April 20, 2025 • 51 mins
In this episode of Spotlight on Good People, we sit down with a woman whose life is the very definition of showing up for those who need it most — Linda Goldfield, CEO of Youth Haven in Naples, Florida.
Youth Haven isn’t just a shelter — it’s a lifeline for children and teens in our community who have been displaced by abuse, neglect, or homelessness. And at the center of that mission is Linda — a leader who calls herself “just an average girl doing good work” — but whose impact tells a much bigger story.
In this conversation, Linda shares:
- Her journey into nonprofit leadership
- The heartbreak and hope of working with vulnerable kids
- The power of being a consistent adult in a child’s life
- The $20 million dream project she’s leading to expand mental health services at Youth Haven
- The lessons that have shaped her into the kind of leader who leads with heart first, every single time.
Topics We Cover:
- Why showing up is the work
- Building trust with kids who’ve been let down
- How to stay grounded doing emotionally heavy work
- Leadership lessons learned in the trenches
- The legacy Linda hopes to leave behind
- And why she believes “you find what you seek”
- This is a conversation about heart work (and hard work) and what happens when a good person decides to use their life to lift others.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Robert DiLella (00:00):
Hi, everyone.
Today's guest describes herselfas just an average girl doing
good work.
But when you look at the impactof her life and leadership, you
realize there's absolutelynothing average about Linda
Goldfield.
She's the CEO of Youth Haven,the only emergency and
residential shelter for kids inCollier County.
(00:20):
She's passionate about showingup for kids, especially those
who've been let down by adults.
She's also leading a $20million campaign to expand
mental health services for thesekids, right?
Yeah.
Thank you.
So welcome.
Thank you for
Linda Goldfield (00:34):
the opportunity
Robert DiLella (00:35):
to be here.
Yeah, no, it's special.
Thank you for agreeing to bewith us during this time of
year.
And I was thrilled to get anopportunity to talk to you.
Back in 2018, there wassomebody who was involved with
the Youth Haven organization.
She set up an event where thechildren came to the salon, the
boys came on one day and thegirls came on another day, and
(00:55):
we were able to do transfer.
We were able to give themhaircuts, but in our ROP way
with a lot of love and, youknow, shampoo, head, neck, and
shoulder massage, and justpamper them in a way that was
special.
And then I got to take them outfor ice cream at Ben and
Jerry's at the village.
And it was one of the mostheartwarming, special
experiences of my entire life.
(01:15):
Those children were suchblessings.
The gratitude that they had,the gratefulness for just
getting a haircut and lookingand feeling better about
themselves was, it, It moved melike no other experience in my
life.
Linda Goldfield (01:28):
Well, thank you for doing that because for our
children, they've beencontinually disappointed by
adults and for the community orfor Robert of Philadelphia to
show up and be there for thekids to give them aspiration,
normalcy that our childrendeserve just like every other
child.
Robert DiLella (01:45):
Yeah, that was, you could see in their hearts
and in their eyes and just theirappreciation for the love
because we just were able tofill them up with tons of love.
It was really special.
I hope to be able to do thatagain.
And we're always here for you,especially.
Linda Goldfield (02:00):
And I don't know if you're aware that you
always help us at Christmas too.
You have a Christmas tree withtags on because for the holidays
on our campus for our children,they can be very, very
difficult realizing that theycan't go home to be with their
parents.
And so we shower them with lotsof love, the meaning of the
holidays, but also equally asimportant, making sure that they
(02:21):
have all their gifts and thatthey asked from Santa that they
get those special
Robert DiLella (02:25):
treats.
Yeah.
Well, we'll be there for that.
Thank you.
Anything we can do for sure.
Linda Goldfield (02:29):
Thank you.
Robert DiLella (02:30):
So to, um, being that this is a spotlight on
good people and you are for us,a good person, a good person,
our community.
Thank you.
Um, I want to get to know, uh,who you are at your core aside
from the titles and roles thatyou play.
Who are you?
Linda Goldfield (02:51):
As you said, in my intro, I really think I am
just an average girl doing goodwork.
And I grew up in a middle-classfamily in Pennsylvania that
values were instilled into us tomake a difference in the world
and grew up with an extendedloving family where I knew that
(03:14):
I had every opportunity that Icould be whoever I wanted to be,
that I had the support of afamily, that My path forward was
laid out for me that I'd go tocollege, that I could see the
world.
Anything that I wanted to dowas within reach.
And so to see that there arechildren in our community, in
this affluent community, whodon't have those opportunities,
(03:36):
that don't have parents, thathave the resources or the skills
to provide for their children,are frankly living in a
community that's so affluentthat for middle-class families,
working-class families, andworking-poor families, They're
one disaster or one accidentaway from a disaster and their
children being removed fromtheir home really is what
(03:56):
inspires me to do the work thatI do because these are the
children of the future of ourcommunity.
They deserve everything that wecan do for them.
And so at the core of who I amis making sure the kids have the
opportunities that I hadgrowing
Robert DiLella (04:09):
up.
And growing up in a two-parenthome where you got lots of love
and had a great upbringing, Whatis it that you want to give to
these children that you got?
Linda Goldfield (04:22):
Well, one, I want them to have love.
I want them to see, tounderstand that they're entitled
to, they deserve to haveunconditional love, that they
too can be whoever they are.
And frankly, the circumstancesthat brought them into our care
make them the most resilient,special children who...
(04:42):
who overcome the obstacles thatthey've gone through, that they
can be whoever they want.
They just need to believe inthemselves the way that myself
and our staff of 74 believe inthem.
Robert DiLella (04:54):
Wow, 74.
Linda Goldfield (04:55):
Yeah.
Wow, that's awesome.
It really takes a lot of peopleto make sure that they have
everything they need to besuccessful.
They live on our campus.
They go to school.
We have after-schoolactivities, therapeutic
activities, educationalactivities.
everything that you would dofor your own children or nieces
and nephews, we're doing for thechildren on our campus to make
(05:15):
sure they have better outcomesbecause they are the future of
this community.
If we're not helping them now,sadly, as adults, we'll be
helping them in other ways.
Robert DiLella (05:25):
Was there something I read about a former
resident or somebody else whohas received assistance from
Youth Haven that's an attorneynow?
So
Linda Goldfield (05:34):
the first graduate of Rob's Cottage, which
is our homeless teentransitional program, there's a
cottage on our campus calledRob's, which is for ages 16
through 21.
Those are children that shouldhave been removed from their
homes by the Department ofChildren and Family Services,
but for whatever reasons fellthrough the cracks.
There are close to 1,400homeless Unaccompanied or
(05:57):
homeless children in ourcommunity, children that may or
teens that may be couch surfing,living in their cars, living in
a camp in the woods, livingmultiple teens to a housing unit
without a parent.
We're getting those referralsfor the school system.
And that program is designed toensure homeless teens aren't
homeless adults.
It has a 90% success rate.
The first graduate of thatprogram is assistant state's
(06:21):
attorney here in Collier County.
How cool is that?
And she's in our county.
And she's in our community.
So we're really helping ensurethat homeless teens have a
bright future.
We're there to support them.
Again, it's a program withexceptional results.
The challenge is, frankly, welive in a community that there
isn't anything that's affordablehousing.
And when an average one-bedroomapartment costs $2,400 and
(06:45):
perhaps you graduate from highschool or trade school and
you're making $18 an hour beforeyou're going on to college,
it's really hard to be able toafford rents in this community.
And so we struggle to help themto ensure that they're not
homeless and ensuring thatthey're staying in our community
because the last two graduatesended up leaving Naples and
(07:07):
going to Hillsborough Countybecause that's all they could
afford.
And we provide continualsupport and services for those
teens when they leave us at 21.
So part of our strategic planat Youth Haven is to secure a
small apartment building, an oldmotel, a large house that when
they graduate at 21, we cancontinue to provide supportive
services, subsidize their rent,and be there for them as they
(07:31):
continue to find who they arethrough their 20s.
Robert DiLella (07:35):
You said a number, 1,400?
Linda Goldfield (07:37):
Homeless teens in our community.
Robert DiLella (07:40):
Wow.
You know, in this slice ofparadise of Pleasantville, of
whatever it looks like in ourtown, you would never imagine
that there could be that here.
Right,
Linda Goldfield (07:50):
and I think we live in a community that is so
affluent, so picture-perfect,that it's easy to not know the
challenges that are going on inthis community.
Youth Haven has been in thecommunity since 1972.
So for over 53 years, we'vebeen providing services to this
community.
For many years, we were hiddenin the community by design.
(08:13):
During my tenure, we've reallyworked at making sure the
community knows that we'rethere, having an opportunity to
visit our campus, interact withour children, to have healthy
relationships for them.
again, for them to see that thecommunity is invested in them,
for them to have the opportunityto meet successful people in
the community to see that thereis a path forward for
Robert DiLella (08:33):
them.
What got you into this world ofhelping kids like that?
Linda Goldfield (08:37):
So my first career was with a high-end
hotel, Four Seasons Hotels,served on a lot of event
committees, did a lot ofphilanthropic work that was part
of my job, and always knew atsome point I wanted to make the
transition from being a layleader to being a paid
professional.
And about 20, a little over 20years ago, I made that
(09:02):
transition working innonprofits.
And when the outgoing executivedirector of Youth Haven
approached me to join YouthHaven, my background was really
in community development andfundraising.
And it was something that YouthHaven really needed.
I took that job not franklyrealizing what I was taking and
(09:22):
have found my forever home.
I love what I do.
I love going to work.
I love making a difference inthose children's lives, whether
I get to be with them for twodays or four years.
It's a profound, they have aprofound effect on me.
And when they leave us, whetherthey get reunited with their
parents, of which 65% do, or goto a foster care family, of
(09:44):
which we have a dire need forfoster care families in this
community, or they age out ofthe system, when they leave us,
they take a little bit of myheart with me because I just
adore them and stay connected tothem.
My program director and I makesure that they all have our cell
phone numbers So that when theyleave, if there's ever anything
(10:05):
they need, they can reach outto us.
I joked the other day, a girlmissed the school bus and called
and said, Miss Linda, will yousend an Uber for me?
Not really what I had in mind,but of course, that's what we'll
do, whatever they need to besuccessful.
Robert DiLella (10:18):
Like somebody would do with somebody in their
family.
Exactly.
Linda Goldfield (10:21):
Right.
I chose to not have children.
And so I joke now that I havepotentially 74 children.
Robert DiLella (10:26):
Oh, wow.
What a blessing.
Linda Goldfield (10:28):
Yeah, it is.
It really is.
Robert DiLella (10:30):
What are holidays like?
I know you spend time with themon Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I know that's part of yourroutine.
Linda Goldfield (10:36):
Well, Easter is coming up, so we'll be going to
church together and then out tobreakfast.
And there's a thousand Eastereggs that will be hidden on the
campus.
They'll have an Easter egghunt.
And then one of our communitypartners is catering lunch and
Easter lunch for the kids.
So being with the So manyholidays are really
child-focused, so it's wonderfulto be able to spend holidays
(11:00):
with the kids, to see it throughtheir eyes, and see the
enjoyment and joy they get outof it.
So Christmas is incrediblyimportant.
We make sure each child hastheir own birthday.
For many of our kids, they'venever had a birthday, so they
get to pick out the theme oftheir cake.
They get birthday gifts.
Again, making every child feelvery special, individualized.
(11:23):
We are not a campus that onesize fits all.
Robert DiLella (11:25):
Yeah.
This reminded me of thiscampaign we did last summer
because I have this specialplace in my heart for the
self-esteem of children.
And we did this, we called itthe Princess Pamper Package.
And for free, we did over$1,000.
children, girls from the ageof, I don't know, four to 17.
(11:45):
Wow.
And it was where they got tocome in and feel like a queen, a
princess really, where they gota shampoo head, neck and
shoulder massage, a scalptreatment and a consultation.
And they got a fulltransformation look if they
wanted that or just a blowout,but then some tinsel on their
hair where they were justtreated with a glass of grape
(12:07):
juice.
Champagne.
And just treat it like theyshould be.
As they
Linda Goldfield (12:13):
should be.
And it's aspirational for kidsto see how other people live and
have those experiences thatthey can see.
If you work really hard, youtoo can have that as your life.
Robert DiLella (12:24):
Yeah.
Well, I certainly would lovethe opportunity to serve the
children there in any way thatwe can like that too.
Thank you.
Beautiful.
What would surprise you themost about Youth Haven and the
kids that live there?
Linda Goldfield (12:45):
So I think people have this misconception
that the children of Youth Havenmust be bad children, broken
children.
They are the most incrediblechildren you will ever meet.
Again, it's your experience.
The gratitude.
They're just struggling withmental health issues, with
trauma.
Most of them have significanttrauma that brought them into
(13:08):
our care, have been in multipleplacements over the years.
So really, all they need issomeone to be there for them,
listen to them, love them, andgive them hope and an
opportunity for a brighterfuture.
I think the other thing thatwould surprise people if you've
never toured our campus is howbeautiful and residential it
looks, that it really is a homewhere children heal.
(13:30):
It's a sanctuary.
It looks like anyone else'shome.
It's not a shelter.
I think people havepreconceived ideas of what
shelters look like.
And there may be shelters thatare cots lined up in a large
room, but that is not what oursis.
Their rooms look like a room inyour own house.
(13:51):
They decorate the rooms.
They have a private bathroom.
I say they look nicer than adorm room I had in college.
It's not ideal, obviously, tobe living in a group home.
But they're safe.
They're taken care of.
They see a bright future forthemselves.
Robert DiLella (14:08):
Tell me more about the therapeutic center
that's being
Linda Goldfield (14:10):
worked on.
So we are in the middle of a$20 million capital campaign.
Thank you for asking.
We've raised $11 of that $20million.
So the heartbeat of the campusright now is the Telford
Building.
It is where all of thetherapeutic activities work.
All of the enrichmentactivities, education programs,
the programming staff, thetherapeutic staff are housed.
(14:30):
We have outgrown that space.
So again, it's the oldestbuilding on campus.
It has served us well.
7,000 square feet.
We are moving or building a22,000 square foot building that
will allow us to continue toexpand the therapeutic component
of the campus.
As children are coming to uswith more and more trauma, more
(14:50):
and more therapeutic needs, wecontinue to expand that.
that portion of our campus, whyevery child has a therapist.
Oftentimes, children areintimidated or don't want to
participate in traditionaltherapy, so animal-assisted
therapy, art therapy, musictherapy, all these other
programs that we are doing onthe campus are helping children
heal in fun ways that, frankly,they don't really realize that
(15:12):
it has a therapeutic component
Robert DiLella (15:14):
to it.
Sounds like something that thegeneral population could use.
Absolutely, right.
That's
Linda Goldfield (15:20):
great.
Robert DiLella (15:23):
What do you wish every person in this community
understood about these kids andtheir stories?
Linda Goldfield (15:28):
That they're the future of this community.
So children in foster care,sadly, the statistics are bleak.
At age 18, 50% become homeless.
Children in foster care aremore likely to end up
incarcerated drug addicts,alcoholics.
85% of death row inmates are inthe foster care system.
We as a community have aresponsibility to make sure the
(15:51):
children in this communityaren't those bleak statistics
because they are the future.
And if we're not helping themnow, again, tax dollars will be
helping them later.
For many people who aretransplants, I don't think they
realize that there aren't taxdollars that are helping social
service organizations.
Our budget this year is $8million.
$7 million of it comes fromcommunity support.
(16:14):
And it's the community that'sallowing us to provide these
services to help children heal,move beyond that trauma, find
out who they can be, and ensurethat they have a better future,
a brighter future.
Robert DiLella (16:26):
So fortunately, there's no concern about Elon
cutting anything out of yourbudget.
Linda Goldfield (16:34):
Well, I don't want to be political.
Currently, we're not sure whatwill happen with funding through
Department of Children andFamily Services, but we expect
that we'll be fine because-
Robert DiLella (16:51):
Is that a state agency?
That's a state agency.
So
Linda Goldfield (16:54):
funding comes from the state.
To my knowledge, nothing isbeing cut as it stands, but we
really- thrive and are able toexpand our services because of
the community.
So the generosity of thecommunity is what's keeping our
doors open, allowing us toexpand, allowing us to create a
more home-like campus.
(17:15):
We are continually renovating acampus.
When you have potentially 74children living on a campus,
it's a campus that takes a lotof wear and tear, and it's the
generosity of the community thatallows us to continue to
upgrade it, expand it, make sureit's the best place group home
that it can possibly be.
Robert DiLella (17:34):
Awesome.
Your hair looks amazing, by theway.
It does.
It looks beautiful.
Thank you.
Just keep looking at it.
You did a fabulous job.
Thank you.
Very pampering.
And you got a Maria shampootoo.
Yeah.
Oh my
Linda Goldfield (17:47):
gosh.
Unbelievable.
Wow.
She, she not only hasincredible hands, but she sings
to you like serenaded.
She's unbelievable.
Robert DiLella (17:55):
Yes.
Yeah.
She's a healer back there.
Yeah.
She is a healer.
Yeah.
All
Linda Goldfield (18:01):
us women love a little pampering.
Robert DiLella (18:03):
Yes, and so deserve it, right?
Yes.
When life gets hard for you,who or what do you do for
strength?
Linda Goldfield (18:13):
So I am incredibly fortunate to have a
wonderful support network.
Incredible girlfriends that arethere to support me and
incredible staff.
that leadership team andmanagement team, that we support
each other on the campus sothat when someone is struggling,
we were there to support eachother.
(18:34):
I have a loving spouse and twoloving dogs that I go home to.
But when I'm having a stressfulday, get in the car, get on 75,
drive a little too fast with aloud music on.
And that's my cure-all.
Robert DiLella (18:50):
Oh, awesome.
And what's the music playingwhen you're-
Linda Goldfield (18:53):
It's probably like 1970s rock music.
Led Zeppelin was probably myfavorite.
That's great.
So I'm the woman who wasdriving a little too fast on all
the roads, actually, not justthe highway.
That's great.
I love it.
Robert DiLella (19:11):
A little Diremaker, a little Zeppelin
playing there.
Very good.
Your prized possession is yourmom's copy of The Great Gatsby.
Unknown (19:21):
Mm-hmm.
Robert DiLella (19:22):
With her handwritten notes in it, right?
What does that book representto you?
Linda Goldfield (19:27):
My mother was a brilliant woman.
I had a PhD in English.
We sat down to a dinner tableevery night that we had
vocabulary quizzes andShakespeare quizzes or quizzes
from other well-known authorswhere she would So the arts and
(19:57):
language were very important inmy family, and she was a teacher
that gave her life to herstudents, so I think some of
that I got from her.
Mm-hmm.
And, uh, sadly my mother had,uh, Lewy body dementia.
So I saw a woman that at theend of her life, couldn't put a
(20:19):
noun and a verb together.
Uh, and so to see, uh, howbrilliant she was and how
thoughtful and caring.
And so to pick up whether it'sa great Gatsby for years, I kept
her, uh, essays that she wrotefor students when they were
going off to college for theiradmissions, just to have her
(20:40):
written word.
So I'm very sentimental andlove to have those things around
me.
So it keeps her close to me.
That's special.
Yeah.
Yeah, nice.
Robert DiLella (20:52):
And Jane Austen is your woman, another woman in
history for you.
Jane
Linda Goldfield (20:56):
Austen's a woman I love.
There are a lot of women thatwere really special in my life.
I like to feel I do that samething for other women, giving
them opportunities, being therefor them to support them, that
we all need to support eachother and lift each other up.
Robert DiLella (21:13):
If you could have dinner with Jane, what
would you ask her?
Linda Goldfield (21:18):
Oh, how it was to be a trailblazer in an age
when women weren't allowed to betrailblazers.
Yeah.
How to have a voice when peopledidn't want you to have a
voice.
Unknown (21:28):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Linda Goldfield (21:30):
And to be...
True to yourself.
How do you be true to yourselfwhen oftentimes you really can't
be?
Robert DiLella (21:40):
You're also a fellow Philadelphian.
Linda Goldfield (21:42):
Yes.
Robert DiLella (21:43):
Bucks County girl.
Bucks County was so Delco.
My side was the, you know,there's a Delco attitude side.
And then Bucks County was wherethe.
From our perspective, it was alot nicer than Bucks County was.
Linda Goldfield (21:59):
Well, my father grew up in inner city
Philadelphia in a row house.
So I know
Robert DiLella (22:04):
Philly.
What's your maiden name?
Linda Goldfield (22:06):
That is my, I never, Goldfield is my maiden
name.
I never changed my name.
Robert DiLella (22:10):
Okay.
So he was a Philly guy.
He
Linda Goldfield (22:12):
was a Philly guy.
In a row home.
In a row home.
Went to Bartram High School,John Bartram.
And so Philly always feels likehome.
I try and go back two or threetimes a year.
I just love the energy.
I love how Philly people arereal and honest.
And it's just, it's a greatcity.
Robert DiLella (22:37):
My favorite analogy of a Philly person
versus anybody else is if youget a flat tire on a road and a
person from LA pulls over tohelp you, they'll stop and
they'll say, um, Yeah, I'm sorryyou have a flat...
I'm really sorry about yourflat tire.
I'll call somebody for you.
Good luck today and take off.
And a Philly person will pullover and say, you idiot, what
are you doing on the road?
(22:58):
Why are your tires bald?
As they're pumping up the jackand changing the tire for you.
And
Linda Goldfield (23:05):
there seems to be more...
Philly people coming to thistown, which is nice.
Isn't
Robert DiLella (23:11):
that great?
Yes.
The other
Linda Goldfield (23:12):
day, someone said, I'm going to the shore for
the summer.
And I'm like, oh, wow, you'reone of us.
Robert DiLella (23:16):
Yes.
It was always, what shore?
What parish or what shore?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
What was your shore?
Linda Goldfield (23:23):
So as a child, we went to, oh my gosh, we were
just talking about thisyesterday, Avalon and Stone
Harbor.
Oh, yes.
Love those.
Robert DiLella (23:33):
Oh, yes.
So we were wild wooders.
So my grandmother was a
Linda Goldfield (23:36):
Wildwooder, had a cottage in Wildwood.
The other day I was talkingabout some, I mean, I haven't
been to the Jersey Shore inyears.
My aunt and uncle, we were justhaving lunch and we were
talking about, oh, we should goback and rent a house for a week
just for the good old days.
Robert DiLella (23:53):
Yeah, there's something about it.
That's salt air, the saltwatertaffies, the fudge, the
boardwalk.
Linda Goldfield (23:59):
I went to Atlantic City a couple of years
ago Um, that is not the same.
No, no, not at all.
Yeah.
I was looking for, uh,planters, peanuts.
That's gone.
And the saltwater taffy wasn'tthe same.
Yeah.
And the boards there justaren't the same.
It's a different world there.
But it, I find the Jerseyshore.
It still feels wholesome.
Yeah.
Um, like where families go tohave a good time to be with each
(24:23):
other.
Robert DiLella (24:23):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Last time I went there, whichwas quite a while ago, we went
to ocean city, which is still adry town.
It's still considered a film.
I mean, you can drive rightover the bridge to get the
liquor, but still it's kept itsways, you know, with the old
tradition of Ocean City.
And I remember taking my kidswho were raised here.
I took my son up toPhiladelphia and he got to see
(24:46):
what a real city was like forthe first time when he was very
young.
And having grown up inPleasantville here, me taking
him into the city and him seeingthe inner city and, you know,
people, so much less fortunatethan what he is.
Linda Goldfield (25:02):
I think that it's important to see how other
people live and to go intoneighborhoods.
So as a child, again, my fathermade sure that we saw how he
was raised versus how we wereraised.
And it really impacted, for me,my values and appreciation.
And I think with success andsuccess I'm doing well in life
(25:28):
comes a responsibility to helpothers and seeing, seeing that
firsthand.
I think being in a city, Ithink that's the challenge
raising children here that theydon't really, a lot of things
are hidden in this community.
And when you go to a city, itis, it is prominent.
You see it everywhere.
And while no one wants to seeanyone suffering, I think it's
(25:49):
really important to see itbecause it really is.
puts things in perspective, howfortunate we are living here,
how easy life, for the mostpart, is here versus people that
are struggling living in acity.
Robert DiLella (26:00):
Yes.
Yeah, when I'm complainingabout something ridiculous,
traffic, whatever it is, it's ajoke.
Linda Goldfield (26:09):
Well, right.
I lived in D.C.
for...
close to 20 years and wouldspend an hour and a half to go
five miles to commute into thecity.
And so when you complain abouta little traffic on 41, I
realize I have nothing tocomplain
Robert DiLella (26:23):
about.
Yeah, yeah.
To me, it's a blast.
Traffic, I love traffic.
There's more people.
I don't mind that.
It's okay.
There's more hair that needs tobe done.
That's good.
Linda Goldfield (26:32):
Yes, how this town has changed and expanded
has been good, I think, for allof us.
Robert DiLella (26:37):
Yeah.
It's still paradise.
It's a beautiful place.
It's hard to go on vacationanywhere from here.
This is such a perfect area.
It is.
It's a beautiful place to live.
As far as your legacy, whatwould make you feel like your
life's work has been successful?
Linda Goldfield (26:52):
To fast forward and children who've lived on
our campus who are now adultsfor me to hear how successful
they are and happy and movebeyond their trauma and whatever
success looks to them thatthey've had those opportunities
in life.
Robert DiLella (27:11):
What advice would you give to someone
listening who wants to be a goodperson, but maybe doesn't know
where to start?
Linda Goldfield (27:17):
I think all of us are good people.
So I think it's just findingyour passion and going after
something that interests you.
So whether it's children oranimals or nature, whether it's
volunteering or...
If you're in a financialposition to make a difference by
writing a check and allowing anorganization to do what they
(27:42):
need to do with that money tomove an organization forward is
important.
But it's really finding outyour passion and what your
skills are and translating themto other people.
Robert DiLella (27:54):
Was there a moment in time or an event for
you where you knew what yourcalling was, where you knew this
is it, I'm in the right placeor I'm making the right move?
Linda Goldfield (28:03):
So my second job in the nonprofit world, I
worked for a women's healthorganization, and when I did
fundraising for them and saw thewomen that we were helping, I
knew that having made thattransition from the corporate
(28:24):
world to the nonprofit world wasthe right decision for me.
Robert DiLella (28:30):
What is a day in the life...
of a CEO at Youth Haven look
Linda Goldfield (28:34):
like?
Oh, it's the most exciting,rewarding job.
It's never the same day.
And in fact, whatever I thinkthe day is going to be, it's not
what the day is going to be.
So it could be having childrenin my office who are asking for
things or just need someone totalk to.
It's meeting with staff,looking at programs.
(28:54):
It's fundraising.
It's looking at the campus.
So I feel that my training atFour Seasons really has informed
who I am.
When I will walk around thecampus and do a spot check, I do
it through the eyes of someonewho worked at Four Seasons.
(29:14):
So no detail is left unturned.
And through all thoseexperiences, life experiences
from...
A childhood to my current lifereally has allowed me to move
(29:35):
well with different groups ofpeople at different places they
are in their
Robert DiLella (29:38):
life.
I think the Four Seasonstraining and development as a
human who likes to serve isextraordinary only because we
had a salon in the Ritz and weparticipated in their
operations.
We were a part of it on a dailybasis.
serving ladies and gentlemen,serving ladies and gentlemen,
(30:03):
every moment, all the time, andalways listening for
opportunities to serve anotherhuman.
And I know Four Seasons sharesalmost the same thing.
So just remarkable trainingfor, I think it's
Linda Goldfield (30:17):
like attention to detail, making sure people
are taken care of, that theirexpectations are met.
As we've become a charity thathas more and more philanthropic
support, those that areinvesting in our organization
expect more from us.
And so we are always raisingthe bar at our organization to
make sure we're doing best forour children and for the
(30:39):
community that we're serving.
Robert DiLella (30:43):
How can people help?
What do you need?
Linda Goldfield (30:48):
So my first thing would be that people know
we exist because it amazes mehow many people don't know that
Youth Haven exists, that peopleare incredulous that their
children are being removed fromtheir homes in our community.
So that knowing Youth Havenexists, coming out and seeing
our facility, taking a tour, andthen sharing that in the
(31:10):
community, what our campus lookslike, who our children are,
having an opportunity tointeract with them.
Obviously, there are ways to beinvolved as a volunteer,
whether it's coming out anddoing a done-in-a-day project,
whether it's planting flowers orbaking cookies with the kids or
being a math tutor or servingon a committee.
(31:32):
There's many ways to beinvolved to make a difference on
our campus, and all of thatmakes a difference in the
children's lives.
Robert DiLella (31:39):
Done in a day.
That's an opportunity.
Right.
Linda Goldfield (31:46):
religious organizations that will come out
and want to bring a group ofpeople and paint an exterior of
a cottage, do some gardening,cooking with the kids, doing
arts and crafts with thechildren.
There's many ways to beinvolved.
Robert DiLella (32:08):
What is a recent book or podcast that you could
share with people that would beinteresting?
Do you listen to podcasts?
Do you read books?
Linda Goldfield (32:18):
I read books.
So I know probably from whatyou've read, I'm rereading the,
well, I always read the fouragreements.
So it's always on my nightstandbecause I try and live my life
by the four agreements.
Robert DiLella (32:36):
Which are?
Integrity is one.
Linda Goldfield (32:39):
Be impeccable with your word.
Robert DiLella (32:41):
Uh-huh.
Linda Goldfield (32:41):
Now I'm not going to be able to say them
because you're asking
Robert DiLella (32:44):
me to say them.
I know.
And I should know them too, butI'll have to refresh.
I want to reread that.
So
Linda Goldfield (32:50):
I find that that's how I live my day-to-day
life.
Um, and I am reading, um, Icouldn't tell you the author.
I'm reading a book that takesplace.
It's autobiographical in India.
So India is my favorite placein the world to go.
It's where I go every year toreground and to get spiritually
(33:16):
connected.
And so I'm reading a book aboutIndia right now about a young
woman who went home to trace herroots.
Robert DiLella (33:23):
Wow.
Yeah.
How and why India?
Linda Goldfield (33:27):
So from the second grade when we studied
India, I had a fascination withit.
And I finally got there when Iwas the first time 52 and fell
in love with it and have goneback five times.
And it's a place that I justfeel people do make a difference
(33:50):
in people's lives.
It's a community that takescare of each other.
People aren't as obsessed withmaterial possessions.
It's about quality of life andenjoying each other.
And there is this convergenceof many, many religions and the
spirituality.
(34:10):
And I just feel very connectedthere.
And while Youth Haven willalways be my number one charity,
my number two charity is anorphanage for children in
Calcutta.
Robert DiLella (34:25):
That's wonderful.
The area that you go or youvisit?
I go to
Linda Goldfield (34:28):
different places every year.
There are a few places I tryand go every year.
I love Kolkata.
I love Delhi.
And I just travel the country,see it.
I say I'd love to live there.
I don't think in this life Iwill.
According to astrologers, in mynext life I'll live there.
Robert DiLella (34:49):
I kind of got a sense of peace just hearing you
share about that.
I think
Linda Goldfield (34:53):
it's one of those places that...
It's sensory overload.
It is incredibly overwhelming.
And the poverty can just leaveyou paralyzed.
But if you go beneath all ofthat, you see a country and
(35:14):
people that are kind andspiritual and caring and take
care of each other.
And it's just the most peacefulplace I've ever been in my
life.
Robert DiLella (35:24):
And is it like they're almost content with the
way that it is?
Not that they want more or wantbetter, but it's like they've
accepted.
One of the things I noticeabout this area when I go to
other areas, especially in thisarea, it seems like a lot of
people, whatever it is thatthey're doing, they have this
behavior like, this isn't reallywhat I'm supposed to be doing.
I'm going to be doing that.
I'm going to be there.
(35:44):
But when I visit small townslike Port Huron, where my wife
is from in Michigan, whateveranybody's doing, whether it's a
cashier at Walmart or...
a server at Applebee's.
They love what they do.
They're passionate about it.
They're there for the longhaul.
That's where they want to be.
It's not like they need to beanywhere else.
They could be, but they're justokay with this and they're
happy with serving in that way.
(36:05):
And so when I see, and I don'tknow, cause I've never been, but
when you go to a country likethat and see that there's
happiness inside of that, eventhough there's that level of
poverty or that level of, yousee what they don't have and how
much we have in the gap,
Linda Goldfield (36:20):
And people are willing to share the little that
they have regardless.
So I think it's about living inthe moment and being present
and not always chasing what'sthe next excitement.
And I think a lot of peoplehave that, it's never enough, we
want more, and not finding thecontentment in what we have.
(36:42):
And from a spiritualperspective, most believe that
they're coming back for many,many lives.
And so this isn't their onlylife.
Um, so it's just a verydifferent way of looking at
life.
Robert DiLella (36:57):
Yeah.
And it really takes a level ofpractice, I think, to live in
the moment to be here now.
Yeah.
I saw this thing just lastweek.
Um, this guy was probably amotivational speaker, some type
of speaker back from the day ofZig Ziglar and, um, Carnegie.
Uh, he was, um, He had anhourglass and he was pointing to
(37:20):
the top of the hourglass withall the sand in it.
And then the bottom of thehourglass that had the sand that
had already gone through.
And he pointed to the top andhe said, we live like we have
this amount of time left.
We look at this and say, well,we have all this sand left.
Then there's the middle, thesand that's going down.
And then we look at the bottomas if it's the past.
And then he put his hand infront of the top of the glass
(37:43):
and he said, we really have noidea.
but we live like we do, but wehave no idea.
And the past is the past that'salready happened.
All we really have is what's inthat middle there with those
little grains of sand that arecoming down there.
And that hit me in a way thatwas different because until
something happens or until I'mabruptly waking up, I live like,
oh, I got all the time in theworld.
(38:04):
I got tomorrow.
We
Linda Goldfield (38:04):
don't know if we do.
So if you live every momentlike it's your last with joy and
integrity and, and making adifference, I think then you
feel really connected to theworld.
But we live chasing the nextexcitement.
And I say I'm trying to findenjoyment in the mundane, the
(38:28):
daily activities of life,whether it's just sitting
outside, listening to the birdschirp and reading a book, or
sharing a glass of wine with afriend.
Robert DiLella (38:42):
truly making a difference or contributing to
another human being, I thinkthere's nothing more rewarding
or nothing more fulfilling in myown personal experience.
Cause I, I chase things justlike the normal way to chase,
like got this brand new bigscreen TV.
Come on that I've alwaysdreamed would be my, I made it
in life TVs.
They fit on the wall and fillmost of the wall.
(39:04):
And, and I got it in the nextday.
I was like, is this it?
Like, where is it?
Like, this did nothing for me.
It was such a joke.
It's a silly representation ofit, but not like it was
everything to me.
But I thought, oh, this isgoing to be nice to watch.
It means nothing.
Like, it matters none.
And I still think about the dayI spent with those young men,
young people who came to oursalon to have their haircut from
(39:26):
Youth Haven.
And that day, what they did forme in that day.
Not what I did for them, whatthey did for me.
being able to impact their lifewas more impactful than either
in a way.
Linda Goldfield (39:38):
Really, I have to say every day my heart sings
because of some interaction Ihave with our children.
And it's easy to, if I get thenext pair of shoes, oh, my life
will be better.
But you get those pair of shoesand your life isn't any better.
But when you have aninteraction, whether it's at
Youth Haven with our children orother charities and the
(40:02):
population that they're serving,You really see how you can make
an impact in someone's life.
move beyond their past, thatthey're not stuck in the history
(40:30):
of their trauma and whatbrought them to Youth Haven, and
that there is a path to besuccessful in making a
difference in their lives.
Robert DiLella (40:39):
Inspire them.
Linda Goldfield (40:40):
Yeah.
Robert DiLella (40:44):
Just for fun.
I see you have coffee.
What's your coffee order?
Linda Goldfield (40:49):
It's actually hot tea.
Oh.
English breakfast tea, black.
Robert DiLella (40:53):
Okay.
No coffee then?
Tea all the
Linda Goldfield (40:56):
time?
Tea all the time.
Robert DiLella (40:57):
Any special teas you got while you were in
India?
Linda Goldfield (40:59):
Yes, I love the loose leaf teas of India.
So Darjeeling.
Yeah, I'll try any.
I went to a tea plantation thelast visit and sampled all these
different teas.
I love tea.
But every so often a doubleshot espresso.
Robert DiLella (41:20):
Oh, there you go.
Right after my heart.
That's my drink.
Yes.
That's my drink.
Favorite.
That's what I live by.
Espresso.
That's why we have espressomachines in the salon.
My father, he got me on theespresso world and it was always
his drink.
Before he passed in 2015, whilehe was sick, well, always in
(41:41):
his life, he would summon me tohis house to visit by sending me
a text of an espresso cup.
And that meant let's go sit onthe back deck and have espresso
together because that was kindof our drink.
And that's
Linda Goldfield (41:53):
like living in the moment, sharing a cup of
coffee.
That experience is profound.
Robert DiLella (41:58):
Yes.
Linda Goldfield (41:59):
Or it can be.
Robert DiLella (42:00):
Yes.
And I remember those.
Those are some of the bestmemories I have with him because
they were just he and I justsharing a moment on his
beautiful deck, having espressotogether.
Yeah.
In paradise.
Yeah.
Linda Goldfield (42:12):
So much better than chasing a TV or shoes.
Yeah.
So true.
Robert DiLella (42:18):
If you weren't a not-for-profit CEO, what do you
think you'd be doing today?
Linda Goldfield (42:27):
Gosh, I can't imagine doing anything else.
If I wasn't doing this, Ireally can't imagine doing
anything else.
I really can't.
At this stage of my life, Ilove what I do.
I love giving back to thecommunity.
I love making a difference.
(42:48):
It brings me, as I shared, somuch joy.
I get so much more out of itthan what is given to me.
Yeah, I can't imagine doinganything else other than on my
bucket list is to write thegreat American novel, but not
disciplined enough to do that.
(43:09):
So I don't think that'shappening.
Robert DiLella (43:11):
That's your mother in you calling, right?
Yeah, that's cool.
That's really cool.
What's something about you thatmost people don't know but
should?
Linda Goldfield (43:23):
That I'm a farm girl at heart.
So I was sharing the other daythat my grandfather owned a John
Deere tractor and a truckdealership, and I grew up
playing on farm equipment.
And my board chair was like,that's not you.
And I'm like, yeah.
Speaker 00 (43:44):
I can drive a tractor.
That's awesome.
Robert DiLella (43:49):
Any pictures of you on a tractor?
Speaker 00 (43:50):
Oh, I'm sure there's plenty of them.
Yeah, awesome.
Linda Goldfield (43:53):
So I think the persona that most people see
would never think that that'swho I am.
But in my heart, yeah, I lovebeing on a farm, getting my toes
in the soil, communing withnature.
Robert DiLella (44:10):
Yeah, your roots.
Yeah, there
Linda Goldfield (44:12):
you
Robert DiLella (44:12):
go.
We're so blessed.
Our community is so blessed tohave you.
Linda Goldfield (44:16):
Again, I really dislike things being about me,
as you can tell.
It's all about Youth Haven.
So the community, we're luckyto have Youth Haven in our
community.
And I'm fortunate to, again,have a group of staff and a
board of directors that'scommitted to moving the
(44:38):
organization forward.
Why we're told we're one of thebest organizations facilities
in the state of Florida.
Our vision is to be the finestin the country because the
children in this communitydeserve it.
Um, and so
Robert DiLella (44:50):
always putting others first, of course, is a
good person would do alwaysputting others ahead of you and
always in front of you.
Yeah.
It's a beautiful thing.
Linda Goldfield (44:57):
And again, I, I, I feel really blessed every
day I get up, I go to a job thatI love.
It's not a job.
It really feels like a calling.
Um, and to make a difference insomeone's life.
And again, the rest of thestaff feels the same way.
I have staff that have workedon our campus for 20 years,
really committed to the childrenof this community.
(45:18):
And again, our community, theircontinual investment in the
work that we're doing andunderstanding where we're taking
that organization and wantingto support us more and more is
truly making a difference forthese kids.
Robert DiLella (45:31):
Thank you.
Linda Goldfield (45:32):
Thank you.
Robert DiLella (45:35):
You said, and your words were, the words you
said to live by are, find whatyou seek.
That was a quote that you had.
Linda Goldfield (45:44):
Rumi, yeah.
Robert DiLella (45:47):
Today we sought out a good person, and we
absolutely found one in you.
Thank you for who you are, howyou lead, and most of all, how
you love.
Linda Goldfield (45:56):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Thank you for your support ofyouth, even in our children.
Robert DiLella (46:03):
It's an honor and a privilege.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thanks so much.
Speaker 00 (46:06):
Okay.
Sure.
Awesome.
Cause I know I won't talk aboutmyself.
I knew
Robert DiLella (46:11):
that.
Speaker 00 (46:13):
That was awesome.
We want to hear, you know, Ohyes, I took ballet in the second
grade.
I mean, I don't know.
Yeah.
I'm really not very interestingas a person.
Robert DiLella (46:24):
Well, you are.
No, I'm not.
Yeah.
Philly girl.
That was a good.
Yeah.
No, no, nothing
Linda Goldfield (46:29):
better than it.
So are you, should have asked,are you a whiz?
Oh,
Robert DiLella (46:34):
where's it without, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, thecheesesteak thing.
Yeah, we didn't talk aboutcheesesteaks because we have
that new cheesesteak place here.
Speaker 00 (46:40):
What new
Robert DiLella (46:41):
cheesesteak?
It's cheesesteaks.com.
It's on the East Trail, andthey ship in the rolls, and they
put a ton of meat on there.
It's the closest.
Really?
I mean, it's the real deal.
It's the real deal, yeah.
And where is it?
It's at Town Center, or I don'teven think it's called Town
Center anymore.
Just past the courthouse on 41on the left.
Speaker 00 (47:00):
Really?
Robert DiLella (47:00):
Yeah.
I had no idea.
They run out every day.
You have to, you know, you haveto get there by a certain time
because they only get so manyrolls in
Speaker 00 (47:06):
each day.
And what is it called?
Robert DiLell (47:07):
Cheesesteaks.com.
Speaker 00 (47:09):
Really?
Robert DiLella (47:09):
Philly people.
100% Philly.
You might even get yelled at alittle, but you'll feel right at
home.
It's
Speaker 00 (47:14):
awesome.
Nothing better than acheesesteak and a soft pretzel.
Robert DiLella (47:17):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, they're great.
They're really good people too.
They're Philly people andreally great and they're killing
it.
They're doing great.
And it's, it's the real deal.
Like, you know, it's...
And they don't skimp on themeat.
They get the good shaved ribeye.
It's so good.
Yeah, I can't eat them a lot,but when I do and I indulge,
it's my comfort go-to food.
Linda Goldfield (47:38):
Yeah, between that and going to, oh my God, my
favorite bakery on ChristianStreet and having cannolis.
Robert DiLella (47:47):
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, we don't get that.
No, we don't have any.
That's what I miss about upthere.
Linda Goldfield (47:52):
Yeah, so I usually go up.
with an empty suitcase to fillwith things I really don't eat
anymore, but just give me fondmemories.
Robert DiLella (48:00):
Yes.
Yeah, exactly.
That's what it is.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
The, I used to tell peoplebefore we had this, like if, if
you're going North and when youcome back, I'll take you to the
airport and bring you back aslong as you bring me, bring me
back a cheesesteak from, youknow, any cheesesteak up from up
there.
I, you know, I'm not a PatrickGino's guy, but like outside of
the area, you know, like, uh,yeah.
At
Linda Goldfield (48:19):
the end, Joe, I've tried them all in the end.
They all, tastes the same aslong as the
Robert DiLella (48:24):
yeah yeah they get into fights over what's the
best but to me for being downhere and the one here you really
got to check it out they'rethey're great we were trying to
get them on here but they wereso busy that uh that they're
there's every day they're peopleare just really taking on them
yeah
Linda Goldfield (48:38):
yeah there's nothing like good bad philly
Robert DiLella (48:41):
food no exactly yeah we're so right so it's
exactly what it is good badphilly food yes i'm
Linda Goldfield (48:47):
going up for um Memorial Day weekend and taking
my fiance and I'm going to showhim all take him to all those
like my favorite water ice placeall these things that No one
should be eating
Speaker 00 (49:00):
cream-chipped beef and Scrapple.
Yes, Scrapple.
I just had Scrapple the otherday.
Oh, my God.
Where'd you get it?
Publix.
Really?
They had Habersett Scrapple,the real deal.
Oh, my God.
There's nothing better thanScrapple.
Robert DiLella (49:12):
My wife said, what's in that?
I'm like, you don't want toknow.
You don't need to know.
Speaker 00 (49:15):
Everything that was on the floor is put together.
Oh, there's nothing better.
People look at me when I say Iwant Scrapple and cream-chipped
beef.
They're like, where are youfrom?
I haven't even heard of
Robert DiLella (49:24):
cream-chipped beef.
My mom used to make that allthe time.
I haven't had that.
Since she made it many, manyyears ago, but I've never heard
anybody.
Linda Goldfield (49:30):
So the old 41 Diner in Bonita.
Oh, he's a Philly guy, right?
He's a Philly guy.
He has cream-chiped beef.
He has it on the menu.
I
Speaker 00 (49:35):
didn't know that.
Yes, yeah, he does.
Oh, wow.
So I'll only go with certainpeople because I'm embarrassed
that that's what I want to eat.
Wow, that's a classic one.
Yeah, Philly food is delicious.
Yeah.
Robert DiLella (49:47):
Cream-chiped beef.
Speaker 00 (49:48):
Wow.
Robert DiLella (49:49):
My mother's...
One of my mother's and father'sbest friend who grew up on
Atwood Road in West Philadelphiawith them is still alive, and
she comes here every year, andshe makes...
a lot of the foods that mymother made, you know, the sauce
and the gravy, as we call it,and the meatballs and everything
and the raviolis andeverything.
And she's real close to what mymother made.
(50:11):
And it's just so comfortingbecause I normally don't eat
pasta anymore.
I can't because I, well, I can,but it makes me tired.
And, you know, I don't know howI ate it all the time, but I
did it one day in my life.
But anyway, I get to have thatcomfort food.
And it's such a reminder ofwhat those days were like
because my mother, every Sundaywould make those make the
meatballs and the sauce.
And we would be outside playingfootball or doing whatever.
(50:33):
And she would lift the lid offthe sauce and literally the
aroma of the basil or the garlicand the sauce would float
outdoors.
And we knew that we could runin and steal a meatball or two
from the dish because the goodhome cooking that she had.
Linda Goldfield (50:46):
Oh yeah.
There's nothing better than theItalian food in South Philly
too.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I have two girlfriends that arefrom the Bronx who still do
Sunday gravy.
Robert DiLella (51:00):
Oh, love that.
It's still going on.
I don't want to see thattradition die.
Keep going.
I love it.
Linda Goldfield (51:06):
Wow, you're making me hungry.
Robert DiLella (51:09):
Well, thank
Linda Goldfield (51:09):
you so
Robert DiLella (51:09):
much.
Yeah, my pleasure.
Yeah, definitely.
Zach, thanks for getting us setup.
Thanks for doing this.
Thank you for
Linda Goldfield (51:14):
doing all of this.
This is amazing that you'redoing it.
Thank you for helping toSpotlight Youth Haven.
Robert DiLella (51:20):
Yeah.
I can't wait to see or getinvolved in whatever it is that
we can do.
Perfect.
Thank you.
Really life-altering experiencefor any human doing it.
So thanks.
I think so.
Thank you.
Linda Goldfield (51:31):
Appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
Hi, everyone.
Today's guest describes herselfas just an average girl doing
good work.
But when you look at the impactof her life and leadership, you
realize there's absolutelynothing average about Linda
Goldfield.
She's the CEO of Youth Haven,the only emergency and
residential shelter for kids inCollier County.
(00:20):
She's passionate about showingup for kids, especially those
who've been let down by adults.
She's also leading a $20million campaign to expand
mental health services for thesekids, right?
Yeah.
Thank you.
So welcome.
Thank you for
Linda Goldfield (00:34):
the opportunity
Robert DiLella (00:35):
to be here.
Yeah, no, it's special.
Thank you for agreeing to bewith us during this time of
year.
And I was thrilled to get anopportunity to talk to you.
Back in 2018, there wassomebody who was involved with
the Youth Haven organization.
She set up an event where thechildren came to the salon, the
boys came on one day and thegirls came on another day, and
(00:55):
we were able to do transfer.
We were able to give themhaircuts, but in our ROP way
with a lot of love and, youknow, shampoo, head, neck, and
shoulder massage, and justpamper them in a way that was
special.
And then I got to take them outfor ice cream at Ben and
Jerry's at the village.
And it was one of the mostheartwarming, special
experiences of my entire life.
(01:15):
Those children were suchblessings.
The gratitude that they had,the gratefulness for just
getting a haircut and lookingand feeling better about
themselves was, it, It moved melike no other experience in my
life.
Linda Goldfield (01:28):
Well, thank you for doing that because for our
children, they've beencontinually disappointed by
adults and for the community orfor Robert of Philadelphia to
show up and be there for thekids to give them aspiration,
normalcy that our childrendeserve just like every other
child.
Robert DiLella (01:45):
Yeah, that was, you could see in their hearts
and in their eyes and just theirappreciation for the love
because we just were able tofill them up with tons of love.
It was really special.
I hope to be able to do thatagain.
And we're always here for you,especially.
Linda Goldfield (02:00):
And I don't know if you're aware that you
always help us at Christmas too.
You have a Christmas tree withtags on because for the holidays
on our campus for our children,they can be very, very
difficult realizing that theycan't go home to be with their
parents.
And so we shower them with lotsof love, the meaning of the
holidays, but also equally asimportant, making sure that they
(02:21):
have all their gifts and thatthey asked from Santa that they
get those special
Robert DiLella (02:25):
treats.
Yeah.
Well, we'll be there for that.
Thank you.
Anything we can do for sure.
Linda Goldfield (02:29):
Thank you.
Robert DiLella (02:30):
So to, um, being that this is a spotlight on
good people and you are for us,a good person, a good person,
our community.
Thank you.
Um, I want to get to know, uh,who you are at your core aside
from the titles and roles thatyou play.
Who are you?
Linda Goldfield (02:51):
As you said, in my intro, I really think I am
just an average girl doing goodwork.
And I grew up in a middle-classfamily in Pennsylvania that
values were instilled into us tomake a difference in the world
and grew up with an extendedloving family where I knew that
(03:14):
I had every opportunity that Icould be whoever I wanted to be,
that I had the support of afamily, that My path forward was
laid out for me that I'd go tocollege, that I could see the
world.
Anything that I wanted to dowas within reach.
And so to see that there arechildren in our community, in
this affluent community, whodon't have those opportunities,
(03:36):
that don't have parents, thathave the resources or the skills
to provide for their children,are frankly living in a
community that's so affluentthat for middle-class families,
working-class families, andworking-poor families, They're
one disaster or one accidentaway from a disaster and their
children being removed fromtheir home really is what
(03:56):
inspires me to do the work thatI do because these are the
children of the future of ourcommunity.
They deserve everything that wecan do for them.
And so at the core of who I amis making sure the kids have the
opportunities that I hadgrowing
Robert DiLella (04:09):
up.
And growing up in a two-parenthome where you got lots of love
and had a great upbringing, Whatis it that you want to give to
these children that you got?
Linda Goldfield (04:22):
Well, one, I want them to have love.
I want them to see, tounderstand that they're entitled
to, they deserve to haveunconditional love, that they
too can be whoever they are.
And frankly, the circumstancesthat brought them into our care
make them the most resilient,special children who...
(04:42):
who overcome the obstacles thatthey've gone through, that they
can be whoever they want.
They just need to believe inthemselves the way that myself
and our staff of 74 believe inthem.
Robert DiLella (04:54):
Wow, 74.
Linda Goldfield (04:55):
Yeah.
Wow, that's awesome.
It really takes a lot of peopleto make sure that they have
everything they need to besuccessful.
They live on our campus.
They go to school.
We have after-schoolactivities, therapeutic
activities, educationalactivities.
everything that you would dofor your own children or nieces
and nephews, we're doing for thechildren on our campus to make
(05:15):
sure they have better outcomesbecause they are the future of
this community.
If we're not helping them now,sadly, as adults, we'll be
helping them in other ways.
Robert DiLella (05:25):
Was there something I read about a former
resident or somebody else whohas received assistance from
Youth Haven that's an attorneynow?
So
Linda Goldfield (05:34):
the first graduate of Rob's Cottage, which
is our homeless teentransitional program, there's a
cottage on our campus calledRob's, which is for ages 16
through 21.
Those are children that shouldhave been removed from their
homes by the Department ofChildren and Family Services,
but for whatever reasons fellthrough the cracks.
There are close to 1,400homeless Unaccompanied or
(05:57):
homeless children in ourcommunity, children that may or
teens that may be couch surfing,living in their cars, living in
a camp in the woods, livingmultiple teens to a housing unit
without a parent.
We're getting those referralsfor the school system.
And that program is designed toensure homeless teens aren't
homeless adults.
It has a 90% success rate.
The first graduate of thatprogram is assistant state's
(06:21):
attorney here in Collier County.
How cool is that?
And she's in our county.
And she's in our community.
So we're really helping ensurethat homeless teens have a
bright future.
We're there to support them.
Again, it's a program withexceptional results.
The challenge is, frankly, welive in a community that there
isn't anything that's affordablehousing.
And when an average one-bedroomapartment costs $2,400 and
(06:45):
perhaps you graduate from highschool or trade school and
you're making $18 an hour beforeyou're going on to college,
it's really hard to be able toafford rents in this community.
And so we struggle to help themto ensure that they're not
homeless and ensuring thatthey're staying in our community
because the last two graduatesended up leaving Naples and
(07:07):
going to Hillsborough Countybecause that's all they could
afford.
And we provide continualsupport and services for those
teens when they leave us at 21.
So part of our strategic planat Youth Haven is to secure a
small apartment building, an oldmotel, a large house that when
they graduate at 21, we cancontinue to provide supportive
services, subsidize their rent,and be there for them as they
(07:31):
continue to find who they arethrough their 20s.
Robert DiLella (07:35):
You said a number, 1,400?
Linda Goldfield (07:37):
Homeless teens in our community.
Robert DiLella (07:40):
Wow.
You know, in this slice ofparadise of Pleasantville, of
whatever it looks like in ourtown, you would never imagine
that there could be that here.
Right,
Linda Goldfield (07:50):
and I think we live in a community that is so
affluent, so picture-perfect,that it's easy to not know the
challenges that are going on inthis community.
Youth Haven has been in thecommunity since 1972.
So for over 53 years, we'vebeen providing services to this
community.
For many years, we were hiddenin the community by design.
(08:13):
During my tenure, we've reallyworked at making sure the
community knows that we'rethere, having an opportunity to
visit our campus, interact withour children, to have healthy
relationships for them.
again, for them to see that thecommunity is invested in them,
for them to have the opportunityto meet successful people in
the community to see that thereis a path forward for
Robert DiLella (08:33):
them.
What got you into this world ofhelping kids like that?
Linda Goldfield (08:37):
So my first career was with a high-end
hotel, Four Seasons Hotels,served on a lot of event
committees, did a lot ofphilanthropic work that was part
of my job, and always knew atsome point I wanted to make the
transition from being a layleader to being a paid
professional.
And about 20, a little over 20years ago, I made that
(09:02):
transition working innonprofits.
And when the outgoing executivedirector of Youth Haven
approached me to join YouthHaven, my background was really
in community development andfundraising.
And it was something that YouthHaven really needed.
I took that job not franklyrealizing what I was taking and
(09:22):
have found my forever home.
I love what I do.
I love going to work.
I love making a difference inthose children's lives, whether
I get to be with them for twodays or four years.
It's a profound, they have aprofound effect on me.
And when they leave us, whetherthey get reunited with their
parents, of which 65% do, or goto a foster care family, of
(09:44):
which we have a dire need forfoster care families in this
community, or they age out ofthe system, when they leave us,
they take a little bit of myheart with me because I just
adore them and stay connected tothem.
My program director and I makesure that they all have our cell
phone numbers So that when theyleave, if there's ever anything
(10:05):
they need, they can reach outto us.
I joked the other day, a girlmissed the school bus and called
and said, Miss Linda, will yousend an Uber for me?
Not really what I had in mind,but of course, that's what we'll
do, whatever they need to besuccessful.
Robert DiLella (10:18):
Like somebody would do with somebody in their
family.
Exactly.
Linda Goldfield (10:21):
Right.
I chose to not have children.
And so I joke now that I havepotentially 74 children.
Robert DiLella (10:26):
Oh, wow.
What a blessing.
Linda Goldfield (10:28):
Yeah, it is.
It really is.
Robert DiLella (10:30):
What are holidays like?
I know you spend time with themon Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I know that's part of yourroutine.
Linda Goldfield (10:36):
Well, Easter is coming up, so we'll be going to
church together and then out tobreakfast.
And there's a thousand Eastereggs that will be hidden on the
campus.
They'll have an Easter egghunt.
And then one of our communitypartners is catering lunch and
Easter lunch for the kids.
So being with the So manyholidays are really
child-focused, so it's wonderfulto be able to spend holidays
(11:00):
with the kids, to see it throughtheir eyes, and see the
enjoyment and joy they get outof it.
So Christmas is incrediblyimportant.
We make sure each child hastheir own birthday.
For many of our kids, they'venever had a birthday, so they
get to pick out the theme oftheir cake.
They get birthday gifts.
Again, making every child feelvery special, individualized.
(11:23):
We are not a campus that onesize fits all.
Robert DiLella (11:25):
Yeah.
This reminded me of thiscampaign we did last summer
because I have this specialplace in my heart for the
self-esteem of children.
And we did this, we called itthe Princess Pamper Package.
And for free, we did over$1,000.
children, girls from the ageof, I don't know, four to 17.
(11:45):
Wow.
And it was where they got tocome in and feel like a queen, a
princess really, where they gota shampoo head, neck and
shoulder massage, a scalptreatment and a consultation.
And they got a fulltransformation look if they
wanted that or just a blowout,but then some tinsel on their
hair where they were justtreated with a glass of grape
(12:07):
juice.
Champagne.
And just treat it like theyshould be.
As they
Linda Goldfield (12:13):
should be.
And it's aspirational for kidsto see how other people live and
have those experiences thatthey can see.
If you work really hard, youtoo can have that as your life.
Robert DiLella (12:24):
Yeah.
Well, I certainly would lovethe opportunity to serve the
children there in any way thatwe can like that too.
Thank you.
Beautiful.
What would surprise you themost about Youth Haven and the
kids that live there?
Linda Goldfield (12:45):
So I think people have this misconception
that the children of Youth Havenmust be bad children, broken
children.
They are the most incrediblechildren you will ever meet.
Again, it's your experience.
The gratitude.
They're just struggling withmental health issues, with
trauma.
Most of them have significanttrauma that brought them into
(13:08):
our care, have been in multipleplacements over the years.
So really, all they need issomeone to be there for them,
listen to them, love them, andgive them hope and an
opportunity for a brighterfuture.
I think the other thing thatwould surprise people if you've
never toured our campus is howbeautiful and residential it
looks, that it really is a homewhere children heal.
(13:30):
It's a sanctuary.
It looks like anyone else'shome.
It's not a shelter.
I think people havepreconceived ideas of what
shelters look like.
And there may be shelters thatare cots lined up in a large
room, but that is not what oursis.
Their rooms look like a room inyour own house.
(13:51):
They decorate the rooms.
They have a private bathroom.
I say they look nicer than adorm room I had in college.
It's not ideal, obviously, tobe living in a group home.
But they're safe.
They're taken care of.
They see a bright future forthemselves.
Robert DiLella (14:08):
Tell me more about the therapeutic center
that's being
Linda Goldfield (14:10):
worked on.
So we are in the middle of a$20 million capital campaign.
Thank you for asking.
We've raised $11 of that $20million.
So the heartbeat of the campusright now is the Telford
Building.
It is where all of thetherapeutic activities work.
All of the enrichmentactivities, education programs,
the programming staff, thetherapeutic staff are housed.
(14:30):
We have outgrown that space.
So again, it's the oldestbuilding on campus.
It has served us well.
7,000 square feet.
We are moving or building a22,000 square foot building that
will allow us to continue toexpand the therapeutic component
of the campus.
As children are coming to uswith more and more trauma, more
(14:50):
and more therapeutic needs, wecontinue to expand that.
that portion of our campus, whyevery child has a therapist.
Oftentimes, children areintimidated or don't want to
participate in traditionaltherapy, so animal-assisted
therapy, art therapy, musictherapy, all these other
programs that we are doing onthe campus are helping children
heal in fun ways that, frankly,they don't really realize that
(15:12):
it has a therapeutic component
Robert DiLella (15:14):
to it.
Sounds like something that thegeneral population could use.
Absolutely, right.
That's
Linda Goldfield (15:20):
great.
Robert DiLella (15:23):
What do you wish every person in this community
understood about these kids andtheir stories?
Linda Goldfield (15:28):
That they're the future of this community.
So children in foster care,sadly, the statistics are bleak.
At age 18, 50% become homeless.
Children in foster care aremore likely to end up
incarcerated drug addicts,alcoholics.
85% of death row inmates are inthe foster care system.
We as a community have aresponsibility to make sure the
(15:51):
children in this communityaren't those bleak statistics
because they are the future.
And if we're not helping themnow, again, tax dollars will be
helping them later.
For many people who aretransplants, I don't think they
realize that there aren't taxdollars that are helping social
service organizations.
Our budget this year is $8million.
$7 million of it comes fromcommunity support.
(16:14):
And it's the community that'sallowing us to provide these
services to help children heal,move beyond that trauma, find
out who they can be, and ensurethat they have a better future,
a brighter future.
Robert DiLella (16:26):
So fortunately, there's no concern about Elon
cutting anything out of yourbudget.
Linda Goldfield (16:34):
Well, I don't want to be political.
Currently, we're not sure whatwill happen with funding through
Department of Children andFamily Services, but we expect
that we'll be fine because-
Robert DiLella (16:51):
Is that a state agency?
That's a state agency.
So
Linda Goldfield (16:54):
funding comes from the state.
To my knowledge, nothing isbeing cut as it stands, but we
really- thrive and are able toexpand our services because of
the community.
So the generosity of thecommunity is what's keeping our
doors open, allowing us toexpand, allowing us to create a
more home-like campus.
(17:15):
We are continually renovating acampus.
When you have potentially 74children living on a campus,
it's a campus that takes a lotof wear and tear, and it's the
generosity of the community thatallows us to continue to
upgrade it, expand it, make sureit's the best place group home
that it can possibly be.
Robert DiLella (17:34):
Awesome.
Your hair looks amazing, by theway.
It does.
It looks beautiful.
Thank you.
Just keep looking at it.
You did a fabulous job.
Thank you.
Very pampering.
And you got a Maria shampootoo.
Yeah.
Oh my
Linda Goldfield (17:47):
gosh.
Unbelievable.
Wow.
She, she not only hasincredible hands, but she sings
to you like serenaded.
She's unbelievable.
Robert DiLella (17:55):
Yes.
Yeah.
She's a healer back there.
Yeah.
She is a healer.
Yeah.
All
Linda Goldfield (18:01):
us women love a little pampering.
Robert DiLella (18:03):
Yes, and so deserve it, right?
Yes.
When life gets hard for you,who or what do you do for
strength?
Linda Goldfield (18:13):
So I am incredibly fortunate to have a
wonderful support network.
Incredible girlfriends that arethere to support me and
incredible staff.
that leadership team andmanagement team, that we support
each other on the campus sothat when someone is struggling,
we were there to support eachother.
(18:34):
I have a loving spouse and twoloving dogs that I go home to.
But when I'm having a stressfulday, get in the car, get on 75,
drive a little too fast with aloud music on.
And that's my cure-all.
Robert DiLella (18:50):
Oh, awesome.
And what's the music playingwhen you're-
Linda Goldfield (18:53):
It's probably like 1970s rock music.
Led Zeppelin was probably myfavorite.
That's great.
So I'm the woman who wasdriving a little too fast on all
the roads, actually, not justthe highway.
That's great.
I love it.
Robert DiLella (19:11):
A little Diremaker, a little Zeppelin
playing there.
Very good.
Your prized possession is yourmom's copy of The Great Gatsby.
Unknown (19:21):
Mm-hmm.
Robert DiLella (19:22):
With her handwritten notes in it, right?
What does that book representto you?
Linda Goldfield (19:27):
My mother was a brilliant woman.
I had a PhD in English.
We sat down to a dinner tableevery night that we had
vocabulary quizzes andShakespeare quizzes or quizzes
from other well-known authorswhere she would So the arts and
(19:57):
language were very important inmy family, and she was a teacher
that gave her life to herstudents, so I think some of
that I got from her.
Mm-hmm.
And, uh, sadly my mother had,uh, Lewy body dementia.
So I saw a woman that at theend of her life, couldn't put a
(20:19):
noun and a verb together.
Uh, and so to see, uh, howbrilliant she was and how
thoughtful and caring.
And so to pick up whether it'sa great Gatsby for years, I kept
her, uh, essays that she wrotefor students when they were
going off to college for theiradmissions, just to have her
(20:40):
written word.
So I'm very sentimental andlove to have those things around
me.
So it keeps her close to me.
That's special.
Yeah.
Yeah, nice.
Robert DiLella (20:52):
And Jane Austen is your woman, another woman in
history for you.
Jane
Linda Goldfield (20:56):
Austen's a woman I love.
There are a lot of women thatwere really special in my life.
I like to feel I do that samething for other women, giving
them opportunities, being therefor them to support them, that
we all need to support eachother and lift each other up.
Robert DiLella (21:13):
If you could have dinner with Jane, what
would you ask her?
Linda Goldfield (21:18):
Oh, how it was to be a trailblazer in an age
when women weren't allowed to betrailblazers.
Yeah.
How to have a voice when peopledidn't want you to have a
voice.
Unknown (21:28):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Linda Goldfield (21:30):
And to be...
True to yourself.
How do you be true to yourselfwhen oftentimes you really can't
be?
Robert DiLella (21:40):
You're also a fellow Philadelphian.
Linda Goldfield (21:42):
Yes.
Robert DiLella (21:43):
Bucks County girl.
Bucks County was so Delco.
My side was the, you know,there's a Delco attitude side.
And then Bucks County was wherethe.
From our perspective, it was alot nicer than Bucks County was.
Linda Goldfield (21:59):
Well, my father grew up in inner city
Philadelphia in a row house.
So I know
Robert DiLella (22:04):
Philly.
What's your maiden name?
Linda Goldfield (22:06):
That is my, I never, Goldfield is my maiden
name.
I never changed my name.
Robert DiLella (22:10):
Okay.
So he was a Philly guy.
He
Linda Goldfield (22:12):
was a Philly guy.
In a row home.
In a row home.
Went to Bartram High School,John Bartram.
And so Philly always feels likehome.
I try and go back two or threetimes a year.
I just love the energy.
I love how Philly people arereal and honest.
And it's just, it's a greatcity.
Robert DiLella (22:37):
My favorite analogy of a Philly person
versus anybody else is if youget a flat tire on a road and a
person from LA pulls over tohelp you, they'll stop and
they'll say, um, Yeah, I'm sorryyou have a flat...
I'm really sorry about yourflat tire.
I'll call somebody for you.
Good luck today and take off.
And a Philly person will pullover and say, you idiot, what
are you doing on the road?
(22:58):
Why are your tires bald?
As they're pumping up the jackand changing the tire for you.
And
Linda Goldfield (23:05):
there seems to be more...
Philly people coming to thistown, which is nice.
Isn't
Robert DiLella (23:11):
that great?
Yes.
The other
Linda Goldfield (23:12):
day, someone said, I'm going to the shore for
the summer.
And I'm like, oh, wow, you'reone of us.
Robert DiLella (23:16):
Yes.
It was always, what shore?
What parish or what shore?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
What was your shore?
Linda Goldfield (23:23):
So as a child, we went to, oh my gosh, we were
just talking about thisyesterday, Avalon and Stone
Harbor.
Oh, yes.
Love those.
Robert DiLella (23:33):
Oh, yes.
So we were wild wooders.
So my grandmother was a
Linda Goldfield (23:36):
Wildwooder, had a cottage in Wildwood.
The other day I was talkingabout some, I mean, I haven't
been to the Jersey Shore inyears.
My aunt and uncle, we were justhaving lunch and we were
talking about, oh, we should goback and rent a house for a week
just for the good old days.
Robert DiLella (23:53):
Yeah, there's something about it.
That's salt air, the saltwatertaffies, the fudge, the
boardwalk.
Linda Goldfield (23:59):
I went to Atlantic City a couple of years
ago Um, that is not the same.
No, no, not at all.
Yeah.
I was looking for, uh,planters, peanuts.
That's gone.
And the saltwater taffy wasn'tthe same.
Yeah.
And the boards there justaren't the same.
It's a different world there.
But it, I find the Jerseyshore.
It still feels wholesome.
Yeah.
Um, like where families go tohave a good time to be with each
(24:23):
other.
Robert DiLella (24:23):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Last time I went there, whichwas quite a while ago, we went
to ocean city, which is still adry town.
It's still considered a film.
I mean, you can drive rightover the bridge to get the
liquor, but still it's kept itsways, you know, with the old
tradition of Ocean City.
And I remember taking my kidswho were raised here.
I took my son up toPhiladelphia and he got to see
(24:46):
what a real city was like forthe first time when he was very
young.
And having grown up inPleasantville here, me taking
him into the city and him seeingthe inner city and, you know,
people, so much less fortunatethan what he is.
Linda Goldfield (25:02):
I think that it's important to see how other
people live and to go intoneighborhoods.
So as a child, again, my fathermade sure that we saw how he
was raised versus how we wereraised.
And it really impacted, for me,my values and appreciation.
And I think with success andsuccess I'm doing well in life
(25:28):
comes a responsibility to helpothers and seeing, seeing that
firsthand.
I think being in a city, Ithink that's the challenge
raising children here that theydon't really, a lot of things
are hidden in this community.
And when you go to a city, itis, it is prominent.
You see it everywhere.
And while no one wants to seeanyone suffering, I think it's
(25:49):
really important to see itbecause it really is.
puts things in perspective, howfortunate we are living here,
how easy life, for the mostpart, is here versus people that
are struggling living in acity.
Robert DiLella (26:00):
Yes.
Yeah, when I'm complainingabout something ridiculous,
traffic, whatever it is, it's ajoke.
Linda Goldfield (26:09):
Well, right.
I lived in D.C.
for...
close to 20 years and wouldspend an hour and a half to go
five miles to commute into thecity.
And so when you complain abouta little traffic on 41, I
realize I have nothing tocomplain
Robert DiLella (26:23):
about.
Yeah, yeah.
To me, it's a blast.
Traffic, I love traffic.
There's more people.
I don't mind that.
It's okay.
There's more hair that needs tobe done.
That's good.
Linda Goldfield (26:32):
Yes, how this town has changed and expanded
has been good, I think, for allof us.
Robert DiLella (26:37):
Yeah.
It's still paradise.
It's a beautiful place.
It's hard to go on vacationanywhere from here.
This is such a perfect area.
It is.
It's a beautiful place to live.
As far as your legacy, whatwould make you feel like your
life's work has been successful?
Linda Goldfield (26:52):
To fast forward and children who've lived on
our campus who are now adultsfor me to hear how successful
they are and happy and movebeyond their trauma and whatever
success looks to them thatthey've had those opportunities
in life.
Robert DiLella (27:11):
What advice would you give to someone
listening who wants to be a goodperson, but maybe doesn't know
where to start?
Linda Goldfield (27:17):
I think all of us are good people.
So I think it's just findingyour passion and going after
something that interests you.
So whether it's children oranimals or nature, whether it's
volunteering or...
If you're in a financialposition to make a difference by
writing a check and allowing anorganization to do what they
(27:42):
need to do with that money tomove an organization forward is
important.
But it's really finding outyour passion and what your
skills are and translating themto other people.
Robert DiLella (27:54):
Was there a moment in time or an event for
you where you knew what yourcalling was, where you knew this
is it, I'm in the right placeor I'm making the right move?
Linda Goldfield (28:03):
So my second job in the nonprofit world, I
worked for a women's healthorganization, and when I did
fundraising for them and saw thewomen that we were helping, I
knew that having made thattransition from the corporate
(28:24):
world to the nonprofit world wasthe right decision for me.
Robert DiLella (28:30):
What is a day in the life...
of a CEO at Youth Haven look
Linda Goldfield (28:34):
like?
Oh, it's the most exciting,rewarding job.
It's never the same day.
And in fact, whatever I thinkthe day is going to be, it's not
what the day is going to be.
So it could be having childrenin my office who are asking for
things or just need someone totalk to.
It's meeting with staff,looking at programs.
(28:54):
It's fundraising.
It's looking at the campus.
So I feel that my training atFour Seasons really has informed
who I am.
When I will walk around thecampus and do a spot check, I do
it through the eyes of someonewho worked at Four Seasons.
(29:14):
So no detail is left unturned.
And through all thoseexperiences, life experiences
from...
A childhood to my current lifereally has allowed me to move
(29:35):
well with different groups ofpeople at different places they
are in their
Robert DiLella (29:38):
life.
I think the Four Seasonstraining and development as a
human who likes to serve isextraordinary only because we
had a salon in the Ritz and weparticipated in their
operations.
We were a part of it on a dailybasis.
serving ladies and gentlemen,serving ladies and gentlemen,
(30:03):
every moment, all the time, andalways listening for
opportunities to serve anotherhuman.
And I know Four Seasons sharesalmost the same thing.
So just remarkable trainingfor, I think it's
Linda Goldfield (30:17):
like attention to detail, making sure people
are taken care of, that theirexpectations are met.
As we've become a charity thathas more and more philanthropic
support, those that areinvesting in our organization
expect more from us.
And so we are always raisingthe bar at our organization to
make sure we're doing best forour children and for the
(30:39):
community that we're serving.
Robert DiLella (30:43):
How can people help?
What do you need?
Linda Goldfield (30:48):
So my first thing would be that people know
we exist because it amazes mehow many people don't know that
Youth Haven exists, that peopleare incredulous that their
children are being removed fromtheir homes in our community.
So that knowing Youth Havenexists, coming out and seeing
our facility, taking a tour, andthen sharing that in the
(31:10):
community, what our campus lookslike, who our children are,
having an opportunity tointeract with them.
Obviously, there are ways to beinvolved as a volunteer,
whether it's coming out anddoing a done-in-a-day project,
whether it's planting flowers orbaking cookies with the kids or
being a math tutor or servingon a committee.
(31:32):
There's many ways to beinvolved to make a difference on
our campus, and all of thatmakes a difference in the
children's lives.
Robert DiLella (31:39):
Done in a day.
That's an opportunity.
Right.
Linda Goldfield (31:46):
religious organizations that will come out
and want to bring a group ofpeople and paint an exterior of
a cottage, do some gardening,cooking with the kids, doing
arts and crafts with thechildren.
There's many ways to beinvolved.
Robert DiLella (32:08):
What is a recent book or podcast that you could
share with people that would beinteresting?
Do you listen to podcasts?
Do you read books?
Linda Goldfield (32:18):
I read books.
So I know probably from whatyou've read, I'm rereading the,
well, I always read the fouragreements.
So it's always on my nightstandbecause I try and live my life
by the four agreements.
Robert DiLella (32:36):
Which are?
Integrity is one.
Linda Goldfield (32:39):
Be impeccable with your word.
Robert DiLella (32:41):
Uh-huh.
Linda Goldfield (32:41):
Now I'm not going to be able to say them
because you're asking
Robert DiLella (32:44):
me to say them.
I know.
And I should know them too, butI'll have to refresh.
I want to reread that.
So
Linda Goldfield (32:50):
I find that that's how I live my day-to-day
life.
Um, and I am reading, um, Icouldn't tell you the author.
I'm reading a book that takesplace.
It's autobiographical in India.
So India is my favorite placein the world to go.
It's where I go every year toreground and to get spiritually
(33:16):
connected.
And so I'm reading a book aboutIndia right now about a young
woman who went home to trace herroots.
Robert DiLella (33:23):
Wow.
Yeah.
How and why India?
Linda Goldfield (33:27):
So from the second grade when we studied
India, I had a fascination withit.
And I finally got there when Iwas the first time 52 and fell
in love with it and have goneback five times.
And it's a place that I justfeel people do make a difference
(33:50):
in people's lives.
It's a community that takescare of each other.
People aren't as obsessed withmaterial possessions.
It's about quality of life andenjoying each other.
And there is this convergenceof many, many religions and the
spirituality.
(34:10):
And I just feel very connectedthere.
And while Youth Haven willalways be my number one charity,
my number two charity is anorphanage for children in
Calcutta.
Robert DiLella (34:25):
That's wonderful.
The area that you go or youvisit?
I go to
Linda Goldfield (34:28):
different places every year.
There are a few places I tryand go every year.
I love Kolkata.
I love Delhi.
And I just travel the country,see it.
I say I'd love to live there.
I don't think in this life Iwill.
According to astrologers, in mynext life I'll live there.
Robert DiLella (34:49):
I kind of got a sense of peace just hearing you
share about that.
I think
Linda Goldfield (34:53):
it's one of those places that...
It's sensory overload.
It is incredibly overwhelming.
And the poverty can just leaveyou paralyzed.
But if you go beneath all ofthat, you see a country and
(35:14):
people that are kind andspiritual and caring and take
care of each other.
And it's just the most peacefulplace I've ever been in my
life.
Robert DiLella (35:24):
And is it like they're almost content with the
way that it is?
Not that they want more or wantbetter, but it's like they've
accepted.
One of the things I noticeabout this area when I go to
other areas, especially in thisarea, it seems like a lot of
people, whatever it is thatthey're doing, they have this
behavior like, this isn't reallywhat I'm supposed to be doing.
I'm going to be doing that.
I'm going to be there.
(35:44):
But when I visit small townslike Port Huron, where my wife
is from in Michigan, whateveranybody's doing, whether it's a
cashier at Walmart or...
a server at Applebee's.
They love what they do.
They're passionate about it.
They're there for the longhaul.
That's where they want to be.
It's not like they need to beanywhere else.
They could be, but they're justokay with this and they're
happy with serving in that way.
(36:05):
And so when I see, and I don'tknow, cause I've never been, but
when you go to a country likethat and see that there's
happiness inside of that, eventhough there's that level of
poverty or that level of, yousee what they don't have and how
much we have in the gap,
Linda Goldfield (36:20):
And people are willing to share the little that
they have regardless.
So I think it's about living inthe moment and being present
and not always chasing what'sthe next excitement.
And I think a lot of peoplehave that, it's never enough, we
want more, and not finding thecontentment in what we have.
(36:42):
And from a spiritualperspective, most believe that
they're coming back for many,many lives.
And so this isn't their onlylife.
Um, so it's just a verydifferent way of looking at
life.
Robert DiLella (36:57):
Yeah.
And it really takes a level ofpractice, I think, to live in
the moment to be here now.
Yeah.
I saw this thing just lastweek.
Um, this guy was probably amotivational speaker, some type
of speaker back from the day ofZig Ziglar and, um, Carnegie.
Uh, he was, um, He had anhourglass and he was pointing to
(37:20):
the top of the hourglass withall the sand in it.
And then the bottom of thehourglass that had the sand that
had already gone through.
And he pointed to the top andhe said, we live like we have
this amount of time left.
We look at this and say, well,we have all this sand left.
Then there's the middle, thesand that's going down.
And then we look at the bottomas if it's the past.
And then he put his hand infront of the top of the glass
(37:43):
and he said, we really have noidea.
but we live like we do, but wehave no idea.
And the past is the past that'salready happened.
All we really have is what's inthat middle there with those
little grains of sand that arecoming down there.
And that hit me in a way thatwas different because until
something happens or until I'mabruptly waking up, I live like,
oh, I got all the time in theworld.
(38:04):
I got tomorrow.
We
Linda Goldfield (38:04):
don't know if we do.
So if you live every momentlike it's your last with joy and
integrity and, and making adifference, I think then you
feel really connected to theworld.
But we live chasing the nextexcitement.
And I say I'm trying to findenjoyment in the mundane, the
(38:28):
daily activities of life,whether it's just sitting
outside, listening to the birdschirp and reading a book, or
sharing a glass of wine with afriend.
Robert DiLella (38:42):
truly making a difference or contributing to
another human being, I thinkthere's nothing more rewarding
or nothing more fulfilling in myown personal experience.
Cause I, I chase things justlike the normal way to chase,
like got this brand new bigscreen TV.
Come on that I've alwaysdreamed would be my, I made it
in life TVs.
They fit on the wall and fillmost of the wall.
(39:04):
And, and I got it in the nextday.
I was like, is this it?
Like, where is it?
Like, this did nothing for me.
It was such a joke.
It's a silly representation ofit, but not like it was
everything to me.
But I thought, oh, this isgoing to be nice to watch.
It means nothing.
Like, it matters none.
And I still think about the dayI spent with those young men,
young people who came to oursalon to have their haircut from
(39:26):
Youth Haven.
And that day, what they did forme in that day.
Not what I did for them, whatthey did for me.
being able to impact their lifewas more impactful than either
in a way.
Linda Goldfield (39:38):
Really, I have to say every day my heart sings
because of some interaction Ihave with our children.
And it's easy to, if I get thenext pair of shoes, oh, my life
will be better.
But you get those pair of shoesand your life isn't any better.
But when you have aninteraction, whether it's at
Youth Haven with our children orother charities and the
(40:02):
population that they're serving,You really see how you can make
an impact in someone's life.
move beyond their past, thatthey're not stuck in the history
(40:30):
of their trauma and whatbrought them to Youth Haven, and
that there is a path to besuccessful in making a
difference in their lives.
Robert DiLella (40:39):
Inspire them.
Linda Goldfield (40:40):
Yeah.
Robert DiLella (40:44):
Just for fun.
I see you have coffee.
What's your coffee order?
Linda Goldfield (40:49):
It's actually hot tea.
Oh.
English breakfast tea, black.
Robert DiLella (40:53):
Okay.
No coffee then?
Tea all the
Linda Goldfield (40:56):
time?
Tea all the time.
Robert DiLella (40:57):
Any special teas you got while you were in
India?
Linda Goldfield (40:59):
Yes, I love the loose leaf teas of India.
So Darjeeling.
Yeah, I'll try any.
I went to a tea plantation thelast visit and sampled all these
different teas.
I love tea.
But every so often a doubleshot espresso.
Robert DiLella (41:20):
Oh, there you go.
Right after my heart.
That's my drink.
Yes.
That's my drink.
Favorite.
That's what I live by.
Espresso.
That's why we have espressomachines in the salon.
My father, he got me on theespresso world and it was always
his drink.
Before he passed in 2015, whilehe was sick, well, always in
(41:41):
his life, he would summon me tohis house to visit by sending me
a text of an espresso cup.
And that meant let's go sit onthe back deck and have espresso
together because that was kindof our drink.
And that's
Linda Goldfield (41:53):
like living in the moment, sharing a cup of
coffee.
That experience is profound.
Robert DiLella (41:58):
Yes.
Linda Goldfield (41:59):
Or it can be.
Robert DiLella (42:00):
Yes.
And I remember those.
Those are some of the bestmemories I have with him because
they were just he and I justsharing a moment on his
beautiful deck, having espressotogether.
Yeah.
In paradise.
Yeah.
Linda Goldfield (42:12):
So much better than chasing a TV or shoes.
Yeah.
So true.
Robert DiLella (42:18):
If you weren't a not-for-profit CEO, what do you
think you'd be doing today?
Linda Goldfield (42:27):
Gosh, I can't imagine doing anything else.
If I wasn't doing this, Ireally can't imagine doing
anything else.
I really can't.
At this stage of my life, Ilove what I do.
I love giving back to thecommunity.
I love making a difference.
(42:48):
It brings me, as I shared, somuch joy.
I get so much more out of itthan what is given to me.
Yeah, I can't imagine doinganything else other than on my
bucket list is to write thegreat American novel, but not
disciplined enough to do that.
(43:09):
So I don't think that'shappening.
Robert DiLella (43:11):
That's your mother in you calling, right?
Yeah, that's cool.
That's really cool.
What's something about you thatmost people don't know but
should?
Linda Goldfield (43:23):
That I'm a farm girl at heart.
So I was sharing the other daythat my grandfather owned a John
Deere tractor and a truckdealership, and I grew up
playing on farm equipment.
And my board chair was like,that's not you.
And I'm like, yeah.
Speaker 00 (43:44):
I can drive a tractor.
That's awesome.
Robert DiLella (43:49):
Any pictures of you on a tractor?
Speaker 00 (43:50):
Oh, I'm sure there's plenty of them.
Yeah, awesome.
Linda Goldfield (43:53):
So I think the persona that most people see
would never think that that'swho I am.
But in my heart, yeah, I lovebeing on a farm, getting my toes
in the soil, communing withnature.
Robert DiLella (44:10):
Yeah, your roots.
Yeah, there
Linda Goldfield (44:12):
you
Robert DiLella (44:12):
go.
We're so blessed.
Our community is so blessed tohave you.
Linda Goldfield (44:16):
Again, I really dislike things being about me,
as you can tell.
It's all about Youth Haven.
So the community, we're luckyto have Youth Haven in our
community.
And I'm fortunate to, again,have a group of staff and a
board of directors that'scommitted to moving the
(44:38):
organization forward.
Why we're told we're one of thebest organizations facilities
in the state of Florida.
Our vision is to be the finestin the country because the
children in this communitydeserve it.
Um, and so
Robert DiLella (44:50):
always putting others first, of course, is a
good person would do alwaysputting others ahead of you and
always in front of you.
Yeah.
It's a beautiful thing.
Linda Goldfield (44:57):
And again, I, I, I feel really blessed every
day I get up, I go to a job thatI love.
It's not a job.
It really feels like a calling.
Um, and to make a difference insomeone's life.
And again, the rest of thestaff feels the same way.
I have staff that have workedon our campus for 20 years,
really committed to the childrenof this community.
(45:18):
And again, our community, theircontinual investment in the
work that we're doing andunderstanding where we're taking
that organization and wantingto support us more and more is
truly making a difference forthese kids.
Robert DiLella (45:31):
Thank you.
Linda Goldfield (45:32):
Thank you.
Robert DiLella (45:35):
You said, and your words were, the words you
said to live by are, find whatyou seek.
That was a quote that you had.
Linda Goldfield (45:44):
Rumi, yeah.
Robert DiLella (45:47):
Today we sought out a good person, and we
absolutely found one in you.
Thank you for who you are, howyou lead, and most of all, how
you love.
Linda Goldfield (45:56):
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Thank you for your support ofyouth, even in our children.
Robert DiLella (46:03):
It's an honor and a privilege.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thanks so much.
Speaker 00 (46:06):
Okay.
Sure.
Awesome.
Cause I know I won't talk aboutmyself.
I knew
Robert DiLella (46:11):
that.
Speaker 00 (46:13):
That was awesome.
We want to hear, you know, Ohyes, I took ballet in the second
grade.
I mean, I don't know.
Yeah.
I'm really not very interestingas a person.
Robert DiLella (46:24):
Well, you are.
No, I'm not.
Yeah.
Philly girl.
That was a good.
Yeah.
No, no, nothing
Linda Goldfield (46:29):
better than it.
So are you, should have asked,are you a whiz?
Oh,
Robert DiLella (46:34):
where's it without, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, thecheesesteak thing.
Yeah, we didn't talk aboutcheesesteaks because we have
that new cheesesteak place here.
Speaker 00 (46:40):
What new
Robert DiLella (46:41):
cheesesteak?
It's cheesesteaks.com.
It's on the East Trail, andthey ship in the rolls, and they
put a ton of meat on there.
It's the closest.
Really?
I mean, it's the real deal.
It's the real deal, yeah.
And where is it?
It's at Town Center, or I don'teven think it's called Town
Center anymore.
Just past the courthouse on 41on the left.
Speaker 00 (47:00):
Really?
Robert DiLella (47:00):
Yeah.
I had no idea.
They run out every day.
You have to, you know, you haveto get there by a certain time
because they only get so manyrolls in
Speaker 00 (47:06):
each day.
And what is it called?
Robert DiLell (47:07):
Cheesesteaks.com.
Speaker 00 (47:09):
Really?
Robert DiLella (47:09):
Philly people.
100% Philly.
You might even get yelled at alittle, but you'll feel right at
home.
It's
Speaker 00 (47:14):
awesome.
Nothing better than acheesesteak and a soft pretzel.
Robert DiLella (47:17):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
No, they're great.
They're really good people too.
They're Philly people andreally great and they're killing
it.
They're doing great.
And it's, it's the real deal.
Like, you know, it's...
And they don't skimp on themeat.
They get the good shaved ribeye.
It's so good.
Yeah, I can't eat them a lot,but when I do and I indulge,
it's my comfort go-to food.
Linda Goldfield (47:38):
Yeah, between that and going to, oh my God, my
favorite bakery on ChristianStreet and having cannolis.
Robert DiLella (47:47):
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, we don't get that.
No, we don't have any.
That's what I miss about upthere.
Linda Goldfield (47:52):
Yeah, so I usually go up.
with an empty suitcase to fillwith things I really don't eat
anymore, but just give me fondmemories.
Robert DiLella (48:00):
Yes.
Yeah, exactly.
That's what it is.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
The, I used to tell peoplebefore we had this, like if, if
you're going North and when youcome back, I'll take you to the
airport and bring you back aslong as you bring me, bring me
back a cheesesteak from, youknow, any cheesesteak up from up
there.
I, you know, I'm not a PatrickGino's guy, but like outside of
the area, you know, like, uh,yeah.
At
Linda Goldfield (48:19):
the end, Joe, I've tried them all in the end.
They all, tastes the same aslong as the
Robert DiLella (48:24):
yeah yeah they get into fights over what's the
best but to me for being downhere and the one here you really
got to check it out they'rethey're great we were trying to
get them on here but they wereso busy that uh that they're
there's every day they're peopleare just really taking on them
yeah
Linda Goldfield (48:38):
yeah there's nothing like good bad philly
Robert DiLella (48:41):
food no exactly yeah we're so right so it's
exactly what it is good badphilly food yes i'm
Linda Goldfield (48:47):
going up for um Memorial Day weekend and taking
my fiance and I'm going to showhim all take him to all those
like my favorite water ice placeall these things that No one
should be eating
Speaker 00 (49:00):
cream-chipped beef and Scrapple.
Yes, Scrapple.
I just had Scrapple the otherday.
Oh, my God.
Where'd you get it?
Publix.
Really?
They had Habersett Scrapple,the real deal.
Oh, my God.
There's nothing better thanScrapple.
Robert DiLella (49:12):
My wife said, what's in that?
I'm like, you don't want toknow.
You don't need to know.
Speaker 00 (49:15):
Everything that was on the floor is put together.
Oh, there's nothing better.
People look at me when I say Iwant Scrapple and cream-chipped
beef.
They're like, where are youfrom?
I haven't even heard of
Robert DiLella (49:24):
cream-chipped beef.
My mom used to make that allthe time.
I haven't had that.
Since she made it many, manyyears ago, but I've never heard
anybody.
Linda Goldfield (49:30):
So the old 41 Diner in Bonita.
Oh, he's a Philly guy, right?
He's a Philly guy.
He has cream-chiped beef.
He has it on the menu.
I
Speaker 00 (49:35):
didn't know that.
Yes, yeah, he does.
Oh, wow.
So I'll only go with certainpeople because I'm embarrassed
that that's what I want to eat.
Wow, that's a classic one.
Yeah, Philly food is delicious.
Yeah.
Robert DiLella (49:47):
Cream-chiped beef.
Speaker 00 (49:48):
Wow.
Robert DiLella (49:49):
My mother's...
One of my mother's and father'sbest friend who grew up on
Atwood Road in West Philadelphiawith them is still alive, and
she comes here every year, andshe makes...
a lot of the foods that mymother made, you know, the sauce
and the gravy, as we call it,and the meatballs and everything
and the raviolis andeverything.
And she's real close to what mymother made.
(50:11):
And it's just so comfortingbecause I normally don't eat
pasta anymore.
I can't because I, well, I can,but it makes me tired.
And, you know, I don't know howI ate it all the time, but I
did it one day in my life.
But anyway, I get to have thatcomfort food.
And it's such a reminder ofwhat those days were like
because my mother, every Sundaywould make those make the
meatballs and the sauce.
And we would be outside playingfootball or doing whatever.
(50:33):
And she would lift the lid offthe sauce and literally the
aroma of the basil or the garlicand the sauce would float
outdoors.
And we knew that we could runin and steal a meatball or two
from the dish because the goodhome cooking that she had.
Linda Goldfield (50:46):
Oh yeah.
There's nothing better than theItalian food in South Philly
too.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I have two girlfriends that arefrom the Bronx who still do
Sunday gravy.
Robert DiLella (51:00):
Oh, love that.
It's still going on.
I don't want to see thattradition die.
Keep going.
I love it.
Linda Goldfield (51:06):
Wow, you're making me hungry.
Robert DiLella (51:09):
Well, thank
Linda Goldfield (51:09):
you so
Robert DiLella (51:09):
much.
Yeah, my pleasure.
Yeah, definitely.
Zach, thanks for getting us setup.
Thanks for doing this.
Thank you for
Linda Goldfield (51:14):
doing all of this.
This is amazing that you'redoing it.
Thank you for helping toSpotlight Youth Haven.
Robert DiLella (51:20):
Yeah.
I can't wait to see or getinvolved in whatever it is that
we can do.
Perfect.
Thank you.
Really life-altering experiencefor any human doing it.
So thanks.
I think so.
Thank you.
Linda Goldfield (51:31):
Appreciate it.
Thank you so much.
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