The Power of Possible: Leadership Edition

This is the opening episode of the Power of Possible: Leadership Edition, an eight-episode leadership podcast and video series featuring conversations between leadership coach Dr. Tashion Macon and the Foundation’s President and CEO, Chanda Smith Baker. Created for this moment — and for the leaders navigating it — the series offers listeners candid conversations on leadership growth as it happens, in real time, sh...

In this Unscripted Leadership episode of the Power of Possible, Dr. Tashion Macon invites listeners to take a deeper look at where Chanda Smith Baker’s leadership was first shaped. Their conversation traces back to her childhood. Growing up among neighbors with diverse lived experiences and in a family that welcomed disagreement taught Chanda to listen, question assumptions and stay connected to others.

Chanda opens up about s...

In this episode of the Power of Possible, Dr. Tashion Macon and Chanda Smith Baker reflect on what it takes to lead with steadiness when everything around you feels uncertain. Grounded in moments when Minnesota was thrust into the national spotlight, Chanda shares how she resisted the pull of urgency and instead leads with a long view, recognizing that while situations can feel out of control, leaders don’t have to be. It&rsq...

In this episode of the the Power of Possible: Leadership Edition, Dr. Tashion Macon and Chanda Smith Baker explore the often unspoken weight and responsibility of legacy in leadership. This is a conversation about what it means to lead as your full self in spaces that weren’t necessarily built with you in mind. As the first Black CEO at the Foundation, Chanda reflects on what being “the first,” carries: not just v...

In this episode of the Power of Possible, Dr. Tashion Macon and Chanda Smith Baker take listeners inside what it means to lead a community foundation. Chanda describes a community foundation as the place where generosity meets purpose and legacy, bringing together people who care deeply about their neighbors and want to make a meaningful difference. At its core, the work is relational — connecting donors, nonprofits and commu...

In this episode of The Power of Possible, Dr. Tashion Macon and Chanda Smith Baker explore what it really means to lead with trust and vulnerability—especially when working across difference. The conversation centers on the idea that effective leadership isn’t about avoiding discomfort but learning how to stay in it long enough to understand it. Chanda reflects on how she approaches difference not as something to overco...

In this episode of The Power of Possible, Dr. Tashion Macon and Chanda Smith Baker explore what it means to “lead from the middle” — a leadership approach grounded in relationships. Rather than trying to fit a traditional mold of leadership, Chanda shares how knowing yourself becomes a true leadership advantage, even when it requires courage to show up fully. The conversation invites listeners to rethink what lead...

In this episode of The Power of Possible, Dr. Tashion Macon and Chanda Smith Baker explore what it means to hold on to hope — and even joy — when the future feels uncertain. Their conversation is grounded in a powerful question: how do leaders stay connected to a larger vision when the present moment feels heavy or chaotic?

The episode also reframes imagination as a critical leadership practice. Chanda describes how she ...