

It’s that we haven’t gone deep enough to understand why we’re doing it.

This is a conversation for leaders who want to build something that lasts—not just something that performs.

Because profit should never outweigh purpose.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background of the Podcast

What does tattooing have to do with purpose?

More than we think.

In a lot of indigenous cultures, tattoos weren’t just something you chose—they reflected how you lived. Your identity. Your story. Your responsibility.

In this episode, I sit down with Kiko San Diego, a traditional Filipino tattoo practitioner and co-founder of Tribal Korner.

Kiko carries forward ancestral practices like batok, and the way he talks about his work—it’s not just art. It’s something deeper. Something intentional.

This conversation isn’t really about tattoos.

It’s about what it means to live a life marked by purpose.

Because long before we defined ourselves by titles or achievements,

Welcome to Beneath the Transaction.

As you listen, I’d invite you to lean into this idea—

What is my purpose?

If this resonates with you, we’d love for you to follow the show, share it with someone you care about, and keep having these conversations in your own life.

Grateful for Kiko and the work he’s doing to carry this tradition forward. Go check him out and follow along at @tribal.korner

Thanks for being here.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Indigenous Tattooing

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Arthur Soriano, a researcher exploring the Philippine and Austronesian past, present, and future.

Together, they explore what modern leadership can learn from indigenous culture—long before systems, titles, and metrics defined how we lead today.

Arthur shares insights into pre-colonial Filipino life, from systems of governance and community to the values that shaped identity, belonging, and purpose. Through oral history, cultural memory, and research, the conversation uncovers a deeper way of understanding leadership—one rooted not in control or performance, but in relationship, responsibility, and shared identity.

But this conversation isn’t just about history.

It’s about what we’ve forgotten—and what we can reclaim.

Because many of the answers we’re searching for in leadership today

And sometimes, the way forward

Chapters

00:00 Exploring Indigenous Connections

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Ben Fielder, Vice President at NCF Michigan, to explore how giving can move from transactional to transformational.

Ben has spent his career walking alongside individuals and families, helping them steward what they’ve been entrusted with and discover a deeper sense of purpose in how they live and give. With a background in church stewardship, higher education, and relationship-driven philanthropy, Ben brings a thoughtful and grounded perspective on generosity, identity, and legacy.

Together, Chris and Ben explore the connection between purpose and generosity, and how the way we give is often a reflection of who we are becoming. They talk about the importance of living intentionally, the role of faith and identity in shaping our decisions, and why community is essential for creating meaningful, lasting impact.

At its core, this conversation is about more than giving.

It’s about learning to live with purpose in the present—

Because when giving becomes an expression of who we are,

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Transformation

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Vanessa Plant, Executive Director of the Alku Foundation and an experienced leader in Boston’s nonprofit and philanthropic space.

Vanessa has spent her career helping organizations move beyond traditional, transactional approaches to fundraising and into more relational, trust-based models of giving. Her work centers on building authentic partnerships, strengthening organizational culture, and creating lasting community impact.

Together, Chris and Vanessa explore what it looks like to move beneath the transaction in philanthropy—shifting from control and metrics to trust, relationship, and shared purpose. They discuss the principles of trust-based philanthropy, the role culture plays in nonprofit effectiveness, and why meaningful impact begins with how we choose to relate to the people we serve and support.

At its core, this conversation is about more than giving.

Because when philanthropy becomes relational,

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Beneath the Transaction Podcast

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris and Kenzie explore the role purpose plays in real transformation—both in our leadership and in our lives. Too often we focus on achievement and external success, but lasting transformation begins when we slow down long enough to ask deeper questions about who we are becoming and why we do what we do.

Joining the conversation is H Hassan, who has spent more than 21 years serving in public safety. Throughout his career, H has taken on a variety of roles, including training and developing law enforcement professionals and helping officers strengthen both their physical and mental readiness. He currently serves as a Firearms Training Coordinator, where he brings together discipline, leadership, and mentorship to help others grow in demanding environments.

In this conversation, H reflects on his own leadership journey and the impact of discovering and defining his “why.” Together, Chris, Kenzie, and H talk about the difference between surface-level change and true transformation, the role intentionality and commitment play in personal growth, and what it means to live and lead beneath the transaction.

At the heart of the episode is a powerful idea: purpose is the mortar of transformation. When purpose becomes clear, leadership moves beyond achievement and into the deeper work of becoming.

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, Chris sits down with Olivia Hickerson, founder of EmpowerTactics, to explore the often unseen work of creating psychologically safe organizations.

Olivia has spent her career helping mission-driven organizations strengthen the systems behind their impact — from governance and organizational infrastructure to the cultures that shape how people show up at work. Her work focuses on translating values into structure so that culture isn’t left to chance.

Together, Chris and Olivia explore why psychological safety is not simply a leadership buzzword but a daily leadership responsibility. They discuss the unique pressures nonprofit leaders face, the emotional weight of mission-driven work, and how burnout often grows in environments where safety and support are lacking.

The conversation also unpacks the complex dynamics between executive leaders and boards, the courage required for vulnerable leadership, and how small, intentional actions can transform the environments people work in every day.

At its heart, this episode is about leadership posture — the way leaders show up, listen, and create space for others to thrive.

Because the cultures we build aren’t accidental.

Key Themes in This Episode:

Why psychological safety is foundational to healthy leadership

The hidden burnout dynamics inside mission-driven organizations

The relationship between board leadership and organizational culture

How vulnerability strengthens leadership rather than weakening it

Small leadership actions that create meaningful cultural change

Why intentional structure protects culture from becoming accidental. 

Guest Introduction:

Olivia Hickerson is the founder of EmpowerTactics, where she partners with mission-driven organizations to strengthen the systems behind their impact. She specializes in organizational infrastructure, governance clarity, and psychologically safe workplaces, helping teams move from reactive problem solving to intentional design.

Olivia is known for bringing steady strategy, thoughtful challenge, and practical clarity to complex leadership environments.

🎙️ Listen to the full conversation on Beneath the Transaction, and follow the show for more weekly conversations about life, leadership, and the work happening beneath the surface.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Psychological Safety

In this episode of Beneath the Transaction, we sit down with Kate Westerman, Senior Director of Operations Learning & Development at UNFI, to explore what truly shapes growth inside organizations.

Kate has built enterprise-wide training systems across complex operational environments — but what stands out most isn’t her portfolio. It’s her posture.

Together, we talk about why so much of what we call “development” becomes transactional — compliance-driven, checklist-focused, and disconnected from the people it’s meant to serve. Kate shares how suspending the ego, seeing learners as gifts, and cultivating accountability inside belonging changes everything.

This conversation is about more than training. It’s about the kind of leadership that forms people — not just processes.

If you care about building cultures where transformation is actually possible, this episode invites you to slow down and reconsider how you develop others — and how you show up in the process.

Because transformation isn’t delivered.

Thank you for listening! We don't believe transformation is a solo act. Follow along and join a community practicing what it means to Live Beneath the Transaction. 

CHAPTERS

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Context of Transformation