When you meet Amy Bohn, you instantly feel her fire — her fierce, heart-led commitment to protecting freedoms, especially when it comes to children. Amy isn’t just a passionate advocate; she’s the Co-Founder and President of PERK (Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids), a bipartisan nonprofit that has grown into a powerful movement. From medical freedom and parental rights to educational access and civil liberties, Amy and her team have redefined what it means to lead through advocacy.
Since PERK began in 2019, Amy has created incredible momentum by meeting with legislators, school boards, superintendents, and legal experts. These efforts have changed the trajectory for countless families in California and other states. What’s even more impressive is how she’s done it: by empowering others to lead, act, and believe that their voice matters.
When I sat down with Amy for our “C-Suite Success” interview, I asked her how she first discovered what success looked like for her. She shared a powerful story from her childhood — running her first race in second grade. She hit a wall mid-way and was ready to give up. But on the sidelines, her father ran beside her, cheering her on. She didn’t just finish that race; she took second place. That early lesson of pushing through pain and finishing what you start has never left her. “It’s not always about money or titles,” Amy told me. “Sometimes success is simply about finishing what you start, no matter how hard it gets.”
That theme — resilience, follow-through, and heart — shows up in every part of Amy’s leadership.
Starting a nonprofit may sound noble, but as any business leader will tell you, it’s just that: a business. And Amy runs PERK with the same rigor, strategy, and performance expectations as a for-profit venture. “People try to build the plane while they’re flying it,” she said. “But if you don’t have foundational infrastructure, you’re not setting yourself up to succeed.” That business-minded approach is why Amy is such a natural fit in The Hero Club, a C-SUITE NETWORK™ community of CEOs, founders and investors who pledge to lead with purpose, integrity and transparency.
Amy’s insight into decision-making was especially powerful. In high-stakes advocacy, you don’t always have all the data. “I’ve had to become more decisive than ever — sometimes with only 80 percent of the information,” she said. “You can’t wait for perfect clarity. You need to lead with wisdom, instinct, and principle.”
And the results speak for themselves. PERK has created clear, actionable tools that allow people, often without legal or political backgrounds, to make their voices heard. Through these tools and campaigns, Amy’s organization empowered citizens to send 2.8 million actions to legislators across the state of California.
This goes beyond advocacy. That’s transformation.
What’s remarkable is how PERK remains nonpartisan, even as the issues they tackle are often politicized. Amy and her team routinely meet with officials across the political spectrum because of her firm belief that their mission transcends labels and sides. “We’ve had to learn how to talk about difficult topics in ways that create results. Respect is at the center of that,” she said. “It’s okay to disagree. But we must find common ground to move forward.”
Amy’s influence is deeply rooted in her heart for people. Whether it’s children at risk of losing access to education, or families facing complex medical decisions, Amy leads with compassion, not condemnation. That’s what makes her leadership so disruptive in all the right ways. While others shy away from controversy, Amy steps into it, not to incite, but to invite dialogue, understanding, and change.
That level of disruption is exactly why Amy is making the leap from state-level impact to national expansion. She shared the exciting news about forming new partnerships, allowing PERK’s model to scale across the country.
But, like everything in business, it hasn’t been easy.
Amy was honest that learning to collaborate with other organizations, especially in such a charged space, has been a growth journey. “You don’t gel with everyone,” she said with a smile. “But when you find the right partners, aligned in mission and values, you can multiply your impact.”
It was clear in our conversation that Amy is building something sustainable. Something bold. Something that invites every parent, every citizen, and every leader to participate. It’s not about being a cog in a wheel, as someone once said to her. It’s about recognizing your voice and using it.
I left our conversation reminded that success isn’t always about scale, but about intention, impact, and integrity. And Amy Bohn is the kind of leader who embodies all three.
From our conversation, it’s evident that movements don’t just happen. They’re built – one action, one voice, and one courageous decision at a time. I’m thankful for the reminder that real leadership is heart-led, purpose-driven, and radically human.
Watch the full interview on C-Suite TV or listen to the podcast on C-Suite Radio (or wherever you listen to podcasts).
