EP 37: Leading Change with Empathy: The PAUSE Framework for Nonprofits with Heather Hiscox

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, co-hosts Carly Berna and Scott Holthaus sit down with Heather Hiscox, social impact strategist and author of No More Status Quo, to unpack how nonprofits can lead organizational change with empathy, inclusion, and clarity. Heather shares the story behind her innovative PAUSE Framework — a practical, five-step method to navigate uncertainty and build sustainable change.

From challenging the myths of startup culture to redefining change management through a lens of love, care, and equity, Heather reveals the tools nonprofit leaders need to stop defaulting to consultants or technology as a silver bullet — and start empowering their teams through behavioral change and continuous learning.

💡 Learn how to:

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  Redesign your change processes with intentional empathy
  


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  Shift from assumptions to co-designed solutions
  


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  Use stakeholder interviews to fuel real transformation
  


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  Apply behavioral testing before full-scale implementation
  

📚 Explore more of Heather’s work:

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  The PAUSE Framework: https://www.pauseforchange.com/
  


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  Her book “No More Status Quo”: https://letherspeakusa.org/no-more-status-quo/
  


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  Online conversation series: https://www.possibilityproject.org/
  

Virtuous is a software company committed to helping nonprofits grow generosity.

Virtuous believes that generosity has the power to create profound change in the world and in the heart of the giver. With that in mind, it’s their mission to move the needle on global generosity by helping nonprofits better connect with and inspire their givers.

Learn more about Virtuous at virtuous.org/learnmore and download your free Nonprofit CRM Checklist at virtuous.org/crmchecklist