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✅ Today's Checklist:
Why Thania is committing to monthly volunteer days (and wants you in) The "too many cooks" playbook A reminder to take charge of your own career
🤔 Riddle me this: I changed how many people see possibility, spoke little as a child, and became one of the most influential scientists in history. Who am I? (Find the answer on the bottom).
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Why I'm Trying to Volunteer More (and the Case for Paid VTO)
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Back in school, volunteering was just part of life. Catholic school K-12, then a sorority in college, I was always fundraising for something, logging service hours, part of some club doing good in the community.
But once I got into the real working world, that all kind of stopped.
Sure, startup culture had the occasional charity 5K or company volunteer day. But in the last five years (working remotely, then becoming a solopreneur) it just disappeared completely.
These past few months, I've been asking myself: what would actually bring you joy? And the answer kept coming back to volunteering. Giving back. Connecting with people in a real, human way.
It's funny because when I got laid off and started my consulting journey, I made myself a promise. I was going to keep donating and tithing to the organizations I'd committed to, even if I was unemployed or struggling to get new clients. As a Christian, I believe that when you give, it comes back to you. I've also read The Go-Giver, and energetically, I felt like by giving, I was telling the universe I trusted in abundance. And ever since that day? The money has always shown up. Even when the math said it shouldn't.
That little action reminded me that life isn't just about career milestones and achievement metrics. For me, happiness and success mean having the freedom to be more human and connect with other humans.
The reason I've been dodging it
I avoided it for longer than I'd like to admit, and the reason was selfish.
I'm an empath. I'll cry at an animal shelter within 60 seconds. I'll adopt a third dog when I already have two special-needs ones. I'll spiral on the drive home from a soup kitchen. So I told myself not yet, not ready, too heavy.
That's called protecting your emotional health. It's also called avoiding the thing you know will fill you back up.
So here's what I'm doing
Starting in April, I'm committing to volunteer the first Saturday (or Sunday) of every month at a different organization. I've already blocked it off in my calendar. Each month has a different focus (political organizations, women's support groups, animal rescues, organizations that help kids, environmental groups). I picked different categories so I don't burn out on one cause and so I can see where I connect most.
If you work at a company, push for paid volunteer time off
Research shows that 96% of employees who participate in corporate volunteerism report having a positive company culture. Companies with paid volunteer days also see better talent retention. 72% of employees are more likely to apply for a job at an organization they believe is socially responsible, and 71% say societal impact factors are a strong expectation or deal breaker.
These programs also attract socially-minded customers and strengthen your company's reputation in the community.
Plus, volunteering builds real skills. Employee volunteers in a study were more likely to feel they had opportunities to grow professionally and develop new skills at work.
If your company doesn't offer paid volunteer time off, bring it up. Send this article to your manager. Make the business case.
It's worth it tenfold
I know getting started can feel a little intimidating, and because volunteering is so simple to set up, it's also really easy to keep pushing it off. There's always next month, right?
But here's what we both know: volunteering is one of those rare things that actually fills you back up while you're giving. Whatever energy, time, or heart you put into it? You get back tenfold. And with the state of the world feeling heavy right now, I think this might be the renewed faith in humanity we all need.
So try it with me. Just one month. Pick one organization to volunteer at in May and reply to this email to tell me what you're committing to. I want to know where you're showing up!
We're not trying to save the world. We're just helping our local neighbors and community with a little bit of our time and our unique gifts. That's enough.
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Longevity Care Shouldn't Be Reserved for Biohackers and Billionaires
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Between a "normal" annual physical and a major diagnosis is where midlife health actually lives. Most primary care visits don't have time for that middle.
Midi's Virtual AgeWell Visit is proactive longevity care designed specifically for women, and it's covered by insurance. Your clinician reviews your health, your labs, and your long-term goals, then builds a personalized plan across lifestyle, supplements, and prescriptions, starting with options covered by insurance.
The focus is what matters most in midlife: screenings, prevention, and proactive strategies for the conditions that rise sharply during these years (heart disease, cancer, dementia, osteoporosis, autoimmune disease).
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How to Lead When Everyone Wants the Wheel
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"My biggest challenge right now is in a volunteer organization I helped found several years ago but have just recently taken over the co-presidency position. I have a number of VPs who are older than me and who have their own ideas of how the organization should move forward and are being very pushy about it." — Audrey M.
Let's name what's actually happening: you're surrounded by people who care enough to push. That energy is what every leader wishes their team had. The real challenge is coordination. Five people, five agendas, all pulling at once; and coordination is what leadership is for.
Here's how to run a room like this without wrestling anyone.
Get crystal clear on your own vision first
Before you can channel their energy, you need to know exactly where you're going.
Write down the top three priorities for the next 12 months:
When someone pushes a competing direction, you'll have a plan to measure it against instead of a feeling. That's the difference between leading from vision and leading from the hip.
Put roles in writing
When a dozen passionate people each have a preferred direction, a written scope for every role is the fastest clarifier.
Who decides what? Who weighs in? Who executes? When people can see the lanes, the pushing usually eases up on its own. When it doesn't, you've got a shared reference to point to.
Give them somewhere to run
Passionate people without an outlet become pushy people. Passionate people with a subcommittee to lead become your best operators.
Take each of the ideas they've been pushing and ask the loudest VP: "Would you lead a working group on this?"
Set the parameters: scope, budget, timeline, reporting line back to you. Then actually let them run.
Three good things happen:
The pushing turns into producing. You stop being the only filter for every idea. You find out who's actually willing to do the work versus who just wanted to be heard.
Set a container for when input lands
The fastest way to burn out as a leader is to let every Tuesday meeting turn into a referendum on strategy.
Set the expectation clearly: "Strategic input goes in our quarterly planning conversation. Between those, I'm focused on execution." Or stand up monthly office hours. Or a simple submission form.
You're giving input a clear home. That trains the room to come with prepared thinking instead of ambient push-back.
Scripts for holding the line warmly
For redirecting energy:
"That's a strong idea. Let me bring it to our next planning conversation." "Can you take this one on as a subcommittee lead? I want this energy pointed at something it can really run." "I love how much thought you've put into this. Let's find where it fits in the roadmap."
For holding your call when it's unpopular:
"I hear you on this. Here's where I'm landing and why." "I'm going to make the call on this one. I appreciate how much you care about getting it right." "This is one we might see differently. That's okay. I still need you with me on the plan."
Show the roadmap often
Once a quarter, walk the whole group through your plan. Where you are now. What's coming next. What the horizon looks like.
When people can see where it's going, they relax. When they can't, they fill the silence with their own plan.
Strong opinions are a gift. Strong opinions with nowhere to go become a management problem.
Your job is to build the outlets, hold the vision, and keep a passionate group moving in the same direction. Leading the energy beats wrestling it every time.
You earned this seat by helping build this organization. Now your job is to lead the energy everyone else brought with them.
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Stuff We're Loving This Week
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📰 If AI news makes your brain melt, Mindstream makes it make sense in 5 minutes.
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🪴 The ceramic pot that makes your plant baby look about 5x more expensive than it is.
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👑 Work Wisdom of the Week:
"Never stop learning and growing in this profession. Don't wait for your employer to get on board. Take charge of your career." — Danielle B. (School Nurse Secretary)
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