Josh Goldberg, CEO of Boulder Crest Foundation, shares his journey from corporate executive to suicidal crisis to leading an organization that served 43,000 people last year through post-traumatic growth programs.

In this raw conversation, you'll learn:
✅ The exact moment Josh realized he'd built "a false existence" despite external success
✅ How helping others became the path out of his own suicidal ideation
✅ The three-year wilderness period between crisis and clarity—and what he learned
✅ How Boulder Crest grew from serving 700 to 43,000 people annually without losing culture
✅ Why "unfuck yourself" became the turning point for sustainable service
✅ Scaling nonprofit impact from 35 to 86 staff while maintaining mission-driven culture

This episode is perfect for nonprofit leaders, executive directors, and mission-driven professionals navigating burnout, organizational growth, or questioning their own career path.

📊 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

- Scale without sacrifice: Boulder Crest grew from 700 to 43,000 people served annually while maintaining tight-knit culture through intentional PKC3 values (Passionate, Kind, Competence, Curiosity, Courage)

- The "unfuck yourself" principle: Sustainable service requires self-care first—Josh's daily routine of meditation, gratitude, and movement enables him to show up for 86 staff and 43,000 clients

- Post-traumatic growth over PTSD: Boulder Crest shifted the paradigm from pathologizing struggle to finding meaning in it, inspired by Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning"

- Service as self-rescue: Josh's path out of suicidal crisis came through helping veteran families—proving that purpose can be found by stepping outside your own suffering

- The three-year rule: Major life pivots take 3 months to 3 years (Josh's mentor predicted this timeline with eerie accuracy)

- "Be a pilot light, not a firecracker": Civil rights leader John Lewis's wisdom on sustainable activism applies to nonprofit leadership—daily practices prevent burnout

👤 ABOUT JOSH GOLDBERG:

Josh Goldberg is the CEO of Boulder Crest Foundation, a nonprofit serving military veterans, first responders, and their families through post-traumatic growth programs. After a successful corporate career that left him in existential crisis, Josh pivoted to nonprofit leadership in 2014. Under his leadership, Boulder Crest has grown to operate four retreat centers (Virginia, Arizona, Texas, Wyoming) and serves over 43,000 people annually. Josh's personal journey from suicidal ideation to leading large-scale mission impact makes him a powerful voice on mental health, sustainable leadership, and organizational culture in the nonprofit sector.

Josh's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmgoldberg55/
Boulder Crest Foundation: https://www.bouldercrest.org

What happens when a clinical mental health professional trades direct patient care for executive leadership—and discovers she can make an even bigger impact? In this powerful conversation, Caitlin Summers-Motta, VP of Business Development at First Children's Services, reveals the raw truth about mission-driven leadership in behavioral health.

In This Episode:

• Why waking up at 5:30 AM became Caitlin's secret weapon for maintaining balance between three kids and leading organizational growth
• The unexpected journey from clinical mental health counselor to executive strategist—and the imposter syndrome that came with it
• How COVID-19 changed the conversation around mental health (and why we still have work to do)
• The adoption story that transformed how Caitlin approaches family services
• Why she tells parents: "Put your oxygen mask on first" isn't just airplane advice—it's survival
• The truth about burnout in behavioral health that nobody talks about in job interviews
• How First Children's Services is tackling New Jersey's massive waitlists with innovative programs like "Bridge" for students with Level 2-3 autism

Key Insights: ✅ The mental health workforce crisis: Why talented professionals are leaving the field—and what organizations can do to stop the exodus ✅ Seasonal Affective Disorder is real: How weather impacts mental health and why it's okay to say "today's not a good day" ✅ The power of saying "I'm not okay": Breaking down the walls that keep people from asking for help ✅ AI in behavioral health: When ChatGPT can help—and when you absolutely need a human professional ✅ Collaboration over competition: Why behavioral health organizations need to work together, not against each other

Perfect For: Nonprofit leaders, behavioral health professionals, parents navigating special needs services, anyone interested in mission-driven innovation, and leaders struggling with imposter syndrome.

Guest Bio: Caitlin Summers-Motta is the VP of Business Development at First Children's Services, where she's spent nearly 10 years building programs that serve youth and families across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. From autism clinics to school refusal programs, Caitlin bridges the gap between clinical excellence and strategic growth—proving you can be both a mission-driven professional and an exceptional parent.

🎧 Subscribe to Hart & Hustle for more conversations with mission-based leaders who are transforming how nonprofits and healthcare organizations serve their communities.

Topics: #BehavioralHealth #MentalHealth #NonprofitLeadership #AutismServices #MissionDriven #WorkLifeBalance #ImposterSyndrome #PediatricCare #NewJersey #ExecutiveLeadership

Episode Length: ~45 minutes

Hart & Hustle is hosted by Efrain Lozada and explores the intersection of leadership, innovation, and human-centered technology in mission-based organizations.

Kevin Martone, President and CEO of Bay Cove Human Services, shares what he's learned leading a mental health organization serving 25,000 people annually with 2,000 employees and a $190 million budget—from navigating federal funding cuts to changing how communities think about mental illness.

In this conversation, you'll learn:
✅ How to scale mental health services from 300 to 25,000 people without losing human connection
✅ Why the biggest barrier to mental health treatment isn't clinical—it's housing, employment, and communication access
✅ Strategies for nonprofits navigating federal funding cuts and state budget challenges in 2025
✅ How to shift public narrative around mental health, homelessness, and substance use disorders
✅ Kevin's 30-year journey from wanting to join the FBI to leading one of Boston's largest human services organizations
✅ The role of AI in mental health (and why guardrails matter more than innovation)
✅ What really fills a nonprofit leader's cup after decades in this work

This episode is perfect for nonprofit executive directors, operations leaders, and anyone managing large-scale mental health, behavioral health, or human services programs.

Meredith Johnston from Family Health Centers of San Diego shares how her organization serves over 230,000 individuals annually through innovative community health solutions—from street medicine teams partnering with police to mobile mammography units reaching underserved neighborhoods.

In this conversation, you'll learn:
✅ How to build nonprofit culture that prioritizes authenticity and mission over corporate hierarchy
✅ Why "food is medicine" matters for mental health programs serving vulnerable populations
✅ How Southwest Airlines' crisis leadership principles translate to nonprofit operations
✅ The real challenge of marketing safety net services to communities that need them vs. donors who fund them
✅ Why saying your struggles out loud is the first step to solving them
This episode is perfect for nonprofit executive directors and operations leaders looking to scale community impact while maintaining organizational soul and staff wellbeing.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Introduction: Meeting Meredith Johnston
2:15 - Family Health Centers Mission: Serving 230,000+ San Diegans
6:05 - The Pandemic's Great Equalizer & Vaccine Equity
9:18 - The Marketing Paradox: Reaching Patients vs. Reaching Donors
13:03 - A Day in Nonprofit Philanthropy Leadership
14:44 - Food is Medicine: Fresh Produce for Mental Health Programs
17:22 - Finding Philanthropy by Accident (And Never Leaving)
22:43 - Southwest Airlines Leadership Lessons That Still Apply Today
27:28 - What Real Nonprofit Culture Looks Like
31:00 - Three Words Every Leader Should Live By: Authenticity, Empowerment, Integrity
33:28 - Growing Up Mormon & Finding Your Authentic Leadership Voice
37:58 - How to Get Involved: Spirit of the Barrio Events
40:03 - Advice for Anyone Struggling: Say It Out Loud & Take One Step

📊 KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Family Health Centers operates 29 clinics serving San Diego's most vulnerable populations with 92% of patients classified as low income

Street medicine teams partner with SDPD's Homeless Outreach Team to provide continuity of care before encampment sweeps, preventing infectious disease spread

Authentic leadership means hiring teams that shore up your weaknesses, not pretending to be perfect at everything

Culture isn't something that happens to you—it's something you create intentionally through consistent values and communication

Meredith's leadership framework: "Your only job is to be yourself. No one else can play your position."

👤 ABOUT MEREDITH JOHNSTON:

Meredith Johnston is Vice President of Development at Family Health Centers of San Diego, one of the top 10 largest community health clinics in the United States.

With 20+ years in nonprofit fundraising and advocacy, she previously worked in the executive office at Southwest Airlines during 9/11, bringing crisis leadership and culture-building expertise to mission-driven healthcare.

She's passionate about connecting wealthy communities with safety net organizations they may never need but that serve as the backbone of public health infrastructure.

Meredith's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredithhjohnston/
Family Health Centers Website: https://www.fhcsd.org
Spirit of the Barrio Events: https://www.fhcsd.org/events

🎙️ ABOUT HART & HUSTLE:
Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in healthcare, education, and community services. Every Tuesday, hosts Keenan Hart (CEO, FRANSiS™) and Efrain sit down with nonprofit executives, operations directors, and innovators to uncover practical strategies you can implement in your organization.
Subscribe for weekly insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling mission impact.

Liz Matthews from Covenant House Alaska shares how leading with a "staff-first" philosophy allows her team to serve over 1,200 homeless youth annually—and why treating your staff as your primary client changes everything.

As Director of Housing overseeing five programs across Anchorage, Liz has learned that sustainable impact starts with taking care of your team. In this conversation, she breaks down the leadership practices that prevent burnout, the power of working from different sites weekly, and how Covenant House's federation model enables resource sharing across 34 locations in North America.

What You'll Learn:

• How to prevent nonprofit staff burnout while scaling services dramatically
• The "one size fits one" approach to youth services that actually works
• Why nonprofit leaders should maintain physical presence across multiple sites
• How federation models enable collaboration over competition
• Practical ways to give back beyond financial donations (time, talent, advocacy)

Key Stats:

• Covenant House Alaska served 1,200+ youth in FY25, on track for 1,400+ in FY26
• Anchorage has the same unhoused population as Houston (3,000+) but a fraction of the overall population
• Covenant House International operates 34+ sites across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America

About Liz Matthews: Liz leads housing programs at Covenant House Alaska, bringing decades of experience from domestic violence shelters, foster care systems, and preventive services in Wisconsin, Tennessee, and New York City. Her leadership philosophy—that staff are her primary clients—has enabled sustainable growth while maintaining team wellbeing.

Resources Mentioned:

• Covenant House Alaska: covenanthouseak.org
• Covenant House International: covenanthouse.org

Connect with Hart & Hustle: Hart & Hustle brings you weekly conversations with mission-driven leaders solving real problems in their communities. Subscribe for practical insights on nonprofit leadership, operations, and scaling impact.

Dr. Patrick McGrath reveals the massive misconceptions about OCD and how one chance meeting at a conference led him to help thousands escape years of suffering. In this powerful conversation, the Chief Clinical Officer of NOCD shares how OCD actually works, why saying "I'm so OCD" minimizes a devastating condition, and how technology is finally making evidence-based treatment accessible to millions.

From Homeless at 20 to Leading Chicago's Largest Youth Homeless Organization

In this powerful episode, Efrain sits down with Jose M. Muñoz, CEO of La Casa Norte, who shares his remarkable journey from experiencing homelessness as a young father to leading an organization that serves over 20,000 people annually across Chicago.

Ann Marie Cook, President & CEO of Lifespan of Greater Rochester, reveals why America's aging population crisis is bigger than most people realize, and what needs to change now.

In this powerful conversation, Ann Marie shares insights from leading a $22 million organization serving older adults for nearly three decades. She discusses the uncomfortable truth about elder abuse, the explosion of financial scams targeting seniors, and why the "silver tsunami" will reshape everything we know about work, family, and community.