Press Pause Under Pressure: Susan L. Combs on Integrity and Leadership

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In this episode of Time To Press Pause, Ellen Williams sits down with Susan L. Combs, President of Combs & Company LLC and founder of the nonprofit Pancakes for Roger.

Susan’s press pause moment didn’t come from long reflection, it arrived suddenly, under pressure, and with real consequences.

After her nonprofit received an unexpected $20,000 donation, the donor later demanded that a large portion of the funds be redirected to an unvetted project.

What followed was a high-stakes leadership moment involving legal threats, board deliberation, and the responsibility of stewarding money that wasn’t hers, but belonged to the mission.

In this conversation, Susan shares how she:

• Pressed pause during a crisis instead of reacting emotionally
• Brought her board together to evaluate hard options quickly and ethically
• Chose integrity over convenience, even when it hurt financially
• Used the experience to strengthen governance and prevent future risk
• Learned why leadership sometimes means making decisions you won’t celebrate, but can live with

Ellen and Susan also discuss:

• Why nonprofits must be run with the same rigor as businesses
• How to handle emotionally charged conversations and legal threats
• Why being able to “sleep at night” is a powerful leadership compass
• The importance of tone-checking responses before reacting
• How moments like these shape better leaders and stronger organizations

This episode is a powerful reminder that pressing pause isn’t always calm or comfortable, sometimes it’s urgent, stressful, and necessary to protect integrity.

Learn more about Susan: https://combsandco.com

Learn more about Pancakes for Roger: https://pancakesforroger.org

Learn more about Ellen: https://thesalientstrategist.com