The Nonprofit Insider Podcast · Swim Karim

Episode 55: Breaking Barriers with Mackenzie Riley – DEI, Mindfulness and Nonprofit Lessons

·42 min·2 clips

Mackenzie says breaking generational curses is her primary motivation for working with young people.

1. The Nonprofit Insider Podcast episode centers on Mackenzie Riley and her path through DEI, mindfulness, and nonprofit work. 2. Host Swim introduces Mackenzie Riley as a Phoenix-based community leader, DEI advocate, and nonprofit professional whose work spans workforce development and community engagement. 3. The episode asks how Riley built her nonprofit career, why DEI matters to her, and how she stays grounded in mission-driven work. 4. Riley says she is the first generation college student in her family and entered college with a focus on serving classmates and the Tucson community. 5. She says her first mission trip was in Aurora, Colorado, where the group focused on mental health and gun violence and partnered with a senior living facility and Columbine High School. 6. Riley says her junior-year mission trip in San Diego focused on human trafficking, immigration, and Chicano culture, and included work with Border Angels. 7. She says her first post-college job was at a food bank, where she coordinated large food distributions across the valley and built programs addressing food insecurity. 8. Riley says she later worked in sales during COVID, and she describes that period as a test of business and communication skills. 9. She says she is now back in the nonprofit sector and feels at home combining the different experiences she has gathered. 10. Riley defines DEI as diversity, equity, and inclusion and says it should create spaces where people feel welcomed, valued, and included regardless of identity. 11. She says DEI should ensure voices are heard and respected across all levels of an organization, from the top to the bottom. 12. Riley says she has seen companies try to defund DEI initiatives, and she describes that trend as wrong. 13. She says she served as a DEI co-chair, took a group to a pride walk, and shared weekly DEI content, events, and newsletters. 14. Riley says DEI can feel intimidating to some people, but she argues that identity, class, gender, and culture all shape who belongs in DEI spaces. 15. She says breaking generational curses is her primary motivation because she has done significant healing work herself. 16. Riley says that work helps her support young people who may feed their families, become breadwinners, or break cycles of hardship. 17. She says nonprofit burnout is real because mission-driven work often happens with limited funding, limited manpower, limited resources, and limited time. 18. Riley says rest, self-care, mindfulness, exercise, and positive affirmations help her stay grounded, and she emphasizes mentorship as part of her routine. 19. The conversation is warm, personal, and interview-driven, with Swim offering frequent encouragement and Riley answering with detailed examples. 20. Listeners interested in DEI, nonprofit careers, and leadership reflection would likely enjoy this episode.

As heard by us

A warm, practical conversation about healing work, leadership, and staying grounded in purpose.

Mackenzie Riley's conversation with The Nonprofit Insider Podcast offers a steady look at nonprofit work, healing, and personal purpose. It is at its best when Riley speaks about young people, the value of real support, and how her own inner work has shaped the way she shows up…

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Why you'd press play

A warm, conversational listen on nonprofit work, healing, and what keeps young people moving.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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