How Lisa Tepper Bates Went from U.S. Diplomat to Solving America's Social Crisis

[0:00]  All of us have paid into the system in one way or another through our work, through the taxes that we pay. When you buy a soda at the corner store, you're paying taxes. We are all of us paying in to a system for the benefit of all of us. And and you have to say that means when I am in need, I have already paid in. And so I too am entitled to this space. I'm entitled to help. Uh there are a lot of people that I have met who when they they felt like they had the ability, they also gave to nonprofits and then one day maybe they need the help. And I I think it's sadly a particularly American uh weakness that we have built for ourselves to say, "Oh

[0:50]  no, I shouldn't have to ask for help." All of us all the time are working together, paying into a collective system, paying into our community. And then there are times that there is a benefit that we need back from the community. And that should be okay by us. And we have to we have to allow for it to be. And we have to make it okay for our neighbors and our friends and our family.

[1:27]  Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle Podcast. You've led with missions overseas and now you're leading missions at home. What does it take to shift from diplomacy to domestic domestic sorry impact and still put people first every step of the way? I'm going to get you straight into the first question. Lisa, when was a moment you knew public service wasn't just in your DNA, but that your next mission was going to look a lot different than the last? Yeah, that's a great question, Ephraine. So, you know, I was so privileged to be a US diplomat and to to have the honor to represent our country overseas. Uh, but when I wasn't overseas, then I was working in Washington DC, our nation's capital. And uh I had a very comfortable life in in

[2:16]  DC. Uh but in a lot of the years Ephraim that I lived there uh there was incredible poverty and incredible violence and suffering in the very capital of the United States of America, the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the history of the planet. And you know, it just didn't sit right with me after a while that um you spend a lot of time as a US diplomat talking about our system, what our system does well, uh why other countries should support what we do. Uh and as I looked around at at my neighbors in Washington DC, I had this very strong feeling that we needed to do better by so many people. um especially by our youngest citizens uh

[3:08]  who all should have the same level playing ground, the same opportunity to make the most of themselves and their lives. And it was very clear to me that that just wasn't what we were delivering and we could do better. And and I wanted to be part of that effort in our country to deliver on what we claim the United States offers to everyone here. And so that's what I'm still doing. I love it.

[3:33]  Guys, if you guys are joining in right now, I know this is a complete different intro, but I'm joined by someone whose journey went from global diplomacy to grassroots impact. Lisa is the CEO of United Way of Connecticut, and she's here to continue to drop some real insight on what it looks like when you're leading with both heart and hustle. So, definitely welcome to the show. I appreciate you starting us off with that uh heavyhitten just this is why, right? The why behind it all. What actually surprised you, Lisa, when you talk about going and trading embassies for the nonprofit boardroom?

[4:08]  What surprised me, I think, is how how similar the work is. Um, it's all about connecting with people to make a case and to bring about change. uh and being able to pull in the information that's going to help people think differently. Um and to appeal to their hearts as much as their minds. You need both. Uh and that's how you shift people's perspectives. That's how you get them to the yes on whatever it is you want them to say yes to. And it's really the very same everywhere. Um and at the same time there are incredible generous people at every level and there are are people who that might not be

[4:57]  their first instincts at all levels. U so you're you're always trying to to bring a lot of different people who are thinking about uh challenges and opportunities in a lot of different ways. You're trying to help them go the same direction. I'm just going to throw a a little blind question even though this is not the blind question, but I'm gonna throw one anyway to kind of put you in the hot seat. Uh, how how old were you when when you actually started in this space of just being a leader? Let's start there really quick before I ask my question.

[5:29]  Oh, that's a funny question. Uh, do you know I I um when when I was a little girl, the the era that I was growing up in, there was um there was an adjective used a lot for little girls um who tried to project authority. We were called bossy. And so um I remember from very early uh having that term thrown at me, but I kind of wore it as a badge of honor, you know.

[5:58]  Um, so I I think I always wanted to think of myself as a leader if I'm to be honest. But you know, leadership isn't just something you think you are. It's a skill you have to learn. And I think Ephrain, the difference that I would say is it's sort of 180 from what you think it is. People think leadership is, you know, I'm going to lead people. I'm going to be out in front. But it doesn't matter if you're out in front, nobody's behind you. Mhm.

[6:26]  And leadership is is you know there's a there's a term that you've heard service leadership. Well, what does that mean? Service leadership means that you really put the people who are working with you. You put them first and you are serving them and you know you are a team together. And I think that that's a that's the the way I have come to think about leadership and and that's the way that I've seen the best leaders that I know.

[6:55]  think about leadership and it's different than sometimes people think. It's not about I give the orders and you have to follow me, right? Yep. That's that's actually not what it is. Yeah. No, 100% agree with you. And how you know to what you're saying, right, the little bossy Lisa, we're going to go from little bossy Lisa. Then we we get into a space and now you're you're working at the State Department. Um, if you can actually write a letter to the your younger self, what would it actually say in that letter with all the knowledge and wisdom and things that you've been having to overcome? I can only imagine as a woman itself, right, being in this space, it hasn't been easy for you. What do you go tell that young Lisa that's in the state department?

[7:37]  What would I say to her? I think one thing that I would say is uh is something that I I learned later from one of my very very best bosses that I worked with and and for uh and he said don't ever be afraid to open your mouth and say your piece. Say what you think needs to be said. Be more afraid afraid be more afraid not to say what you have to say because you'll never get that moment back.

[8:09]  You can always make a mistake and you can you can recover from the mistake and you learn from mistakes. But what you'll never get back is that moment that you could have said something that you could have done something. So learn to regret that most. It's funny you say that. just actually spoke to another leader and it was I I forgot what the question was I was asking her but we get in a space of she just started talking about her kids and how she's so excited that her kids when they answer her it's not like no it's a no I'm not a fan or that's not the way of I look at it right and for so many times even not I was just I went back to my daughter I say no all the time no you can't do that right or she's telling us no all the time and we say stop saying

[8:55]  no stop saying no. But it's like I just told my wife after that conversation, hey, maybe we look at things differently. Maybe it's okay for her to say no, but she has to give us the why. Don't just say no. And we just did it, right? We said, hey, before I told you a little bit before we got online online that she was taking a nap, and I says, hey, go use the potty. She yells no. So we ask why no. And she says, well, because I don't have to use a bathroom.

[9:22]  Right? So we're teaching them it is okay to always speak up. a lot of times is how we say things and that's how people kind of take it. So saying no, I'm I'm not, you know, I'm not a fan of that or I'm not I'm against that or whatever that may look like. I think it does. And so many times though, we've grown up, at least for me, it was stay quiet, right?

[9:41]  Stay in your place. And it shouldn't be like that. When you talk about a good leader, a good leader, and I've I've been the person, Lisa, I don't know if you ever been like this. I'm the person that definitely speaks up. Maybe sometimes I don't say enough ahead of time. So by the time I speak up, it may come across as angry, but it's passion.

[10:01]  And I think that's where people don't see passion. They just see aggression. All of a sudden, you become the disgruntled employee. From your leadership perspective, what do you think about that? When people say, "Hey, this guy's disgruntled or this woman's disgruntled," but in reality, they're just passionate. They're tired of not being heard or overlooked. I think you had some great bosses, but I also think you're just a great leader yourself. So, what is your thoughts on that? You know, I I think what's hard about that? I love passionate people, and I'm never put off if somebody is speaking their part with passion or even if they're they're a little bit angry, but there there's something behind that that you want to understand. But as a as a leader myself, I have come to understand that for some people, for some for a set of reasons, it could be different for everyone. For

[10:48]  some people, if you're angry about this thing that's happening, that's not part of your exchange with that individual, they might receive your anger, that energy. They might pull it into themselves in a way that shuts them down a little bit. So, I'm a very passionate person. I get very angry about different injustices, right? Or things that I think could be better than they are, uh, or things that could be done better than they're being done and and help more people. Um, and what I've realized is that, um, I I have to be a little bit careful with my energy because that energy can can shut people down when I want them to be able to add their part, right? or to respond.

[11:36]  And I found if I say, you know, this isn't right and this is happening and this is happening and then I sort of sit back and say, so okay, person on my team, what do you think? And they're like, yeah, yeah, okay, whatever. I agree with you. Right. And so you have to ramp it. You have to ramp it down so that you can say, you know, okay. All right. I had to say my piece.

[11:56]  Thank you very much. I'm just going to, you know, take a breath. And now tell me, you know, what do you think? Right. So, you have to transition sometimes if you are that type of person and you're projecting that energy. I love it. Uh, but it never it never bothers me when people do that. But I've I've realized for a lot of people they they might receive it personally even when it's not intended as personal. Correct. Correct.

[12:22]  I love this. I love this conversation already. I want to kind of get into, you know, what the organization is that you're a part of. A huge organization. has been around for a long time and you happen to be working at the Connecticut location in this in this space, but most people don't realize how many lives you're actually quietly saving every day being part of United Way. If you had 30 seconds to explain uh United Way's heartbeat, what would you actually say for those that may not even know? Yeah, United Way as a system, we say that we mobilize the caring power of communities to help people thrive, which is really beautiful, right? Um, and that translates in different ways to different United Ways. So, for our part, United Way Connecticut, we provide uh help with basic needs. We help people

[13:10]  find what they need if it's a food pantry or a diaper bank or a homeless shelter. Uh, we help people who are having a mental health crisis through our 988 service. And, uh, we help people connect to the child care they need so they can go to work and support their families. Uh so that's what my great team uh primarily is doing all day every day. I love that. Can you actually walk us through a day where you felt the full weight of the power of 211 or 988 actually in action? Yeah, sure. So for 21onone, some of u some of what's been really meaningful during my tenure if was actually during the pandemic. Um, we became the hotline for the state of Connecticut on co everything COVID. Um, and then we became the phone-based

[14:01]  statewide service when the vaccines rolled out to help people schedule a vaccine. If you can remember, you know, everybody was struggling to get those uh those vaccines. And um and I and I felt the real power of being here for people especially at a time when people were so isolated from each other. Uh it meant a lot to people to talk with someone empathetic on the phone when they might have been having any number of issues caused by that terrible pandemic and the economic impact. Um on 988 uh which is the suicide crisis lifeline. Um, every day, uh, there is there's a great story of of someone we helped who really very badly needed that human

[14:48]  connection. Um, and you know, sometimes it's it's the most extreme, right? You might talk with someone who has a plan to end their life and you are are talking them down for that. That often becomes a team activity. So, not just that contact specialist, but their supervisor is engaged. Sometimes two other people will also then engage uh to help and and listen for cues or if if we need to and we have uh the ability to do so with the caller's consent to get emergency services involved.

[15:24]  Um and and sometimes it's just talking with people who feel like they're in crisis and are isolated. There's more and more of that, Ephra. And I I worry about the loneliness epidemic, some people call it, and it's really social isolation. A lot of people who just don't have someone to talk with and someone to be there for them. Uh so I I'm in awe of our team who are empathetic and respectful over and over again, all day to callers who who really need that voice and who really need that help.

[16:00]  Hey, real quick. If you're enjoying the podcast, we first want to say thank you. And we also just want to give you a little insight of what we're up to at Francis. Some don't even realize that we're working with organizations to help them use AI to create that real human communication experiences. Whe that's actually supporting your your families, those patients, or the entire community.

[16:20]  We're actually creating tech that connects. Check it out. Francis.ai. I'm going to bash the government here in just a bit. But it is so important that in a space where empathy is needed, right? You don't know what's happening on the other side. We go through our own times. I'll tell you what, every time I call the IRS, they were never empathetic to me. They they just didn't care, right? Like just the conversations you have in a time you don't know what's on the other side, what someone is actually dealing with. I'm calling I've had to tell the person on the phone, are you not having a good day? And the her response, why? because I just called for some assistance and I'm not understand what the attitude is for. I only ask you a question. I've already waited 50 minutes on the call, right? But not everyone is going to be confident enough to say that. Some people would just hang

[17:07]  up. Some people will they had all these questions and now they limit themselves because they realized there was no help, you know, and you really it becomes their day. They already had a bad day. They already waited 50 minutes and now I'm not getting the help. Like what does it make someone feel, you know? So I love how nonprofits are the extension to the government but in such a positive way. the impact that we truly are making, which is why, and I can imagine that you can attest to it, it is so, you know, it is hurtful when we hear the cuts that are happening and some organizations saying, I don't know how we continue to fund. You know, we were 85% Medicaid and now we got to try to, you know, figure it out. Um, you seeing a lot of collaborations happening, a lot of people just kind of closing the doors, but it it goes back to really also good leadership through these times. How are you keeping someone um so I would say your team emotionally

[17:57]  grounded when they're dealing with these crisis after crisis but also with everything just happening in the world? Yeah, what a what a great question. Uh what I try and and remind everyone on my team is the same thing that I I say to myself, which is, you know, we can only do what we can do. And if we're doing a great job in in our sphere of what we can control, then we have to be able to feel good about that. Even as much as we feel the injustice of what is bothering us, even when we know that there could be some some things on the horizon that create a lot of pain for a lot of people and we're not trying to sort of stick our

[18:44]  head in the sand and pretend that's not happening, right? and we're doing our part this whole time, but we have to be able to feel good about doing our part and doing as much as we can do. Every one of us. I think that's true. Uh because you can become very quickly exhausted. And if if we become exhausted, then we're we're no good to anybody. Correct. We're no good in the in the in the fight. And it is a fight every day uh to create a little bit more equity in the world, to help somebody who needs that help, to advocate for somebody who may be getting overlooked or who needs something they're having a hard time securing. Um and we we have to be able to to do that from a place of feeling good about our work, feeling good about the part we're doing. So you

[19:33]  have to hold those things in a kind of balance. This has been so good. And this this next question is going to be even better actually, Lisa, because if I I'm going to start off and you're going to fill in the blank here. This one call changed how I think about mental health forever. What was the call?

[19:52]  Wow. I would have to say we had a fantastic call from a young man who was deeply in need. um acknowledged right up that he had, you know, a very serious diagnosis. Um was going to be homeless the next day and was so gracious and grateful and rational all at the same time. People often think that if you are severely mentally ill, you know, they they think they are not right, but the image is that, you know, you probably are not capable of all of that. And this young

[20:41]  man was so clear-headed. He knew exactly what his illness was. He wasn't trying to ignore it. U but he was so grateful and so gracious with our contact specialist. And I'm I'm sorry to say these are tough times, especially for people who are facing homelessness. We don't always have something to offer to them. And for a lot of people, especially if they're struggling with a severe mental illness, that can be very triggering. It can make them very upset.

[21:11]  It can make them very angry because they feel like nobody's trying to help them. Yeah. And this was a it was a hard call to listen to because um we were really constrained in what we could do because the resources are are very tight. Yeah. And the the gratitude, the the kindness, um you know, how polite he was to our contact specialist, it was um it was it was really something. It was really something. and and that meant a lot because right now if uh it's getting harder and harder for our people on the front lines in the contact center because the callers are I think more desperate the needs are more severe and when we can't help them the way we wish we could in the way we know they're they want to be helped you know

[21:59]  people can get angry and that's hard that's hard to absorb and when you talk about the help right not just being able to provide the help not that because the help is not out there. um because the help is out there right in different areas whether it's organizations but what do you think is is the is the reason is just is it something that uh it is on our government part is it the lack of trying to get funding is it the lack of uh you know space to get more homes like what is it what is the need so for my part I would suggest to you that our public policy priorities in America are just not quite where they should be Uh most of the time when we can't help someone with what we know they need, it is because the public funding is inadequate. Got it. Um in in

[22:49]  our state, every state's a little different. Um in our state, we have a lot of fantastic partners, whether they provide uh food pantries or mental health treatment or homeless shelters. Uh all of them struggle every day with less funding than there is demand for what they provide. So I I worry about that and I I think there has got to be some evolution in this country to understand that you know in the last 40 years the the bottom has fallen out from underworking people.

[23:22]  More and more people live on the knife's edge of being able to make ends meet. That means one thing goes wrong and they're in crisis. They don't have something to fall back on. and our nonprofits are are in a constant loop of trying to to fill in in that space and help people in that moment of crisis and the resources are thin. I hear it all the time and it's definitely one of the things that um everyone's mentioning, right? Everyone's being impacted. You have those nonprofits that kind of were ahead of the game and and maybe completely no funding from the government, but that doesn't mean that it's a big percentage of that. It's a very small percentage of people that have that you know good and downpacked but I think that what I am

[24:09]  seeing is people you talk about evolution is growing within the times of AI right I I spoke to a person where she had to cut some individuals but that doesn't mean the work stops how do we continue to kind of get the ball still rolling you know and people are doing with AI what what are you guys doing as a organization when it comes to the AI space. Um, are you guys implementing it?

[24:34]  You guys see it as a benefit to you guys and how you guys scale up? Yeah, that's a great question. And since we primarily provide our services uh through the phone or on the web, um there's a lot of activity um around implementing AI tools um AI to help make things more efficient or or more effective. Um, and it's it's not all there yet. People people still think that AI can do things that it can't do yet. But there are some things that we are implementing that are very exciting.

[25:11]  And I'll give you an example. Uh, our highest level of training is for our crisis, our mental health crisis contact specialists. And that probably makes sense to you uh to put somebody on the phone to answer calls from people who you know may be in a moment of very serious urgent crisis. Uh they need to be well trained. In previous time we would train them by taking some of our most experienced staff and having those staff pretend to be a caller so that our trainees could practice. You know that that's the only option we had. So that's what we did. Um we're now partnering with a terrific uh pretty young company, not a startup, but sort of a young company that are dedicated specifically

[26:00]  to providing AI tools in this crisis space. That's where they started and we are using AI to train our crisis contact specialists. They've created for us and in partnership with our senior staff what they call personas. Uh, and those personas can do a chat interaction with our trainees and the they're they're trained those there those personas to behave the way we have seen callers behave. Um, which can include escalating, which is not the direction you want the conversation to go. And so helping our trainees learn how to bring that back down uh and deescalate. Um, and those personas are also trained to shut down and to stop talking to our

[26:49]  trainees, which is also an outcome we don't want. So, they can practice how do you stay engaged? How do you deescalate someone in a state of crisis? And how do you recover if the conversation takes a negative turn? Those are all really important skills. U, and this is a great area for that AI to be used. Uh, another way that we're uh we're using AI is actually through a chatbot uh for our two-in-on service. A lot of people can selfserve as they look for the resources they need to make to meet their basic needs at our website. U but for some of them having a chatbot to work through is easier than sort of searching for

[27:36]  themselves. Uh, so we're working on that and the chatbot will use AI to learn and to get better at how to have that interaction with someone who is looking for those resources that they need. So those are two great ways that we are deploying AI. We're also looking at ways to use AI to help us with quality assurance on our phone calls. uh this is a this is a a new area particularly new area for us but to to use AI so that we can see quickly across the field of our contact specialists who's doing some things really well which is important and who might have some areas of opportunity to do some more training or to get better and it's really important if to look at both right it can't always be about catching people doing something

[28:24]  that needs to be fixed it has to be about catching people doing the right thing and telling them, hey, you're doing a great job. Keep keep doing it. I uh it takes me back when I I was a facilitator on teaching people and you know, I work for the airlines, so we taught everything. But one of the things was that fight or flight, right? Is when people are at 100 and they're at that fight level a lot of the times. We you guys experience that. Um is how do you get them down? Not how do you match their energy, but how do you get that person to just kind of think a little bit differently? So I I I it just brought me back to those days and we used to have to teach that because on the phone when people are mad and they're stuck at the airport like everyone gets mad, you know, you think you don't get mad till you get mad and then you realize, oh my god, how did I get from zero to 100 and people just

[29:11]  don't understand it in between. So it is very very very tough work. Kudos to those that decide they want to even take on that challenge. It's a challenge, right? Oh, it is. And and so I love that you guys are finding spaces as well that can give them close to a real conversation because I do remember when we'd have to get on a calls with uh each other. It's not the same. You have to experience what that call actually looks like because when that call happens, you don't know when it happens. You got to be ready, right? Um so I I love it. I love that you guys are in this space and and how you guys are utilizing AI in in in ways that people are not thinking of.

[29:46]  Um you mentioned about how that community engagement as well. you talking about that chatbot, how cool is it that someone could get the answers 12:00 in the morning, 1:00 in the morning. Um, you know, and I think there's some still some opportunity even there to kind of really take it to the next level. I want to talk about how you serve the indiv invisible majority, people doing everything right and still really barely making it. What drives your fight for for the Alice family? I think we we mentioned that last time.

[30:16]  Yeah. Well, we are dedicated to helping everyone to thrive, right? Uh that means those who are most in need and those who on most days count themselves really fortunate but find themselves still uh you know short on money to pay the electrical bill this month or you know without the funding they need to help their kid uh with summer camp while mom goes to work. Right? there their needs that go from the most extreme to what some people would say, well, it's not really that big a need, but we want to be there for them and we want to be there to help them find options. Uh, you know, 40% of people in our state are barely making ends meet every month or

[31:04]  falling behind. And on any given day, you can move up and down that spectrum. Right? In my work with homeless families prior to coming to United Way of Connecticut, there would be people who said everything was fine until right the place where they worked closed. They went to work one day, door was shut, place had gone bankrupt. They had no idea. Overnight they lose their job and the bottom falls out and they never thought they'd be here. You hear that a lot from people. I never thought I'd have to call. I never thought I'd be here. Right. And so the, you know, the most important thing that we do is to uh is to show empathy first for anyone who calls. And and that's part I'm sure of how you helped people understand how to

[31:53]  deescalate. Right. When somebody's upset and angry, sometimes the first thing that's going to help is to say, "I am so sorry." That is really hard. Yeah. Little empathy for Yeah. Yeah. And that's the first thing that we want to do is say that is hard. I'm sorry. Just having another human being say that to you is a lot sometimes. And then and then move into a problem solving mode.

[32:20]  What can I do? How can we help? What are we looking for together? Um so I I think that's what's hard though because you know all of us are are always moving, right? You might have a month or a year where you're like, "Wow, you know, I feel flush and I'm putting money away in savings and everything's going great."

[32:38]  And the next year all of a sudden for, you know, reasons that you can't control, it could be very tight. So tight you are worried day and night about how you're going to make the bills. Uh so you know I think that that's the thing we think about everybody in that same pool that we understand people have needs and it's stressful and we want to do everything we can to find a way to help in their situation with their need. Yeah. Cuz because you know life itself doesn't see anyone right it just happens to people.

[33:11]  Uh, I'll give you an example. A leader, which is just a cool story when I hear stuff like this, but there was this leader and she's like, "Man, I had a master's degree. I was my life. I was like, I could never be the statistics, you know, I want to do better." Um, and she said, "I was doing great. Like, I'm I'm a master's degree. I'm doing well."

[33:27]  Then I ended up being a mom. Now I'm a single mom. And she said, and at that moment, I'm literally at square one help getting these resources, trying to get some help for my daughter while I go find a job. Um, believe it or not, now she's spent the last 10 years within the organization. The same organization that helped her get back on her feet. She is now the advocate. She is now the representation of that organization. I'm like, man, kudos to you, you know, that that you were able to one ask for help at that level, right? You have a master's degree. You're like, I don't want to get government help. Um, and I think I think what's really what's the sad part to be quite frank is growing up thinking that because you had government help that you were broke, right? that you were this poor person, that you you wouldn't amount to anything. And it's so sad because that's not the case is at some point in our lives, we truly do

[34:15]  need the resource because we are all human. We all all go through things and so many times people are afraid to get the help because they don't want to be looked at any differently. I would ask Lisa, you've been in this space for a very long time. What do you tell those people that they they know they need it, but they can't let go of their pride?

[34:36]  You know, I would say all of us have paid into the system in one way or another through our work, through the taxes that we pay. When you buy a soda at the corner store, you're paying taxes. We are all of us paying in to a system for the benefit of all of us. And and you have to say that means when I am in need, I have already paid in. And so I too am entitled to this space. I'm entitled to help. Uh there are a lot of people that I have met who when they they felt like they had the ability, they also gave to nonprofits and then one day maybe they need the help. And I I think it's sadly a particularly American uh weakness that we have built

[35:26]  for ourselves to say, "Oh no, I shouldn't have to ask for help." All of us all the time are working together, paying into a collective system, paying into our community. And then there are times that there is a benefit that we need back from the community and that should be okay by us and we have to we have to allow for it to be and we have to make it okay for our neighbors and our friends and our family.

[35:51]  You couldn't have said it any better. I was hoping that you said every everything you just said. I was hoping that you'd tap on to it and you did. Of course, Lisa, you're amazing. I I ask you though, Lisa, being amazing is is not easy, right? You're pouring into others sometimes when your cup is broken, when your cup is empty. Who's who's helping you? Who's helping you during these fights when no one's watching and you're at home and thinking to myself, thinking to yourself, we have we all have imposter syndrome. What the hell am I doing? Am I doing the right time? Is it, you know, there's so many questions we ask ourselves, but who's that person that keeps you above water?

[36:27]  Yeah, you know, I tell you what, there there there's not there's not just one person. There are different people. So, I have a great husband. He's wonderful, very supportive, and we share we share our value set. You know, that matters because then you're in it together. I have a fabulous son who's turned 18 recently. It's fantastic. I have a wonderful little dog. You might have seen her wandering around here in the background. Um and and I have the voices of a lot of people who also who live in my head. leaders who I've worked with, uh, people who inspire me, um, you know, members of of, um, of, you know, the clergy who I've known over time or, you know, faith leaders, um, and and I think too, you know, the the the leader you are seeking is often you, right? And,

[37:15]  and you just got to step into that and be that. Uh, and and be brave. And when you see people like uh I'm not Catholic, but I was a big fan of Pope Francis and he just said it because he said what he felt needed to be said. You think, yeah, that's that's it. Be willing to speak up. Be willing to to be that that person. Be willing to be the leader that you want to see in the world in the opportunity that you have to do that.

[37:44]  And for some people that's leading something, you know, in in their church or in their neighborhood association or in their child's school, right? We don't all have the same opportunities to to exercise leadership, but we all have an opportunity somewhere, right? And it's just stepping into it, right? And this kind of goes back to what you mentioned when we had that first discussion. Uh if you want to change the world, start by just showing up for someone else today, right? Like really, that's it. That's all it takes. It could be an opening a door. I like your hair. It It could just be those small things. We talk about empathy. You bump into somebody. I'm so sorry. Goes a long way, right?

[38:24]  Deescalates how someone may have thought about you just that moment or how they thought about life and people. Um so yeah, I I remember you saying that. I just want to kind of bring it up because it is true. If you truly want to change the world, start by showing up for someone else today. That's truly how we make impact. Um this is this is so good.

[38:42]  Thank you. Thank you for just sharing who poured into you because it is very crucial that people find themselves with like-minded individuals that have the same values. It could be a husband, it could be a wife, it could be friends, um that that are not just yesmen, that are not just doing the same thing they've done for the last 5, 10 years, but someone that's that doesn't mind getting a little uncomfortable. That's who I surround myself with, right? When I ask someone for advice and I'm like, don't give me the real answer. I don't want the BS. Like, give it to me real. So, I'm happy that you're kind of in that space as well. It's like, "No, I understand life. I understand that I need to show up whether it's good or bad. Just let me know so I can go and and continue that fight." Um, and you have so much fight in you. You have so much fight. I love it. So, before we get into this blind question, I just Where can people get to learn more about Lisa,

[39:31]  but also the organization? Are you guys on social media? Are you guys on LinkedIn, Facebook? But I also want them to know where to find Lisa on LinkedIn. So, make sure we also mention that. But where can people find more about the organization if they wanted to be in of assistance whether it's donor, volunteer, share, you know, give their time, technology, whatever that looked like? Yes, they can they can find us at United Way of Connecticut. Um, and we are on uh LinkedIn, we are on Facebook and uh we have our our presence on the web as well. And uh yes, and I tell you, I'd love it if people are interested um in connecting on LinkedIn. That's terrific. uh and that is a place too where I have been trying to you know to put some additional thoughts out there for others uh recently myself and to ask them questions you know to your point

[40:19]  what are you doing what are you reading how are you navigating through this very challenging time we're in I think we have to lift each other up and and connect on a variety of levels and and I believe if it is that human connection that's that's the that's going to save all of us in the end, right? It is fighting the isolation and making those efforts to reach out and be connected to other people.

[40:45]  I can't believe we've been already doing this for 40 minutes and we got to end this and wrap it up. But before we wrap it up and end this the blind question time, are you excited for this blind question? I am. I actually entered this blind question when someone asks. Usually when a leader asks the next blind question for the next leader, she asked and I'm like, "Oh, let me answer that for you and then I'll ask the next leader anyway." Uh, but it's what is your superpower and when did you find that this was your superpower?

[41:11]  Oh, that's great. I love that. Um, so in all honesty, I think my superpower is tenacity. Oh, okay. I didn't expect that. I do not stop, Ephra. I do not stop. When did you find When did you find this was it? I think from the time I was very very small and it frustrated my my my dear departed mother uh got very frustrated with me because I was so stubborn, right? That's the other side of that coin is I was a very stubborn child. Uh so she she saw that coming a long way away. Um, but a lot of what I have accomplished is because of that is because you just don't give up and you stick with it and you stick with it and you stick with it.

[41:59]  And we talked about it earlier offline just that never giving up when when things you know I always had this analogy especially during the times I was telling you is I was in this dark tunnel and I can see the the light at the end of it. I just didn't know how long this tunnel was. Right. But you you just got to keep going as you mentioned just the never giving up. Um the having in faith, the having faith, uh the surrounding yourself with good people that going to keep telling you go go.

[42:27]  Not those that are going to just dim your light and say that would never be possible. That would never happen. Because I can imagine that there was people in your life, Lisa, that told you that. And there's people in all your lives that are telling you that you can't amount to whatever it is. Hell, I had a teacher tell me, I think we talked on the uh by the way, thank you so much for the newsletter of April. If you guys haven't checked that out, make sure you guys check that out. But when a teacher told me that I would never amount to uh school, I might as well get a nineto-5.

[42:53]  Like people told us some things that if you mentioned if we didn't have that, we would have just been doing the basics. But because of who we are and because of everything instilled with us and because we want a better place, we want to see uh I feel like we always go through these life experiences that allows us to see humans in a very different way and you had that opportunity which is why you think differently, right? The mindset becomes uh the thing. So anyway, I keep talking about this forever. I I truly thank you Lisa for just having this conversation that people needed to hear. I mean, we've tapped into so many different aspects of the nonprofit, but life and leadership and the resources and all that. It I I'm a big believer in just speaking things into existence. As a leader, someone that's been doing this for a long time, what is the next five

[43:40]  years look like so I can call you in five years and say, "Lisa, are you doing what you said you were going to do?" Right? I like to hold people accountable. What is that? Oh, that's really good, Ephra. Um, so you know, in the next 5 years, I want to move a couple of of big pol public policy items that will benefit families who are struggling. That's what I want to do.

[43:59]  And now next, you're going to ask me, well, what are those? And so, I'm not I'm not sure I can tell you exactly what they're going to be because I got to see how far we get in this legislative session in Connecticut, and then I could answer that question. Um, but um, but that's that's my goal. We have to make life easier. We have to provide better support for families, especially families with kids who are struggling.

[44:25]  It's that's at the core of who we are going to be as a nation in 10 and 20 years. And we've got to do better by those folks and by those youngest citizens like like your your little girl. We've got to do better by them. Yeah, I agree. Well, guys, thank you so much. Lisa, thank you so much. We could keep doing this, but I know you got busy things to do. You're trying to change the world and I'm kind of holding you up here. Guys, thank you for watching. This has been the Heart and Hustle podcast.

[44:50]  If you guys want to see more of these episodes, make sure that you guys do tag someone down below that could really kind of utilize, you know, what we're having, the conversations we're having in some of these episodes. But don't forget to subscribe as well, share, comment, all that good stuff. We'll catch you guys on the next one. Heart and Hustle Podcast. Name's Era. This is Lisa. Bye.