Episode Overview

Podcast: Nonprofit Lowdown
Host: Rhea Wong
Episode: #369 - The Quiet Machinery of Hope
Date: December 22, 2025

In this poignant year-end episode, host Rhea Wong departs from her usual content of nonprofit strategies and resources to speak directly to listeners' hearts. Reflecting on the heaviness of recent world events and the cumulative toll of "holding the light" in the nonprofit sector, Rhea offers a deep and personal meditation on resilience, hope, and the quiet but vital work of nonprofit leaders. This episode is an acknowledgment of struggle, a collective permission to rest, and an affirmation of the invaluable role played by those committed to healing and repair.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Weight of Recent Events

• Timestamp [02:00]
  Rhea sets the stage, referencing difficult current events: mass shootings in Australia and at Brown University, and the murder of film director Rob Renner.
• She names the heaviness that many listeners are feeling and normalizes the sense of overwhelm, explaining how trauma manifests both mentally and physically.
  • “It is a week when the air itself feels weighted. And it is a week that knocks the wind out of you before you're even fully awake.” [03:10]

The Emotional Reality of Nonprofit Work

• Timestamp [05:00]
  Drawing from over 20 years in the sector, Rhea describes nonprofits as “the quiet machinery of hope.”
• She honors the crucial—though often invisible—work of nonprofit professionals:
  • “When the world burns, it's nonprofits that stitch things back together. You are the ones who are feeding people, housing people, teaching kids, fighting for rights, creating community, bringing order to chaos and hope to places that may not have a whole lot.” [06:45]
• Rhea candidly discusses how the responsibilities can feel like too much, validating the desire to retreat and the struggle with leadership under pressure.

Reframing the Challenge: “Wired for Repair”

• Timestamp [08:00]
  Rhea reframes the burden as a calling:
  • “You didn't choose this line of work because it was easy. You chose it because you're one of the few people wired for repair. Let me say that again. You are wired for repair.” [08:41]
• She references the Billie Jean King quote from the US Open—“Pressure is a privilege”—to further contextualize the importance and honor of this difficult work.

Practical Compassion and Small Shifts

• Timestamp [10:20]
  Instead of urging listeners to push harder or gloss over hardship, Rhea advocates for incremental kindness—what she calls a “1 degree shift toward light.”
  • “Maybe it means a deep breath or a donor call that builds connection, not extraction. And remember, in the arc of history, we are on the right side.” [11:05]

The Work Is Worth It—A Poetic Call to Action

• Timestamp [12:40]
  Rhea shares an excerpt from Jack Gilbert’s poem A Brief for the Defense as an anchor and reminder for tough times:
  • “We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure, but not delight, not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world…” [13:10]
• She uses the poem to highlight the necessity of hope and joy, even amid relentless struggle.

Helpers Anchor Us

• Timestamp [15:00]
  Referencing Mr. Rogers and his mother’s advice to “look for the helpers,” Rhea identifies nonprofit professionals as society’s essential helpers, providing stability when the world feels chaotic.

  • “Our sector is the helper. You are the helper. And when the world feels unrecognizable, helpers anchor us back to humanity.” [15:45]

• She reminds listeners of the value in the “unglamorous” daily acts—calls, appeals, service—that together declare: “The future is still worth fighting for.” [16:20]

Permission to Rest and a Call to Resilience

• Timestamp [17:30]
  Rhea closes with appreciation and practical advice, offering “a permission slip” to rest and a reminder that nonprofit leaders need not fix everything today.
  • “You just need to keep your corner lit. I want to remind you to give yourself the grace to feel the heaviness and the courage to take the next right step.” [17:52]

Looking to 2026: Staying Steady and Prepared

• Timestamp [19:00]
  Rhea shares her belief that 2026 will require nonprofit sector leaders to be “steady,” “sharper,” “bolder,” and “more organized and resourced than we’ve ever been.”
  • “Remember, hope isn't passive, it is funded. And if you're tired, I get it. Totally understandable. And you have every reason. And if you're discouraged, I get that too. But don't mistake exhaustion for defeat. You're still here. And the world still needs you.” [20:05]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the core truth of nonprofit work:
  “The world would fall apart faster without you. And we all know it, even when we forget to say it.” [07:35]

• On why the burdens feel so heavy:
  “You didn't choose this line of work because it was easy. You chose it because you're one of the few people wired for repair.” [08:41]

• On making an impact, brick by brick:
  “It is the step by step, minute by minute, brick by brick, work that you do that will make a difference and has made a difference in the lives of millions already.” [12:13]

• On embracing small acts of resilience:
  “We can just take a 1 degree shift towards the light, a 1 degree shift of grace towards ourselves….” [10:35]

• From Jack Gilbert’s poem:
  “We must risk delight… We can do without pleasure, but not delight, not enjoyment. We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world, to make injustice the only measure of our attention is to praise the devil…” [13:10]

• On rest as a radical act:
  “The permission slip that I'm going to give you is that you don't need to fix the whole world today. You just need to keep your corner lit.” [17:38]

• On what’s ahead:
  “We need to get sharper. We need to get bolder. We need to get more organized and more resourced than we've ever been. Because the winds have never been fiercer.” [19:42]

• Ultimate affirmation:
  “Don't mistake exhaustion for defeat. You're still here. And the world still needs you.” [20:05]

Structure & Flow

The episode gently flows from shared sorrow, to communal validation, to encouragement and a practical call to self-care, all buttressed by literary wisdom and an unflinching acknowledgment of sector realities. Rhea keeps a compassionate, conversational tone—equal parts peer, leader, and cheerleader—creating a safe space for listeners to lay down their burdens, if only for a moment.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:00] - Acknowledgement of heavy current events and the sensation of overwhelm
• [05:00] - The unsentimental value of nonprofit work
• [08:00] - “Wired for repair” and reframing hardship
• [10:20] - The “1 degree shift” toward compassion and self-care
• [12:40] - Jack Gilbert poem and reflections on delight
• [15:00] - Looking for “the helpers” and daily acts of courage
• [17:30] - Permission to rest and the courage to take the next step
• [19:00] - Looking into 2026: the need for resilience

Final Takeaway

Nonprofit Lowdown #369 is a rare quiet space in the nonprofit podcast world—a compassionate, validating reminder that it’s okay to be tired, that the daily invisible work matters immensely, and that hope is an active practice. With wisdom both gentle and firm, Rhea Wong closes the year by reminding nonprofit leaders everywhere to rest, to cherish small acts of resilience, and to remember that, in her words:
“Every time you step into a meeting, send an appeal, call a donor, serve a family, you're making a simple declaration, and it is this. The future is still worth fighting for.” [16:20]