Contagious Culture

What does it really take to lead with confidence and build a culture where people can thrive?

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, host Kyle King sits down with Lisa Tarkington, keynote speaker, leadership coach, and founder of the nonprofit Lead. Lisa has spent more than a decade helping leaders overcome self-doubt, discover their zone of genius, and create environments where people feel empowered to grow.

Lisa share...

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle sits down with leadership expert Tracy Solarek to explore one of the most important and often overlooked, skills in leadership: emotional intelligence.

While many leaders focus on strategy, execution, and results, Tracy explains why the ability to understand emotions, both your own and others’, is what truly separates good leaders from great ones.

Kyle and Tracy discuss how em...

Building relationships in the nonprofit world is often treated like a necessary evil, awkward networking events, forced conversations, and transactional asks. But what if it didn’t have to feel that way?

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle breaks down why nonprofit relationship building doesn’t have to suck and why the most successful leaders approach it completely differently.

Instead of chasing donations or tr...

In this powerful episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle sits down with keynote speaker, construction industry leader, and bestselling author Erika Rothenberger to talk about resilience, leadership, and what it truly means to live with audacity.

Erika’s story took a dramatic turn in 2022 when she survived a brutal assault that forced her to confront fear, vulnerability, and the fragility of life. Instead of retreating, she ...

What does it really take to become the kind of leader people choose to follow?

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle King explores the difference between leadership that is assigned and leadership that is earned. Titles may give someone authority, but influence, trust, and credibility are what inspire people to truly follow.

Kyle breaks down the key behaviors that define impactful leaders, leaders who create clari...

What if the secret to thriving at work and in life, wasn’t just strategy or skill, but courage, curiosity, and a willingness to embrace the messy middle? On this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, I talk with Dr. Caroline Brookfield, veterinarian, entrepreneur, researcher, stand-up comic, and self-proclaimed “Professional Cat Herder.”

Caroline has spent nearly 30 years making high-stakes decisions in unpredictable environme...

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, we tackle one of the biggest misconceptions in professional growth: networking is not a competition. Too often, people approach networking like a race for attention, influence, or opportunity. But the most impactful relationships are built through curiosity, generosity, and genuine connection, not comparison.

Kyle King explores why many professionals struggle with networking, how t...

In this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, host Kyle King sits down with organizational psychologist, executive coach, and Harvard Business Review contributor Irina Cozma to explore the power of Possibility Thinking and how expanding our options can transform careers, leadership, and workplace culture. With more than 20 years of global consulting experience across startups and Fortune 100 companies, Irina has coached hundre...

This episode dives into the power of leading with intention and moving with thoughtfulness in a world that rewards speed over substance. Real leadership is not just about making moves, it’s about making the right moves, with clarity, purpose, and alignment.

We explore how intentional leaders build stronger cultures, make better decisions, and create impact that lasts far beyond the moment.

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In this episode, we unpack how reactive leadership quietly destroys innovation, slows momentum, and keeps teams stuck in survival mode. If every challenge feels like a fire drill, creativity suffers, trust erodes, and real progress becomes harder to sustain.

This conversation explores why the best leaders don’t just respond quickly, they respond strategically, creating the space, stability, and vision innovation actually needs to t...

On this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle sits down with Amy Aussieker, Executive Director of Envision Charlotte, sustainability strategist, partnership builder, and one of the bold voices helping Charlotte rethink what’s possible.

Amy has spent years turning big ideas into practical action — leading fundraising, building cross-sector partnerships, launching innovative zero-waste and circular economy initiatives, and ...

On this episode of the Contagious Culture Podcast, Kyle sits down with Patricia Bravo, leadership development consultant, speaker, author, and founder of Bravo For You, to explore the real power of empathetic leadership in today’s workplace.

Patricia shares why empathy is often misunderstood, how leaders can balance care with accountability, and why understanding people is essential to building trust, strengthening culture, and imp...

Join hosts Kyle King and Daniel Freeman in this insightful episode of "Contagious Culture" as they dive into the essential steps for building and nurturing a robust network of donors for your nonprofit organization. You'll learn strategies for identifying potential donors, creating meaningful connections, and maintaining engagement. The hosts share best practices for effective communication, conveying your nonprofit's story and imp...

Catalina Parker, Co-Founder & CEO of Relatable Nonprofit, joins the Contagious Culture Podcast to talk about a gap so many mission-driven professionals face: nonprofit jobs teach you how to do the work, but not how to run a business.

After leaving a senior foundation role in 2021, Catalina and her business partner Julia learned firsthand that consulting requires more than expertise. It requires clear positioning, practical pric...

Most fundraising doesn’t fail because the mission isn’t strong, it fails because leaders don’t know how to navigate the conversation. In this Power Session, Kyle and Dan break down how to lead donor conversations with clarity and confidence, how to handle hesitation without getting awkward, and how to move from relationship-building to a real close.

We cover simple language you can use, what to listen for, how to make the ask feel ...

Events can be a fundraising powerhouse or an expensive stress fest. In this Power Session, Kyle and Dan break down what it looks like to run events done well and how to scale them without losing the human-centered experience. We share key insights from a recent Charlotte Rescue Mission event that raised the bar in storytelling, execution, and attendee experience.

You’ll learn what makes an event unforgettable, how to design moments...

Fundraising isn’t about convincing people to give, it’s about building trust that lasts. In this episode, Kyle and Dan sit down with Mark Dobosz, a philanthropy leader with 40+ years of experience across major gifts, donor strategy, and long-term relationship building.

Mark shares what separates transactional fundraising from transformational partnership, how to deepen donor engagement beyond the first gift, and the habits that kee...

This one is a necessary reality check. Kyle and Dan share a hot take that might save you years of frustration: don’t start a nonprofit, at least not until you understand what you’re signing up for. We unpack the conversations we keep having with executive directors and founders who feel underwater because they didn’t know what they didn’t know.

We talk infrastructure, leadership readiness, fundraising expectations, and the hidden w...

DEI doesn’t fail because people don’t care, it fails when it becomes performative, vague, or disconnected from real systems and outcomes. In this episode, Kyle and Dan sit down with Cierra Belher Johnson to go beyond the buzzwords and talk about what DEI looks like when it’s actually working.

We explore practical approaches to equity-centered leadership, how to avoid “checkbox” culture, and what it takes to build inclusive environm...