Non-traditional social impact career paths, transitions, and the importance of who you surround yourself with — just a few of the topics in this episode! We dive into the importance of prioritizing people + process and rave about our game-changing experience using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), thanks to the help of Maria Kingery.



Today’s guest is Caitlin Kawaguchi, a social impact and communications strategist whose work spans three continents and includes projects with grassroots organizations, international NGOs, social enterprises, and corporations.



As you’ll learn in Christina’s interview with Caitlin, she is an inspiration to those who don’t want to be put in a box and is a successful professional with TWO JOBS! Caitlin is currently the Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Bird + Stone, a social enterprise jewelry company, AND a digital engagement strategist for Spark Action, a youth & children’s advocacy organization.



“If you don’t have a long term plan for success and the right people on board, it can be really hard to get beyond the first year or two of incredible impact & be able to scale.”

– Caitlin Kawaguchi, Director of Marketing & Partnerships at Bird + Stone & Digital Engagement Strategist at Spark Action



Here are some of the highlights discussed on the show:

* Christina shares how meeting Caitlin helped her embrace a less traditional path & helped her discover her passion for Consulting with mission-driven organizations that want to grow with a focus on honing their business, marketing, & sales strategy to improve profitability.

* We discuss the importance of designing a life with purpose… and the idea that you don’t have to accept unlivable working conditions or follow someone else’s path to make an impact. You can design your own professional life, on your terms.

* Transitions are ok. It is also ok to switch paths. You have to determine what success looks like to you. Even if you’re not working in social impact or you’re not in the ideal job, that’s ok.

* It’s important to surround yourself with people that live the kind of life you’re interested in. Caitlin found this through colleagues at Peacework, StartingBloc Fellows, & Dreamers // Doers.

* Caitlin discusses how burnout in non-profits is far more common than is acceptable. Funders need to recognize that overhead is a cost that needs to be paid because, in order to keep people, you need to support internal company culture and staff members.



Links to Caitlin and her work:

* Caitlin’s website

* Bird + Stone

* Spark Action



Even more links mentioned in this episode:

* Geraud Staton’s Arc Bender’s interview

* Danny Rosin’s Arc Bender’s interview

* Maria Kingery, EOS Implementer

* Peacework

* StartingBloc

* Dreamers // Doers

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Closed Captioning for this episode is available on YouTube.

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Music Credit: Ryan Levin