Why Cultural Humility Is a Leader's Superpower in Nonprofit Work

Dr. Pierre Berastaín, Regional Director at the Centre for Public Impact, invites us into a powerful conversation about leadership, cultural humility, and living with integrity across lines of difference. With warmth and depth, Dr. Berastaín shares how personal identity can be a source of strength in leadership—not something to minimize or check at the door.

"We all lead from a cultural lens, whether we name it or not," Dr. Berastaín explains. "The danger isn’t bringing your culture into leadership—the danger is bringing it in unconsciously and expecting it to be the norm for everyone."

Dr. Berastaín’s personal journey fuels his systems change work. His role at CPI—a nonprofit incubated by Boston Consulting Group—blends macro strategy with community-rooted implementation. The goal: reimagine how governments and public institutions serve people, especially those pushed to the margins.

At the heart of this discussion is an honest reckoning with cultural difference and a plea to bring one's full self into leadership. “Cultural humility isn’t about shrinking yourself,” he shares. “It’s about knowing yourself well enough to make room for others.”

The conversation explores what it means to acknowledge culture without stereotyping, the impact of asking, “What are you?” and how silence—intended to be safe—can sometimes feel like erasure. Dr. Berastaín advocates for “relational warmth before analytical interest,” encouraging listeners to shift from tokenizing curiosity to reciprocal connection.

He also offers practical tools for introspection: therapy, spiritual grounding, and forming a “personal board of directors” who challenge and support growth. These elements, he says, are vital in cultivating not only emotional intelligence but the capacity to lead with vision.

By the end of the chat, with host Julia Patrick, it’s clear that Dr. Berastaín’s leadership is not performative—it is personal, deliberate, and anchored in truth. And he challenges all of us to ask: What are we carrying into the room?

This episode is a must-watch for nonprofit professionals, board leaders, and changemakers looking to lead with depth and humanity in today’s increasingly complex world.

00:00:00 Guest intro: Dr. Pierre Berastaín
00:01:30 What is the Center for Public Impact?
00:03:45 Pierre’s story: identity, ancestry, and lived experience
00:05:15 From direct service to systems change
00:07:00 Cultural humility and leadership lens
00:09:20 The beauty and burden of collectivist values
00:11:00 Personal growth through therapy and accountability
00:13:30 Aligning personal and organizational values
00:16:00 When to acknowledge cultural differences
00:18:00 The problem with silent observation
00:20:00 “What are you?”—Responding to coded curiosity
00:25:00 Stories, lineage, and reclaiming culture
00:27:45 Wrapping up: Leadership with integrity

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