In a quiet Irish town in 1985, coal merchant Bill Furlong faces a life-altering choice: maintain the status quo or risk everything to do what’s right.

This is the heart of Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These, a novella that feels like it was written for anyone who’s ever faced an ethical dilemma in their work or life.

In this holiday episode, you’ll hear the quiet but powerful lessons this story holds for nonprofit leaders like you. Whether you’re fighting for funding, advocating for change, or simply trying to show up every day for your community, you’ve likely felt the tension between doing what’s easy and doing what’s necessary.

Skip Ahead:

(02:01) What a coal merchant in 1980s Ireland has to teach us about courage, compassion, and standing up to injustice

(04:19) How do the quiet, often overlooked moments in nonprofit and public sector work mirror acts of bravery in Small Things Like These

(06:28) What ripple effects could your smallest, most courageous actions have in the year ahead

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