EPISODE · Apr 28, 2026 · 51 MIN
Charity Champions Podcast S02E08: Michelle Baharier, CEO, Cooltan Arts
from Charity Champions Podcast · host Emily Formby
Lived experience can be the most powerful foundation for leadership in the charity sector. In our season 2 finale, Michelle Baharier, artist, disability rights advocate and charity founder, shares her journey from the squats of 1980s Brixton to building and running a mental health charity for 25 years, growing it to 24 staff supporting around 3,000 people a year. Her insights highlight the realities of grassroots founding, the structural pressures pushing small charities toward burnout, and why good governance, succession planning and work-life balance matter as much as funding.
What this episode covers
Lived experience can be the most powerful foundation for leadership in the charity sector. In our season 2 finale, Michelle Baharier, artist, disability rights advocate and charity founder, shares her journey from the squats of 1980s Brixton to building and running a mental health charity for 25 years, growing it to 24 staff supporting around 3,000 people a year. Her insights highlight the realities of grassroots founding, the structural pressures pushing small charities toward burnout, and why good governance, succession planning and work-life balance matter as much as funding.
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Charity Champions Podcast S02E08: Michelle Baharier, CEO, Cooltan Arts
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