What if someone had pulled you aside on your first day in nonprofit work and told you the truth?

In this episode of Burnout & Breakthrough, I'm having the conversation I wish someone had with me on my first day in nonprofit work. The real stuff that you don't learn about until you've been in the trenches long enough to get burned. Like how your passion can be weaponized against you, or why "collaborative environment" often means "no one's actually in charge."

I asked my network what they wish they'd known before jumping into this field. Their answers were raw, honest, and necessary—from learning that being the "go-to person" eventually backfires, to realizing that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is walk away.

Key Takeaways

• How passion exploitation shows up in nonprofit workplaces.
• Why impact gets reduced to meaningless metrics and what it costs us.
• The hidden costs of flat organizational structures and unclear decision-making.
• Honest advice from seasoned nonprofit professionals on how to survive and thrive.

If you've ever felt blindsided by the realities of nonprofit work, or if you're considering this path, this episode is your heads-up.

Complete list of references and resources from this episode → Show Notes

Read the full blog post that pairs with this episode → No One Told Me This: The Silent Truths of Nonprofit Work

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