Facing Challenges, Creating Change: Tara Chalakani on Nonprofit Leadership and Self-Care

This week Ivy Slater, host of Her Success Story, chats with her guest,Tara Chalakani. The two talk about the evolution and impact of Preferred Behavioral Health Group, the importance of authentic relationships in nonprofit leadership, and the powerful role of self-care and trauma-informed culture in supporting employees and clients. In this episode, we discuss: How a small local operation launched in 1978 turned into a $39 million organization with 500 team members—by chasing the right grants and growing programs that truly matter to the community. What sets Preferred apart is its culture—rooted in excellence, integrity, and compassion. You can see it in the way staff stick around and in the industry awards they've picked up, like being named one of New Jersey's "Best Places to Work. When conversations about women's leadership, self-care, and trauma-informed workplaces come up, both Tara Chalakani and Ivy Slater share what it really means to lead by example—and why you have to pour from a full cup to do it well. Why nonprofit leadership in mental health matters now more than ever—because the pandemic pushed mental health to the forefront, breaking down stigma and sparking a national conversation about the care people really need. How Tara Chalakani shifts the idea of nonprofits as competitors and instead focuses on working together, showing how collaboration can better serve the shared mission of improving mental health. Dr. Tara Chalakani is a national mental health expert and dynamic leader. As the CEO of Preferred Behavioral Health Group, Dr. Chalakani leads a team of 500 employees providing quality mental health care, substance use treatment, and prevention services to almost 30,000 individuals a year, across New Jersey. In addition, Dr. Chalakani maintains a private psychotherapy practice and is currently an appointed Associate Professor at the Hackensack University School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. She has also taught Psychology and Mental Health Counseling curricula at the undergraduate and graduate level. Dr. Chalakani holds a doctoral degree in psychology with a concentration in behavioral health leadership, a master's degree in mental health counseling, and undergraduate degrees in nursing and psychology. All of her advanced degrees were earned while raising her children and working full-time. Dr. Chalakani is a frequent guest on national and local media outlets, public speaker, and co-host of the Welloff Podcast through iHeart Media. Dr. Chalakani is a regular contributor to Forbes, and the inaugural leader of the Forbes Nonprofit Council Women Executives group. She is most proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and her humble beginnings in Newark, NJ. All of her successes were achieved despite all the odds being stacked against her. For this reason, she is a champion of women, the marginalized, and strives to be a person that offers others a fighting chance at being who they were destined to become. Social Media: Dr. Tara: www.thedrtara.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-tara-chalakani-943a4721/ Instagram & TikTok: @thedrtara PBHG: www.preferredbehavioral.org All Social Media: @preferredbehavioral Podcast: www.welloffpodcast.com Social: @thewelloffpodcast