One mother's love for her son became a lifeline for hundreds of families navigating autism, and the ripple effect is still growing. Christine turned the everyday challenge of raising a neurodivergent child into Sun, Moon, and Stars & Company, a nonprofit built on joy, community, and the radical belief that no family should ever feel alone.

In this deeply moving episode of What Works, host Marla Moody sits down with Christine, a full-time medical device sales executive, elected Board of Education member, Connecticut Autism Spectrum Advisory Council member, and founder of one of the most community-driven autism nonprofits in the state. What began as a simple supper club for families craving a judgment-free dinner has evolved into sensory-friendly train rides, adaptive sports, swim safety programs, and a statewide network of nonprofits lifting each other up.

🌟 From Diagnosis to Community — How One Family Changed Everything
How a diagnosis at age three and a half sparked a decade-long movement for autism families.

🤝 The Power of Nonprofit Collaboration — Grow Together, Not Apart
Why ditching competition and embracing partnership transformed Sun, Moon, and Stars & Company.

🎯 Building Sensory-Friendly Events That Actually Work
The frameworks behind capacity control, judgment-free spaces, and real family inclusion.

🌊 The Starfish Swim Club — Safety, Confidence, and Joy
How Christine launched an autism-specific swim safety program and why it changes lives.

Whether you are a nonprofit founder, a parent of a neurodivergent child, a community leader, or someone who believes in the power of collective impact, this episode will leave you inspired to act, collaborate, and lead with heart.

You can get in touch with Christine here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/
Website: https://www.sunmoonandstarsco.org

This one is for every parent who ever felt invisible, every founder who ever felt alone, and every community that is ready to rise together. The stars are just getting brighter.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

The nonprofit sector is running on a broken hiring system and it is silently destroying mission driven organisations from the inside out. Most leaders are hired to check boxes, onboarded like an afterthought, and handed a role with zero clarity about what change is actually supposed to look like. The cost is not just financial. It is cultural, strategic, and deeply human.
With over 30 years across nonprofit leadership, higher education, corporate philanthropy, and executive search, J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., Director of Executive Search at Cooper Coleman LLC, has seen exactly where organisations lose the plot on leadership and what it genuinely takes to get it right.
This conversation with Marla Moody is a masterclass for anyone serious about building thriving, values led, high performing nonprofit teams.
🎬 The Hidden Truth About Nonprofit Hiring Failures
Why desperation hires and box checking are quietly setting organisations back years
🎬 Diversity as a Strategic Advantage Not a Checkbox
How experiential, cultural, and ideological diversity drives real organisational outcomes
🎬 The Onboarding Gap That Breaks New Leaders
Why the most critical 90 days are also the most neglected in the sector
🎬 Succession Planning and the Leadership Loyalty Shift
What long tenured executives and younger talent both need organisations to understand right now
You can get in touch with J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D. here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmichaeldurnilphd/
Website: https://www.coopercoleman.com/

If you are a nonprofit executive, board member, HR leader, or organisational development professional navigating leadership transitions, talent strategy, or building cultures where high performers actually stay, this episode is your roadmap.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

The nonprofit world has a broken system nobody wants to admit , passionate people are being burned out, under directed, and blindsided by leadership gaps that quietly destroy impact. Robby Burroughs, former Managing Director at NDN Collective, Pomo tribal member, college professor, and coach, pulls back the curtain on the uncomfortable reality of working inside mission driven organizations.

From facilitating indigenous land back across Turtle Island and building circular revenue models that fund real change, to midnight phone calls and feedback with no direction, Robby shares what nonprofit culture gets dangerously wrong about leadership, burnout, and sustainability.

This conversation is raw, real, and packed with frameworks that actually work — from protecting your energy like a non negotiable to why weekly check ins transform entire teams. If you lead people, fund causes, or fight for communities, this episode will shift how you think about impact for good.

Connect with Robby Burroughs here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robby-burroughs-291234b9/

NDN Collective: https://ndncollective.org

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.

Most nonprofit boards are silently killing the very organizations they were built to protect. The uncomfortable reality? It is not a funding problem. It is a governance problem nobody wants to talk about.
25-year C-suite advisor and bestselling author Heather H. Bennett, Partner and Managing Director at Newport LLC, pulls back the curtain on what actually makes a board of directors powerful versus paralyzing. From the hidden value of board networks to the dangerous myth of "give, get, or get off," Heather dismantles outdated board strategies and replaces them with frameworks that actually move missions forward.
Whether you are an executive director drowning in board dysfunction or a leader considering your first board seat, this episode delivers the unfiltered truth about board size, member accountability, term cycles, the board matrix strategy, and why camaraderie is your most underrated governance tool.

Connect with Heather H. Bennett here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-h-bennett/
Listen to her podcast Growth + Exit: https://www.youtube.com/@GrowthplusEXITPodcast
Grab her book "Fun and Fulfilling Careers One Question at a Time" on Amazon
Visit FHSR: https://www.fhsr.org

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

The nonprofit sector is running on a broken system nobody wants to admit exists. Behind the mission driven work, there’s a hidden truth leaders rarely say out loud scarcity thinking is quietly destroying team performance, leadership growth, and long term impact. This conversation exposes the uncomfortable reality of outdated leadership strategies, why high performing professionals fail when promoted, and what nobody tells you about leading in resource constrained environments. If you care about leadership, team performance, and sustainable impact, this is a wake up call.

In this episode of What Works, Courtney Evans Henke, Managing Director of Partnerships and Communications at Last Mile Health, shares powerful insights from leading global teams across Africa.

From transitioning out of an individual contributor role to managing leaders, Courtney breaks down the real leadership challenges most organizations ignore,lack of systemic training, burnout culture, and the dangerous impact of scarcity mindset.

This episode dives deep into leadership development, nonprofit strategy, management skills, and how to build high performing teams without sacrificing well being.
We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits

The nonprofit hiring crisis nobody talks about is quietly breaking organizations from the inside. While leaders focus on funding, programs, and impact, the hidden truth is that poor onboarding and weak leadership practices are silently destroying team retention, culture, and long term mission success. In this powerful conversation, Addie Candib of American Farmland Trust exposes the uncomfortable reality behind nonprofit leadership, farmland protection, and the overlooked systems that determine whether teams thrive or collapse.

In this insightful episode, Addie Candib, leader at American Farmland Trust, joins Coach Marla Moody to unpack the real leadership challenges facing mission driven organizations today. From nonprofit onboarding to intergenerational farm transitions, Addie shares practical insights on building strong teams, supporting farmers, and creating leadership cultures that prioritize people as much as outcomes.

Drawing from her work with farmland preservation, agricultural communities, and nonprofit teams, Addie explains why intentional onboarding is not just an HR function but a strategic leadership tool. She also highlights how food security, farmland protection, and farmer succession are deeply connected issues that require collaboration, mediation skills, and emotionally intelligent leadership.

The conversation dives into the realities of nonprofit management, why retention rates matter more than ever, and how leaders can create environments where both employees and farmers feel supported, valued, and empowered.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits

The nonprofit fundraising playbook is broken and most organizations are still running on outdated strategies that quietly drain donor trust, stall growth, and limit real impact. In a world driven by data, digital engagement, and rising donor expectations, the uncomfortable reality is this: relationship driven fundraising beats transactional tactics every time. Global nonprofits, development leaders, and fundraising professionals are being forced to rethink donor engagement, capital campaigns, and sustainable revenue growth or risk becoming irrelevant.

In this powerful episode, Michael Collins, Managing Director of Development Operations and Donor Engagement at iMentor, shares over 20 years of frontline nonprofit leadership experience. Having worked across small community nonprofits and large national organizations, Michael brings deep expertise in grants, special events, capital campaigns, major gifts, and individual giving at every level.

From modern donor engagement strategy to nonprofit growth frameworks, this conversation dives into what actually drives sustainable fundraising success in today’s digital nonprofit landscape.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits

In this conversation, Coach Marla Moody speaks with Burt Rosen, co-founder of Hold On To Hope, about his journey through personal loss and how it shaped his leadership in the nonprofit sector. They discuss the importance of planned transitions in leadership, the impact of grief on purpose, and the role of transparency in healing. Bert shares his experiences of navigating the pain of having a missing son and how that led to a deeper commitment to serving others in need. In this conversation, Burt Rosen shares his profound journey of empathy and hope stemming from personal experiences with his son, Matthew, who faced homelessness. He discusses the importance of treating individuals with dignity and respect, the complexities of hope during difficult times, and the significance of self-care for leaders. Burt also introduces the 'Hold On to Hope' initiative, aimed at supporting families with missing loved ones, emphasizing community engagement and the need for resources to help those in distress.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of What Works!
- Marla and the What Works Podcast team :)

Are you a Leader who would benefit from Leaders encouraging Leaders, Leave a comment where we can find you of go over to https://www.skool.com/value-based-leadership-8377 and join the community there.

Connect with me:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachingwithmarla/

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention

#whatworkspodcast #nonprofitleadership #missiondriven #operations #scalingimpact #nonprofitmanagement #leadershipthatinspires #nonprofitexcellence #socialimpact #teambuilding #burnoutprevention
WhatWorks is a bold and insightful podcast for non-profit leaders who want to go deeper than surface-level conversations. Hosted by Marla Moody, a seasoned operations executive with decades of global experience, the show uncovers what truly makes mission-driven organizations thrive. From scaling systems to building resilient teams and fighting burnout, WhatWorks goes behind the scenes of the world’s most impactful non-profits.