Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?

Think back to when you were a kid. Do you remember your flip-flops falling off and scraping your feet along the concrete? Guess what? Kids still have this problem.

My guest today took his own footwear problem and decided to actually do something about it. Carter Waugh, 11, is the founder of Critts, a customizable flip-flop clog hybrid designed for running, jumping and climbing. His dad, Ryan, also joins us for the interview.

2:53 – Carter 101

• He loves lacrosse, skateboarding, golf, tennis, sometimes basketball, and, of course, designing shoes.
• Carter was on a family vacation in the Caribbean. He wasn't happy with his flip-flops or Crocs and asked his dad, Ryan, if he could design his own shoe, called a Flip Critt.
• His dad told him to create a business plan.

5:30 – Ryan's reaction

• Ryan was amazed by his son's business plan and drawing and his emotional intelligence

9:50 – How Carter designed the Flip Critt

• Carter didn't realize how time consuming and difficult it would be to design a shoe
• He met with a Los Angeles shoe consultant, who helped with the process, and then met with manufacturing consultants in China

19:02 – What Carter has learned

• At first, Carter thought, "Wham, bam, I'm done." But the shoe-making process took longer than he realized.
• "At first I was just like, 'It's a cool idea. I might not be able to do it. I mean, I'm like 8. Who makes a shoe when they're 8?' But once I got into it, I started liking shoes. I started liking them a lot."
• Besides learning a lot about shoes, he has also learned a lot about doing interviews and talking with adults.

23:18 – What Carter's parents have learned

• Ryan said he has learned more from his son than his son has learned from him.
• He says his son is a special human who sees the good in everybody and everything around him.
• Carter's initial mission statement was: "To spread happiness, safety and security to all critters."

26:22 – Carter's methods

• Carter's approach to life is refreshing and fascinating, according to his dad.
• He wants the business to be simple so people can enjoy his shoes.

32:02 – Critts Cares

• Carter has created Critts Cares. Every time someone buys a pair of Critts shoes, $2 goes back to his old elementary school.

33:45 – Get to know Carter

• What song hypes him up? Lil Nas X, Holiday
• What actor should play him? Someone with orange hair, obviously

FEATURED QUOTES

"This was a real life thing, organically, that came out of the mind of an 8-year-old that was like, 'Wow!'" – Ryan

"After a while, like two years, I finally perfected it to what I have today. And now I'm selling it and hearing tons of feedback on it … and a lot of people love it." – Carter

"At first I was just like, 'It's a cool idea. I might not be able to do it. I mean, I'm like 8. Who makes a shoe when they're 8?' But once I got into it, I started liking shoes. I started liking them a lot." – Carter

LINKS:

https://critts.com/

ABOUT CARTER:

Founder, visionary and overall goofball is a talented 11 year old named Carter "Critt" Waugh. He is a very active leader with an active imagination. He loves sports and is a talented lacrosse attackman. He loves his friends, his family and basically he loves anything that gets him dirty and sweaty. He has been the perfect test subject for his creation.

Every parent knows one of the scariest times is when your child gets sick. But when a child is hospitalized or diagnosed with a rare or serious illness, it affects everything. It can be really scary for children who are struggling.

My guest today is taking her personal pain with her own child's sickness and bringing joy to sick kids all around the country. Shalini Samtani is the founder of Open The Joy and the Spread the Joy Foundation.

4:29 – Shalini 101

• Spread the Joy Foundation delivers activity kits to children at their hospital bedside. She started making the kits on her kitchen table with her mother three years ago. Last year, she sent 5,000 to 6,000 kits to more than 100 hospitals across the country.
• Open the Joy is a for-profit company that makes toys focused on well-being and emotional intelligence in kids, such as a love and forgiveness box, anger management box, etc.
• Shalini got the idea after being in a hospital room with her daughter and trying to Google ways to entertain her and keep her positive.

6:42 – Difficult news

• Shalini's daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease that caused her body to react differently to sickness.

10:15 – Finding her purpose

• Shalini never imagined she would design kids' toys. She describes the experience as finding her purpose. Giving back to sick kids is what drives her.

16:38 – How to buy the toys

• Toys are sold on Open the Joy's website and Amazon. They have launched a new emotional intelligence line of toys, including a love and forgiveness box, anger management box and a kindness mission box.

19:24 – "You heal by healing others."

• "While the world is focusing on making kids smarter, our focus is to make them kinder," said Shalini

25:35 – Spreading like wildfire

• Shalini has been amazed at how quickly her business grew. She says it has spread like wildfire.

27:22 – How her kids view the hospital now

• Her daughter doesn't have any memories of being in the hospital. She now associates the hospital as a place where you get a joy box, because of Shalini's business.
• Her daughter and son think the hospital is a place where you do nice things for people.

38:05 – Get to know Shalini

• What brings her joy? Snuggles
• What song she loves to sing? Yellow by Coldplay

FEATURED QUOTES

"I never believed in my wildest dream that's what I was going to do – to design a toy collection." – Shalini

"I've always been kind of like one of those souls, finding my purpose." – Shalini

"The give back – that's what drives me more than anything." – Shalini

"We want it to be fun and engaging, but we also want it to be nutritional for their souls and for the development of their minds." – Shalini

"While the world is focusing on making kids smarter, our focus is to make them kinder." – Shalini

"You heal by healing others." – Shalini

"I never really understood why this little project grew like wildfire … I feel like I watch miracles." – Shalini

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

https://www.openthejoy.com/

https://www.spreadthejoy.org/

Shalini Samtani has a diverse background in Law, Real Estate and Design. However, her true passion lies in brining joy to sick kids. She is the founder of Open The Joy® a truly unique toy company that focuses on building emotional intelligence in kids; and the Spread The Joy Foundation® a registered non-profit that delivers free activity kits to hospitalized children at their bedside. Since its launch in 2019, Open the Joy has won several industry awards including Best New Products for Kids 2019 at NY Now, New Kids on the Block award at Toy Fair 2020, and Best New Manufacturers award at Toy Fest West 2020. Shalini Samtani's leadership and the truly unique nature of her business has been awarded recognition by the Tory Burch Foundation 2020, as one of the top 50 female entrepreneurs selected nationwide.

Did you know there are more than 400,000 children in the U.S. who are in the foster care system? The average age of a child in foster care is 8 years old, and there are more boys than girls. There are so many kids who need a home, support and love.

My guest today is Allie Roth, president and founder of With Love, which aims to help foster families change the lives of children ages 0-6 by providing resources that nurture dignity, hope and community.

2:42 – Allie Roth 101

• Allie is married with two children and has always loved kids. She was a teacher and learned about some of the needs in the community.
• She doesn't say "foster kids." She says "kids in foster care."
• She created her nonprofit in the Portland area.

7:18 – Misconceptions about foster care

• In Oregon, about 1 in 100 kids are in foster care, which is double the national average. It is not normal. On any given day, there are around 7,000 kids.
• Part of the reason is the opiate crisis and housing instability

13:28 – Misconceptions about kids in foster care

• No kid goes into foster care through a fault of their own.
• Kids need a loving place to land while their parents are in rehab or have other issues.
• 60% of the kids in foster care come from neglect.

17:15 – Fulfilling needs

• They have volunteers who shop for the kids so the kids feel seen and known. They gather car seats, bottles, shoes and other basics.
• After 90 days, foster parents can reach out and ask for more supplies.

21:53 – How did Allie begin With Love?

• Beginning a nonprofit is really hard. Allie talked with other nonprofits to find out how they did it.
• She focused on volunteering, and found a lot of retired people who wanted to help.

27:27 – Connecting with other organizations

• Allie gets calls and emails all the time about working with other organizations. She is very active on social media and has met a lot of people through that.
• Eventually, she wants to do replication seminars so people can learn about foster care 101.

36:17 – Ways people can support Allie's work

• Intentionality is key. Instead of just dropping your stuff off at a donation center, ask yourself, "Who can I bless with what I have?"
• Allie believes in transparency and shares how her organization is doing in an annual report and on social media.

43:11 – How her kids have adapted to being foster family

• Having kids is a huge asset. For Allie's family, she brings in kids who are younger than her children.
• They don't have a placement all the time, so her kids get excited when a new child comes to stay.

46:27 – Get to know Allie

• Her guilty pleasure? People Magazine
• Song she has to sing? Panic at the Disco's "Hey Look Ma, I Made It"

FEATURED QUOTES

"In Oregon, there are about 1 in 100 kids in foster care. That number is double the national average, so that is not normal." – Allie

"On any given day [in Oregon], there are around 7,000 kids in foster care, ages o to 18." – Allie

"Volunteers are the heartbeat of what we do." – Allie

"Who can I really bless with what I have? That's being intentional." – Allie

CONNECT:

• https://www.withloveoregon.org/
• https://www.withloveoregon.org/allie-roth

About Allie Roth:

Allie Roth is the President and Founder of With Love, which is a non-profit organization working to support foster families in Portland, Oregon. For Allie, With Love is more than an organization with a cause, it's a must-have movement. Since 2013, she has brought love and dignity to the forefront of foster care, changing the lives of thousands of families and kids in the community.

I'm an avid reader, and one of my favorite things to do with my kids is to read to them. A few years ago, I realized it was easy to find books where my kids could see themselves in the story. But I began to take that for granted and wanted to include more diverse literature.

My guest today is Sailaja Joshi, CEO of Mango and Marigold Press. She has built a company dedicated to this very idea, that books need more diversity.

3:56 – Sailaja 101

• Mango and Marigold Press is an independent publishing house that shares sweet and savory stories of the south Asian experience.
• Sailaja is a mom, wife, passionate runner and excited about disrupting the publishing space.

7:05 – Her personal experience

• The idea of Mango and Marigold started during Sailaja's first pregnancy. She wanted a library themed baby shower. She was looking for books that represented her culture, history and heritage. What she found was really disappointing.
• Some of the books she found were culturally inaccurate or insensitive.
• She decided to do something about it. She had an entrepreneurial spirit but knew nothing about publishing.

11:39 – How she started her business

• She tried writing books, and it didn't work. So she asked a friend with a background in children's literature for help.
• "I think it's really important for children to be able to see themselves and children to see others having these great moments of joy, and that's what our books do," said Sailaja

16:41 – What she's learned after publishing 20 books

• A big piece she learned is how the books are healing, not for children, but for parents
• "I think for so many parents, these books are things that they were just dying for in their youth and didn't have," said Sailaja

19:55 – Feedback

• The books resonate because they are great stories and are empowering. Sailaja says it's a wonderful feeling.

27:03 – Her favorite book

• Each book has a special meaning and a deep place in her heart.
• "I love stories that just celebrate black and brown joy. Those need to take up all the space on the bookshelf," said Sailaja.

33:32 – Get to know Sailaja

• Her favorite song to sing – Destiny's Child Bootylicious
• Her favorite meal – pizza
• Favorite TV show – 80s and 90s children's shows

FEATURED QUOTES

"I'm really excited about bridging the accessibility gap in children's literature and beyond." – Sailaja

"I was looking for books that represented my culture, my history, my heritage, and what I found was really disappointing." – Sailaja

"I think it's really important for children to be able to see themselves and children to see others having these great moments of joy, and that's what our books do." – Sailaja

"I think for so many parents, these books are things that they were just dying for in their youth and didn't have." – Sailaja

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OR LINKS

• https://mangoandmarigoldpress.com/
• https://mangoandmarigoldpress.com/pages/sailaja-joshi

About Sailaja Joshi:

Sailaja N. Joshi is a design thinker, intersectional feminist, mother to two, a bibliophile, an entrepreneur, lover of bold, modern design, diversity activist, and an aspiring dog owner.

A Massachusetts native, Sailaja grew up a voracious reader. From Leo the Lop to Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Amelia Bedelia, she loved every book she read. If you were to ask her today what her favorite book is, she'd likely say either the Harry Potter series OR The Tao of Pooh. It really depends on the day.

She has always been interested in exploring multicultural generations and loves using those skills in new and exciting ways as the CEO and founder of Mango & Marigold Press. Mango & Marigold Press is an award-winning independent publishing house that shares the sweet and savory stories of the South Asian experience. Founded in 2014, the company has produced fourteen books across four different product categories and been featured on The Today Show, Us Weekly, People Magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post and so much more.

In 2019, the company unveiled its #1001DiverseBooks initiative. With this program, Sailaja has committed to raising the funds to donate 1001 new, diverse books to literacy nonprofits bridging the accessibility gap within literature for children and teams. Community members can sponsor books for just $10 and through this program ensure that everyone has access to high quality, diverse literature. The company launched the initiative with its 14th book Finding Om and reached their goal of raising funds for 1001 books in just five short days. The company's mission has expanded to not only bridge the diversity gap in literature for children and teens but also improve the accessibility of diverse books in underserved communities.

Her ambition is to have Mango & Marigold Press be an active participant in the field of multicultural literature, moving forward with the belief that we need diverse literature for all in a diverse world. The company recently expanded its collection to include both young adult and middle grade books (to be published in 2021!) When she's not working to change the face of publishing, she can be found hanging with her two adorable children at the park or at circus class (really, that's a thing).

Thank you to our partner of the show, MamaSuds! How much time do you spend reading labels? A lot right? MamaSuds would like to help you take the stress of research out of your life with their truly safe, non-toxic household cleaning collection. They have everything you need to keep your family and your home clean and safe. If you've seen my Instagram Stories, you know I love their laundry soap! The best part is that they use plants and minerals to make their products- NOTHING SYNTHETIC. The head mama at MamaSuds is Michelle Smith and she has spent a crazy amount of time tracking down exceptional ingredients so they are not only safe for you and your family but sustainable for the planet. MamaSuds wants to inspire you to live a smart, healthy and sustainable life that brings you joy and peace of mind. Try them out at www.mamasuds.com and use code MOLLY for 15% off your order!

If you went to public school or played sports growing up in the U.S., you remember fundraisers – the wrapping paper, popcorn, catalogues, etc. We all have these memories.

Fundraisers are important to help organizations raise money, but what if we changed the way that we fundraise? What if we made an impact not only for the organizations that we're raising money for but also the people making the things we are selling?

My guest today is Carol Fassino who created Fair Trade Caravans, which provides transparent information about products' origins, stories behind the artisans and farmers and how the products are priced.

3:14 – Meet Carol Fassino

• Carol came from a structured world, including public schools and working in the electronics industry. She worked in the corporate world until a few years ago.
• She never wanted to climb the corporate ladder and had a lucky opportunity to reevaluate what she wanted to do with the second half of her career. She wanted to make a difference.
• She decided fair trade fundraising was the way to go.

11:15 – How Carol started her company

• She explored how to start the company online instead of visiting schools one by one.
• "It is so hard to get past the initial 10 people that love your idea, that are related to you, that are friends with you. You go out there, and you think everyone is going to embrace that idea, and they don't," said Carol.

16:14 – Response and feedback

• The feedback and response to Carol's business have been great, and her business has grown.

23:25 – A lasting impact

• It starts with us as adults to teach children how products are made and teach them about fair trade.
• "We're trying to make fair trade a global mission through empowering a caring community of doers," said Carol.

25:17 – How do the fundraisers work?

• People can set up their fundraiser online with all the products they want, including their logo and how much they want to raise.
• Carol sends the school a check for 25% of the product sale.
• The challenge we've had is getting the word out and promoting the fundraisers.

27:55 – A diverse product line

• Carol has a diverse product line, including home decor, jewelry, coffee, tea, etc.
• Carol sells products between $15 and $40.

31:37 – Get to know Carol

• Carol is a big reader and reads the newspaper every morning. She also likes lighter fiction and historical fiction.
• Her favorite song – Total Eclipse of the Heart
• Her favorite meal – something with a lot of flavor

FEATURED QUOTES

"It is so hard to get past the initial 10 people that love your idea, that are related to you, that are friends with you. You go out there, and you think everyone is going to embrace that idea, and they don't." – Carol

"We're trying to make fair trade a global mission through empowering a caring community of doers." – Carol

https://www.fairtradecaravans.com/

We all know that coffee is one of the most popular beverages. I fully admit I am in the minority for not being a coffee drinker. But I can't deny how much coffee culture has an influence on our communities, our country and our world. There are so many people involved in the supply chain.

My guests today are Brian Holland and Britt Mooney of Phoenix Roasters in Atlanta. They wanted to take their passion for coffee and for people and make a difference. They are two of the most incredible people.

3:50 – "You haven't had our coffee"

• I don't like coffee, but Brian and Britt say they can convert me.
• "We convert the 70% of people who want to love coffee into coffee lovers," said Brian.

8:08 – Britt and Brian 101

• Brian is founding pastor of Phoenix Community, a church planning network. He was a church youth pastor for 20 years. In 2008 they started Phoenix Roasters because they ran out of money as a church.
• Britt grew up in the church. He was drawn to teach overseas with his wife, and they were missionaries. When God called him back to the U.S., he wanted to live as a missionary in his own country. He wanted to work with Brian and describes the coffee business as living the dream.

13:35 – Say Yes. How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight

• Britt wrote a book, Say Yes. How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight. It tells their story and asks readers: What has God called you to do?
• People always want to know where they are going and how they are going to get there. But you need to trust God.

18:30 – Say yes and be blessed

• We're told if we say yes, we'll be blessed. In their business, they try to help the kinds of people that Jesus would have helped.

23:16 – Figuring out the next steps

• A guy on their leadership team kept saying, "What if we're a marketplace church?" It's an international model. They wanted to do coffee shops.
• Brian asked God what He wanted him to do. He heard God say, "It's not in the shop. It's in the bean."

28:43 – The roaster story

• They realized there's no money in repackaging somebody else's coffee beans.
• "We realized we needed a better business model, and we're going to have to learn to roast our own coffee," said Brian. "But none of us knew how to roast."

35:02 – Coffee that matters

• Mother Theresa once asked a man, "What do you do that matters?"
• You want to have purpose and meaning in your life. God led them into ways for their coffee to matter.

46:00 – What is on the horizon?

• They have plans to be aggressive, and they want to help the micro farmers who are getting swallowed up by big corporations.

53:10 – Get to know you

• Strangest pet peeve – Brian can't stand hard swallowers
• Something we would never guess – Britt used to have long hair and was in a heavy metal Christian band

FEATURED QUOTES

• "We always say around here, we're blessed and highly caffeinated." - Brian
• "We convert the 70% of people who want to love coffee into coffee lovers." – Brian
• "In 2008 we started Phoenix Roasters because we ran out of money as a church." – Brian
• "We realized we needed a better business model, and we're going to have to learn to roast our own coffee. But none of us knew how to roast." – Brian

LINKS

• https://phoenixroasters.coffee/
• https://www.amazon.com/Say-Yes-God-Sized-Dreams-Flight/dp/156309410X

Thank you to our partner of the show, MamaSuds! How much time do you spend reading labels? A lot right? MamaSuds would like to help you take the stress of research out of your life with their truly safe, non-toxic household cleaning collection. They have everything you need to keep your family and your home clean and safe. If you've seen my Instagram Stories, you know I love their laundry soap! The best part is that they use plants and minerals to make their products- NOTHING SYNTHETIC. The head mama at MamaSuds is Michelle Smith and she has spent a crazy amount of time tracking down exceptional ingredients so they are not only safe for you and your family but sustainable for the planet. MamaSuds wants to inspire you to live a smart, healthy and sustainable life that brings you joy and peace of mind. Try them out at www.mamasuds.com and use code MOLLY for 15% off your order!

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend, and I realized I've been doing this podcast for 4½ years. A couple years ago, around episode 100, I introduced solo shows every 10 episodes. So, here we are – episode 230. Today's episode is about something personal to me.

0:39 – We bought a farm!

• If you follow me on Instagram or read my blog, Still Being Molly, you know that my family and I recently bought a farm. I know that for a lot of people, people are probably thinking, "What? This is random!"
• It's something we've been dreaming and praying about for a really long time. Today, I'm going to tell you the story about how it all happened.

4:11 – The lowest point in my life

• In fall 2010 I was at arguably the lowest point of my life. I was tens of thousands in credit card debt. I didn't know many people where I lived and worked a bunch of jobs. I didn't know the Lord. I was struggling with broken relationships.
• In late 2010, I started dating my now husband, John, started attending church with him and was saved.

6:06 – Talking about hopes and dreams

• John and I began talking about our dream of owning a farm. When we got engaged, we dreamed about what our life would look like. One of the things we talked about regularly was buying land, building a house and being more self-sustainable.
• I was working hard to pay off my debt.

8:37 – Serious conversations about money

• As a young married couple, John and I had a lot of conversations about money. John didn't struggle with money, but I did, so we wanted to have clear communication. We have a joint budget and track every dollar that comes in and goes out.
• We started to put money away for a big expense down the road like land or a house.

11:00 – Our little garden

• We started with a garden in our backyard, and it started with one little garden bed, and it was a giant fail. I had this dream of having this massive garden.
• The only food we were able to grow was cucumbers, and they took over and grew through the fence.
• As the years went on, we got better at gardening. After five years, we had a truly, truly successful garden.

13:32 – Getting aggressive about savings

• About two to three years ago, we really started being very aggressive in our savings towards land. We hustled and we worked really hard.
• At the end of 2019, we began to realize this could become a reality sooner rather than later. We began looking at land and had many contracts fall through.

18:20 – Pursuing houses on land

• We finally decided to pursue houses on land instead of building a house. We looked at upwards of 15 houses and put in offers but kept getting rejected or outbid.
• John came home one night frustrated about the home-buying process. We had been praying. Later that night, three hours later, a house came on the market. We both looked at it, we looked at each other and said, "I think this is it."
• We went to see the house that weekend and finally got the house.

21:52 – A dream come true

• We aren't living there yet. We are doing renovations, but we are just so, so thankful. It is a dream come true. In a lot of ways I still feel like I'm dreaming.
• I share this whole story because, for nearly a decade, this was something that John and I had talked about and dreamed about and prayed about and saved for. I want to encourage you, if you have a dream, make little steps each day.
• We want to be able to serve others with this home.

FEATURED QUOTES

"My family and I recently bought a farm … People are probably thinking, 'What? This is random!' … It's something that we have been dreaming about and praying about for a really long time."

"A house came on the market … We both looked at it, we looked at each other and I said, 'I think this is it.'"

"We are just so, so thankful. It is a dream come true."

"I share this whole story because, for nearly a decade, this was something that John and I had talked about and dreamed about and prayed about and saved for."

"We want to be able to serve others with this home."

I think we can all agree that education is important. My guest today is passionate about making higher education accessible and giving opportunities to incredibly bright students in Africa for development and education around the world.

1:13 – Dr. Lydiah Kemunto Bosire's background

• Dr. Bosire is the founder and CEO of 8B Education Investments, a financial and education technology platform specialized in lending to African students to attend world-class global universities.

5:48 – Meet Dr. Bosire

• The "B" in 8B stands for billion. They want to find out what Africa needs to do in order to compete, innovate and thrive in a world of 8 billion people.

8:51 – What led Dr. Bosire to do this work

• She was born in western Kenya and went to United World Colleges. She found that international spaces in business and other sectors were not inclusive, and she wanted to see more people like her in those spaces.

14:40 – Breaking down barriers and expanding opportunities

• Dr, Bosire realized she needed more people like herself in power to help others. Her sole purpose is to address the key bottleneck, which is the financing.
• If financing was as available for African students as it is available to a Chinese student or Indian student or a Singaporean student, a lot more African students would be in universities.

24:41 – Narrative matters

• Our words matter. How we tell stories matter. Because those things begin to get imprinted in our minds, in our culture, in our society.

32:10 – Charity vs. education investment

• It doesn't have to be either or. It doesn't have to be charity or education investment. It can be both.
• "You're saying to somebody, 'I see this potential in you. I see this talent in you, and I'm investing in your education for a greater purpose." – Molly

37:45 – Not enough innovation in nonprofit

• There's not enough innovation in the nonprofit space. Business can be used for good, like a nonprofit.
• Overall, most nonprofits don't innovate because they just don't have to. But businesses have to innovate.

48:03 – Get to know you questions

• Who has influenced Dr. Bosire the most? Oprah
• What song she has to sing along with? Frozen ballads
• Favorite dinner – Kale and avocado
• First thing she does when she gets home? Hug those close to her

FEATURED QUOTES

"That's the business that I am in now, of making opportunity." – Dr. Bosire

"If we had financing as available for African students as it is available to a Chinese student or Indian student or a Singaporean student, we would have a lot more African students in universities." – Dr. Bosire

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OR LINKS

• https://africaglobaleducation.com/
• https://twitter.com/8B_AfricaEdu

About Dr. Lydiah Kemunto Bosire

Dr. Lydiah Kemunto Bosire is the Founder and CEO of 8B Education Investments, a financial and education technology platform specialized in lending to African students to attend world-class global universities and supporting them to succeed. 8B is on a mission to strengthen Africa's human capital by equipping the continent's future leaders and ecosystem builders to innovate, compete, and thrive in the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

A Kenyan national, Lydiah brings to the field of innovative finance her personal experience, and over eighteen years working on issues of international politics, development, and human rights.

Prior to founding 8B, Lydiah worked at the United Nations, the World Bank, and leading global NGOs. Most recently, she served as lead for the UN-World Bank Partnership at the Department of Political Affairs of the UN Secretariat. While completing her studies at the University of Oxford, Lydiah co-founded Oxford Transitional Justice Research.

Lydiah was a pioneer of the global youth movement around HIV/AIDS. She co-founded the YouthForce advocacy platform used at all international HIV/AIDS conferences since, and served as a founding board member of the non-profit Keep a Child Alive.

Lydiah currently serves on the board at WorldQuant University, and is a member of the UWC Atlantic College Advisory Council. She publishes and speaks on a wide range of topics, including on the role of innovative finance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN and the World Bank in conflict-affected states, and the role of world-class human capital in African development.

Lydiah completed her doctorate (D.Phil) in Politics at the University of Oxford. She also holds a Master of Science from Oxford, where she attended as a Clarendon Scholar. She received an undergraduate degree with honors in Government and a Master of Public Administration at Cornell University.

Thank you to our partners of the show: Ammas Umma

Did you know I have an ethical brand directory? That's what Chelsea used to start finding products for her boutique almost four years ago! Now, Amma's Umma carries over 50 intentionally sourced brands and is the perfect one stop shop for all your gift giving needs. As a thank you to the Still Being Molly community, she is offering 20% off with code SHOPWITHMOLLY. Head to shopwithmolly.com for all the details.

GOEX

At GOEX, we believe in the power of purchase. We use a simple t-shirt to connect our customers with their apparel makers. GOEX customers sustain fair wage jobs that liberate workers from poverty and empower them in their families and communities. We are proud to be a verified member of the Fair Trade Federation. Shop sustainable, eco-friendly t-shirts and sweatshirts with purpose today at goexapparel.com.

Simple Switch

I want to introduce you all to a company I believe in that helps you more conveniently purchase with purpose, SimpleSwitch.org

Simple Switch is an online marketplace for ethical and impactful shopping. They let you shop online for more than 3,000 products ranging from everyday essentials like toilet paper and hand sanitizer, to special gifts like journals or jewelry. Every product has a positive environmental or social impact, like planting trees or fighting human trafficking.

Simple Switch is offering a discount exclusively for our listeners. Check out the marketplace on simpleswitch.org and get 20% off your first order with code PURCHASEWITHPURPOSE at checkout!

The Lemonade Boutique

This episode is sponsored by The Lemonade Boutique, a women's clothing with a cause store. Featuring ethically made and fair trade items from over 10 countries, every item is made by women facing extreme challenges such as trafficking, poverty, and more. Your purchase empowers women to take life's lemons and make lemonade. Shop at THELemonadeBoutique.com. Listeners of the Business with Purpose Podcast can save 15% by using code PURPOSE15 at checkout.

I remember my journey of becoming debt free. I read so many books about how to take control of your money and how to budget. There are a lot of financial resources out there, but there's not much about why you handle money the way you do.

My guest today is Rachel Cruze, and she is trying to tackle that very issue. Rachel is a two-time No. 1 best-selling author, financial expert and host of The Rachel Cruze Show. Her new book is Know Yourself, Know Your Money: Discover WHY you handle money the way you do, and WHAT to do about it!

3:42 – Rachel Cruze 101

• Rachel is an author and speaker and loves talking about anything involving money and personal finance. She is the daughter of financial expert Dave Ramsey.
• She became interested in public speaking when she was 15 and realized it was a gift she wanted to share.

6:16 – Being Dave Ramsey's kid

• Rachel jokes that people think she had mutual fund birthday parties and summer budget camps growing up. But her mom and dad taught her a lot about money. They filed for bankruptcy the year she was born.
• She learned how to handle money emotionally, spiritually and tactically. But the conversations with her parents were never obsessive or legalistic. Her parents let her make mistakes so she and her siblings could learn to handle money.

9:38 – What she learned from her parents

• Rachel watched her parents become successful with money and be outrageous givers. She has been impressed with the private ways they are generous, without any fanfare.

11:20 – My childhood and financial past

• When times get tough, some turn to alcohol or drugs. As I explain to Rachel, I turned to spending money and used it as a coping mechanism. I was $36,000 in credit card debt in 2008 and became debt free in 2012.

15:28 – Know Yourself, Know Your Money

• Money is so emotional. There is so much guilt and shame around this topic. Your net worth starts to become your self worth, and you start to believe: "This is who I am." Breaking that cycle is so powerful.

18:46 – The psychology behind money

• To understand why you handle money the way you do, you have to go back to the way you grew up.
• There are four money classrooms people fall into: anxious, unstable, unaware and secure

25:17 – How to begin changing bad money habits

• You have to have an element of hope. Getting out of debt requires a lot of sacrifice, so you have to know why you're doing it.

27:12 – Adapting to change

• Doing a budget is not fun, but once it becomes a part of your life you can't imagine not having it there. It takes a shock to the system to change.

29:41 – Get to know Rachel

• What does Rachel do when she wants to treat herself? She doesn't need a designer bag. She loves spa days, pedicures and pampering.
• Her favorite song to jam out to? "I'm Proud to Be an American"
• Her favorite meal? Pepperoni and banana pepper pizza

FEATURED QUOTES

"Your net worth starts to become your self worth, and you start to believe: 'This is who I am.' To break that cycle is so powerful." - Rachel

"To understand how you handle money today, you have to go back to your childhood." - Rachel

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

https://www.rachelcruze.com/

https://www.rachelcruze.com/store/product/know-yourself-know-your-money-book