Do You Allow Money to Define Your Self-Worth?

Kathy LeMay
Kathy LeMay

Kathy LeMay is an expert fundraiser and has helped raise over $175 million for social change. Yet she is the first to admit that everyone has a complicated relationship with money. People either think they don’t have enough money, or they feel guilty for having too much. Kathy says that she was raised in a struggling mill town in the 70’s. Her family, supported by a very strong mother, survived with the help of others. As an international philanthropist and founder of Raising Change, Kathy has worked with a wide range of people, from those in abject poverty to people who own multiple homes throughout the world. She knows that fortunes can disappear in an instant and that those fortunes have nothing to do with your self-worth as a human being. Yet she struggled with that issue about herself when she found that her own self-confidence and feelings of self-worth were tied to her achievements and successes, not who she is as a person.

In her self-reflection she asked herself if she lost everything, what would she have? She looked at the qualities that she valued: would she be less compassionate, have less empathy, still be thoughtful, show up and listen to her friends? Money did not define any of those qualities. Now Kathy says her attitude about money is more detached like looking at a painting that someone else painted. She is no longer affected by adjustments in her bank account. And her new perspective about her own self-worth has helped her create a more successful business.

Your Worth Is Based on the Concept, “Because You Are Here, You Matter.”

Kathy says she chose a career seeking significance rather than success and the people she has met, mentored and worked with through the years have helped her become the person she is today. Kathy began her career at 23 by volunteering to help women in war-torn Bosnia. She marvels in this conversation with Dr. Nancy about how she thought at such a young age that she could help victims of genocide, but she did help by using those qualities that give her the humanity and empathy to reach out, listen to others, and witness their plight. At the core of it is that women have far more courage than we think we do. When we listen to that small voice inside us, we naturally reach out to support others.

Next Step: In 2019 Completely Transform Fundraising Around the World

Kathy has trained hundreds, perhaps thousands of people to become social entrepreneurs, raise money and work for social change. But this past year, she developed the foundation for her next goal: to reach “the first thousand fundraisers throughout the world” with an online master class. She taught the master class to 70 people last year. These courageous people inspired her to widen the scope and develop a digital version. She promises that the at home instruction will open doors for you that you never imagined and enable you to become one of the top fundraisers in the world. Check out her website, RaisingChange.com, to see the video about it and get on the mailing list to get ready to change the world.

Listen to learn more about this amazing class and Kathy’s advice about how to defend what you feel most passionate about, and more of her insights and powerful stories about self-discovery and what defines self-worth.

Order Dr. Nancy’s new book or pick it up at your book store

In This Together Book CoverKathy’s guidance about listening also appears in Dr. Nancy’s new book, In This Together: How Successful Women Support Each Other In Work and Life, along with thoughts, inspiration, and stories from 40 successful women across a variety of careers—from authors to actresses, CEOs and professors—encouraging women to support each other in the workplace and in life. Learn about action plans on how all women can work together to break free from the binds of gender inequality. Then remember to get your copy – and gifts for your friends.

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