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What does it really mean to create community? Is it the organizations we belong to, the titles we hold, or the rooms we're invited into? Or is it something much more personal?

On this episode of Schmooze with Suze, I'm reconnecting with someone whose leadership journey I've had the pleasure of following, Allishia Bauman, author of The Art of Space Making and CEO of the Women's Center of Jacksonville.

When I first interviewed Allishia, we explored how community helped shape her life. This time, we're talking about how she's using her life to shape community.

We get personal about leadership, identity, and the sometimes uncomfortable realization that the work we do can become so intertwined with who we are that we forget to make space for ourselves. We explore what it means to lead from the inside out, embrace the African philosophy of ubuntu, "I am because you are," and recognize that creating belonging requires more than simply extending an invitation.

Allishia also takes us inside the critical work of the Women's Center of Jacksonville, an organization providing essential resources for survivors of sexual violence, including crisis intervention, a regional rape crisis hotline serving four counties, forensic examination support, trauma-informed counseling at no cost, and community prevention education.

Throughout our conversation, we challenge what it means to truly show up for others, especially when the circumstances are difficult, uncomfortable, or far from glamorous.

We talk about curiosity over assumptions, trust over titles, and why clear communication is an act of kindness.

For me, this conversation reinforces something I believe deeply: Community isn't something we simply belong to. It's something we are responsible for building.

Whether you're a nonprofit leader, community advocate, professional navigating your own identity, or simply someone who wants to be more intentional about how you show up in the world, there's something in this conversation for you.

And if this conversation resonates, please subscribe, share it with someone who might benefit, and leave a review. Every listen helps amplify the people and organizations making Northeast Florida a stronger, more compassionate community.

Curate. Educate. Activate.

#SchmoozeWithSuze #CurateEducateActivate #ViewsWithSuze #NonprofitLeadership #JacksonvilleFL

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