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Good Work Foundation’s inaugural ‘Leading from the Heart’ gathering launched in New York City on 2 May and we were honored to have tennis legends, Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss, host the event at The Palm, a famous westside hangout.

Our third host was the fabulous Maya Groch, who doesn’t need any introduction. Photos below.

Leading from the Heart is a series that celebrates heart leadership, inclusivity, kindness, diversity and the ability of those things to propel organisations, movements and communities forward into a more hopeful future.

Yes, we need business plans and strategies, but more than ever, we also need meaning, courage, long-term planning (sometimes we won’t get to see the result), and the ability to see the potential in others, and that’s what leading from the heart means to us.

For the first time in this format, our CEO and founder, Kate Groch, and GWF USA Foundation Trustee, Boyd Varty, shared Good Work Foundation’s origin story, which tracks back to a time when Kate was a travelling teacher, Boyd and his sister, Bronwyn, were her students, and Africa was their classroom.

What a privilege to have Billie Jean and Ilana as hosts and special guests. If you are unfamiliar with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative (BJKLI), then we suggest you head to their website and take a look. Also, don’t miss Billie Jean on Twitter – links below.

Billie Jean and Ilana are fierce human rights warriors and the BJKLI strives to promote and showcase those pioneers who are on the front lines of building a more respectful and inclusive society.

We were also thrilled to have two of our biggest supporters with us, Dave and Shan Varty, co-founders of Londolozi Game Reserve. For those who don’t know, Londolozi is Good Work Foundation’s founding partner.

Leading from the Heart stopped at three cities in the US and we hope to continue to curate this as a powerful and thought-provoking series where we can gather to discuss and celebrate people and organisations who are “getting brave” or “rumbling” as Brene Brown (another one of our heart leadership heroes) would say. To get a feeling for the conversation we had, click here.

Some more important notes

A special thanks to the incredible Pat Mitchell, curator of TEDWomen, who has gone above and beyond to help us plan and prepare for this series of events. Also Merle Blackman, a South African in New York, who paints the Manhattan skyline pink on a regular basis!

Kate, Boyd and Billie Jean are all active on social media. Kate and Billie Jean are both Tweeters, and you can catch Boyd on Instagram.

Many of our attendees have enquired about Boyd’s Track your Life series. Click here to find out more about that.

If you’re interested in bringing a Leading from the Heart gathering to your city, send an email directly to our Communications Manager, Gemma Thompson.

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