We were lucky to catch up with Loretta Turner recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Loretta, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I found my purpose by taking a hard look at my lived experience.
I’ve been in nonprofit work my entire career. So many people in this sector talk about showing up to their work feeling like they have a purpose because they’re helping to end hunger, address climate change, and more. In my early years as a nonprofit employee, my work definitely felt purposeful… I worked with organizations that helped burn survivors, promoted youth empowerment, and created equitable access to the outdoors. But I also felt like something was missing for me. I wasn’t totally fulfilled.
That’s when I started looking at my own story and realizing that burnout, unreasonable workloads, unfair compensation, and other inequitable systems had taken a serious toll on my wellbeing. I started questioning if I should continue working for nonprofits.
That is when my purpose became clear: my role in this world was to help other nonprofit leaders create cultures of care and wellbeing where all staff felt valued, resourced, and supported in the critical work they were doing.
Tell us about your business and what you’re most excited about.
As the Founder Do Good Leadership Collective, I partner with nonprofit leaders to cultivate workplace cultures of wellbeing, belonging, and care.
My team focuses on integrating wellbeing into the core of organizational strategy, ensuring that nonprofit professionals have the resources needed to thrive in their work. We utilize wellbeing assessments, leadership coaching, and custom workshops to help organizations prioritize people strategies right alongside their strategies for carrying out their missions.
What excites me most is witnessing that the nonprofit sector is finally open to these conversations. When I started my nonprofit career in 2012, I didn’t know a single professional who was willing to address the inequities of the nonprofit sector. Now, I’m watching conversations across social media speak loudly on this movement, and major institutions are chiming in as well and taking action.
This excitement is leading Do Good Leadership Collective into a place of expansion. This is what we’re up to:First, we’re keeping up with our monthly “Slow Down” events, where nonprofit and social impact professionals in San Diego, CA can recharge, rest, and prioritize community care.
Secondly, we are building our bench of consultants and coaches who share our passion for helping transform nonprofit cultures with care, belonging, and wellbeing at the center.
Finally, we’re making new friends! We are developing custom coaching programs and educational workshops for nonprofits across the US, and working closely with some fantastic leaders who are ready to take better care of those who work tirelessly on ground and behind the scenes.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first two qualities are hope and patience. I wish I could go back to the 2013 version of myself and firstly, thank her for her frustrations and visions of a brighter future, and secondly, tell her to hang in there. The fire I felt in the beginning of my career is what got me here today. It just needed more time to pass so I could learn more, build my network, and be patient with my vision as it became more tangible and well articulated.
The third skill is to pay attention to what finds you. I never planned to get into nonprofit work or to start a wellbeing-focused company. Instead, I listened intently to what my community reflected back to me and paid close attention to the work that naturally gravitated my way.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Like I mentioned, we love making new friends. We believe in the power of co-creation and collaboration to amplify impact. We’re interested in working with individuals and organizations that have an unwavering commitment to making the nonprofit and social impact sectors more equitable and sustainable places to work. This includes:
- Consultants and Coaches who specialize in nonprofit leadership development
- Philanthropy Experts who are serious about mobilizing resources to fund initiatives that center staff wellbeing and long-term organizational health, and
- Nonprofit Leaders who are ready to reimagine how they care for their teams while fulfilling their mission
If you want to connect, then head over to www.dogoodleadershipcollective.com or email me directly at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dogoodleadershipcollective.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dogoodleadership
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dogoodleadership
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
