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a national platform that connects talented women with flexible, meaningful jobs, Mary Kay is a force for challenging outdated assumptions and rebuilding the hiring process with humans at the center.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!

Visit the Silver Maple Strategies website

Follow Silver Maple Strategies on LinkedIn

Book Nate Birt as a speaker or facilitator

Do you ever feel like you're encountering a series of neverending bottlenecks within your nonprofit? Here at Silver Maple Strategies, we see this all the time - and it's nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, it's part of the natural growth of any purpose-driven organization. The best part? There are tremendous solutions available to any leader looking to break through bottlenecks and deliver increasingly higher levels of impact. In this episode, I'll teach you how. It really boils down to focusing your attention and strategy in three key areas:

• Mindset: Erase doubt, stop denying your own value, and avoid sabotage
• People + Machines: Shift away from analog-only systems and toward human-centered, digitally streamlined processes, embrace automation where sensible, and encourage your team to cross-train
• Money (aka Fundraising): Focus attention versus spreading it broadly over many areas, bias toward action (rather than primarily research) and navigate tricky predicaments with an eye toward financial sustainability.

I hope these insights can be helpful to you in determining which bottleneck you'll break through next.

And if you're curious to explore what this could mean for your own nonprofit's health and growth, I'd love to visit with you. Book a free, no-pressure consultation to dive deeper on your nonprofit's specific needs. You can simply schedule a time to talk with me, CEO Nate Birt, at www.SilverMapleStrategies.com/Contact.