Press Pause Under Pressure: Susan L. Combs on Integrity and Leadership

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Time To Press Pause, Ellen Williams sits down with Susan L. Combs, President of Combs & Company LLC and founder of the nonprofit Pancakes for Roger. Susan’s press pause moment didn’t come from long reflection, it arrived suddenly, under pressure, and with real consequences. After her nonprofit received an unexpected $20,000 donation, the donor later demanded that a large portion of the funds be redirected to an unvetted project. What followed was a high-stakes leadership moment involving legal threats, board deliberation, and the responsibility of stewarding money that wasn’t hers, but belonged to the mission. In this conversation, Susan shares how she: Pressed pause during a crisis instead of reacting emotionallyBrought her board together to evaluate hard options quickly and ethicallyChose integrity over convenience, even when it hurt financiallyUsed the experience to strengthen governance and prevent future riskLearned why leadership sometimes means making decisions you won’t celebrate, but can live withEllen and Susan also discuss: Why nonprofits must be run with the same rigor as businessesHow to handle emotionally charged conversations and legal threatsWhy being able to “sleep at night” is a powerful leadership compassThe importance of tone-checking responses before reactingHow moments like these shape better leaders and stronger organizationsThis episode is a powerful reminder that pressing pause isn’t always calm or comfortable, sometimes it’s urgent, stressful, and necessary to protect integrity. Learn more about Susan: https://combsandco.com Learn more about Pancakes for Roger: https://pancakesforroger.org Learn more about Ellen: https://thesalientstrategist.com