In this episode, Beth Ellen Holimon hosts Shagun Sethi and Jasmine Anouna for a thought-provoking discussion on the power of listening, trust, and shared leadership in organizational transformation. The conversation highlights the importance of creating spaces for radical honesty and collaboration, emphasizing that meaningful change starts with community engagement and listening to diverse perspectives.

Shagun shares experiences from global leadership initiatives, demonstrating the value of amplifying voices from different contexts. Jasmine reflects on building trust within teams through consistency, deep listening, and transparency, noting the critical role of integrating professional and personal identities in creating inclusive work cultures.

Together, they explore challenges in shifting power dynamics, avoiding performative practices, and reimagining systems for authentic impact. Through their insights, listeners are encouraged to redefine leadership and foster equity through intentional relationships and innovative approaches to organizational culture.

The Hive Collective is a strategic partner to nonprofits and NGOs all over the world. Reach out to us at info@hivecollective.net

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Embracing the Menstrual Cycle for a Healthier Life

In this episode, we dive into the transformative insights behind Period Reality with our founder Marlou Cornelison, Silindile Khuzwayo, and Denzil Doyle . We explore how the 24-hour societal cycle doesn't align with the reality for people with menstrual cycles, whose hormones fluctuate over an average 28-day period. This difference means a daily change in mood, energy, and productivity levels, and we discuss how tracking these shifts can empower individuals to better understand their bodies and optimize their lives.

Key highlights include:
- The **four phases** of the menstrual cycle and how they impact everything from creativity to confidence.
- The importance of **cycle tracking** as a tool to reconnect with our bodies and advocate for our health.
- How understanding our personal cycle can help in planning tasks, scheduling social events, and managing energy levels.
- Real stories from our guests about how cycle tracking revealed underlying health conditions and improved overall well-being.
- How societal change and workplace adjustments can support people who operate on a 28-day hormonal cycle instead of a 24-hour one.

Join us as we shed light on this under-researched area of women's health and discuss the Period Reality movement's goal of educating and advocating for policy reform by 2030 to support this hormonal cycle difference.

Listen now for an empowering conversation on syncing with your natural cycle, giving yourself grace, and embracing your full potential!

The Hive Collective is a strategic partner to nonprofits and NGOs all over the world. Reach out to us at info@hivecollective.net

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Welcome to The Hive Collective Podcast with your host, Beth Ellen Holimon. In this episode, we explore how nonprofits can shift power dynamics by centering those directly impacted by systemic injustices. Today’s guests are:

Cameron Smith – Writer, anti-racism activist, and co-founder of Communities in Partnership (CIP) in Durham, NC. She shares her powerful story of how a tragic event led to the creation of a "community-rooted" organization.
Jen Zuckerman -Advisory board member at CIP, consultant on power reorganization, and former philanthropy executive. She discusses her journey from traditional power structures to understanding and supporting community-rooted movements.
Join us for a deep dive into how these leaders are reshaping narratives, building relationships, and rethinking the role of nonprofits.


Full Bios:
Camryn Smith is a proud resident of Old East Durham and a community activist & organizer. She has been serving in place-based development work for over 23 years both stateside and abroad. Camryn is one of the founding members of Communities In Partnership (CIP), a community-rooted organizing and education group based in Old East Durham and serves as the Founding Executive Director. CIP focuses on addressing policy and systemic inequity for BIPOC and materially poor people within Durham focusing on social determinants of health, economic development, gentrification, and housing. Camryn is a RWJF Culture of Health Leader (Cohort 3), and an Aspen Institute Healthy Communities Fellow (cohort/2022). She also serves locally as co-chair of Organizing Against Racism-Durham as well as serving as a member of the Racial Equity Taskforce for the City of Durham and the Built2Last/Durham Compact Board of Advisors. She also serves on the Executive and Steering Committees for the Equitable Food Oriented Development (EFOD) which is a national collaborative of food systems organizations run by black and brown communities to reshape the narrative surrounding food, community and economic development centered in black and brown liberation. To see more, go to the CIP website.

Jen Zuckerman is owner of Zuckerman Consulting, working with philanthropic, academic, and community organizations on issues of power, connection, and authentic relationship building. As part of her work with Zuckerman Consulting, Jen contracts with the DEI Works Collective. Her work focuses on institutional organizing, concentrating specifically on recognizing power and operationalizing power shift strategies.

She previously served as the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Duke University’s World Food Policy Center, focusing on people-first policy development for equitable food policy in the US. There, she supported research to demonstrate the racialized history of policies that have created the inequities in the food system of today, identifying strategies that shift power and decision making to community leadership.

Jen’s background is in philanthropy, spending twelve years at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation as the Senior Program Officer for Healthy Living and the Director of Strategic Partnerships and as a Board member/Board Chair of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders Network.

The Hive Collective is a strategic partner to nonprofits and NGOs all over the world. Reach out to us at info@hivecollective.net

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In this episode of The Hive Collective Podcast, we sit down with Sumona Majumdar, the CEO of Earth Island Institute, to explore her journey and the significant changes she has introduced since taking on the role in March of last year. Sumona shares the thoughtful approach she took in her initial months, starting with a two-day retreat designed to foster shared values and build strong relationships within her team.

Sumona discusses how these retreats, held every four to five months, were instrumental in creating an environment of trust and open communication. The process involved engaging activities that allowed team members to connect on a personal level, which paved the way for honest discussions about values and future goals.

A particularly memorable activity was envisioning the impact of their work seven generations into the future, as well as reflecting on their ancestral histories. This exercise helped team members connect on a deeper level, acknowledging their diverse backgrounds while uniting around a common vision for the future.

Central to their transformation was the implementation of collective governance. Earth Island Institute adopted values such as community, adaptability, justice, equity, and power sharing, which have become the guiding principles for their decision-making processes. They established decision-making circles for critical areas like compensation, hiring, and DEI, involving a broader range of staff in these decisions to distribute the leadership load more equitably.

Sumona also reflects on the challenges of this transition, including the initial excitement and the practical concerns of managing increased workloads. Despite some ongoing adjustments, the shift to collective governance has been a positive step towards a more inclusive and collaborative work environment.

Tune in to hear more about how Earth Island Institute is navigating these changes and the impact of shared values on its organizational culture.

Connect with us:

• Visit Earth Island Institute: https://www.earthisland.org/
• Visit our website: Hive Collective
• Follow Beth Ellen Holimon on LinkedIn for more insights and updates.https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-ellen-holimon-cfre/

@Beth Ellen Holimon

The Hive Collective is a strategic partner to nonprofits and NGOs all over the world. Reach out to us at info@hivecollective.net

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Don't forget to subscribe to The Hive Collective Podcast!

In this episode, we dive into the world of improv with Harrison Brookie, the Executive Director of Alchemy Comedy Theater. Harrison shares his journey into improv, starting from a theater requirement in college to leading a successful comedy theater in Greenville, South Carolina. He explains the essence of Alchemy Comedy, highlighting their weekly shows, classes, and corporate training programs.

Harrison's journey began with a simple requirement: participate in a theater production during his time as an education major at Clemson University. Seeking the least demanding option, he stumbled upon improv. What started as a convenient choice turned into a passion that has now spanned two decades.

Alchemy Comedy Theater, named after the concept of transforming the mundane into something precious, offers a range of classes from beginner to advanced levels. These classes teach students how to create something out of nothing, turning audience suggestions into comedy gold. The theater also engages in corporate training, demonstrating the practical applications of improv in the workplace.

Harrison delves into how improv skills are relevant to management and working with people. He emphasizes the importance of the "Yes, and" principle, where accepting and building on ideas fosters creativity and collaboration. This mindset encourages teams to explore the potential in every idea, leading to innovative solutions that no one person could have conceived alone.

One notable concept Harrison shares is the idea of adding "1% weird" to interactions. This principle encourages participants to spot and highlight unique, interesting aspects of a situation, making interactions more engaging and memorable. This approach not only makes business processes more enjoyable but also helps in identifying patterns and generating creative solutions.

Harrison also discusses the importance of ensemble thinking in improv, which parallels effective teamwork in any organization. He draws from his experience as a high school U.S. history teacher, illustrating how improv techniques enhance storytelling and engage students. He highlights the value of collaboration, where multiple perspectives and contributions lead to a richer and more dynamic outcome.

In a nonprofit context, Harrison explains how improv principles can be applied to team meetings and problem-solving. By fostering a culture of openness and humor, nonprofits can tackle serious issues like hunger with a fresh perspective. He encourages leaders to take themselves less seriously, allowing for a more relaxed environment where creativity can flourish.

Finally, Harrison underscores the role of leadership in creating a trusting and collaborative environment. He shares an anecdote about a CEO learning to accept feedback, illustrating the impact of genuine openness and the willingness to let others take the reins.

Tune in to this insightful episode to learn how the art of improv can transform your approach to leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving in the nonprofit sector.

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**Credits:**
Guest: Harrison Brookie, Executive Director of Alchemy Comedy Theater

Host: Beth Ellen Holimon

Podcast: The Hive Collective Podcast

Find us on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts

Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beth-ellen-holimon-cfre/

For more information about Alchemy Comedy Theater, visit: http://alchemycomedy.com/

@Beth Ellen Holimon

https://hivecollective.net

The Hive Collective is a strategic partner to nonprofits and NGOs all over the world. Reach out to us at info@hivecollective.net

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Don't forget to subscribe to The Hive Collective Podcast!

In this episode, Beth Ellen, Maya, and Helene delve into the challenges and dynamics of feminist work, particularly focusing on the transition towards professionalization and the need for fair compensation. The conversation illuminates the dilemma faced by organizations in balancing volunteer-driven efforts with the necessity of paid roles, underscoring the impact of this shift on accessibility and inclusivity within the movement. It explores the historical expectation for board members to work for free, a practice that inadvertently reinforces existing power structures by limiting participation to those with the financial ability to volunteer.

They discuss the significance of reevaluating governance and compensation structures through a feminist, intersectional lens to ensure diverse perspectives are included, moving towards a more equitable and effective approach in feminist organizations. They touch on the global context, noting the challenges of professionalizing feminist work amidst opposition in various regions, and the implications for organizational governance and power distribution.

They advocate for a shift from traditional, patriarchal governance models towards frameworks that are inclusive, supportive, and collaborative, emphasizing the importance of intentional restructuring to align internal structures with advocacy goals. This dialogue highlights the journey towards creating equitable, effective, and transformative feminist governance and advocacy efforts, advocating for a reimagined approach to compensation and participation that prioritizes inclusivity and fairness.

The Hive Collective is a strategic partner to nonprofits and NGOs all over the world. Reach out to us at info@hivecollective.net

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The Feminist Leadership Series of this podcast continues as we feature the remarkable Sana Mustafa, CEO of Asylum Access. This discussion delves into how feminist leadership shapes governance and the conscious effort to share power within organizations. Sana shares her advocacy for leaders to empower their teams by exercising the right to decline demands that clash with their values, stressing that 'No' can be a powerful response to donors and partners. We also uncover how opening up discussions about these conflicts leads to positive outcomes and stronger partnerships built on mutual values. Sana addresses organizational dynamics, with a focus on how including refugee leadership and varied lived experiences within board structures can revolutionize traditional governance. Cutting through the façade of performative board practices, Sana emphasizes the limitations of traditional metrics of qualifications and the profound impact of inclusivity in hiring. By equipping underrepresented individuals with power rather than mere representation, real change takes place. The podcast explores the intersecting forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and classism, and the pursuit of liberation informed by feminist principles. Sana criticizes select feminist theories that fail to account for class and capitalism and calls for internal change in organizations to dismantle patriarchal and capitalistic power structures. We get a glimpse into the practical steps Asylum Access is taking to manifest this change, from board support to expert guidance.

Sana Mustafa bio:

Sana Ali Mustafa is a movement leader in the forced displacement sector and a feminist human rights activist fighting against systems of oppression in Syria and around the world. Sana’s work has been informed by her experiences as a brown, queer, Arab, and forcibly displaced woman. After being forcibly displaced by the Assad regime, Sana led the establishment of global efforts for the representation and inclusion of forcibly displaced persons, such as the Global Refugee-led Network. Sana is currently Chief Executive Officer of Asylum Access, where she leads the organization’s work to dismantle decades of colonialism, fight for self-representation, and build intersectional coalitions to demand human rights for all forcibly displaced people.

Prior to joining Asylum Access, Sana managed her own consulting business where she helped over a dozen public and private sector organizations such as Oxfam International, Open Society Foundations, United Nations, WeWork, and others to establish strategies to operate more equitably in support of refugee rights and refugee leadership.

Sana is also an active public speaker. She has delivered a TED talk and spoken at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the National Press Club in Washington, D.C, the Carnegie Endowment, the White House, Harvard Law School, Stanford, and numerous other venues.

Sana is a board member of Karam Foundation, which helps Syrian refugee youth in Turkey harness their ambition and creativity. Sana is also a member of Syria’s first Syrian Women’s Political Movement, a coalition with the aim of uniting women from across professional fields and ethnic lines to create a vision for women’s inclusion in a future Syria.

The Hive Collective is a strategic partner to nonprofits and NGOs all over the world. Reach out to us at info@hivecollective.net

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This episode features Jensine Larsen, CEO of World Pulse and Kirthi Jayakumar, founder of Gender Security Project.

Jensine Larsen is an unstoppable award-winning digital entrepreneur, international journalist, and speaker Jensine (Yen-See-Nah) Larsen is the founder of World Pulse, an independent, women-led social network connecting tens of thousands of grassroots women from 200+ countries who are logging on, speaking out, and growing their social impact.

Internationally recognized security practitioner, writer, peace educator, lawyer, and mediator, Kirthi Jayakumar has spent a decade innovating at the cross-section of gender, peace, security, technology, feminist foreign policy, and transitional justice. In addition to helming multiple civil society initiatives, she built an app for survivors of gender-based violence used across the globe, called Saahas. Recently, she developed digital training suites in partnership with World Pulse to equip women globally to safely access the internet to advocate for themselves and their communities. Kirthi is the recipient of multiple awards for her work, including UN Women’s 30 for 2030 and the 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy by Apolitical, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

In this episode of The Hive Collective Podcast, listeners have the opportunity to delve into the heart of feminist leadership and governance within World Pulse. The episode features insightful conversations as they discuss the transformation of World Pulse into a global social network championing women's voices and impacting millions worldwide. World Pulse's progressive and immersive journey is shaping a culture based on principles of connection, reciprocity, and abundance. It highlights collaborative leadership, participatory decision-making processes, and the commitment to intersectionality that guides the formation of various key initiatives, including the inclusion of the Powershift Inclusive Excellence council, representing diverse community voices. Heartfelt exchanges reveal the evolution of the organization's governance structure and the trials and triumphs of their transformative work, setting a model for building a supportive, nurturing online space where feminist values manifest in compassionate and inclusive actions.

The Hive Collective is a strategic partner to nonprofits and NGOs all over the world. Reach out to us at info@hivecollective.net

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Don't forget to subscribe to The Hive Collective Podcast!