Very Nonprofit - Very Real - Irresistibly useful insights for the people side of nonprofit leadership

About Very Nonprofit - Very Real - Irresistibly useful insights for the people side of nonprofit leadership

Very Nonprofit – Very Real is the podcast about the people side of nonprofit leadership. If you lead people in a nonprofit—whether you’re a supervisor, manager, director, or executive—you know this work is satisfying and, at times, incredibly challenging. Leading well isn’t just about programs and outcomes. It’s about people. Hosted by nonprofit leader, educator, best-selling author, and coach, Paula MacLean, this podcast offers irresistibly useful insights you can take to work with you tomorrow. Each short, practical episode focuses on the real challenges nonprofit leaders face every day, including: having difficult conversations supporting and retaining staff hiring for retention giving and receiving feedback creating productive teams navigating conflict successfully addressing performance issues improving motivation and engagement and many more to come! No theory. No fluff. Just grounded, evidence-informed and experience-based guidance distilled from Paula's 40 year career working in and alongside nonprofits. These episodes are designed to be shared, discussed, and used with your teams. Each one is a "mini-training" that will raise the bar of any leader at any level in your nonprofit. Whether you’re new to leadership or have been doing this work for years, you’ll find ideas, language, and approaches you can use immediately—with your team, in your organization, and in your day-to-day leadership. Because in nonprofits, getting the people side of leadership right really matters!

Publisher

Paula J. MacLean

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Sept 2026

Latest episode

19 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Oct 2026

   What Makes Retention Happen? (It's not likely what you think it is!)

   Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Very Nonprofit – Very Real Podcast, with Canadian nonprofit educator, best-selling author and leadership coach, Paula J. Maclean. Today’s episode focuses on the 6 leading factors that impact employee retention in all nonprofit workplaces. We also mine down on why compensation is ONE factor, and why most recent literature tells us it isn't the Most Important one! This episode is the first in a series on creating better retention. In the ne...

2. 

   12 Oct 2026

   Teams Won't be Brave if They Don't Feel SAFE!

   Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Very Nonprofit – Very Real Podcast, with Canadian nonprofit educator, best-selling author and leadership coach, Paula J. Maclean. Today’s episode, focuses on the importance of creating a environment at work that makes it safe for people to use their new skills to speak up and have challenging conversations. Psychological safety results from a climate set by leaders. In the episode, we explore practical steps that leaders can take to ensure peop...

3. 

   5 Oct 2026

   Having a Difficult Conversation without Making Things Worse - Part 3 of 3

   Difficult Conversations – Part 3 – Having a Difficult Conversation without Making it Worse Thank you for joining this episode of the Very Nonprofit – Very Real Podcast. I’m Canadian nonprofit educator, best-selling author and leadership coach, Paula J. Maclean. Today’s episode, Difficult Conversations Part 3 Having a Difficult Conversation without Making it Worse takes you through the 4 steps needed to ensure your courageous conversation is a complete success. These include, choosing your ope...

4. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Before You Say a Word: Preparing for a Difficult Conversation - Part 2 of 3

   Show Notes: Before You Say a Word: Preparing for a Difficult Conversation Thank you for joining this episode of the Very Nonprofit – Very Real Podcast. I'm Canadian nonprofit educator, best-selling author and leadership coach, Paula J. Maclean. Today’s episode focuses on the three steps you need to follow to plan for a “courageous” (or difficult) conversation. While “getting ready” may seem kind of obvious, in this episode well explore the How, Where, When and Who of setting...

5. 

   21 Sept 2026

   Why Difficult Conversations Feel So Hard (And How to Become Braver) Part 1 of 3

   Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Very Nonprofit – Very Real Podcast, with Canadian nonprofit educator, best-selling author and leadership coach, Paula J. Maclean. Today’s episode, “Why Difficult Conversations Feel So Hard (And How to Become Braver)” is the first of a three-part series that will fully prepare you for how to initiate and be successful when having a courageous conversations. Join me every week as we lift-up both your skills and your spiri...

6. 

   14 Sept 2026

   Introductory Podcast: Accidental Leaders: Why Many Nonprofit Leaders Feel So Unprepared

   Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Very Nonprofit – Very Real Podcast, with Canadian nonprofit educator, best-selling author and leadership coach, Paula J. Maclean. Today’s episode, Accidental Leaders - Why Many Nonprofit Leaders Feel So Unprepared focuses on an experience that unites almost all nonprofit leaders. Many began our careers in leadership "accidentally", with limited or no leadership training or experience. We often feel not fully equipped and not c...

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.