73: What Nonprofit Leaders Must Do to Support Their Teams (Valerie Williams)    SUMMARY The year 2020 has reminded nonprofit leaders of two significant issues they must manage to succeed: diversity, equity & inclusion and the mental health of their teams and themselves. This can be a tall order when combined with everything else leaders in the charitable sector must face.  Fortunately, our guest on Episode #73 of the Path, Valerie Williams, is exactly the person who can help us understand these issues and provide practical tools to integrate them into our nonprofit organizations.  Valerie helps us understand the distinct element of equity within our nonprofit in addition to diversity and inclusion, as well as provides practical advice to support the mental health and psychological safety of our teams.  Finally, we discuss effective communications both within and outside our organization. ABOUT VALERIE Valerie Miller Williams, LCMHCA, is an award-winning communications strategist and licensed psychotherapist who engages head and heart to support organizations in successfully managing change, building engagement, improving culture and delivering results. For over 20 years, she has led complex people-focused communications strategies for leading brands like Lowe’s and Wells Fargo. From large scale change and employee experience initiatives, to diversity and inclusion efforts, Valerie serves as a thought-leader and trusted advisor for her strategizing skills and solutions focused style. Valerie’s signature product is person-centric strategies built on data and insights. Her focus is always on understanding and addressing the unique needs and nuances of stakeholders necessary to move them to adoption or action. Valerie creates targeted, authentic and savvy audience experiences by integrating psychology (how key audiences think, feel, and therefore behave) and communications (how they are then engaged). Valerie has been recognized by Who’s Who in Black Charlotte and received multiple awards from organizations like PR Week and PR News. She is a board member of Thornhill Rites of Passage Foundation which focuses on empowering young men of color. Valerie resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband and two sons and enjoys traveling, concerts and entertaining family and friends. EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESValerie’s website SELFSoulElaine Brown’s book The Little Black Book of Success Podcast recommendation: How I Built This with Guy RazPodcast recommendation: Hidden BrainPodcast recommendation: Adam Grant’s WorkLife