The Audacity to Lead
Katie Goar knows affordable housing from every angle.
Today, she is the president of Quadel and one of the leading voices in America’s affordable housing sector. But long before she became a housing CEO, Katie experienced homelessness herself. As a child, she lived in a tent with her family, carried the shame of that experience for years, and later transformed that pain into purpose.
Katie joins Joe Pardavila to discuss her new book, The Audacity, and the personal story behind her work in housing, leadership, and community impact. She opens up about the moment her younger brother drew a tent when asked to draw his home, why homelessness is a condition rather than an identity, and how stable housing can change the trajectory of an entire family.
Katie also explains why “bootstrapping” can only take people so far, how NIMBYism holds communities back, why local solutions matter, and how leaders can build a “yes plan” when the default answer around them is no.
This conversation is about housing, but it’s also about shame, survival, leadership, and the power of turning your story into a tool for helping others.
What You’ll Learn
Today, she is the president of Quadel and one of the leading voices in America’s affordable housing sector. But long before she became a housing CEO, Katie experienced homelessness herself. As a child, she lived in a tent with her family, carried the shame of that experience for years, and later transformed that pain into purpose.
Katie joins Joe Pardavila to discuss her new book, The Audacity, and the personal story behind her work in housing, leadership, and community impact. She opens up about the moment her younger brother drew a tent when asked to draw his home, why homelessness is a condition rather than an identity, and how stable housing can change the trajectory of an entire family.
Katie also explains why “bootstrapping” can only take people so far, how NIMBYism holds communities back, why local solutions matter, and how leaders can build a “yes plan” when the default answer around them is no.
This conversation is about housing, but it’s also about shame, survival, leadership, and the power of turning your story into a tool for helping others.
What You’ll Learn
- How Katie Goar went from housing insecurity to becoming president of Quadel
- Why homelessness should be seen as a condition, rather than a permanent identity
- How childhood instability can shape leadership, risk, and resilience
- Why "bootstrapping" alone can't solve homelessness or housing insecurity
- How affordable housing impacts education, health, employment, and local economies
- Why NIMBYism often blocks the exact workers communities depend on
- What Katie means by "strategic generosity"
- How a "yes plan" can help people move from fear to action
- Why leaders need a hype squad, a win journal, and the audacity to start before they feel ready
Watch Katie's TED Talk: Watch Katie's TED Talk
Order Audacity: Order Audacity
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