Soil health. Sustainable ag. Regenerative practices. These topics are no longer niche. They're front and center in conversations about the future of food, farming, and resilience.

This week on Secrets of Social Impact Communicators, I sit down with Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, president of Field to Market, a nonprofit coalition of nearly 200 organizations working to advance sustainable agriculture. Carrie is a sixth-generation farmer, coalition-builder, and lifelong learner who is passionate about helping farmers thrive while stewarding the environment.

We explore what it means to lead in a complex, often-polarized ecosystem, and how Carrie has learned to build trust, slow down, and focus on long-term impact—lessons every social impact communicator can apply.

• How to listen deeply without losing sight of your mission

• What it takes to convene unlikely partners across a wide value chain

• Why storytelling—especially personal storytelling—can build trust and fuel resilience

• Carrie’s inspiring pivot from a would-be college athlete to a nationally recognized ag leader

• Why slowing down can be a surprisingly effective leadership strategy

• How her mom’s “say yes and learn as you go” mindset shaped her approach to purpose-driven work

We also discuss the growing interest in soil health, why now is the perfect moment to lean into people’s curiosity about food and agriculture, and how organizations can lead with empathy and authenticity.

Plus, Carrie shares the story of how a miscommunication over the word “shed” became a powerful metaphor for listening better in our personal and professional lives.

• Learn more about Field to Market: https://fieldtomarket.org

• Connect with Carrie on LinkedIn

• Take the Nonprofit Resilience Quiz – get your free, personalized roadmap for growing your organization

• Subscribe to my newsletter, Secrets of Social Impact Communicators: Join here

• Thanks as always to Lee Williams for editing and producing this episode!

Too many hiring systems are broken, and moms are often the ones getting left behind. But what if there was a better way?

In this inspiring episode, I talk with Mary Kay Ziniewicz, founder and CEO of Bus Stop Mamas, about how she’s radically reimagining what work can look like for mothers. From her early career in law firm marketing to building a national platform that connects talented women with flexible, meaningful jobs, Mary Kay is a force for challenging outdated assumptions and rebuilding the hiring process with humans at the center.

You'll hear how Mary Kay’s personal transformation led her to purpose-driven work, why remote work isn’t the silver bullet we think it is, and the untapped business case for hiring moms. We also explore how employers can be part of the solution, saving money, increasing retention, and building stronger teams by hiring differently.

Whether you're a nonprofit leader, a social impact entrepreneur, or a working parent yourself, you’ll walk away from this conversation encouraged, challenged, and ready to take bold steps forward.

In this episode, we cover:

• The origin story of Bus Stop Mamas and why it’s changing lives
• Why 43% of women still leave the workforce after having children
• How social conditioning and hiring algorithms marginalize moms—and how to fix it
• What employers get wrong about childcare and workplace flexibility
• The power of vulnerability, creativity, and community in leadership
• Why being wrong might be the best thing for your career
• Fast-cash gigs, pinch hitters, and how Mary Kay is redefining modern hiring

Links & Resources:

🔗 Visit Bus Stop Mamas

🔗 Connect with Mary Kay on LinkedIn

📝 Read our related blog post: The Courage to Ask: Rethinking Sales and Your Nonprofit Fundraising Strategy

📩 Subscribe to Secrets of Social Impact Communicators newsletter: Join here

Thank you to Mary Kay and the team at Bus Stop Mamas for this powerful conversation.

Thanks as always to Lee Williams for editing and producing this episode!

What if the path to real social impact began with letting go?

In this episode, I sit down with Alfredo Mathew III, founder and CEO of SPCC One—the world’s first Shared Prosperity Community Corporation. Alfredo is a former public school educator turned social entrepreneur who’s building a bold, transformative model that reimagines capital, ownership, and community.

Alfredo shares how his work empowers small businesses—especially Black and Brown-owned enterprises—to band together, unlock capital, and drive systemic change through shared prosperity models rooted in economic democracy and collective ownership.

We also dive into:

• What small businesses and nonprofits get wrong about capital
• The mindset shift founders must make to stop playing small
• How to spot when your business model needs a pivot
• What it takes to build local economic engines that last
• Why ego is holding the social sector back—and what to do about it
• A life-threatening health scare that gave Alfredo powerful clarity on impact, legacy, and humility

Alfredo doesn’t just talk systems change—he’s living it. You’ll walk away from this episode challenged, inspired, and equipped with actionable ideas for growing your impact while staying grounded in purpose.

More from our conversation:

• Connect with Alfredo Mathew III on LinkedIn
• Visit Alfredo’s website: alfredomathew.com
• Email him: alfredo@spcc.one
• Learn more about SPCC One

Related Resources:

• Read my article: “Breaking Through Bottlenecks”
• Watch recent webinars on the Silver Maple Strategies YouTube Channel
• Sign up for my free newsletter, Secrets of Social Impact Communicators: Subscribe here

Thanks as always to Lee Williams for editing and producing this episode!

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