Hello leaders! How is life treating you? If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Right now, life is hectic, but I’m doing my best to navigate it all while sticking to the strategy God has given me for this season. And trust me, I learned the hard way not to ignore divine direction.When I first stepped into my CEO role at just 38 years old, I took over an organization that was struggling financially and operationally. I was new to the board, new to the staff, and trying to prove myself. I received critical advice on how to set boundaries and lead well—but I ignored some of it. While I eventually turned things around, the personal cost of that mistake was high.That’s why in today’s episode, “Mistakes & Leadership: How to Rebound After Making the Wrong Call,” I’m sharing five key steps for bouncing back after a leadership misstep.Mistakes are inevitable in leadership, but how we recover from them makes all the difference. Tune in now to hear the full story and these practical steps to help you rebound stronger than before.
In this episode, I share how I navigated a packed schedule filled with leadership demands, unexpected challenges, and external disruptions—all while striving to maintain focus and peace. From adjusting strategies in response to unforeseen changes to managing weather-related closures and political shifts impacting my team and clients, January was anything but smooth.Despite the chaos, I found ways to regain clarity, sift through distractions, and ensure that I stayed aligned with the right opportunities. Tune in as I discuss the strategies I used to maintain focus in a season of uncertainty and how you can do the same in your leadership journey.
As we kick off 2025, I’m excited to introduce a new monthly feature on Life & Leadership with Kim Williams: “Ask Kim.” Once a month, I’ll dedicate an episode to answering listener questions about leadership, strategy, and everything in between. If you have a question, I’d love to hear it! Send me a direct message via Instagram at Leadwithkim or on my Kim Williams Consulting LinkedIn page.This month’s question came from a leader friend who reached out during the holiday break. She’s in the process of disbanding and restructuring an advisory group that has played a key leadership role in her organization for years. After prayerful contemplation and consulting her leadership team, she decided it was time to move forward with the change—but wasn’t sure how to communicate the decision.Here’s her question:“Should I send an email to the advisory group informing them of the disbanding of the group, host a group meeting, or schedule individual calls? I do not want this to be a debate or major discussion because I am confident in my decision. However, I do value their partnership and contributions and I fear a letter may be too informal. What is the best way to go about informing the advisory group that I am ending it?”In this episode, I explore her question and provide practical strategies for navigating difficult leadership conversations with clarity, respect, and confidence. If you’re facing a similar situation, tune in for actionable advice on handling these transitions with grace and professionalism.Listen now to Episode 40 of Life & Leadership with Kim Williams: Navigating Tough Leadership Conversations on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
In this episode, I reflect on the challenges of casting a vision in the face of uncertainty. At first, I hesitated to create a long-term strategic plan for the next five years—a practice we’ve traditionally followed—due to the unpredictable landscape shaped by the pandemic and a new administration.However, I recognized that the absence of a clear and compelling direction could harm organizational culture and productivity. To address this, I immersed myself in research, studying industry trends, future predictions, and the evolving needs for our services. I also took time to pray and seek clarity about the path ahead.Through this process, I realized that in unprecedented times, a refined approach to visioneering is essential. In this episode, I share my updated strategy for creating and casting a vision that aligns with today’s challenges and opportunities.Let’s talk strategy and how to lead boldly into the future.
Do you know your leadership superpower? Most leaders struggle to confidently and quickly articulate what they bring to the table—myself included, even a decade into being a CEO. In this episode, we’ll explore why this is a problem and how getting clear on your unique strengths can transform not just your confidence but your entire organization. I’ll share my journey and help you step into 2025 with a stronger sense of who you are as a leader. Don’t miss this game-changing conversation about identity and impact!
Let me let you in on a little secret. Not everyone is optimistic at the start of the new year. Social impact leaders in particular may be overwhelmed with the sense of uncertainty, lack of clarity, and even self-doubt regarding whether or not you have what it takes to lead your agency into the unknown. Your first instinct may be to hide that insecurity by putting on a brave face for your team, board, and donors. I've done that before and I'm going to tell you something it's a mistake. In this week's episode of life and leadership with Kim Williams, I'm going to challenge you to face your fears. I have found that admitting, exploring and addressing your greatest fears is not only liberating but, it can be the catalyst for some of your greatest achievements.
This is Part Two of our October series on thriving in the new era of nonprofit leadership. Last week in Episode 63, we introduced the challenges and opportunities of this moment. Today, we focused on mindset. Next week, we’ll dive into methodology—the strategies leaders need to employ to succeed in this era.If you missed Episode 63, go back and listen. And don’t forget to download my free resource: The CEO Survival Checklist: 7 Essentials to Lead with Clarity in Times of Change.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO LEAD IN THIS NEW ERA OF NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT?Are the strategies that worked before the pandemic still relevant today? Or is it time for a new approach?I’ll be the first to admit, there were times in my leadership journey when I leaned too heavily on outdated methods, hoping they would work in changing times. What I discovered is that clinging to the old way often keeps us from moving forward.In this week’s episode of Life & Leadership with Kim Williams, I unpack the realities facing today’s nonprofit leaders: record CEO turnover, rising staff burnout, and shifting donor expectations. More importantly, I share practical, faith-rooted strategies to help you not just survive these changes but lead with clarity, courage, and confidence.
As leaders, we’re always evolving. Who you were yesterday isn’t the same as who you are today. That’s why reintroducing yourself matters. It reminds others (and yourself) of the growth, the lessons, and the leader you’ve become.In Episode 62 of Life & Leadership with Kim Williams, I share my own reintroduction and why it’s so important to know who you are today as a leader.
What can 30 years of leadership really teach you? For me, it’s been a journey of hard lessons, unexpected victories, and moments where faith carried me further than strength alone.In Episode 61 of Life & Leadership with Kim Williams, I share the biggest takeaways from three decades of leading including what worked, what didn’t, and what I wish I had known sooner.Listen now to Episode 61: 3 Decades of Leadership Lessons on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
After a season of pause and reflection, I’m back with a renewed vision for Life & Leadership with Kim Williams. In this special reintroduction episode, I share why I stepped away, what I learned during my summer sabbatical, and how those lessons are shaping the way forward.You’ll also hear about the brand-new format designed to serve leaders with clarity and consistency every month:Week 1: Mindset – Preparing yourself as a leader.Week 2: Method – Practical strategies to guide your organization.Week 3: Management – Equipping and engaging your team.Week 4: Ask Kim – Answering your leadership questions directly.This episode is both a welcome back and an invitation. If you’re a leader facing change, crisis, or simply the daily challenges of guiding others, this podcast is for you. Subscribe, share, and get ready for a new season of honest stories, proven strategies, and faith-filled encouragement to help you thrive in both life and leadership.
When I stepped into my CEO role, I inherited a $500,000 deficit, only 40% of families succeeding, and a team divided on whether I was the right leader.But today—that same organization has a balanced budget, 12 months of reserves, and an 80% success rate.How did that happen? By learning to lead as a chosen leader.In the finale of my Chosen Leaders Series, I’m answering your biggest questions—like:How do you lead when you feel overwhelmed or overlooked?What do you do when others don’t share your clarity or conviction?And how do you keep leading with character, calmness, and courage even when people don’t respond well?I’ll share the exact lessons I used to turn pressure into progress and doubt into undeniable results.
In this final installment of the Chosen Leaders Series, Kim Williams unpacks one of the most essential qualities of leadership—courage. Drawing from her early years as CEO of Interfaith Family Services, she shares how a thorough agency analysis revealed hard truths that many wanted to avoid. Facing low graduation rates, financial deficits, cultural resistance, and systemic challenges, Kim explains how courageous leadership required her to tell the truth, make difficult decisions, hold staff accountable, and change what wasn’t working.Listeners will discover that courage isn’t about control, volume, or intimidation—it’s about integrity, clarity, and conviction. With scriptural encouragement from Joshua 1:9, Kim reminds leaders that transformation, vision, and impact all demand courage.This episode will challenge you to ask the tough questions, speak truth with care, and make decisions that create real change. Because the world doesn’t need perfect leaders—it needs courageous ones.
What does confidence really look like in a leader? Is it charisma? Constant certainty? Or is it the quiet resolve to keep showing up—even when the fruit isn’t visible yet?In this episode of Life & Leadership with Kim Williams, I share a pivotal season early in my CEO journey when my confidence was under fire. Staff resistance, sudden turnover, and heavy challenges left me questioning my calling. Yet through that season, God taught me how to lead with steady faith when results were delayed.You’ll learn:How to protect your confidence in high-pressure seasonsWhy your inner dialogue matters as much as your external actionsThe role faith plays in finishing strongIf you’ve ever wondered how to stand firm when progress feels slow, this episode will encourage and equip you to keep leading with conviction until the results come in.
This week, I’m pressing pause.After a full and demanding week, I made the intentional decision to skip this week’s episode—not because I didn’t have content, but because I needed a moment to reset. Instead of pushing through, I took my therapist’s advice and chose grace.I’m using this time to wrap up 4th quarter planning and finish recording the rest of August’s episodes. I’ve learned the hard way that if I don’t pause now, I’ll hit a wall later—and that wall costs more than a momentary break.If you’re a high-capacity leader, let this be your reminder: you have the authority to pause. Rest is not retreat. It’s preparation.New episode drops next week.
What do you do when your team looks to you for peace… but all you feel is pressure?If you’ve ever had to lead while wounded, frustrated, or full of emotion—this one’s for you.I’ve been there.I used to call it authenticity—when really, it was insecurity.Now I know: Calm leadership is confident leadership.In Episode 55 of Life & Leadership with Kim Williams, I’m sharing 3 practical ways to stay calm—even when chaos is loud and leadership is heavy.
What do you do when doing the right thing costs you comfort, approval—or even support?In this episode of Life & Leadership with Kim Williams, we explore why character isn’t just a leadership buzzword—it’s the backbone of trust, influence, and resilience, especially in seasons of chaos.Kim shares a personal story from her early years as CEO, when hard decisions to improve outcomes stirred strong resistance—even attempts to end her leadership. But rather than retaliate, she chose to protect her integrity and stay focused on the mission.You’ll learn:Why crisis reveals character—not just competenceHow to lead with truth even when it’s unpopularWhat it looks like to honor the assignment when others question your authorityIf you’ve ever faced resistance for standing firm or felt isolated in doing what’s right, this episode is for you.
What do you do when everything feels like it’s spinning—but you still have to lead?In this episode of the Chosen Leader Series, Kim shares how to find clarity when the world around you feels unstable. Whether you're navigating organizational change, unexpected loss, or emotional exhaustion, this conversation offers practical tools to quiet the noise and refocus on your mission.You’ll learn:Why clarity starts with your calling, not your calendarHow to create space for clarity when you're overwhelmedWhat to stop doing when chaos is pulling you in too many directionsHow spiritual grounding can bring peace to pressured leadershipIf you're feeling stretched, scattered, or stuck—this episode is your invitation to pause, reflect, and get clear.
When the world feels chaotic and uncertain, some leaders don’t shrink back—they rise. In this episode, Kim kicks off the six-part Chosen Leader Series, created for leaders navigating high-stakes seasons and heavy responsibility. If you're walking through financial strain, team tension, or personal pain while still leading others—this series is for you.In this opening episode, Kim shares:The personal storm that made her question everythingWhy some leaders are chosen to lead through chaos3 practical steps to find clarity when everything feels unclearA powerful reminder that God still has a purpose in your pressureIf you’ve ever wondered why leadership feels so hard—or why you’ve been placed in your current position—thisconversation will steady your spirit and equip your strategy.
This week’s podcast episode, “When You Don’t Know Where to Begin… Just Begin,” is a heartfelt conversation about how to keep moving forward—through grief, uncertainty, and difficult seasons.If you're navigating a personal storm while still trying to lead others, I pray this episode gives you permission to lead with grace, not pressure.