Anchored with Liz Ponder (#231)

“Our primary avenue of communication is creating moments.” – Liz Ponder

Welcome to episode 231 of The CUInsight Experience podcast with your hosts, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com, and Jill Nowacki, President and CEO of Humanidei.

This episode is sponsored by Trellance Cooperative Holdings, Inc. Trellance is the parent company behind some of the most trusted credit union tech providers, such as Rise Analytics, ProBridge and Optiri. By providing tech to credit unions and investing in new solutions, Trellance aims to create growth opportunities for the entire industry and to empower credit unions to embrace innovative new technology. Learn more at Trellance.com

In this new 2026 season, Jill and I will have conversations centered around leadership, credit unions, and living our best lives. We will have some of the most respected leaders from around credit unions who we are grateful to call friends join us in the discussion from time to time too.

This week on the show, we welcome Liz Ponder, CEO of SRP Federal Credit Union. Liz is here to help us explore a concept which we firmly believe that every leader needs: a personal leadership compass. Listen in as Liz walks us through how she’s defined her own guiding principles and how those values shape the way she leads. She highlights why things like clarity, purpose, and empathy are not just meaningless buzzwords but tools to help her team understand their roles, see the impact of their work, and feel truly connected to the credit union’s mission.

We dig into how leadership isn’t about moving fast or accumulating accolades but is about bringing people along, with Liz reflecting on how her listening skills, shaped early by her mother’s hearing impairment, helped her evolve into a leader who communicates intentionality and empathetically. We also get into how Liz works to intentionally build psychological safety, encouraging her team to speak up and share ideas without consequence. She also fosters a culture where transparency and collaboration drive real impact, not just numbers on a report.

We also talk about the powerful role of language, mentorship, and modeling values in leadership, with Liz reflecting on lessons learned from her early career and how she has empowered others to find their voice. She also advises on how to guide people toward roles that align with their strengths and purpose and stresses the fact that leadership is ultimately not about a title. Liz firmly believes that anyone can lead from the position that they are in, even if it's a more junior position.

Toward the end of the episode, we get a little more personal as we hear more about how Liz’s childhood shaped her leadership style, and she shares her next steps for the future, including an ambitious program to build up the next generation of female leaders!

Liz truly blends humility with vision, staying grounded while building an organization that thrives because people feel valued, heard, and empowered. This episode is packed with practical insights and stories from the front lines of leadership and it's truly one you are going to love!

Find the full show notes on cuinsight.com.

Connect with Liz:
Liz Ponder, CEO of SRP Federal Credit Union
srpfcu.org
SRP Federal Credit Union: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram |