From Overgiving to Thriving: The Servant‑Leader’s Secret for Sustainable Impact with Daniela Cohen

“Donors don’t connect to numbers — they connect to lives transformed. That’s the storytelling power you hold.”

Do you ever feel like you’re giving everything away and there’s nothing left for you? In this episode, Steve Ramona sits with Daniela, a nonprofit leadership coach who’s been in the trenches of burnout, sacrifice, and mission overload. She shares how she broke free from the “overgiving = worthiness” trap, and how she now helps women leaders in nonprofits lead with both fierce compassion and sustainable boundaries.

We open with that raw moment when the door kept opening, and Daniela silently wished she could just disappear — that moment when service became self‑destruction. She tells the story of her turning point, when a coach confronted her with this truth: the very thing you think is generosity may be tying your worth to your output. That was her wake‑up call.

From there we walk through how she’s now guiding nonprofits to shift culture, build “conflict‑positive systems,” and foster internal thriving—not just external service. We dig into how leaders can pivot from scarcity mindsets to collaboration, how stories of transformation can shift donor culture, and how admitting mistakes can be a radical act of leadership.

If you lead or serve in a nonprofit (or any mission‑driven work), this conversation will leave you with practical tools to stop burning out and start thriving. You’ll walk away with three critical practices: (1) uncovering hidden beliefs that lead to overgiving, (2) creating proactive structures for healthy conflict, and (3) bold storytelling that connects donors to real lives changed.

P.S. After you listen, ask yourself: Where in your life are you giving your value away? Take the next step by writing one boundary or one story you’ve been holding back — and share it with someone who sees your impact.

Guest Bio (for Daniela)

Daniela is a nonprofit leadership coach with over 15 years’ experience in Canada and South Africa. She lives between deep empathy and strategic wisdom. Having once sat in an office overwhelmed by requests, she now helps women leaders break the pattern of tying worth to giving. Through coaching and culture work, she builds organizations where people not only serve — they also thrive.
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniela-cohen-97aa803/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TransformativeConversationsHub
Website: https://transformativeconversations.ca/

Doing Business with a Servant's Heart Named Top 20 Small Business Marketing Podcast
https://podcast.feedspot.com/small_business_marketing_podcasts/

Subscribe to our NEWSLETTER: https://doing-business-with-a-servants-heart.kit.com/628f9d5962

Order our SERVING JOURNAL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSNSY1M1