The Legacy Project: Natania Lipp

Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you’ll feed him for life. While, Natania admits her life is guided by several purposes, each of them seems to harken back to one principal theme: empowering others.

“[I want to be remembered] as someone who gives people the space to be who they are and values them for that,” Natania told me. “I try to do that on an individual level with friends, family, and people that I meet. As someone going into psychology (therapy and research) work, helping people be heard and seeing who they are is a legacy I’d want to leave behind.”

I loved her response, but it was curious to me because I couldn’t immediately pinpoint Natania’s why. And while Natania said there was no singular moment that gave her a desire to empower others in all she does, several summers spent working with campers who had special needs was a powerful learning experience.

“I learned not only how to speak up for people who can’t speak for themselves, but also teaching people how to speak up and advocate for themselves.”

That distinction is what stuck with me. While charity often comes from a place of good intention, if framed improperly, it can isolate the people it intends to serve. For example, it’s been shown that many people will refuse food stamps altogether because they are reluctant to be marked by the ‘poor’ stigma. So to really help people, we need to make a concerted, collective effort to do so graciously, without judgment. Band-aids are a quick fix for both parties involved: they make the server feel good in the short term, while providing a temporary resource to the served.

But truly leading people to sustained improvement requires a much more invested attitude towards service—one that Natania embodies to a T. Such an attitude is not for the faint of heart and for that, Natania deserves our praise.

I’ve always known Natania to be somebody who values quality over quantity with her words, and after talking to her, I’m so glad that I have a better sense of why that is. She thrives when those around her are their best selves. And she’s acutely aware of the song-and-dance a good friend, confidant, and practitioner needs to play to help them realize that.

So many thanks, Natania, and I can’t wait to see all that you do with the power of such an earnest and worthwhile why!