60 seconds with kyle s. king: “if it only works because of you, it will not last without you.”

I met Kyle S. King through my work with the Academy of Goal Achievers, where I was leading a panel discussion, and he was in the audience. After the event, we quickly bonded over the fact that we’re both former teachers – there’s a shared lens (and some good laughs) that comes with having stood at the front of a classroom leading young people. You can feel that experience is still very much a part of how he shows up and approaches people, leadership, and growth. Because if you’ve ever been a teacher, you know this to be true: You’re not just teaching. You’re building, shaping, and holding a community together in your classroom, every single day.

Today, Kyle is the founder of The Culture Lab and the Contagious Culture Conference, helping nonprofit leaders build cultures and systems that actually work without burnout or performative change. 

More than anything, he’s a human connector and community builder. The way he shows up and brings people along with him is, in fact, to use his word, contagious.

– meg

toth shop(ts): In ten words or less, what is / how do you define or describe Contagious Culture? 

Kyle S. King (KSK): Culture people feel, model, and multiply every day, intentionally or not.

ts: A lot of mission-driven leaders feel pressure to give everything to the work. How do you help leaders build organizations that pursue impact without burning out the people behind the mission?

KSK: We stop glorifying exhaustion and start designing sustainability. Clear priorities, real boundaries, shared ownership. Culture should not rely on heroic individuals. It should be carried by systems, rituals, and people who feel seen and supported.

ts: You work daily at the intersection of leadership, fundraising, and organizational culture. When those three things are working well together, what does that look like inside an organization?

KSK: Alignment. Leaders live the mission, culture builds trust, and fundraising becomes storytelling, not begging. People give because they feel it, not because they are asked.

ts: For nonprofit leaders who are trying to build something that lasts, not just something that survives the next year, what’s one mindset shift you think matters most?

KSK: Stop thinking about short-term survival. Start building long-term infrastructure. If it only works because of you, it will not last without you.

ts: Every person we interview answers this same question last –mMile 18 is generally considered to be one of the hardest miles in a marathon. You’re hitting a wall. You’re forced to dig deep. What’s mile 18 in your line of work, or at a point in your career, and what do you tell yourself when you find yourself in the middle of a mile 18?

KSK: You’ve been here before. This is not new; it just feels heavy. Do not slow down now. Lock in and get disciplined with your mind. One step, one breath, one mile at a time. This is where most people fold, and this is where you separate. Pain is part of the process, not a signal to stop. Stay present, stay focused, and finish what you started.