The Currency of Kindness: Kim Snow on Leading Franklin Center, Neurodiversity & the Courage to Go First

What happens when you leave a successful corporate career to lead a nonprofit you know as a parent, but not as a leader? Kim Snow knows this journey intimately.

She spent years at Cargill leading strategy, marketing, and client services. Then she stepped into the role of Executive Director at Franklin Center, a school and adult program for individuals with neurodiversity. She was not an educator. She did not have a background in behavioral health. But she had curiosity, business experience, and a deep passion for the mission.

Kim joins Jaime Taets for a conversation about what it really takes to go first into something new and uncertain. She shares how she learned to be vulnerable about what she did not know, why industries are learnable but leadership is about people, and how raising a son with neurodiversity changed the way she sees the world. She also talks about the difference between being a peer leader and being the person who makes the final call, and why that shift required her to trust herself in a completely new way.

This conversation is about courage, kindness, and the power of curiosity. Kim opens up about the loneliness that comes with top leadership and why finding the right rooms and the right people is essential. She shares the advice she would give anyone feeling called to do something different, and why being brave enough to listen to that inner voice is the first step.

If you have ever felt called to do something new but worried you are not qualified, this episode is for you. Kim's story will remind you that the path is not linear, the work is hard, and the reward is worth it.

Timestamped Chapters

0:00 Introduction to Kim Snow
1:11 The windy road to Franklin Center
4:12 Leaving corporate for nonprofit leadership
6:16 Industries are learnable, people are not
8:40 The parent experience in the room
11:37 Vulnerability and admitting what you do not know
14:53 When leadership became real
17:52 The higher you climb, the cloudier it gets
19:46 The loneliness of top leadership
21:38 Changing the rooms you are in
23:15 Redefining success: from contribution to coaching
25:52 To be vulnerable is not a weakness
29:25 Be brave enough to listen to the voice
33:11 Finding levity in the heavy
36:40 Bonus round: songs, books, and billboards

Guest Bio

Kim Snow is the Executive Director of Franklin Center, a nonprofit organization providing education and adult programs for individuals with neurodiversity. She spent the bulk of her career at Cargill, leading strategy and marketing across multiple businesses and later leading a data analytics team serving food companies nationwide. Kim holds an MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She is a passionate advocate for inclusion, kindness, and creating opportunities for individuals with neurodiversity to thrive. Kim lives on a farm with her family.

Quotes from the Episode

"Industries are learnable. People are not."

"To be vulnerable is not a weakness."

"Be brave enough to listen to the voice in your head. Trust it, believe in yourself, and then take a step."

Leadership Insights

Q: What is the difference between peer leadership and top leadership?
A: Peer leadership means you are part of a team making decisions together. Top leadership means the final decision rests on your shoulders. Kim Snow experienced this shift when she moved from a corporate role where she contributed to decisions to becoming Executive Director, where she is the decision. This requires a different level of trust in yourself, the willingness to admit when you are wrong, and the courage to move forward even when the path is unclear.

Q: Why is vulnerability important for leaders?
A: Vulnerability is not a weakness. It is a strength that builds trust and connection. When leaders admit what they do not know, it gives others permission to do the same. Kim Snow learned this when she stepped into a role where she had no expertise in education or behavioral health. By being honest about her gaps, she created a culture where her team felt safe to share their knowledge, try new things, and learn from mistakes without fear.

Resources

• Connect with Kim Snow on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Franklin Center
• Follow Franklin Center on LinkedIn
• Explore Jaime's Women's Executive Retreats
• Explore Keystone Group International and its leadership, culture, and organizational growth work
• Follow Jaime on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook

If this conversation gave you a new perspective on leadership, vulnerability, or what it means to go first into something new, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

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Go First is the show where we talk about what it takes to move forward: first, fast, and with purpose.

Everything you want is on the other side of the next unknown step. Let's Go First together.

Jaime Taets