Episode keywords:

Running a Charity, Start-up, Learning from Failure, Mindset Transformation, Money Mindset, Toxic Perfectionism, Succession Planning, Risk-Taking, Creative Potential, Culture of Agency, Creativity, Abram Wilson Foundation, Autobiographical Children’s Book.

Episode description:

Imagine turning personal loss into a legacy of hope, inspiration, and creativity.

The inspiring journey of Jennie Cashman Wilson, founder and CEO of the Abram Wilson Foundation, tugs at our heartstrings, as we explore love, loss, and the transformational power of music.

Tune into this episode to discover how Jennie turned personal tragedy into an inspiring legacy. Navigating the stormy waters of founding a charity, Jenny shares her initial struggles, from defining the organization’s purpose to overcoming her discomfort in asking for financial support. The story of the Abram Wilson Foundation unfolds, detailing its formation in the early years, the support system Jennie assembled, and the crucial elements to tripling the charity’s turnover—mindset transformation and financial tracking.

We wrap up our heartfelt discussion by delving into Jennie’s recent endeavour—an autobiographical children’s book, written in just 50 sentences. This audacious venture intertwines themes of fear, courage, hope, loss, and love, mirroring Jennie’s personal journey. Jennie also candidly shares her decision to step down as CEO after 11 years, the importance of fostering a culture of agency, the impact of toxic perfectionism and learning from failure. This episode is more than an exploration of Jennie’s life and work—it’s a treasure trove of wisdom, inspiration, and invaluable advice for anyone involved in charity work.

Get Jennie’s new book here: Becoming Brave.

Episode transcript:

You can access the transcript for this episode here. It is AI generated and not 100% perfect but I think it is good enough to follow the conversation. Unfortunately, we don’t have the resource to manually make the corrections. 

Jennie Cashman Wilson

Jennie’s background is in arts fundraising and working with young people, which is how she met her late husband, the acclaimed jazz trumpeter Abram Wilson. The pair worked on numerous projects together up until Abram’s passing in 2012, after which Jennie set up the Abram Wilson Foundation. The charity opens doors to the music industry for minoritised young talent and have grown to work with over 200 performing artists and 650 young people. Jennie has been listed in WISE100, a national index recognising the top women in social enterprise and is a recipient of the WACL Talent Award. Becoming Brave is Jennie’s first children’s book.

You can find out more about the Abram Wilson Foundation here, Jennie’s current work here and you can find Jennie on Instagram.