The Combustion Chronicles

The Magic of Helping Kids Rediscover the Joys of Childhood (with Alicia Kabir)

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Today’s episode is very special for Shawn because his daughter attended Camp Kesem, a camp founded to help children through and beyond a parent’s cancer, put on by the incredible organization led by today’s guest. Kesem is a nonprofit that works with kids of parents who’ve had cancer and Shawn has been amazed and in awe of their work, their vision, and the impact they have had on so many people. 

In this episode, Shawn sits down with Alicia Kabir, Chief Executive Officer of Kesem, to talk about the challenges of running a nonprofit organization, how it feels to make such a big impact on the community, especially kids, how designing a better experience can improve someone’s life, and Kesem’s mission to help kids rediscover the joys of childhood.


In This Episode:

  • (02:23) – The best day she’s ever had doing what she does.
  • (04:35) – How designing a better experience can improve someone’s life.
  • (06:43) – What employers can learn from how Kesem recruits and trains college student volunteers.
  • (09:40) – How Alicia found her calling at Kesem.
  • (11:40) – Learning how to become a successful CEO.
  • (13:35) – On being maverick-minded and human-obsessed with kids at camp.
  • (16:35) – Talking about how a non-profit can grow its impact.
  • (17:41) – The best advice Alicia received about leadership.
  • (19:42) – The Combustion Questions.


    • What We Learned from Alicia Kabir

    • Alicia measures Kesem’s success by the number of tears, laughs, and hugs that they experience.
    • College students are the heart of Kesem’s organization.
    • Kesem does two things really well: Leaning into their why and giving their volunteers a lot of responsibilities.
    • Use the voices of the people in your community to make sure you’re making decisions that make sense to them.


      • Notable Quotes

      [3:23] - “You can see the happiness that the kids have, the joy, thankfulness, and gratitude that the parents have. It’s such a special moment for us at Kesem.”

      [8:00] - “They are our next generation of leaders and they need real responsibility and they step up and do this work time and time again.”

      [17:18] - “It’s super important to listen, to get feedback and input in order to scale and to make good decisions that truly drive impact and meaning with the families that we serve.”

      [18:08] - “I really am not hiding anything. You have the full story. And for me, that is leadership.”


      Our Guest

      Alicia Kabir is the Chief Executive Officer of Kesem, the leading national nonprofit organization that supports children affected by a parent’s cancer. She has been involved at Kesem since 2017 and began serving as CEO in 2021. Alicia had an established career in Environmental Engineering before she found her calling at Kesem, leading a successful nonprofit. Kesem offers free, creative, fun-filled programs that foster a lasting community and allows kids to rediscover the joys of childhood. 


      Resources & Links

      Alicia Kabir

      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-kabir-4b31a4/


      Shawn Nason

      LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasonshawn/

      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manonfiresocial/

      Twitter: https://twitter.com/manonfiresocial

      Website: https://shawnnason.com/

      MOFI: https://www.mofi.co/


      The Combustion Chronicles Podcast

      Website: https://shawnnason.com/combustion-chronicles-episodes/

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      The Combustion ChroniclesBy Shawn Nason
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