Trudi Lebron is a business coach for social impact-driven entrepreneurs. She also works as a diversity equity and inclusion strategist.

She reflects on how she first began her venture into the coaching space. Trudi said school loan payment helped fuel her natural side hustle tendency. She briefly describes what gave the first push of momentum behind her coaching. As one learning point, she notes: “Swim towards the people who are swimming towards you.”

From there, it’s all about taking small steps. Interestingly, for Trudi, small steps are more about the questions. She’ll ask herself “How can I replace my electric bill?” rather than only saying “I’m going to save money.” Trudi is specific in finding a bare minimum to move her progress forward.

Among the ways she concentrated her dedication, Trudi invested in her progress by hiring a coach. A professional coach was a huge investment at the time; “... it was more than my car payment” Trudi recalls. 

While in the coaching program, Trudi needed to unpack lingering narratives about the nonprofit sector with money. She gave an example of where the narrative is birthed from and said nonprofits can attest to this honest scenario. After acknowledging the narrative, Trudi explains what brought her to realize that money can function differently.

Deeper than the money narrative, Trudi commented on efficiency needing to be a larger focus for nonprofits. Many nonprofits, if they were to calculate their efforts, have a negatively disproportionate amount of money compared to the hours and services they provide. Her first suggestion towards improving efficiency is developing protocols. She explained that the protocols should hone the process, not necessarily the humans performing the process.

“I tell people that they shouldn't be managing people. They should be managing outcomes, and if they stop managing people and start managing outcomes, you actually get to your outcomes way faster.”- Trudi Lebron

Building a framework benefits the company’s ability to naturally thrive. Trudi expressed how nonprofits and for-profits can exchange knowledge to better their operations. How companies organize their operations don’t always match their values. Trudi discussed her approach to addressing disconnect by having her clients realize their own behavior in comparison to their values.

OPPORTUNITY became the topic of discussion once Trudi talked more on the differences behind access and what people are exposed to while in their own surroundings. She did not let the lack of anything disrupt her from starting her ventures. Trudi navigated her space with questioning, seeking where she could find the resources. Through this, she goes back to discussing coaching, and also the importance of collaboration.

During the end of our conversation, Trudi really expressed how her passion for coaching is linked with diversity and inclusion. Trudi’s passion is the driving force behind her ventures, which continues through work such as coaching, Script Flip, and her new podcast, Business Remixed - a different kind of business podcast around social impact.

If you would like to learn more, you can check out Instagram, Facebook, or the official website.