How to Savor the Work (Especially When It’s Hard) with Lisa Bennett

Nonprofit leaders are carrying a lot right now. Between funding uncertainty, team burnout, political instability, and growing community needs, it can feel like there’s always another challenge to tackle. And through it all, leaders are expected to inspire their teams, communicate hope, and keep their missions moving forward. But what happens when the people doing the work are running out of energy themselves?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell sits down with Lisa Bennett, author, facilitator, advisor, and award-winning journalist, to explore how purpose-driven people can continue making a difference without becoming depleted by the work they care so deeply about.

Lisa, author of the forthcoming book Savor the World: How to Draw Strength From What You Love and Keep Showing Up for It, challenges us to rethink what it means to be committed to a cause. She shares why constant urgency can undermine our clarity, creativity, and decision-making, and why sustaining ourselves is not separate from sustaining our missions.

Together, Julia and Lisa explore the idea of savoring, not as another self-care task to add to an already overwhelming to-do list, but as a way to reconnect with what gives our work meaning. They also discuss how storytelling can help nonprofit leaders and teams remember why their work matters, especially when progress feels difficult to see.

If you’re a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, or mission-driven professional who wants to stay engaged without sacrificing your well-being, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on burnout, leadership, and finding the strength to keep showing up for the causes that matter.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why nonprofit leaders and purpose-driven professionals may be especially vulnerable to burnout and depletion.
• How constant urgency affects clarity, creativity, and decision-making.
• How to lead with honesty and hope when the future feels uncertain.
• Why burnout is not simply an individual self-care problem, but can also reflect organizational culture.
• What it means to savor the world and how it differs from traditional approaches to self-care.
• How storytelling can help nonprofit teams reconnect with their purpose and find meaning in difficult work.
• How to build an organizational culture where commitment is not measured by exhaustion.
• Practical ways to make room for joy, beauty, humor, and connection while continuing to address urgent challenges.

About Lisa Bennett

Lisa Bennett is an author, facilitator, advisor, and award-winning journalist whose work explores how purpose-driven people can tackle difficult problems without being depleted by them. She is the author of the forthcoming book Savor the World: How to Draw Strength From What You Love and Keep Showing Up for It and co-author of Ecoliterate with emotional intelligence pioneer Daniel Goleman.

Throughout her career in journalism, education, communications, facilitation, and organizational leadership, Lisa has worked with people tackling consequential challenges across sectors and communities. Today, she helps purpose-led organizations reconnect mission, people, and resources, supporting leaders and teams in finding clarity, staying grounded through setbacks, and recognizing where their efforts can make a difference.

Resources & Connect with Lisa

• Website: https://lisabennettwrites.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabennettwriter/
• Book: Savor the World: How to Draw Strength From What You Love and Keep Showing Up for It (forthcoming)

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