In this conversation, Dr. Kimberly McGlonn—award-winning social entrepreneur and author—shares how she designs a life centered on service, purpose, and wonder. She reflects on redefining success beyond titles and achievements, and on creating the space to rest, wander, and listen for what life is calling her to do. Her insights invite us all to rethink what a well-lived life can look like.
A Life Built on Service and the Common Good
What does a life that you love look like?
For me, the design of my life is really rooted in wanting to be of service to the light. I think there is a physical realm that we can and can’t see. I don’t see atoms or molecules, but I believe they’re here. I also believe there’s a larger force that calls us into creation and then seeks to use us to advance life.
What is required of life? It’s the capacity to offer something nurturing, affirming, and tender. My life, by design, is about creating enough space to hear how that force wants to use me, and enough peace to be available. Ultimately, the design of my life is to ask: how do I advance the human good, the common good?
There are many ways I feel we’re able to do that. I can design my teaching practice that way. I design my art practice that way, my parenting practice that way, my leadership practice that way. All of it, ultimately, is to be of service.
I have a matrix of what I’ll say yes to and what I’ll say no to. As long as the things I’m saying yes to advance conversations that protect and serve the common good, that is the design of my life.
I’m really fluid about structure. I’m not so concerned about titles at all. I won’t always get an A. However, at the end of my life, my total journey, I want to make sure it’s an A. In the scheme of things, I stayed consistently aware of my responsibilities and obligations and made every effort, every day, to be a servant.
Redefining Success Beyond Titles and Achievements
How would you define success today?
I think success for me right now is a balance: am I able to generate enough revenue so that I can enjoy the things that are free?
Success is being able to go for a long walk, enjoy a garden, or read for leisure. To enjoy leisure is a measure of success that’s tied to both generating income and preserving personal space. Those are markers of success for me.
I really love to wander. For me, success is: does my life allow me to wonder and to wander? Success means having enough space to keep my blood pressure down, stay meaningfully connected with old friends, and have the peace to meet new people and discover them.
In truth, I have advanced degrees, I’ve traveled the world, I’ve been in major publications, I’ve published a book. I’ve accomplished many of the things we’re conditioned to believe define success. I’m grateful I’ve been able to do them. But having worked so hard to “arrive,” I now realize the things I enjoy most are the ones that cost nothing.
Habits That Support Balance and Clarity
What are some of the habits you’ve developed over time that allow you to tap into your definition of success?
I keep a list of the things I like to do on my days off. Having clarity about where there’s an incredible return on my investment of time helps me think of the big picture. That’s been really helpful in creating days of rest and granting myself permission to rest whenever I want.
Of course, there are meetings scheduled, and I always honor those. I try to be very particular about my calendar, because it structures my daily life. Other than that, I give myself a lot of permission to choose.
I really only have one boss, and that is the light. I work with people—I don’t work for them. Structuring my life from that core place keeps me clear on what I’m driving toward and helps me honor my inner compass.
Breaking Free From Fear and Embracing Opportunity
What do you think keeps people from taking opportunities and stepping into their fullest potential?
One issue is that we think one opportunity is the opportunity, instead of just a classroom. We often see things as finite and pressing, and we miss that one opportunity is just a short course in life—it’s one class, not the whole thing.
Another is that we’ve swallowed the messaging of inadequacy, which makes us feel unprepared. Particularly for women of color, and specifically Black women, there’s a sense that if you fall short, the door will close and won’t open again. That sense of inadequacy puts us in a position where we sabotage ourselves. No one has to tell us we’re not enough, or not qualified, or not the right fit—we convince ourselves of it.
So much of it is undoing that messaging, reclaiming our sense of worth and capability, and betting on ourselves. Recognizing that we can say yes to something when the opportunity arises, we can get into it and later leave. A yes is not a marriage. A yes is dating a role, dating an experience. Maybe it never becomes an engagement, maybe it does, maybe it turns into a marriage and you’re there for 10 or 15 years.
I don’t think of careers as things set in stone. We’re too hard on ourselves about needing to know the end at the beginning. If we can let the beginning be an open window and simply move toward it, we’ll take the pressure off ourselves and stop talking ourselves out of things that could add value to our journeys.
Advice to Her Younger Self and the Next Generation
If you had to give younger you—or younger women—advice, what would you tell them?
If it were younger me, I don’t think I’d talk right away. I think I would hug her. I’d just hold her. What she needed was a warm embrace to know she was cared for, loved, and seen, and that she wouldn’t have to do it alone.
After a really long embrace, I’d kiss her on the cheek, pat her on the back, and tell her: Now, go be great.
About Dr. Kimberly McGlonn
Dr. Kimberly McGlonn is an award-winning social entrepreneur, author and thought leader working at the intersections of social justice & environmentalism. Her work has been featured by Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Essence, and has been funded by Beyonce’s BeyGood Foundation. In 2022, she was a recipient of the Visa’s “She’s Next in Fashion Award” and the Black Enterprise “Business Disruptor of the Year” award. In 2023 & 2024, she was named “150 Most Influential Philadelphians” by Philadelphia Magazine. Across sectors, she empowers aspiring creative entrepreneurs who seek to align their visions with social and environmental consciousness. Her new book, “Build It Boldly: How Daring Business Leaders Can Gain Influence and Create Impact,” she distills her expertise into an offering that inspires diverse audiences to optimism and agency.
