Every Person Should Try: Interview with Lynne Hughes, Founder and CEO of Comfort Zone Camp

I recently went one-on-one with Lynne Hughes, founder and CEO of Comfort Zone Camp. 

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Lynne: The journey to my career today actually stems back to when I was a child. Growing up in Rochester, Michigan, I was the second to youngest of 4 kids and the only girl. Looking back, I had what I would consider a normal childhood, living with two loving parents. And then, everything changed in a blink of an eye. When I was 9 years old, my mother died suddenly in her sleep from a blood clot. About three years later, my father passed away from a heart attack. 

Growing up, there were no grieving resources for kids. Most adults had no idea that children grieved, so it was often dismissed. ‘Parentless’ at just 12 years old, I had to face my grief journey alone. During this time, I wrestled with the, “Why?” The conclusion that I came to was that I was supposed to use my life to make a difference. While I had no idea what that meant as a child, it became my “true north star.”

Following my mother’s death, I attended a two-week summer camp and I loved it. It was one of the only places where no one knew my story and allowed me to be a kid again, even temporarily. Later on in life before I graduated from college, I got a job as a camp counselor and continued my love of summer camp. As I got older, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be amazing to combine my love for camp with helping grieving kids?” I wanted to create a resource for this unmet need in our society- and that’s exactly what I did.

In 1998, I founded Comfort Zone Camp (CZC) when I was 35 years old. CZC is a bereavement organization that transforms the lives of children and teens who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, primary caregiver, or significant person. My goal was to create a place where kids could meet others just like them, feel validated in whatever they were thinking or feeling, and gain tools to help them navigate their daily grief journey-- all in a safe, and supportive camp environment. I wanted the camp to be free so that cost would never be a barrier and all grieving kids could have access.

Since hosting our first camp in 1999, we’ve served more than 25,000 grieving children to date.

Adam: What are the best leadership lessons you have learned from leading a non-profit organization?  

Lynne: Leading a bereavement nonprofit organization for over 25 years, I have learned many valuable lessons along the way. 

Whatever stage your organization is in—infancy, toddlerhood, established—take a minute to drink in where you are, who’s with you on your journey, and be grateful. Celebrate big and small victories with your team and stakeholders. We often get so busy trying to be more or do more. It’s okay to be exactly where you are today.

At the heart of CZC, our mission is to help children, families, and caregivers navigate their grief and loss, no matter the cause. With this in mind, the CZC team and I lead with compassion and empathy, qualities that are important for any leader, including business executives. 

Establishing and nurturing a sense of community is not just a “good to have.” Without the CZC community, I wouldn’t be here for this interview today. Many campers, guardians and volunteers (over 2,000 people!) return to CZC each year. Our staff members, donors, and other stakeholders are also with us by choice. They’re here because they feel a deep sense of belonging and dedication to our mission. Community is everything.

Adam: What are your best tips for fellow leaders of non-profit organizations? 

Lynne: Nonprofit leaders are in a unique position to serve local communities and make a lasting impact. My best tip for other leaders is to always stay true to your mission. Identify your “why” and master your elevator pitch. Being able to talk about your organization and educate others about the work you’re doing is key to getting people on board with you. Share about the impact you’re making, and what would happen if you went away.

Also, when things happen beyond your control, don’t be afraid to pivot! Build your organization’s resiliency. A great example of this is what we had to do at Comfort Zone Camp during COVID. We had to ask ourselves, “What do we do now? How do we adapt our programs and still serve our community of grieving families?” 

We pivoted and within a month, we had our virtual camps. Then 6 months after that, we adapted again to modified in-person family programs. Our organization came out of COVID stronger and donors rewarded us because we continued to serve families in meaningful ways.

In 2015, we introduced suicide loss, and in 2023, we had our first camp for overdose loss. We look at the data and respond with ways to serve our community as needed. 

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Lynne: An effective leader to me is someone who not only knows how to communicate well, but also cares for their team. Promoting a caring culture in your organization is so, so important. People do their best work when they feel seen and appreciated, and know their work matters.

If you’re an aspiring leader, get to know your team and the key people and things in their life. Listen to their ideas and needs, celebrate their successes, connect them back to your organization’s mission, and thank people on a regular basis. At the end of the day, little things are the big things.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?

Lynne: #1 Be passionate. When your passion is real and authentic, people will want to be a part of it.

#2 Failure is not an option. Be resourceful and don’t give up! Get ready to pivot when challenges happen.

#3 Lead with your heart and common sense, and good things will happen.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?

Lynne: Get the right people on the bus! Building a culture with the right people is so important. You need people who care about your mission, where it’s more than a job to them. Allow for collaboration and team input and learn to empower your staff to grow as leaders themselves. Find ways to have leadership moments.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Lynne: Be a good human being, not a good human doing.

Adam: What can anyone do to pay it forward?

Lynne: There’s a quote by John F. Kennedy I often revisit, “One person can make a difference and every person should try.” This speaks to my soul. If you want to make an impact–go make that impact! Find your “why” and what speaks to you and be a part of it or even create it! 

I’ve learned through starting my own nonprofit that people are willing to help and make a difference. Comfort Zone has over 2,000 volunteers participate annually in our program. They choose to spend their weekends at camp because our mission of helping grieving kids speaks to them. They then recruit other volunteers — get their friends, families, and employers involved — and the ripples happen from there. 

Since we’ve been around for 25 years, 1/3 of our volunteers are now former campers who are paying forward what was given to them! AND–also amazing–we have so many former campers going into healing and helping professions–counseling, teaching, medical, and health-related fields! They are now bright lights of understanding in a world that typically avoids and doesn't understand childhood grief.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Lynne: Starting, growing, and sustaining a nonprofit isn’t easy. Especially if you are a pioneer in your field as we were, there was no road map! We had to be resourceful and creative and blaze our own trail. It is critical to remain connected to your mission. My advice is to take time to reflect on the impact you are making and the lives you are changing. It’ll help avoid burnout and continue to inspire you to keep going!

Share those magic mission moments with staff, volunteers, donors, board members, and other constituents. Remember how lucky you are to be able to do something that matters on a daily basis. YOU matter. Your organization matters. Keep going!

CZC is excited and honored to have touched the lives of so many children, teens, and families after so many years. For anyone facing grief at any age, I want to remind you that you’re not alone. I invite you to attend or volunteer at one of our camps! Every weekend spent with us is going to be good for your heart. For any grief resources or support, you can visit comfortzonecamp.org. 


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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