Today we’d like to introduce you to Sue Weldon
Hi Sue, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
If someone would have told me 20 years ago, that I, a mother of 3, wife, gymnastics coach and sales associate, would be leading a national non-profit, I would not have seen that coming, but it did, all through a very difficult time in my life. A time I was down on my knees, wondering,” how did I get here”, and “you definitely have the wrong girl, check it again… please.”
My own personal battle with breast cancer, at the age of 39 was a turning point in my life. It was then that my life took a turn, and actually became, years later, the most valued teaching moments of my life. I will never say it was a gift, that hurts too much, but cancer was a teacher for me and one that continues to “ teach and school” me to this day, giving my life a great sense of purpose.
After a year of treatments and finding key resources to support me, I started to feel like my old self again. I went to an event Living Beyond Breast Cancer was hosting on the Art Museum steps in Philadelphia. I took one of my gymnasts with me that I coached. It was empowering. So many people, all uniting together. It was then that I saw a young woman out of the corner of my eye, her hair gone, yellowish tone of the skin, hollow eyes. It was me. I was looking in a mirror. I could not help but go up to her. I had so much I had learned and was eager to share. If it worked for me, I was sure it would work for her. She was so open to hear it all, asked me what I did for I looked so good. I shared all about the acupuncture and the yoga, nutrition and a plant forward approach to food. I shared, and she cried and said,
“Good for you, I could never afford that”
Eight Words that Moved Me to Start a Non-Profit:
After you hear something like that, you cannot un-hear it.
• 8 words shared with me by a stranger on the art museum steps that still inspire my life’s work
• 8 words that opened my eyes that health care is not equal.
• 8 words that revealed a health equity gap that was not covered by the medical standard of care
• 8 words that set a fire under me to create a nonprofit
So, I went home that day and told my husband, Chip “Honey, I want to start a non-profit. I am not sure what it looks like. We are all going to have to work for free for a while, I need to form a board and will need you on it, and I need people smarter than I am to advise me in areas I just don’t know. But …I have a vision, can lead and inspire a high-level team, can ask anyone for anything having a career in sales, and know how to run events and create experiences. Driven with a great deal of passion and faith, I set out to bridge this gap, empowering women to find their personal healing plan with no financial or emotional burden.
These therapies that I discovered all have scientific evidence that proves their effectiveness for whole patient care. Yet, they are not yet covered by insurance, are not a part of the standard of care and are expensive.
So, it began.
What started with a breast cancer diagnosis in 2004, revealing many critical gaps in the standard of care, has led to the creation of Unite for HER, the national nonprofit we are today. Where we fund and deliver integrative care, education and therapies for over 7000 individuals annually nationwide, improving outcomes and giving one access to a comprehensive wellness care plan.
As one of our members shared,
“My medical team is saving my life, Unite for HER is giving me my life back again.”
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We as a team are not afraid of change and although growth continues to be our biggest challenge it is also our greatest opportunity to serve. We find ways to innovate and move towards that goal each and every year, making sure we do not compromise the culture, mission and programming we are known and loved for, moving too fast too soon.
When the pandemic hit, and the world shut down. We had 800 members that enrolled over the Spring of 2020, and all were scheduled to attend our in- person Wellness Conferences, expecting to receive the Wellness Passport of $2000 worth of integrative care services.
In March of 2020, Unite for HER was faced with re-inventing ourselves, like so many other businesses, during a global pandemic. All were on stay-at-home orders across the US at that time, so the in-person conferences, provider treatments, counseling sessions, yoga , reiki, fitness classes, cooking and shopping experiences and our fundraising and community events all needed to make a shift to virtual if we were going to continue to serve.
Cancer did not stop during covid, and either did we.
I remember sitting in the hall of our office on Chestnut Street, getting my ring light, recording a video on my i-phone, and sharing with my communications director to post this message.
‘We see you. We will figure this out. Give us a bit of time and I will keep you posted weekly on our progress, but rest assure, we will get these services to you. And you are not alone. Unite for HER will be right by your side’
Together with my dynamic, creative, and innovative staff we moved quickly and with purpose, to get our wellness program to all those who were faced with having a breast and ovarian cancer diagnosis during a pandemic. The HER care box became the vehicle in which our integrative program was to be delivered. It was sitting there waiting to be that source of change, and what once was a gift one could send to a loved one from across the nation, became the way our community would access their Wellness Integrative Care and Passport Program nationwide.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Can we change this question to: We want to learn a little bit more about you. What inspires you and your work. setting you apart from others.
Here is a little about me personally, how I lead professionally and what led me to creating a national non-profit.
My background was not in corporate or non-profit, it was in advertising sales, as well as coaching and choreographing for high-level gymnasts at AJS Pancott Gymnastics Center for the better part of 25 years. I thrived on building and bringing the best out of a high level team and loved mentoring young athletes.
My greatest joy and purpose in life revolves around my three children, raising them alongside a man who has supported and loved me throughout my entire life, through good times and bad. Seeing my children thrive, personally and professionally, is truly my whole world—that feeling is better than anything one could ever imagine. Where they go, I go.
I am moved by music and oh I love to dance. It’s like everything I feel spills onto the dance floor, my therapy of choice. As a child, I grew up with a father who taught me I could do anything. He poured so much love and support into me, I was bound to flourish. There was truly nothing I thought I couldn’t do, and yes that got me into trouble at times, but that confidence started at a very young age. As a father raising me in the 70’s, he was my hero, instilled in me a strong work ethic, and influenced deeply who I am today. In my eyes, he could do anything and was my hero; no challenge was too great. His passion for a challenge was like a game, for us both, figuring out how we can make it happen, and that game we played for the rest of our lives together. Usually creating something new out of furniture we found in the trash. I loved it. I loved him with my whole heart. My husband has these same traits. Not surprising I found someone who had that same magic and love I felt all those years ago.
I have a creative energy, and enjoy reimagining items and create beautiful spaces, with every detail mattering. A home is a reflection of oneself, and I take immense joy in creating that space for my family and those who visit, giving them a feeling of warmth. That gift has spilled over to Unite for HER for sure and why I mention this love of mine.
In addition to my family, my life’s work and purpose is Unite for HER. This is another team I have the honor and privilege to coach and learn from over the past 15 years. I have a servant leadership style, serving the greater good and my team, putting the organization first. This style is emulated from the top down, and evident in all my team members, representing a culture of inclusivity that has been created over the years, where every voice matters and contributes, ensuring all are heard. At Unite for HER, it is always how we make them feel when they are in our presence and that drives our work everyday. They may forget the conference content, the incredible plant forward food they ate during the Wellness Orientation, the yoga movement they did, in unison with each other, but they won’t forget how we made them feel.
Empowered, care for, loved and full of confidence.
With a remarkable, talented, and passionate team and community of volunteers and supporters by my side, we are moving Unite for HER together, in a direction that is impacting thousands nationwide.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I would certainly say that I lean into taking risks, and run Unite for HER like a start up, always looking to move the needle knowing how impactful our programming is for everyone who enters it. When we take risks, live in the uncomfortable, this is where the best learnings occur, I believe, and the most impactful change happens. This rang true in 2020 during Covid, where Unite for HER was forced to re-invent ourselves during a global pandemic. With a team that is not afraid of a challenge, committed to resolving problems, we armed ourselves with solutions to delivering our wellness programming right to ones home and virtually. Cancer is devastating, and did not stop during a pandemic, and either did we. We delivered our programming to all 800 members that Spring of 2020, reinventing the delivery model right to the home, with a tele-health virtual experience via Zoom. We also set ourselves up with a model of care we could take anywhere in the nation. This shift, this risk, became our best teacher and one I am so incredibly grateful for, as it has ensured no person is left behind with our new programming. Shifting our entire Wellness Program model to a virtual or @ home setting was key to our success where we went from serving 1700 members per year with our Wellness Passport of integrative services, to over 4326 that following year. This innovative shift, set us up for our greatest expansion and our team was not afraid of taking calculated, thoughtful risks, moving us where we are today,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.uniteforher.org
- Instagram: @unite4her
- Facebook: unite for HER
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/UniteforHERnonprofit
Image Credits
Studio 161 Photography
Chrisitina Travaglini