As Women’s History Month ends, we’re proud to share a conversation with our CEO, Michelle Rhone-Collins, whose leadership embodies the heart of LIFT’s work
In this interview, Michelle reflects on the values that guide our work, the experiences that have shaped her leadership, and the centrality of strong relationships and community-centered support to move our mission forward. Her perspective offers a powerful reminder of what it takes to create lasting, meaningful change.
We invite you to read the full conversation and learn more about the leadership behind LIFT’s impact.
Women’s History Month is about honoring those who came before us. How have the women who shaped your leadership journey influenced the way you lead at LIFT today?
The women that are coming to my mind are unapologetically authentic, bold, and inclusive. As I think about what I uphold women leaders who are coming through my head are my mom who did everything with grace and panache; love warrior bell hooks, Audre Lorde (see quote), my baddie sistafriends that I am so impressed and influenced by!
As I think about those qualities that I just upheld in those women- brilliance, love, powerful vulnerability, bold vision– those are the same qualities that I try to emulate in my own leadership. To be able to have those role models, those revolutionaries, those who uphold leadership in a different way push movements forward, it is affirming to my own leadership. It allows me to stand stronger in my leadership.
LIFT centers families as experts in their own lives. How do you carry that same belief in your leadership — especially when making big decisions that impact our members and staff?
I start my decision-making process in a couple of ways. One is by grounding it in what is important to LIFT. So always thinking about our values, our commitment to equity, and our mission statement. I ground myself in the why.
And then I don’t want to be my own echo chamber and assume that only I know the direction to take. I certainly come in with a hypothesis, but I do not want to take that hypothesis as truth. And so I test it. I listen and I listen deeply. I listen to our team. I listen to our members. I listen to our coaches. I listen to my colleagues in the sector, to be able to hear what is most important to them to help inform and strengthen the decision.
Grounding in our why and deep listening ensures that our decisions have integrity and, I think, is the way to make sure that our members’ voice, experience, perspective, and power are at the center of everything that we do.
What message do you hope young women of color hear about their potential to lead in any space?
To trust your gut, trust your instincts, believe in your power, believe in you. And I say that because I think that there will be many challenges to that along the way. Unfortunately, a plethora of external messages (that sometimes become internalized) that may create doubt, tell you are not enough, or cause you to question your concept of who you are or what you can achieve. You are your ancestors’ wildest dreams! That your gut instinct is that ancestral wisdom coming through saying “Go ahead girl! Wow…look at you! You know what to do! You got this! You know.” It’s that OG AI- Ancestral Intelligence! Listen to that voice and move from that place.