Episode 154 -- Dr. Kuanita Murphy -- What You Do Matters

Stacked Keys Podcast

This guest uses all of her education and experience to bring a vision to small communities and highlight the work and talent that happens in many areas that might get overlooked. Leaders in small communities wear many hats and put out tremendous efforts and we on this podcast get insight into her sharing and acknowledging such talent.
Meet Dr. Kuanita Murphy who created the Rural Leader 40 under 40 that includes Georgia, Florida and Alabama. She works on a shoestring budget and truly shines a light on individuals who have done foundational work in their communities. Kuanita put her efforts into finding the unsung hero and bringing them to the forefront. She also works with Randolph Family Connection where she has a chance to be involved throughout her own community. She gravitates to helping and being a leader/worker.

Kuanita networks and knows what happens in small communities and that helps her showcase and highlight the unsung hero. Your individual contribution matters and her mission is to let people know that element as they work daily. Networking is critical and a skillset that is developed through practice and sometimes stepping out in faith beyond your own comfort zone.

We talk about how she works her heart of service and what she had to learn was to get to a place of what she could do and what she had to let God do. She balances that daily she is doing her best, so she lives with no regrets. We talk about how overwhelming and heart wrenching such work and seeing disparities can become day in and day out.

Her goal is to make things better than when she got there. Uplifting others, inspiring others and helping them see their potential. She has plenty of avenues in which to do exactly that.

We talk about how she was raised and the golden rule of do unto others and the community of a village in growing up -- knowing that others are involved in life. She’s been involved in leadership and been both a mentor and receiver. One of her biggest lessons is that she learned is that you learn by doing.

We talk about being your authentic self and the amount of training and skill and the journey of self discovery of being an authentic leader with what one is called to do. We discuss hurdles and working daily to not be going the right direction and the questions that come as you question yourself. Faith comes into play for her and she talks about not having all the answers, but having faith and trust that you are going the right path.

You’ll hear about work balance and life. Advice? Stop and be quiet and be able to come back to self. Adventures include something new and learning and that revives Kuanita. She challenges you in this podcast to network and connect with people and with it come full circle.
You can find information on the 40 Under 40 Rural leaders ruralleadermag.com

Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff