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Trading guilt for curiosity so you can fundraise with more ease, energy, and self-trust.

That nagging voice that says you should be doing more? Most fundraisers know it well. In this episode, Erin unpacks fundraising guilt—the kind that shows up at 3 a.m. with a running list of everything you didn’t do—and why using guilt as your main motivator quietly drains your energy, creativity, and joy.

Instead of beating yourself up for “not enough,” you’ll explore what happens when you switch from guilt to curiosity and start treating your body’s signals as feedback, not failure.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why almost every fundraiser feels like they could be doing more—and why it’s not just you
• How guilt masquerades as “motivation” but actually leads to exhaustion and paralysis
• How to use your body’s signals (tight chest, sleeplessness, dread) as information, not indictment
• Simple ways to practice curiosity in real time—especially before meetings and big tasks

Journal prompt:
Where does guilt show up most in your fundraising—and what might shift if you experimented with curiosity instead?

Book your 1:1 Brave and Balanced Breakthrough Coaching Session here: https://calendly.com/vitalistcoaching/brave-balanced-breakthrough

✨ Stay Connected & Continue Your Fundraising Growth

Listen to all episodes + subscribe:
https://thebraveandbalancedfundraiser.buzzsprout.com

Join the community:
The Brave & Balanced Fundraiser Facebook Group
👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/braveandbalancedfundraiser

Book a Brave & Balanced Breakthrough Call:
A personalized 1:1 session to support your inner clarity and fundraising wellbeing.
👉 https://calendly.com/vitalistcoaching/brave-balanced-breakthrough

Learn more about Erin’s coaching & nervous-system based support:
VitalistCoaching.com

Connect on Instagram:
@erinmcquadewright

Send us a text

How a major gifts fundraiser prevents burnout by planning emotional refills on purpose.

Fundraising asks a lot of your brain, your heart, and your nervous system. In this conversation, Erin sits down with major gifts fundraiser Melody Wells to talk honestly about what it costs to pour yourself into donor relationships—and how she intentionally fills back up so she can keep doing the work she loves.

Melody shares how integrity and alignment (her version of ikigai) fuel her fundraising, why she refuses to take donor “no’s” personally, and how anxiety work and therapy unexpectedly prepared her to stay steady in the yes/no roller coaster of major gifts. She also walks through the three personalized “refill” categories she keeps on a written list—so when she’s emotionally depleted, she doesn’t have to think about how to recover.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why caring deeply about the mission both powers your work and drains your emotional reserves
• How Melody separates her worth from donor decisions—seeing both yes and no as not about her
• The concept of ikigai and how it helped her pivot from celebrity journalism into meaningful fundraising
• Why planning post-campaign recovery in advance is as important as planning the campaign itself
• Melody’s three renewal buckets: staycation/retreat, energy release, and empowerment & mental strengthening

Journal prompt:
Where does fundraising most “drain your cup” right now—and what would go in your own three categories of renewal to intentionally refill it?

Book your 1:1 Brave and Balanced Breakthrough Coaching Session here: https://calendly.com/vitalistcoaching/brave-balanced-breakthrough

✨ Stay Connected & Continue Your Fundraising Growth

Listen to all episodes + subscribe:
https://thebraveandbalancedfundraiser.buzzsprout.com

Join the community:
The Brave & Balanced Fundraiser Facebook Group
👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/braveandbalancedfundraiser

Book a Brave & Balanced Breakthrough Call:
A personalized 1:1 session to support your inner clarity and fundraising wellbeing.
👉 https://calendly.com/vitalistcoaching/brave-balanced-breakthrough

Learn more about Erin’s coaching & nervous-system based support:
VitalistCoaching.com

Connect on Instagram:
@erinmcquadewright

Send us a text

What to do when your expertise isn’t respected—and how to stop making it mean something about you.

📘 Episode Summary

What happens when you bring solid fundraising expertise—and someone with less experience dismisses it? In this episode, Erin explores a common but rarely discussed dynamic: being treated like “the help” instead of a strategic professional.

She shares a personal story about having her work overruled, the emotional spiral that followed, and the deeper pattern underneath it. You’ll learn how early messages about money and worth can shape your reactions at work, why certain comments sting more than others, and how to stop letting others’ opinions define your value.

If you’ve ever felt dismissed, underestimated, or sidelined as a fundraiser, this episode will show you how to reclaim your power and stop shrinking in the face of pushback.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Someone else’s inability to value your expertise says more about their patterns than your worth.
• Your worthiness is innate—not determined by which ideas leadership approves.
• The part that gets hurt is often the part that already believes a version of the painful story.
• Your idea is not you; separation creates freedom.
• Try on the energy of the fundraiser who knows they’re worthy—who bends but doesn’t break.

📝 Journal Prompt

How would you stand, speak, and decide if you deeply believed your worthiness wasn’t up for grabs?

Book your 1:1 Brave and Balanced Breakthrough Coaching Session here: https://calendly.com/vitalistcoaching/brave-balanced-breakthrough

✨ Stay Connected & Continue Your Fundraising Growth

Listen to all episodes + subscribe:
https://thebraveandbalancedfundraiser.buzzsprout.com

Join the community:
The Brave & Balanced Fundraiser Facebook Group
👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/braveandbalancedfundraiser

Book a Brave & Balanced Breakthrough Call:
A personalized 1:1 session to support your inner clarity and fundraising wellbeing.
👉 https://calendly.com/vitalistcoaching/brave-balanced-breakthrough

Learn more about Erin’s coaching & nervous-system based support:
VitalistCoaching.com

Connect on Instagram:
@erinmcquadewright