In this episode, host Rusty Stahl welcomes Loretta Turner, founder of Do Good Leadership Collective, for an insightful conversation about nonprofit wellbeing in challenging times. Loretta shares her journey from yoga instructor to nonprofit leader to wellbeing coach and consultant. She discusses how her personal experience with burnout and receiving nonprofit services after losing her home shaped her mission to help social impact professionals "do good and be well." She offers a multidimensional view of wellbeing that goes beyond surface-level solutions like yoga classes or team-building activities, advocating instead for comprehensive approaches that include equitable pay, robust benefits, mental health support, and sustainable organizational cultures.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into what Loretta calls the "nonprofit zones of delusion" - harmful mindsets like savior complexes, scarcity thinking, and the glorification of burnout that plague the sector. The conversation explores how nonprofit professionals have been conditioned to "do more with less," making them uniquely equipped to face current challenges while emphasizing the critical importance of rest and resilience. Loretta also discusses how funders can meaningfully invest in wellbeing by moving beyond one-off grants to supporting sustainable organizational cultures where wellbeing is integrated into strategic planning.

This timely episode offers both practical wisdom and inspiration for nonprofit leaders navigating an era of attacks on the sector. Loretta explains her involvement with the Talent Justice movement and shares exciting initiatives from Do Good Leadership Collective, including monthly "slowdown events" in San Diego and the development of a coaching collective specifically for nonprofit professionals. Whether you're experiencing burnout, looking to create a more supportive organizational culture, or seeking to fund wellbeing effectively, this conversation provides frameworks and strategies to help social impact professionals not just survive, but thrive in their important work.

You can find all the episodes of this podcast plus our blog, toolkit and other resources at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fundthepeople.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And we invite you to learn from all the amazing past guests of Fund the People - A Podcast with Rusty Stahl at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fundthepeople.org/ftp_podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Bio

Loretta is an exceptional conscious social entrepreneur, leadership coach, and advocate for talent justice and workplace wellbeing. As the Founder of Do Good Leadership Collective, Loretta’s work focuses on helping nonprofit and social impact professionals prioritize healing, sustainability, and wellbeing in their work. She brings nearly 15 years of experience as both a nonprofit leader and wellness practitioner to her work, alongside a deep trust in and connection to ancestral wisdom. Loretta believes in helping the helpers, and knows that sustainable impact is only possible when we lead with a sense of care and belonging for ourselves and those around us.

Resources

Loretta Turner on LinkedIn

Do Good Leadership Collective

Stress Performance Curve

Zones of Delusion