Natasha J.

I hate to give such a cliche answer, but I would say my mom, first and foremost. Growing up, she instilled the power and strength of women in me. We're in a world right now that's so violent against women, and so charged against women. I can't imagine growing up without a mom the way that I did, who just so beautifully grounds the truth of women - that we're so much more than our reproductive capabilities, or what we look like, or what we can do for men. That is so powerful, and it's so radical, and I think it shapes so much of who I am, even though it can seem like something so small. Women make up half of this world, and we also create the entire population on Earth, ever. So, it's extremely important to have that value. She's inspired all of the policy work that I do, all of the social justice work I do, and my vision and decision making.

It's all gonna work out. I truly think everything works out how it's supposed to. Take advantage of all the resources that you have access to. And if you don't know what they are, figure them out, find them. They can be people, they can be webinars online, it can be a physical tool. Take advantage of everything you have access to to help build your vision and figure things out. Don't wait or just give up.

Challenges-wise, I think there's still a lot of room to grow in how to talk the talk in this field that is dominated by people who don't look like me, and have different backgrounds. But I'm happy to learn. Opportunities-wise, I love to dream about where I'm gonna be in the next 5 to 10 years, and I see myself leading my own type of foundation. I see myself helping to create the strategic vision of where money should go. Although I really value learning from Echoing Green and other foundations in philanthropy about shifting power and shifting money, I think I have a lot of knowledge in the strategic decisions that can be made as well. But that only comes with having my own type of institution, my own type of organization. A lot of times I feel like that is also a challenge in philanthropy - working for someone else, which you may disagree with their strategic vision. That's okay, but I would love to be able to eventually lead my own.

The main one I always say is empathy. I think being able to care for someone, or put yourself in someone else's shoes, is so integral to who I am, and how I see the world, and how I do the work that I do, and the research that I do. I can't imagine doing any of the work that I do without having an empathy lens. So, definitely professionally and personally, I would say that. And then personally, I am optimistic, even though there's so much to be pessimistic about in this world. I think empathy makes the world a better place, it makes people kinder to one another, and even just a simple act of picking up something on the ground that someone dropped in front of you and giving it back to them - those little acts of kindness go a long way, and continue somebody's day. Empathy shows up in different ways. It can be more powerful than that, but I think it's the most important value that I hold, and I hope others can hold.