Where Leadership, Service, and Sustainability Meet Featuring Ms. Ravi Cooper, Rotary District Governor 2025-2026 President and CEO of the United Way of Greater Charlottesville

Take a moment to let this settle in your heart. Some women reach great heights yet quietly wonder, "Is this all there is?" Others dwell in the shadows of shame, unable to untangle their worth from their wounds, not realizing that shame steals joy. There are also women who pour themselves into endless responsibilities, forgetting to show themselves the kindness they offer others. Their voices whisper, "I'm tired," and sometimes cry out, "I'm tired of being tired!" The Frankly Speaking table becomes a sanctuary, a place where women leap bravely into vulnerability and discover restoration, renewal, resilience, and joy waiting on the other side. Iyanla Vanzant, life coach and best-selling author, reminds us, and I quote, “the greatest service we can offer is to stand confidently in both our worthiness and our power. We have gifts. We have the gift of intellect. We can think ourselves in and out of any situation we are confronted with. We have the ability to speak for ourselves. We can defend ourselves. Promote ourselves. Encourage ourselves, teach ourselves. Correct ourselves. We have a heart. Through it, we experience love, grief, compassion, empathy, joy, peace, and an entire realm of emotions that let us know we are alive. As long as we draw breath, we hold the power to create, dismantle, and rebuild, whether shaping a child’s toy or the spirit of a city. We are life-givers. Through this gift, we spread compassion, express love, delight in giving, and watch life bloom before us. That is real power. We are powerful. When we claim that power, we become the change itself, understanding that impossible is only a word for what is difficult, not what is unachievable. In leadership, we continue to strive to erase and confront limiting metaphors like the one born in 1978 called the glass ceiling. My guest storyteller this week claims, owns, and shares her power with a servant heart. In doing so, she is a unique example of women in leadership with the capacity to guide, influence, and inspire others toward achieving common goals and objectives. She provides direction, fosters commitment, and creates a positive environment where and when she leads. She is Ravi Cooper, Rotary International’s 7610 District Governor 2025-2026, President and CEO of the United Way of greatest Charlottesville Virginia, and recently named Charlottesville’s Regional Chamber of Commerce, Business Leader of the Year, and so much more. She definitely lives in a place where leadership, service, and sustainability MEET. Take a listen and learn.

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Where Leadership, Service, and Sustainability Meet Featuring Ms. Ravi Cooper, Rotary District Governor 2025-2026 President and CEO of the United Way of Greater Charlottesville is an episode from Frankly Speaking with Tyra G by Tyra Garlington - Tyra G.

This episode is 58:22 long.

This episode was published on Mar 14, 2026.

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