Paul Schmitz, Everyone Leads
Episode Summary: What does it really mean to be a leader? And who gets to claim that title?
Paul Schmitz joins Sr. Brenda Eagan to challenge the idea that leadership is about titles, positions, or being in charge. Leadership, he believes, is an action—not a title—and it’s something each of us has the power to practice.
Drawing on his remarkable journey from addiction and recovery to founding Public Allies and advising in the Obama White House, Paul shares how mentoring, vulnerability, and community can bring out leadership in places we might least expect. He explores the importance of humility, self-awareness, and surrounding ourselves with the right people.
At its heart, this conversation is a reminder that ordinary people, when encouraged, affirmed, and given the opportunity, can do extraordinary things. So, what if we stopped waiting for someone to lead and recognized the leader within ourselves—and one another?
About Paul Schmitz (click to expand)
Paul Schmitz builds the collective leadership of organizations and communities to achieve greater social impact through his roles as Senior Advisor at The Collective Impact Forum and CEO of Leading Inside Out. He is also the author of Everyone Leads: Building Leadership from the Community Up, and the former CEO of Public Allies, where he helped more than 5,000 diverse young adults begin careers working for community and social change. Paul is a faculty member of The Asset-Based Community Development Institute, was a social innovation advisor to the Obama White House, and has been named three separate years to The Nonprofit Times list of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in America. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife and five children.
Love & Speak the Truth podcast is made possible by the Congregation of Jesus, US Region
Executive Producers: Megan Beutel and Jennifer Schmitz
Sound Track: Laurenti Wright on keyboard
Music Composition of Women Bearing Witness: Maria Bierer, IBVM
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