How do you go from starting a nonprofit with no house, no office, and a meeting at Applebee's to leading an organization that has backed New Mexico small businesses for nearly four decades?
Lindsey Kay, CEO of WESST, joins Dan Korus on The Kestryl Edge Podcast to talk nonprofit leadership, small business support, and what it really takes to lead with your team instead of in front of it.
Lindsey spent 14 years building Paws and Stripes, a program pairing rescue dogs with veterans living with PTSD and brain injuries, before stepping in to lead WESST, a women's business center and community lender serving small businesses across New Mexico. She brings a social worker's lens to business advising, ethics, and leadership.
In this episode:
- How a rescue dog named Sarge sparked a 14-year service dog program for veterans
- Why you should always ask the question: QPR and suicide prevention
- Veterans are people first: there's always an "and"
- Building a nonprofit is building a business, and why your mistakes pave the way
- Small business advice: start focused, test your idea, then stay agile
- Ethics in business advising and why good advisors work with clients, not for them
- Why women's business centers and small business support matter to New Mexico's economy
- Psychological safety: a team where you can't tell who the CEO is
- Advice for your first day at work, for middle managers, and for senior leaders
If you or someone you know is struggling In the US, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org
Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988, then press 1): https://www.veteranscrisisline.net
The Trevor Project for LGBTQ+ young people: https://www.thetrevorproject.org
Resources mentioned
QPR Institute (Question, Persuade, Refer suicide prevention training): https://qprinstitute.com
Assistance Dogs International, find an accredited member: https://assistancedogsinternational.org/main/looking-for-an-assistance-dog/
Paws and Stripes (service dogs for veterans in New Mexico): https://www.pawsandstripes.org
SBA Women's Business Centers: https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/resource-partners/womens-business-centers
Connect with Lindsey and WESST WESST: https://www.wesst.org
Connect with Dan and Kestryl Edge
Join The Updraft and the weekly live leadership Q&A: https://dankorus.com/p/join
Kestryl Edge leadership workshops: https://www.kestryledge.com/services
Book a 20-minute fit call: https://www.kestryledge.com/contact
#leadership #smallbusiness #nonprofitleadership #newmexico #womeninbusiness #veterans #suicideprevention #psychologicalsafety #kestrylsessions