From Passion to Purpose

Hello, friends. Welcome back to From Passion to Purpose. I’m your host, Shama Shams, and today’s episode is going to be a little different. It’s not an interview, and it’s not a leadership conversation. It’s a personal update, and it comes with a mixture of pride, gratitude, and a little tenderness.

When I launched this podcast in January of last year, my goal was simple:
to amplify the voices of nonprofit leaders who are doing the hard work in the trenches, those who are moving missions forward, fighting for justice, and building communities of hope.

Since then, this podcast has become so much more than I ever imagined.

• I have interviewed 60+ nonprofit executives from across the country, representing organizations working on homelessness, education, arts & culture, immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare, workforce development, and so much more.
• We’ve shared conversations from California to Connecticut, from Texas to New York, from Washington State to Arizona—reminding us that passion-driven leadership is everywhere.
• And together, we have built a space where nonprofit leaders can speak openly about purpose, struggle, inequity, innovation, and the moments that keep them showing up.

This community—you—has been such a gift.
I genuinely believe we have created something meaningful in the sector.

And that’s why this next part feels both necessary and difficult.

I’ve decided to take a temporary break from the podcast.

Not because the work is any less important. Not because I’ve run out of stories to share. But because, like many of the leaders I interview, I believe deeply in honoring seasons. Some seasons call us to pour outward, and others call us to regroup, rebuild, and realign so we can continue showing up with integrity.

Over the past year, my life has expanded in beautiful ways—

I stepped into a major new role as the Senior Director of Development at the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association…

I’ve continued writing my next book, Dreamers…
 
I’ve been teaching, speaking, building my consulting practice, and supporting nonprofits across the country.

And as much as I love this podcast, I want to give it the time, creativity, and energy it deserves.

So I’m pressing pause—not goodbye, just pause.

During this break, I’ll be dreaming into what this next chapter of From Passion to Purpose looks like.
More storytelling.
More voices that deserve the microphone.

More conversations about reproductive justice, equity, belonging, and what it really takes to sustain impact in the nonprofit world.

To each of my guests—thank you.

To all of you who listened, shared, reached out, or found inspiration in these episodes—thank you.

And to every nonprofit leader who wakes up every day believing in the power of community, you are why this podcast exists.