Vanessa Volz, J.D., President & CEO, Sojourner House
The Accidental Pivot — Why Intentions Aren't Enough
Growing up, most of us are taught that if you have a good heart and work hard, success will naturally follow. But anyone who has ever stepped into a leadership role—whether running a startup or guiding a community organization—knows the brutal truth: good intentions alone will not keep the doors open.
"I’m the CEO of Sojourner House, a Rhode Island–based nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and homelessness. During my tenure, I’ve grown the organization from an 11-person agency with under $1M in revenue into a $12M, statewide organization with 70+ staff, multiple offices, and a growing residential housing portfolio. That growth has required more than good intentions; it’s taken discipline, adaptability, and a long view of impact. At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to social justice, particularly how gender, power, and safety shape people’s access to housing, stability, and opportunity. I’m interested in what happens in the slow, necessary work of designing systems that are humane, accountable, and built to last."
When I first stepped into a leadership position, I brought passion, background knowledge, and a real desire to create change. But within days, the reality of running an operation hits you right in the face. You aren't just dealing with a mission anymore. You are responsible for payroll, broken internal communication, uncertain funding, and a group of people looking to you for answers.
Early on, I realized that standing at the top and making demands doesn't build a real team. Real leadership starts on the ground. I sat down with every single team member, face to face, and asked simple, honest questions: What is working? What is broken? What do you need from me to do your job better?
That moment changed everything. Leadership isn't about having all the answers or putting on a brave face to look important. It’s about listening, lowering your ego, and realizing that your main job is to remove obstacles so your team can thrive.
The Art of Getting Rejected (And Loving It)
If you want to build anything meaningful in life, you have to get comfortable with the word "no."
In standard business, when you sell a product or service, the customer gives you money and receives something tangible in return. But when you are building something powered by community support and donations, the transaction is totally different. You are asking people to invest their hard-earned dollars for no personal gain other than the quiet satisfaction of knowing they helped someone else.
That is one of the hardest sales pitches in the world.
When you start out, rejection hurts. You take it personally. Every turned-down proposal feels like a vote of no confidence in your dream. But over time, you learn a powerful lesson about persistence. Rejection isn't a wall; it's just part of the process. For every ten doors that slam in your face, one opens—and that single open door can change the entire trajectory of your organization.
Building a sustainable operation isn't about finding a magic formula. It comes down to resilience. You show up, you tell your story honestly, you prove your impact through real work, and you keep knocking until the right people listen. The secret isn't avoiding failure; it's refusing to let a "no" stop you from asking again tomorrow.
Turning Crisis Into Opportunity
Every business owner and leader lives with a quiet fear: What happens when everything falls apart?
When global crises hit, panic is the easiest emotion to fall into. Operations disrupt overnight, budgets crumble, and the needs of the people you serve explode while your resources seem to shrink. For many organizations, a major crisis is the end of the road. But for those built on solid foundations, it becomes the ultimate test of adaptability.
When the world shifted beneath our feet during the pandemic, the demand for safe housing and support skyrocketed. The easy choice would have been to freeze, pull back, and wait for the storm to pass. The harder, necessary choice was to pivot. We rethought how we delivered services, embraced flexible models, and doubled down on our core strength: providing real, physical stability for human beings in need.
Because we had already spent years building a reliable infrastructure, funders and community partners knew where to turn. They didn't just see an organization asking for help; they saw a reliable engine ready to scale up and meet a desperate demand.
True growth rarely happens when things are calm and smooth. It happens when you are forced to adapt under pressure. When a storm comes, you can either hide from it or build a bigger sail.
The Silent Danger of Executive Burnout
There is a dangerous myth in entrepreneurship and leadership: the idea that the harder you push yourself, the more successful you will be. We praise late nights, skipped meals, and endless work hours as badges of honor.
It is easy to get caught in that trap. When you care deeply about your work, it swallows your life. You work 12-to-14-hour days, put your health on the back burner, and ignore the quiet warnings your body gives you. But pushing yourself past your limits eventually catches up to you. For some leaders, that realization comes in the form of a health scare; for others, it’s broken relationships or deep emotional exhaustion.
I learned early on that you cannot lead others if you are running on empty. You cannot build a compassionate culture if you are constantly burning yourself out.
Self-care isn't a luxury; it's a professional responsibility. Whether it’s starting the morning with a long walk, staying dedicated to daily exercise, or holding sacred time for family, these habits aren't distractions from work. They are what allow the work to happen. Taking care of your mind and body isn't selfish—it's the only way to ensure you are still around to finish what you started.
Leaving a Legacy Beyond the Bottom Line
At the end of the day, when the noise fades and the numbers are tallied, every leader has to ask themselves one fundamental question: What was all of this actually for?
It is easy to measure success by traditional metrics—revenue growth, team size, office expansion, or personal accolades. And while those milestones matter, they are empty if they don't serve a deeper purpose. True fulfillment doesn't come from hitting a revenue target; it comes from knowing that because your organization existed, someone's life was changed for the better.
When you help a family find a safe place to sleep, give someone the tools to rebuild their life from scratch, or train the next generation of leaders to carry the torch, you create a ripple effect that extends far beyond your own lifespan. That is the slow, necessary work of building systems that outlast us.
Whether you are running a tech company, managing a local business, or leading a statewide nonprofit, the goal is the same: to leave things better than you found them. Business and leadership are ultimately about human connection. When you put people first—your team, your clients, and your community—success stops being something you chase and becomes a natural result of the impact you create.
Author: Jovilyn Abella
“I hate the work that we have to do, but I love the fact that I get to do it. I love the team I get to work with... I really feel like we’re making a difference. We’re helping families escape from abusive situations. We’re giving them options so that they can have a different ending to the chapter. They can create a new story.”
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