194. Beyond the Performative - The Price of Nice with Amira Barger Artwork

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Nonprofit leadership author, coach, and expert Tobi Johnson shares weekly tips to help charities build, grow, and scale exceptional volunteer teams. Discover how your nonprofit can effectively coordinate volunteers who are reliable, equipped, and ready to help you bring about BIG change for the better. Rather than continuing to “do more with less,” achieve abundance for your organization by engaging community talent that helps you do more with more. Society is evolving and so, too, is volunteerism. With over 25 years of experience working in nonprofits, public sector agencies, and grassroots campaigns Tobi is known for her modern “big hat” thinking and straight talk about what it takes to achieve success in today’s world. You will learn how to coordinate volunteers, improve the volunteer experience, recruit volunteers, appreciate volunteers, and do it all more efficiently with the right volunteer management software and digital tools. It’s a mix of interviews and solo shows you’re not going to want to miss. So, if you’re ready to ditch the stress and harness the power of people to fuel your good work, you’re in exactly the right place. Hit subscribe and let’s DO this!

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Volunteer Nation

194. Beyond the Performative - The Price of Nice with Amira Barger

December 24, 2025 • Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

In this episode of Volunteer Nation Podcast, Tobi Johnson welcomes back Amira Barger, award-winning communications executive, educator, and author of The Price of Nice: Why Comfort Keeps Us Stuck and Four Actions for Real Change.

Together, they explore how “niceness” often operates as a form of social control, especially in workplaces, nonprofits, and volunteer-driven organizations, and why prioritizing comfort can come at a steep cost to individuals, teams, and missions. This conversation challenges leaders to rethink performative politeness and replace it with courage, clarity, and values-aligned action.

If you’ve ever held back from speaking up to avoid rocking the boat, this episode will resonate deeply.

Full show notes: 194. Beyond the Performative - The Price of Nice with Amira Barger

Performative - Episode Highlights

[00:29] - Welcoming Amira Barger and Her New Book
[01:24] - Amira's Background and Journey
[03:09] - The Importance of Volunteer Engagement
[04:44] - Transition to Communications
[07:44] - The Concept of Niceness and Its Impact
[10:11] - Personal Stories and Reflections on Niceness
[13:44] - Niceness in the Workplace
[17:19] - Challenging the Culture of Niceness
[28:07] - Strategies for Effective Communication
[33:41] - The Power Dynamics in Organizations
[34:40] - Understanding Inclusivity and Privilege
[35:17] - The Butterfly Metaphor and Emotional Labor
[38:00] - Framework for Courageous Conversations
[38:30] - Volunteer Program Development
[40:24] - The Price of Performative Niceness
[41:46] - Four-Step Model for Change Management
[47:34] - Building Capacity for Discomfort
[57:39] - Accountability Without Shame

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Thanks for listening to this episode of the Volunteer Nation podcast. If you enjoyed it, please be sure to subscribe, rate, and review so we can reach more people like you who want to improve the impact of their good cause.

For more tips and notes from the show, check us out at TobiJohnson.com. For any comments or questions, email us at WeCare@VolPro.net.

Tobi Johnson, MA, CVA

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