When you combine business acumen with a heart for community, powerful things happen. In this episode of Conscious Curiosity SD, Jeff welcomes back Louie Nguyen, former Chief Investment Officer at Mission Driven Finance and now the CEO of SAY San Diego, one of the region’s largest and most impactful nonprofits.
Louie shares his bold vision for transforming the nonprofit model, from dependency on grants to building self-sustaining social enterprises that generate cash flow and resilience. He discusses how SAY San Diego serves over 50,000 San Diegans each year through after-school programs, behavioral health, parenting support, and community empowerment, all while centering on a powerful core idea: joy as an act of resistance.
Jeff and Louie explore why taking calculated risks is essential to serving the community and what collaboration between business and nonprofit sectors could look like to make San Diego a true “beacon on the hill.”
This conversation is a must-listen for leaders who believe business and purpose can work together to create lasting impact.
Podcast Timestamps:
1:34 – About SAY San Diego
5:22 – A New Way of Looking at Nonprofit Funding
13:58 – Leading a Team of 500
16:58 – Taking Risks as a Nonprofit
22:19 – Bringing Joy to the Workplace
25:56 – Employee Connection
27:08 – San Diego as a Collaborative “Beacon on the Hill”
36:33 – The Big Idea – A Company of Joy
Links from the Episode: