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 of youth empowerment and social entrepreneurship, we explore why opportunity inequality is the real economic crisis, and how mentorship, mindset, and bold education models are rewriting what is possible for the next generation of entrepreneurs.

📌 The Opportunity Gap Nobody Wants to Admit
🔥 Rewriting Failure Into the Most Powerful Business Tool
🤝 Mentorship That Actually Moves the Needle
🌊 The Ripple Effect of One Entrepreneurial Mindset

If you are a school leader, nonprofit founder, impact investor, CSR director, educator, or youth program builder, this conversation is your blueprint for scalable social impact.

You can get in touch with Thais Rezende here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thais-rezende-1768a27/
Website: https://build.org

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 Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

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.
📌 The Belonging Crisis Destroying Retention Only 21% of employees feel they truly belong. Here is what that silence is costing you.
📌 The First 18 Months Make or Break Everything Why entry level employees are your highest retention risk and your greatest untapped asset.
📌 The Coaching Advantage Your Competitors Are Ignoring Why external coaching outperforms internal HR development every single time.

You can get in touch with Heidi Bailey here on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidibailey/
Website: https://www.bluebirdcoachingllc.com

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 Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

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 powerful strategic asset a mission-driven organization can hold.
🔬 The Theory of Change Blueprint | Your data strategy crumbles without this foundation
📊 Data Equity Beyond the Average | The ethical failure hiding inside "it works overall"
🔄 Continuous Improvement vs Reporting Theater | Real-time monitoring that drives real decisions
💡 Leading Up as a Data Champion | Why being too diplomatic cost Tyler more than it savedIf you lead a nonprofit, run program evaluation, or champion social impact at scale, this episode will permanently reshape how you think about impact measurement, community trust, and data-driven leadership.

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 Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

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 theory. She is here to change how you think about leadership, operations, and the people who carry your mission every single day.

📋 The Culture Audit: When the Real Problem Sits at the Top
🔑 Operational Clarity: Roles, Ownership, and the Architecture of Team Trust
🗓️ Meeting Design That Moves Missions Not Just Agendas
🌱 Boundaries as Bold Leadership: Living Your Values Out Loud

Nonprofit executive directors, operations strategists, board leaders, and organizational consultants, this episode is your playbook. If you are ready to build the kind of culture where brilliant people stay, grow, and actually solve the problems the world needs solved, start here.
You can get in touch with Alex Montgomery here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-montgomery-a9121a54/
Website: https://www.teamvka.com
The mission will not wait. Build the culture that is worthy of it.

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 Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

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 beyond it.

🏛 The Myth of the Quick Fix: Why Recovery Takes Years, Not Moments
🤝 People Over Programs: The Relationship Model That Changes Everything
🔑 Unlocking Barriers: Criminal Records, Trauma Freeze and the Hidden Employment Wall
🌱 From Survivor to Leader: How Harbour Hope Builds Spheres of Influence

If you lead a nonprofit, volunteer in social services, care about human dignity, or simply want to understand what real community restoration looks like, this conversation was made for you.
Connect with Merrie Karimov here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrie-karimov-912860275/
Website: https://harbourhope.org
The women being served are not victims waiting to be saved. They are warriors already rising.

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 Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

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 leadership, one that dares to say: growing organisations do not have to burn their people down to build something great.
📖 The Literacy Crisis No One Is Talking About Inside Nonprofits
🌱 The Gardener Framework: Leading Teams Without Burning Them Out
🔄 Adaptive Leadership and the Art of the Pivot Under Pressure
🧭 Start Where You Are: The Onboarding Blueprint That Changes Everything
If you lead a mission driven team, manage people in a high pressure environment, or are building nonprofit culture from the ground up, this episode will shift how you think about sustainable leadership, staff retention, and human centred operations.

You can get in touch with Henriette Recny here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriette-recny/
Website: https://theliteracylab.org

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 Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

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 Blueprint: How Dual Format Radio Rewires Divided Communities
🧠 Solutions Journalism vs Breaking News: The Model That Actually Heals
⚖️ Nonprofit Accountability in a Trust Deficit World: The Standard We Must Hold
When profit driven algorithms deliberately deepen division, public media without paywalls, without advertisers, without selling your data becomes the most radical act of civic courage alive. David unpacks why community convening through jazz, blues, and fearless local news is not nostalgia. It is the future.

Connect with David Fischer here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-fischer-5975876/
Website: https://www.knkx.org/

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 Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

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 transition at any moment and rescues at 95% capacity
🧠 Horses as Mental Health Healers
Veterans, autistic children and trauma survivors are finding breakthroughs no therapy room could offer
🎯 The One Thing First Framework
How Melissa leads an entire foundation solo by doing less and achieving far more
🌿 Building Your Herd
Why community, not burnout, is the real infrastructure of every thriving nonprofit
If you lead a nonprofit, run a rescue, work in equine welfare, or simply carry more than you should every single day, this episode will reset you. Melissa's story is proof that intentional leadership, radical focus, and a rescued horse can change what you thought was possible.

You can get in touch with Melissa Kitchen here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasauerkitchen/
Website: https://equinenetworkfoundation.org

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 Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.