E44: Unleashing Women's Leadership Potential with Lydia Knight, Founder and CEO of The She Center

Lead with Heart | Philanthropy, Nonprofit Leadership, Nonprofit Management & Fundraising

This week, I had the pleasure of having Lydia Knight on the Lead with Heart podcast. Lydia Knight is the founder and CEO of The She Center, an internationally recognized eating disorder expert and a pioneer in the field of female empowerment.
Lydia shares her personal journey from struggling with disordered eating to helping over 1,000 women achieve lasting freedom. She discusses applying neuroscience principles to reprogram limiting beliefs around thoughts, emotions, and leadership.
We discussed the importance of creating psychologically safe environments where difficult emotions can be faced directly. Our conversation delves into fostering inclusive cultures and unlocking women's leadership potential in nonprofits.
Listen now to feel both empowered and inspired.
In this episode:

• [06:26] Thought patterns influence our emotions and physical health
• [11:45] Getting to the root cause will create lasting change
• [13:59] We don’t need coping mechanisms, we need to face the reality
• [20:23] Creating a psychologically safe culture is important for nonprofits
• [26:17] Shifting from diversity as an obligation to a self-interest argument can help organizations truly embrace inclusion for better outcomes
• [33:29] Both individual patterns and structural barriers need to be addressed to unlock women's leadership potential and benefit missions
• [37:43] Mentorship and coaching provide awareness of blindspots and a path forward that individuals cannot see

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CONNECT WITH HALEY
Haley is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Certified Stress Management Coach, and Certified EmC train the trainer. She is the Founder of The Savvy Fundraiser, a nonprofit consulting and coaching business. She has worked in both small and large nonprofit teams in the human services, homelessness, and youth sectors; and she specializes in the EmC process, nonprofit leadership, board development, and fundraising. Haley is a passionate, impact-driven, experienced nonprofit professional whose mission is to empower, elevate and engage nonprofit leaders to build healthy, thriving organizations.
Instagram: @thesavvyfundraiser
LinkedIn: Haley Cooper, CFRE
Website: thesavvyfundraiser.com