What does it take to build an organization that truly stays connected to the people it serves?

In this episode of Worth the Work with Jason Dana Costa, Jason sits down with Abdul-Rahmaan I. Muhammad, Founder of My People Clinical Services and President & CEO of My People Community Services, to talk about leadership, community, fatherhood, trust, and more than two decades of creating impact in Greater Hartford.

Abdul-Rahmaan shares how watching his father work as a social worker shaped his own approach to leadership, teaching him the importance of compassion, connection, and genuinely caring for people. He also reflects on launching My People Clinical Services in 2005 and how what began as a small idea quickly grew to more than 100 staff within its first year.

The conversation explores the philosophy behind the organization’s mission: “To enable My People to help Your People so that Our People will succeed.” Abdul-Rahmaan explains why lasting community impact requires people to work together, remove barriers, and remain connected to the individuals and families they serve.

Jason and Abdul-Rahmaan also discuss the realities of balancing mission and financial sustainability, adapting an organization through changing funding models, building trust in communities that have valid reasons to distrust institutions, and the importance of leaders staying close to the work rather than becoming disconnected from the people they serve.

Abdul-Rahmaan also shares the story behind The Manhood Tree, an initiative designed to create safe spaces where men can talk openly about boyhood, fatherhood, brotherhood, manhood, vulnerability, and personal growth. From Fatherhood Manologues to Brotherhood Check-Ins and the “Speak Life into a Father, Speak Life into a Son” initiative, his work creates opportunities for men to connect, encourage one another, and have conversations that often go unspoken.

The episode also touches on Abdul-Rahmaan’s own resilience through organizational challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic, kidney failure, and major health setbacks, and why he continues to wake up motivated by the belief that individuals, families, and communities can succeed.

It’s a conversation about what leadership looks like when you remain present, build trust, invest in people, and never lose sight of the community behind the mission.