From Frustration to Founding: Toni Finnimore on How to Actually Make a Difference

from Imperfect Creatives · host Michael Carruthers

What does it take to walk away from a broken system and build something better?In this episode, I talk to Toni Finnimore, founder of The Social Society, about her journey from “climbing a mountain of treacle” in the charity sector to creating a platform that actually helps people give back in more human, meaningful ways. We talk about founder life, compassion fatigue, and how to actually make a difference when you don’t know where to start.🔗 Mentioned in this episode:Toni’s org: The Social SocietyThe Alchemist by Paulo CoelhoThe Do Book Co✉️ Stay in the loop:⁠Toni on LinkedIn⁠Subscribe to the newsletter: imperfect.newsThe website: imperfect.clubInstagram: @imperfect_creativesTikTok: @imperfect.creativesChapters:(0:00) Intro(01:22) What Is The Social Society?(04:14) Toni’s Background(08:33) Leaving the Sector vs. Building Something New(11:07) The Reality of Starting From Scratch(13:29) Volunteering That Actually Works: Skills, Not Guilt(17:01) Micro-Volunteering and Making It Frictionless(20:22) Founder Burnout and Setting Boundaries(23:10) Gender Bias in the Founder Journey(26:05) Growing Slow, Staying Rooted(30:41) Balancing Strategy with Intuition(35:18) Rebuilding Local Connection in a Remote World(38:50) Holding Space Without Absorbing Everything(41:55) Starting Small to Beat Overwhelm(45:30) Why Good Events Aren’t About Glitter and Hay Bales(48:00) Finding Purpose in the Chaos(49:38) Final Thoughts and Book Recommendations

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 11, 2025

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From Frustration to Founding: Toni Finnimore on How to Actually Make a Difference

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