Leadership by Purpose Podcast
Leadership by Purpose is a podcast for leaders navigating change with confidence. Host Monisha Kapila—executive coach, consultant, and former nonprofit CEO—brings over 20 years of leadership experience to honest conversations about the real challenges leaders face during times of transition.
Each season explores a different dimension of values-centered leadership through interviews with nonprofit CEOs, social entrepreneurs, and business leaders across sectors. From organizational restructuring and AI adoption to succession planning and advancing equity, we tackle the topics that keep leaders up at night.
Whether you're managing a merger, leading through layoffs, building culture during challenging times, or simply trying to stay grounded in your values while navigating complexity, this podcast offers practical wisdom and authentic perspectives from leaders who've been there.
Leadership by Purpose explores the what (results you're driving), why (values that guide you), how (strategies you're using), and who (people you're impacting)—because effective leadership requires all four.
Subscribe now and join the conversation at podcast@leadershipbypurpose.com.
Leadership by Purpose Podcast
When Mergers Don't Go As Planned: One Degree's Story of Organizational Transformation
What happens when a nonprofit merger doesn't unfold the way you expected? Rey Faustino, Founder and CEO of One Degree, shares the story of merging his tech-driven nonprofit with another organization—and the lessons learned along the way.
One Degree uses technology to connect low-income families with critical community resources. When Rey decided to pursue a merger to accelerate growth, he discovered that cultural integration, financial realities, and change management were far more complex than the deal itself.
In this conversation, Rey opens up about navigating a merger and unmerger, and keeping the community at the center when everything else felt uncertain. His honest reflections on what worked, what didn't, and how he's grown as a leader offer valuable insights for anyone leading through organizational change.
What You'll Learn:
- Why Rey believed a merger could accelerate One Degree's mission
- The cultural and operational challenges that emerged post-merger
- How financial difficulties forced tough decisions about staffing
- What it takes to maintain community focus during organizational upheaval
- Rey's perspective on leadership, empathy, and navigating change
Connect with Rey: One Degree: https://about.1degree.org/