Leaders in Community: Finding Joy and Cultivating Community in the B Corp Movement

A new B The Change series features articles by B Corp Network leaders who will explore how identity and its many intersections, coupled with their Network leadership roles, affect the growth, diversity, and sustainability of the B Corp movement. This article features sections from Natasha Motsi and Jeffrey D. Stewart.

Introduction by Lauren Everett, Content Strategy & Storytelling Manager, B Lab U.S. & Canada

It is during difficult times that I’ve found the call to community the most blaring. When times are more easeful, I have taken the refuge of community for granted, leaning in and tapping out on a whim with the knowledge that they will be there when and if needed. While that is not a luxury afforded to all, it’s a safe haven that stands the test of time, trial, and tribulation.

Ahead of Black History Month, a time to be celebrated with or without federal acknowledgment, I have reflected on the sanctity and the necessity of community. I’ve found cultivating and showing up in community rather taxing lately with the constant pull on our attention politically while balancing daily responsibilities, dreams, and desires, finding wellness and sanity wherever it chooses to arise, holding space for varying perspectives and priorities, and being called on to show up and do “the work.” And yet, that is what community is, isn’t it? Experiencing the ebbs and flows of life, the dissonance and harmony of being in a relationship with another, and everything in between. While the overwhelm of the moment might entice us to go inward, we can’t forget to return to those offering open and loving arms. We can accept the invitation to lean into joy, curiosity, and love, and hold ourselves and our partners in the community accountable to our shared agreements.

Natasha Motsi, left, and Jeffrey D. Stewart.

In that spirit, we introduce Leaders in Community, a new B The Change series from the desk of Certified B Corporation Network leaders. During heritage months, these articles will explore how identity and its many intersections, coupled with their Network leadership roles, impact the growth, diversity, and sustainability of the B Corp movement.

This month, you’ll hear from Natasha Motsi and Jeffrey D. Stewart — business founders, B Local leaders, volunteers, heads of families, communities, Network leaders, and so much more. Motsi and Stewart share the joy they’ve found in the B Corp community and as Network leaders either by strategic happenstance or sought with intention. As Natasha shares, “Leadership is about embracing the unpredictability of human experiences and learning to move forward together, even when the path looks different than what we first imagined.” I’d offer that being a part of a community, no matter the role, calls us to do just the same!

Natasha Motsi

‘Lead with acceptance and grace above all’

By Natasha Motsi

My journey with the B Corp community began in 2020, not as a deliberate act but as a series of organic moments that shaped my path. It started with an exercise aimed at raising awareness about retail products from B Corps. During this process, I realized how many aspects of my life were already aligned with a purpose-driven existence. I was naturally gravitating toward a way of being that prioritized the greater good — a way of being that also carried the bittersweet awareness of raising three Black children in a world that often felt stacked against them. Yet, with that awareness came a determination: to forge a path where they could grow up simply as people. Not as Black. Not as female or male. Not as second-generation immigrants. Just people.

That initial experience with B Corps sparked a curiosity I couldn’t ignore. It nudged me to volunteer to help my company take steps toward certification. Around the same time, an opportunity arose to join the leadership team of the BIPOC Network, and something inside me knew I had to say yes. What began as a strategic move to do more within my workplace quickly evolved into something much greater — a source of joy and connection in a community of remarkable humans who continue to shape my life.

One of the first things that stood out to me about the B Corp community was the way meetings began — with an intentional acknowledgment of humanity. Each gathering recognized that we were all arriving at that moment from different intersections of life, each carrying the weight of our individual experiences. This acknowledgment wasn’t superficial; it was grounded in genuine care.

Whether it was through breathwork to help us center ourselves or an open invitation to take space if we weren’t in the right heart or headspace to be fully present, there was always room for humanity. There was no expectation to leave parts of ourselves at the door or to perform in ways that didn’t align with our truth. Instead, the space made it clear: You are welcome as you are, in all your complexities and layers.

This practice of intentional arrival — of acknowledging intersectionality and offering grace — deeply resonated with me. It set the tone for a community where vulnerability is met with respect and where authenticity is not just encouraged but celebrated.

At my first Champions Retreat in Philadelphia, Pernell Cezar Jr. from BLK & Bold shared something that struck a chord so deep it has lived rent-free in my mind ever since. He said, “You can’t fill your cup with someone else’s purpose.” It was offered casually, even thoughtfully, but it carried profound wisdom. It reminded me that our journeys are uniquely our own, and we must navigate them with intention, not comparison.

When I reflect on the people I’ve encountered through my work and engagement with the B Lab community, my entire being lights up with an emphatic “Yes.” My mind fills with the faces of my immediate Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community — smiling, hopeful, loving — and the warmth of my extended B Corp family.

Still, the hardest part of leading a network that serves diverse identities and experiences is grappling with the complexity of intersectionality. Each marginalized group carries deeply rooted influences, histories, and struggles that are uniquely important. This makes it challenging to lead from a general overview. It requires a delicate balance: honoring the uniqueness of each experience while fostering a sense of unity within the network.

As a Black African woman, I bring my lived experiences to the table, but I am also keenly aware of the perspectives I don’t fully understand. One area where I feel a deep pull to grow is in understanding the Indigenous perspective. I know I don’t know enough about it — not enough about the histories, the ongoing struggles, or the ways in which these communities navigate systems that have long sought to erase them.

What I do know is that Indigenous people have voiced the need for more awareness of their struggles and the importance of centering their experiences. Their fight for recognition, justice, and sovereignty is not just one story among many; it’s foundational to the broader work of equity and reconciliation. I want to commit to listening, learning, and amplifying these voices within the network.

For me, this isn’t just about knowledge—it’s about responsibility. Leading a network that claims to honor diversity means continuously expanding my own understanding and making space for voices that are often unheard. I make this commitment not just as a leader, but as a person who believes that true inclusion requires active and intentional effort.

In many professional and personal spaces, the first meeting often comes with questions about how you found your way there — subtle probes to assess your place and purpose. But in the B Corp community, it’s different. The welcome comes from a place of genuine curiosity. The questions are steeped in grounded respect. Every interaction is born from seeds of grace.

Over the past four years, I’ve found a home here — not just a professional network, but a movement rooted in shared values, where purpose is celebrated, individuality is embraced, and the collective good is prioritized. This journey has shaped me as a professional and reinforced my commitment to raising my children in a world where they can simply be themselves.

If I could pass down one piece of wisdom to the next generation of leaders in this community, it would be this: lead with acceptance and grace above all.

We all begin with drive and good intentions, fueled by a vision of what we hope to achieve. But life happens. Circumstances shift, priorities evolve, and sometimes even the best of intentions need to be adjusted. It’s in those moments that grace becomes essential — not just for others, but for ourselves.

Leadership in this space is not about perfection or unyielding adherence to a plan. It’s about embracing the unpredictability of human experiences and learning to move forward together, even when the path looks different than what we first imagined. Giving each other the space to pivot without judgment allows for growth and resilience.

We must also recognize that this work is a marathon, not a race. The impact we want to create takes time, patience, and an unwavering commitment to the long haul. There will be setbacks, pauses, and moments when progress feels slow. But with acceptance of the journey and grace for those traveling it with us, we can keep forging ahead—step by step, together.

Jeffrey D. Stewart

‘Unified toward the cause of putting people and planet on an equal playing field with profit’

By Jeffrey D. Stewart

Serving as a Network Leader has been foundational in solidifying the impact I aim to generate in the world, which has encompassed both professional and personal realms. My identity as a Black man — a young Black man who owns his own company — is constantly at the forefront of my mind when I show up in the B Global Network. Particularly in the Global Partner region of B Lab U.S. & Canada, where my lived experience has been based, our posture toward the great divide of racial and representational disparities is very deliberate and direct. A byproduct of this focus is that I’m constantly reminded of the significance of my identity in this space.

The scarcity of our numbers sets a fire in me to want to show up with everything I have. This motivation has propelled me to not only volunteer as B Local Texas’ Membership Chair and a BIPOC Network Leader but to also pour all of my professional expertise into the furtherance of equity and representation in the B Global Network.

Last year, two major developments, in particular, validated the latter pursuit. The 2024 iteration of B Lab U.S. & Canada’s Level program welcomed my company as its newest consulting partner, one of the greatest demonstrations I’ve seen to date of practicing what we preach. The program, designed for women business owners who have experienced discrimination based on race and ethnicity, recognizes that we all don’t start in the same place. Achieving equity means leveling the playing field. Having also experienced discrimination based on race and ethnicity, there’s no initiative I would rather support.

Assisting companies on their B Corp Certification journey isn’t the only expertise I have, and it’s certainly not the only way I’ve felt led to show up as a leader within the B Global Network. As a translator and interpreter, I’ve endeavored to incorporate my Arabic and Portuguese skills into whatever I do. Dating back to my days as a Standard Analyst, when I used Spanish, Portuguese, and even French to confer B Corp Certification to companies, the Sistema B region has always had a special place in my heart.

I’ve felt increasingly aligned with my purpose in bringing a unique blend to the B Global Network by employing these language skills to contribute to our overall growth. Last year, I began building bridges between us and the highly relevant work happening at Sistema B Brasil through a curated selection of translated articles originally written by colleagues from their team, some of which have also been published on B The Change. It turns out that these efforts benefit us all and strengthen our sense of interdependence as one B Global Network. We’re only scratching the surface of my professional skills being leveraged for the wider mission of a more just, equitable, and regenerative economy for all.

Being a Network Leader has been inextricably linked to my vocational calling, and I’m now working to be the best version of myself. I would hope for others in the B Global Network that their experiences in this space would have a similar impact on their journeys.

After all, one of our biggest assets is the robust sense of community among professionals who are unified toward the cause of putting people and planet on an equal playing field with profit. That’s who we are. That’s why we get up every day.