We’re looking forward to introducing you to Britton Slagle. Check out our conversation below.
Britton, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
My foster pup, Lacey, has definitely brought me joy outside of work lately. It is wonderful watching her grow more confident, and it is an extra bonus that she is a very loving and silly house hippo!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Britton Slagle. I hold a BA in English, a BS in Psychology, and a Master of Nonprofit Management from Regis University. I am a Colorado native and the Founder and Executive Director of KarmaSue. KarmaSue’s mission is to provide education, counseling, and financial support to Coloradan families that have companion animals living with cancer in an effort to honor the human-animal connection. Although I still have a “day job”, KarmaSue is and always will be my passion project. I also have a small business, Koa Consulting, that focuses on providing administrative and governance support to small nonprofits.
After losing my pup, Nalani Koa at eight-years-old to lymphoma on June 11, 2024, I’ve been wandering this big world alone, trying to find my footing. I continue navigating grief; connecting with KarmaSue families and my foster pup, Lacey, has proven to be the best medicine for my broken heart.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that has served its purpose and must now be released is the desire to be perfect. I have learned that there is no such thing as perfection, and to chase such a thing is ludicrous. I’ve lived nearly my whole life in search of perfection; it served its purpose for a long while. It made me extremely self-disciplined, self-motivated, and very organized. It also made me rigid, disappointed in myself, and overall exhausted. The search for perfection helped me to never give up, and it also stole many moments of joy; the desire to be perfect must now be released so that I can begin thriving as opposed to simply surviving.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of not being…enough has held me back most in my life. I am not – good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, talented enough, rich enough, caring enough, efficient enough – the list goes on and on. The fear of not being enough has stopped me from advancing in personal and professional ways. I will choose what is safe over what is intriguing or exciting to me, simply because I do not think I am…enough.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lies the nonprofit sector, particularly smaller groups, tell itself are that we can usually do it alone and we can do everything with a little bit. It is hard for me to say that these are, “lies” – we actually can do a whole lot alone or with a small team, and we know how to stretch every single resource beyond measure. It may do us a disservice to think small sometimes; it might go along with my previous response to the question of, “What fear has held you back the most in your life?” Answer: Not being enough. Many of us in the nonprofit sector are drawn to this work because we are motivated to be in service of others. We take up little space to maximize what we can do for our communities – for the world. What we get wrong sometimes (actually, I will speak for myself) is that I feel like I can and should do it by myself or with the smallest number of resources. When we have more resources, we can provide more assistance. Can we do an incredible amount of positive work with the bare minimum? Yes. Should we? Absolutely not. It will only exhaust us in the long run, and then, who will do the important work we are so motivated to do?
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I am adventuring with my pup, Nalani Koa. Since her transition on June 11, 2024, after a brave battle with cancer and a spine injury, I’ve struggled to find that peace. I would take Nalani Koa on an urban adventure around our home, to many of the parks she loved to visit, to the foothills or the mountains, and even overnight trips a bit further away simply to explore. Watching her venture out in nature was everything to me. Experiencing the world through her eyes (and nose), even during treatment, was so, so special to me, to us; I’ll never forget it. Those moments brought me the most peace I’ve ever felt in my whole life. I try to obtain those types of moments through my friends’ and family’s pets and my current foster pup, Lacey. Any moment I can share with companion animals is a moment worth living for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://karmasue.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karmasuecancer
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/karmasue
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarmaSueCancer/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@karmasue
