Season 3 | E12 Roxanne Lawrance on why she brought her business brain to the charity sector

In this episode of the Charity Changemakers Podcast, Adam is joined by Roxanne Lawrance, CEO of Teens Unite, a charity supporting young people aged 13 to 24 living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis. Roxanne never planned a career in the sector. She built a commercial career in business analysis and contact centre management before volunteering with Teens Unite while on maternity leave, telling the founders she'd stay for two years. Nearly nine years on, she's leading the organisation. Roxanne and Adam unpack how she moved from founder led leadership to running the charity herself, the mentors and "be bold" mindset that shaped her career, and why she believes the best charities operate with the same commercial discipline as any business, just with a different kind of profit. A candid conversation on team culture, handling funding setbacks, and what it really takes to lead in the charity sector. Takeaways Career journey from commercial leadership into the charity sector Why business skills transfer directly into nonprofit leadership The value of career mentors, and being bold enough to ask for them Building a team culture around honest feedback and psychological safety Navigating funding setbacks without losing team morale Why the best charities are mission driven and commercially disciplined Chapters INSERT_YOUTUBE_URL Introduction and background INSERT_YOUTUBE_URL&t=317s Getting into the charity sector INSERT_YOUTUBE_URL&t=564s The two year plan that became a career INSERT_YOUTUBE_URL&t=845s Building a team culture that isn't built by accident INSERT_YOUTUBE_URL&t=1098s Mentors, and being bold in who you ask INSERT_YOUTUBE_URL&t=1557s Success, setbacks, and what continues when you're not in the room INSERT_YOUTUBE_URL&t=2420s Why charities need mission and commercial discipline #CharitySector #NonProfitLeadership #CharityCareers #LeadershipLessons #ThirdSector #CharityChangemakers #Podcast