In this episode, Host Taylor Baker sits down with Andrew Kroes, CEO of Because International, to explore how a firsthand encounter with kids lacking properly fitting shoes sparked the creation of a durable, adjustable “growing shoe” and a mission-driven organization focused on dignity, health, and opportunity in underserved communities.

What You’ll Learn

• How a single, vivid moment in the field can reveal a real problem worth solving and provide the clarity to pursue it long-term.
• Why “donations” alone often fail to meet need at scale, and how designing specifically for the context changes outcomes.
• What it takes to turn a simple idea into a real product: prototypes, iteration, partners, and persistence through dead ends.
• How Because International balances the core product trade-offs that matter most in impact work: comfort, durability, and affordability.
• Why manufacturing choices matter especially the value of producing locally (including building a team and operations in Kenya).
• How shoes connect to bigger outcomes like health, reduced infection risk, school participation, and a child’s sense of dignity.
• The role of storytelling in sustainable impact: showing donors tangible outcomes and building long-term support.
• How scaling impact can evolve beyond a single product, using the same distribution and trust network to address other urgent needs.

This conversation highlights the power of mission-led innovation: when you design with real constraints in mind and stay committed to iteration, you can create practical solutions that protect health, unlock education, and reinforce dignity. Andrew’s story also underscores that impact is rarely “one and done” it’s a system of product development, operational excellence, and donor engagement working together to grow sustainable change.

To learn more about Andrew Kroes and their work, visit becauseinternational.org