Nardi Media's Purposeful Podcast

Ashley Bernardi, CEO and Founder, Nardi Media
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The Purposeful Podcast is where purpose meets power. We spotlight thought leaders and visionary voices who are changing the world—through innovation, advocacy, creativity, and leadership. These conversations will challenge you, inspire you, and remind you that impact is possible when you move with intention.

  1. 13h ago

    Women’s Rights, Reproductive Freedom & Human Rights Advocacy with Elise Keppler

    In this episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Elise Keppler, president of the Global Justice Center, for an important conversation about women’s rights, reproductive freedom, abortion access, gender equality, human rights law, and global justice. Elise shares her work as a human rights lawyer and explains how the Global Justice Center uses international law, legal advocacy, and policy reform to defend gender equality and advance accountability for sexual and gender-based crimes around the world. At a time when reproductive rights and human rights are being challenged in the United States and globally, this conversation helps explain why abortion access is a human rights issue, how authoritarianism often targets gender equality, and why advocacy still matters even when progress feels difficult. In this conversation, Ashley and Elise discuss: • Women’s rights and gender equality today • Why reproductive freedom is a human rights issue • Abortion access in the United States after Roe v. Wade • How international law protects reproductive and bodily autonomy • The connection between authoritarianism and attacks on gender rights • Sexual and gender-based crimes in conflict • What reproductive violence means • Why accountability matters for survivors of human rights violations • How the Global Justice Center is working to advance legal reform • Why advocacy, education, and solidarity still create change • What individuals can do to support human rights work This episode is a powerful reminder that hope is not passive. Hope is action. Hope is participation. Hope is choosing not to look away. Learn more about the Global Justice Center at globaljusticecenter.net

  2. Sep 21

    Nonprofit Leadership, Workplace Culture, and The Ripple Effect with Dr. Liz Scott

    How can nonprofit leaders build stronger teams, healthier workplace culture, and deeper connection in a fragmented workplace? In this episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Scott, founder and CEO of Brighter Strategies and author of The Ripple Effect: How Social Sector Leaders Build Networks That Transform Culture, for a timely conversation about nonprofit leadership, organizational development, workplace culture, trust, and connection. With more than 20 years of experience helping nonprofits, associations, and mission-driven organizations strengthen leadership, navigate change, and build healthier workplace cultures, Liz shares why culture is not built through policies, org charts, or mandates alone.It is shaped through the everyday relationships, informal networks, communication habits, and human connections that influence how people work, collaborate, and lead. In this conversation, Ashley and Liz discuss: • What organizational development really means • Why many strategic plans and change initiatives fail to get implemented • How nonprofit leaders can build stronger workplace culture • Why informal relationships can matter more than formal authority • The role of informal leaders and internal influencers • Why return-to-office mandates alone are not enough to rebuild culture • How remote and hybrid teams can create real connection • Why mission alone is not enough to retain and energize people • How leaders can build consistency through one-on-one relationships • Practical steps leaders can take today to strengthen team trust and connection Liz also shares a clear reminder for social sector and nonprofit leaders: sustainable success happens when organizations invest not only in strategy, systems, and outcomes, but in people. This episode is for nonprofit leaders, executive directors, association leaders, social sector professionals, managers, founders, and anyone trying to build a healthier, more connected, and more effective organization. Learn more about Dr. Liz Scott, Brighter Strategies, and The Ripple Effect at brighterstrategies.com.

  3. Sep 16

    Nonprofit Leadership & Fundraising Strategy with Kara Logan-Berlin

    In this episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Kara Logan-Berlin, founder of Harvest, a leadership development and consulting practice that helps nonprofit leaders become bold, capable, and confident change-makers. Kara brings deep experience in nonprofit development, fundraising strategy, donor relationships, executive coaching, board strategy, and organizational growth. In this conversation, she shares what it really takes to lead a nonprofit with clarity, accountability, courage, and impact. For nonprofit CEOs, executive directors, development professionals, mission-driven leaders, and social impact organizations, this episode offers practical insight into how strong leadership directly affects fundraising, team performance, donor trust, and long-term mission success. In this conversation, Ashley and Kara discuss: • What makes nonprofit leadership different • Why nonprofits still need to be run with business discipline • How Kara helped increase nonprofit revenue by 400% early in her career • Why systems, goals, accountability, and hard conversations matter • How nonprofit CEOs can make better leadership decisions • Why development teams need structure and strategy • How to build stronger donor relationships • Why listening is one of the most important fundraising skills • The difference between a fundraising event and a party • How nonprofit leaders can work more effectively with their boards • Why many leaders struggle when they are promoted without training • The value of coaching for nonprofit CEOs and senior leaders • How female CEOs face different leadership expectations • Why leaders need AI literacy, financial literacy, and adaptability • Kara’s work supporting the Obama Presidential Center fundraising strategy • Why “hope is not a strategy” in fundraising or leadership This episode is a powerful reminder that organizations are only as strong as the leaders guiding them. Leadership is not a destination. It is a practice, and every step toward becoming a stronger leader creates greater opportunities for impact. Learn more about Kara Logan-Berlin and Harvest at harvestklb.com.

  4. Sep 14

    Hospice Care, Grief Support & Compassionate Healthcare Leadership with James Dismond

    In this deeply meaningful episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with James Dismond, CEO of MiraSol Health, for a powerful conversation about hospice care, grief support, end-of-life planning, serious illness, and what it means to care for people with dignity and compassion. James shares how his own early experiences with loss shaped his journey from fearing death to finding purpose in helping families navigate some of life’s most vulnerable moments. Through his leadership at MiraSol Health, he is helping shift the conversation around hospice and end-of-life care from fear and avoidance to understanding, connection, and compassionate support. For mission-driven leaders, healthcare professionals, caregivers, families, and anyone navigating grief, this episode offers a deeply human reminder that difficult conversations can be an act of love. In this conversation, Ashley and James discuss: • How hospice care can support patients and families with dignity • Why we need to talk more openly about death and end-of-life care • How grief can begin at the point of diagnosis • The importance of serious illness planning before a crisis happens • How families can start difficult conversations about care wishes • Why grief is different for every person • How to support someone who is grieving • The power of being present without trying to fix • Why saying a loved one’s name matters after loss • How specific help is more meaningful than “let me know if you need anything” • Compassionate accountability in healthcare leadership • How MiraSol Health is expanding care beyond traditional hospice • Why caring for others is one of the most powerful expressions of purpose This episode is a powerful reminder that while we cannot always control the circumstances life brings, we can choose how we care for one another through them. Learn more about MiraSol Health at mirasolhealth.org

  5. Sep 7

    Purpose-Driven Storytelling with Erich and Dani Sanchack

    In this inspiring episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Erich and Dani Sanchack, the father-daughter co-author team behind DES Press and the bestselling fantasy series, The Nosam Chronicles. Together, they share how a family love of reading, tabletop gaming, creativity, and storytelling grew into a bestselling book series, a passionate reader community, and a larger mission to give back. For mission-driven authors, leaders, and creatives, this conversation is a powerful reminder that storytelling can do more than entertain. It can build connection, strengthen family bonds, create community, support meaningful causes, and turn a passion project into a platform for impact. Erich and Dani discuss how their creative collaboration began, what it has taught them about trust and compromise, and why themes like leadership, courage, resilience, found family, service, and looking beyond yourself are woven throughout their work. They also share how proceeds from their books support deployed service members, military families, and veteran organizations. In this conversation, Ashley, Erich, and Dani discuss: • How a father-daughter creative collaboration became a bestselling fantasy series • The role of family, trust, and creativity in co-authoring a book • How tabletop gaming inspired The Nosam Chronicles • Why storytelling can become a platform for purpose and impact • The leadership lessons hidden inside fantasy fiction • How resilience, sacrifice, courage, and found family shape the series • What it takes to build a reader community around a book • How authors can use their platform to support causes they care about • Giving back to deployed service members, military families, and veterans • What aspiring authors can learn about creativity, patience, and building a team This episode is a powerful reminder that great stories do not only live on the page. They can bring people together, inspire readers, support communities, and create a legacy that reaches far beyond the book itself. Learn more about The Nosam Chronicles at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249103441

  6. Aug 31

    Gold Star Spouses: Advocacy, Remembrance & Support for Military Families with Tamra Sipes

    In this deeply personal episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Tamra Sipes, President of Gold Star Spouses of America, for a moving conversation about military loss, surviving military spouses, remembrance, advocacy, and the power of community after unimaginable grief. As a Gold Star daughter, Ashley brings her own lived experience to this conversation, having lost her father while he was serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. Together, Ashley and Tamra discuss what it means to be part of a Gold Star family, why surviving military spouses need continued support, and how Gold Star Spouses of America is helping military widows and widowers find connection, purpose, and a voice. Tamra shares her own story of losing her husband in 1995 while raising three young children, the lack of resources available at the time, and why peer connection, remembrance, education, and advocacy are so essential for surviving military families. In this conversation, Ashley and Tamra discuss: • What it means to be a Gold Star spouse • The mission of Gold Star Spouses of America • Why community is essential after military loss • The unique challenges surviving military spouses face • The importance of remembrance and honoring fallen service members • How Gold Star Spouses of America supports military widows and widowers • Advocacy work for surviving spouses and their families • The Love Lives On Act and remarriage-related benefit challenges • Why surviving spouses need education, leadership, and connection• How the public can better support Gold Star families • Why honoring fallen heroes also means caring for the families they left behind This episode is a powerful reminder that remembrance is not only about looking back. It is about showing up in the present, ensuring no sacrifice is forgotten, and supporting the families whose lives were forever changed by military service. Learn more about Gold Star Spouses of America at goldstarspouses.org

  7. Aug 24

    Leading in Chaos: How Mission-Driven Leaders Navigate Uncertainty, Change & Burnout

    In this powerful episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Nicholas Janni and Amy Elizabeth Fox, internationally recognized leadership experts and co-authors of Leading in Chaos: A Clarion Call to a New Future. Today’s leaders are navigating uncertainty, polarization, disruption, AI, change fatigue, and what many describe as a polycrisis. Nicholas and Amy argue that the leadership models of the past are no longer enough. To lead effectively now, mission-driven leaders need more than strategy and linear thinking. They need presence, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, embodiment, intuition, courage, and human connection. Together, Ashley, Nicholas, and Amy explore what it means to bring our full humanity into leadership and why the inner work of leadership is no longer optional.In this conversation, Ashley, Nicholas, and Amy discuss: • How mission-driven leaders can lead through chaos and uncertainty • Why traditional leadership models are no longer enough • The impact of change fatigue and adaptive exhaustion • How AI, polarization, and global disruption are changing the workplace • Why leaders need presence, emotional intelligence, and deeper self-awareness • The role of embodiment, intuition, emotion, and spirit in leadership • How organizations can create more trust, creativity, and psychological safety • Why leaders must slow down to truly listen and see what has been normalized • The cost of numbing, self-abandonment, and emotional disconnection at work • Why inner work matters for leaders, teams, families, and future generations • What more human-centered workplaces could look like in the future This episode is a powerful reminder that leading in chaos does not require more control. It requires more consciousness, connection, courage, and humanity. Learn more about Leading in Chaos at leadinginchaosbook.com

  8. Aug 17

    Mission-Driven Leadership in Senior Care: Dignity, Trust & Impact with Denise Chadwick Wright

    In this meaningful episode of Purposeful, Ashley Bernardi sits down with Denise Chadwick Wright, CEO of Birmingham Green, to discuss mission-driven leadership, senior care, dignity, community impact, and the future of long-term care. For more than 90 years, Birmingham Green has served seniors in Northern Virginia through a mission rooted in compassion, accessibility, and respect. What began as a commitment written into Virginia law has grown into a 54-acre senior living campus in Manassas, providing assisted living, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and supportive housing for older adults, including those who may not otherwise have the financial resources to access long-term care. Denise shares how Birmingham Green continues to honor its historic mission while preparing for the future of senior living. She also discusses what dignified care looks like in practice, the role of public-private partnerships, the growing needs of an aging population, and why connection, community, and compassion matter so deeply in care for older adults. In this conversation, Ashley and Denise discuss: • Mission-driven leadership in senior care • The history and purpose behind Birmingham Green • What dignified long-term care looks like in practice • How public-private partnerships can support accessible care • Why financial resources should not determine dignity in aging • The greatest needs facing today’s aging population • Loneliness, connection, and community among older adults • How residents continue to learn, contribute, and give back • The future of senior living and long-term care • How volunteers, donors, and community members can support Birmingham Green This episode is a powerful reminder that senior care is not only about services. It is about dignity, belonging, community, and honoring the people who helped build the communities we live in today. Learn more about Birmingham Green at birminghamgreen.org

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About

The Purposeful Podcast is where purpose meets power. We spotlight thought leaders and visionary voices who are changing the world—through innovation, advocacy, creativity, and leadership. These conversations will challenge you, inspire you, and remind you that impact is possible when you move with intention.

Information

  • Creator
    Ashley Bernardi, CEO and Founder, Nardi Media
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ashley Bernardi, CEO and Founder, Nardi Media
  • Show Website
    Nardi Media's Purposeful Podcast