In a year full of work drama and career pivots, our most eye-opening lessons came from the places no one talks about on LinkedIn. Somewhere between the PTA meetings, school drop-offs, HOA group texts, and community events, we kept bumping into reminders that real work doesn’t always pay. And that’s kind of the point.

This week, we’re unpacking what happened when we leaned all the way into volunteering and brought our professional skills to the party. Because chances are, you’re more needed than you think and more capable than you’ve been led to believe.

We explore:

How we went from “someone else will do it” to “we got it”
Why so many systems rely on what we call assumed initiative
The unexpected rewards of taking on community roles
Why your first real leadership lessons usually start locally
How these roles can transform your network and your confidence
Why being present isn’t the same as being accountable
How to know when just showing up isn’t enough anymore

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Ep 237: How volunteering changed the way we think about work