Episode 41

Empowered & Out with Guest Passion Rutledge

Published on: 30th October, 2025

Rest, Belonging & Food Justice with Passion Rutledge

Guest: Passion Rutledge — Finance & Operations Director, National Farm to School Network; writer exploring healing, identity, and collective liberation.

In this conversation:

  • Sabbaticals as transformation—rest as a leadership tool
  • Raising a queer family in the South with joy and intention
  • Unmasking as a Black, queer, neurodivergent leader
  • Food & farming as pathways to healing and liberation
  • Community power: why conferences and networks matter
  • Integrating career, equity, and family values—beyond “balance”
  • Writing as mental health, accountability, and self-awareness

Key Takeaways

• Rest is strategic: sabbaticals can reset values and sharpen leadership.

• Belonging is embodied first; structures help, but feelings drive it.

• Food systems are personal—what’s on the plate ties to justice, health, and community.

• Integration beats balance: lead with the same values at home and at work.

• Community accelerates impact—shared learning spaces move policy and practice.

Resources & Links

• 10th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference (Dec 1–4, 2025 • Albuquerque): https://www.farmtoschool.org/conference

Connect with Passion: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/passion-rutledge-1ab02528/

• National Farm to School Network: farmtoschool.org

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• https://linktr.ee/empoweredandout

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Credits

Host: Jonathan Barbe | Production: Empowered & Out

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About the Podcast

Empowered & Out
The LGBTQ+ Career Coaching Podcast
This is the podcast where LGBTQ+ professionals come to get real about career, confidence, and authenticity at work. Each week, Jonathan shares coaching insights on purpose, confidence, and unmasking at work—PLUS inspiring interviews with LGBTQ+ leaders, authors, and change-makers who are rewriting what success looks like in their industries.

From overcoming workplace discrimination, to unlearning internalized shame, to building a career that actually feels like YOU, these conversations are honest, practical, and rooted in the queer experience.

🌈 Whether it’s a solo coaching deep dive or a guest interview, Empowered & Out is here to help you thrive authentically, without apology.

About your host

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J B

JB Motivating From The 5280 Podcast is about me, Jonathan Barbe, living in the Mile High City, sharing my thoughts and opinions on positive motivation and self-improvement from my home in Denver, Colorado.