Giving Back Podcast

Welcome to the 26th episode of Giving Back Insights, my Thursday solo show where I talk about how our guests and their charities serve others, to explore actions each of can take to make a difference in people’s lives and to share. Today I’m talking about A little help from my friends! Listen to today’s episode and don’t forget to give your feedback and valuable comment. Enjoy!

June 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  One of the tracks is A Little Help From My Friends, a wonderful way to follow up last week’s show.

Great opportunity last week to share about the impact of having an advocate and evangelist like Teresa deGrosbois in my corner.  What a difference it has made on my progress!

Krista Gawronski from the Fabulous Women of Petaluma is another person of influence in my life, introduced by way of the Giving Back podcast. She elevates community service to an art form in some ways, an art form that can be duplicated anywhere and everywhere.

What would it be like if I could donate 100% of the profits from my book to charities?  It’s exciting to come up with a possible option that is both simpler in execution and bigger in scope.

Why am I doing this?  Because I am able because I can.  Krista knows that I mean it from the heart.  How would she and others explain my motivation?

As Teresa says, when you move in the direction of your dreams and passion, people will step in to help.  Asking for help requires your choice of putting your ego aside.

Don’t be stingy with your love.  Always err on the side of love and kindness.

Love & Gratitude,

Rob

Giving Back Podcast

Teresa deGrosbois

Krista Gawronski

Fabulous Women of Petalum

Hillary Schafer is the Executive Director of the Jefferson Awards Foundation, a public service award that inspires purpose in our youth and finds sustainable solutions for impoverished communities. On the show, Hillary showcases powerful examples of how unlocking our young adults’ potential can achieve extraordinary things, both in the community they’re serving, and in the action taker. 

Key Takeaways:

[3:45] Jefferson Awards winners are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition.

[4:55] What is the Jefferson Awards about?

[9:55] We often talk about how the good work impacts a community, but we rarely ever talk about how the good work actually changes or affects the person giving to the community for the better. 

[12:15] Hillary shares some key examples about how simple acts can help impoverished communities.

[17:55] The power of serving others is one of the best tools you can give a low-income child. 

[20:25] Young people are inherently limitless. We just need to unleash that ability from within them. 

[24:45] We live in a world right now where Americans are very pessimistic about America’s future. However, on the ground, America is alive and well. Our future is bright! 

[34:45] In anything in life, it’s hard to be successful unless you’re in line with the incentives of others.

[42:50] When you empower our youth, they are able to change several thousand lives for the better, not just small communities. 

[47:45] 3.5 years later, Hillary still loves, and believes in, what she is doing for Jefferson Awards and doesn’t plan on quitting anytime soon. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Giving Back Podcast

Jefferson Awards Foundation

Warm Winters

Operation Gratitude

Welcome to the 25th episode of Giving Back Insights, my Thursday solo show where I talk about how our guests and their charities serve others, to explore actions each of can take to make a difference in people’s lives and to share. Today I’m talking about A little help from my friends! Listen to today’s episode and don’t forget to give your feedback and valuable comment. Enjoy!

Today’s show cover features the fabulous Teresa deGrosbois, a publishing expert who is not only an international bestselling author, she is also a master of mass influence.  Teresa loves influence because it’s our ability to create change.  

If you have a vision that you want share with others, do yourself a favor and check out her book, Mass Influence, the Habits of the Highly Influential at MassInfluenceTheBook.com, including her 30 Day Influence Challenge to develop your influence skills.

30 Day Influence Challenge

She offered to sit with me to discuss the direction of my book and took me on a much deeper dive than I expected.  We talked about the purpose of the book, what action I would be guiding people to take, the amount of work a book takes to write and promote, and even whether a book is a right avenue for me at this point.  And then she asked me to consider something even bigger.  

Teresa asked me to look for the convergence of what I love, what I’m good at, and what I most wish someone would do in the world (aka the thing I keep saying, “why doesn’t somebody just…”).  That’s about dreaming big and making it happen.  That’s about purpose.  And meaning.  And vision.

I thought about it deeply and I was stunned by the ideas that came up --- nothing.  Zip, zilch, nada.  A hugely deflating moment for me.  I have no clue what I will create that will make a difference in this world.

I was preoccupied with my lack of progress when I met with my editor Callum, one of those “what’s the point?” moments.  When I told him what was on my mind, he was a bit surprised that I took my conversation with Teresa so seriously.  He was also a little concerned that I was off track from the focus of the book.

My conversations with Callum are about the guest and what they’re doing to make our world a better place.  After a couple of days being in this funk, I was ready to let it rip.  To my absolute delight, the next day’s session with Callum started with my interview with Teresa.  

I told him about her passion for using influence to change the world for the better.  Her example during her TEDx talk with Dave Bonk and his Hearts and Hammers charity was inspired and a huge a-ha moment for me.  Shine a light on other people’s good works with passion and authenticity, and watch your own influence grow.  Her lesson about how giving away influence builds our own influence really clicked for me, and I knew I could do that.

I shared with Callum her abundance mindset.  She helps so many people remember that their dreams are scarier to them than anyone else, and when you step into your dreams all kinds of people will step in and help you.  Her work as the leader of the Evolutionary Business Council, a group of community thought leaders committed to making change happen in the world, reflects her commitment to making people’s lives better.  

When she talks about the impact of forgiveness and support for Project Forgive, it’s so grounded in principles of personal and professional growth.  If you get stuck in fear or anger or grief, you can’t be successful in life.  Forgiveness is about releasing your negative attachment to a situation, releasing the negative energy that holds you back from moving forward.  Failing fast, getting past issues fast, that’s the key to success.

Can you imagine spending time with someone who believes and operates with this mindset?  Can you imagine having someone like that as your evangelist, someone who truly believes in your might and supports you?  

I said earlier that I have a lot of respect for Teresa.  I have even more love for her.  She operates from a position of abundance and boundless opportunity to make a difference in our world.  It’s really powerful having people like Teresa in my corner.  I may not have my answer yet, but I’m on track and making progress towards my goals.

Teresa, thanks for being here for me and pouring on your love.

Callum, thanks for sticking with me, listening with an open heart, and helping me get to the next stage.

Here’s a favorite quote of Teresa’s from Margaret Mead that is all about the impact that influence can have on our world:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has - Margaret Mead

Don’t be stingy with your love.  Always err on the side of love and kindness.

Love & Gratitude,

Rob

Giving Back Podcast

Mass Influence - the habits of the highly influential | Teresa de Grosbois | TEDxCanmore

Mass Influence | The Book

Stephanie Jones is a motivational speaker, writer, and giver at Giving Gal. She is the author of The Giving Challenge and also a former police officer. Stephanie started out on her journey by giving a gift to someone everyday for 500 days. It was a very humbling experience and Stephanie discusses some of the lessons she learned during that time of giving on this week’s show. 

Key Takeaways:

[2:50 Every day, for 500 days, Stephanie gave a gift to someone. 

[6:50] Stephanie talks about her Humanitarian Award from Cisco Systems.

[10:25] As a business owner, no matter how small your business is or how new you are, find a way to  give back to your community. 

[15:45] If you visit Stephanie’s blog, she discusses in detail all the gifts she’s given, everything from giving prayer to baby clothes. 

[21:15] Remember, we are surrounded by good people. [28:50] How did Stephanie get comfortable speaking in front of a group of people? 

[34:40] Stephanie was an Indiana state police officer. It’s a big cause she supports and even Stephanie’s father and husband are police officers as well. 

[37:15] A lot of times in life we fail, but the worst thing is that some of us don’t get back up.

[44:50] A small amount of effort done consistently goes a long way over time. 

[46:00] Stephanie talks about The Giving Challenge and what it is about. 

[49:50] There is no such thing as small acts of kindness. They’re all big and they’re all significant. 

[53:00] There are many lessons you can learn just simply by being generous to others. 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Giving Back Podcast

Giving Gal

The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy

The 10% Solution Book by Ken Rand

Welcome to the 24nd episode of Giving Back Insights, my Thursday solo show where I talk about how our guests and their charities serve others, to explore actions each of can take to make a difference in people’s lives and to share. Today I’m talking about Seeking Fatherly Advice!

Listen to today’s episode and don’t forget to give your feedback and valuable comment. Enjoy!

This morning in the newspaper I saw a call for reader submissions under the headline “Seeking Fatherly Advice” In honor of Father’s Day, the paper is asking fathers to share their words of wisdom about raising kids at any age. Here’s the question: “Dads, what do you wish you’d known the first time you stared into your newborn’s eyes?”

This was a thought-provoking question for me. A little emotional, too. My oldest is going to college in the fall, and my youngest is entering high school. My middle child and I had a rough go for a bit and it feels like we’re hitting our stride now, knock on wood. They are kind, smart, generous and funny, and we’ve been remarkably fortunate with a relatively trouble-free childhood for all three.

I’m an optimistic guy and tend to concentrate on both the positive and progress. I’ve put a lot of energy on my personal growth over the past few years with the biggest focus being a better father. And I continue to make plenty of mistakes.

But I am a better father, that I know. I feel it when my kids, including my sons, give me a kiss in the morning. I feel it when one of them talks about whatever is on their mind or gives me a playful nudge. I feel it when my wife looks at me with a smile when I and the kids are laughing about something she thinks is silly, and I feel it when we have a hard conversation that ends with a hug and walking together, not apart.

So this is what I wish I’d known the first time I stared into my newborn’s eyes:

Always err on the side of love and kindness.

Life will feel hard sometimes. Many things will happen in life that is out of my control, and they can be real sources of stress. What I CAN control is how I respond to these situations, my behavior, and communication. Remember that no matter what happens, my kids love me.

If everything I say and do reflects the love I felt the first time I looked into each of their eyes, I’ll be a much better father. Every time I’m with them, talk to them, or they think of me, I want them to know that my love is unconditional, without limit or reserve.

This doesn’t mean they aren’t responsible for what they do or say. But I will be a much more effective father if they know I’m coming from a place of love. Whether it’s nagging, reprimanding, or simply having a conversation, they will listen with a more open heart and mind when they know my words are based on love.

So figure out how to show them with my words and actions that I love them. Do that ALL THE TIME. That will make a difference, I promise.

In other words, don't be stingy with my love. Love them with all my heart, all the time. Love them like there’s no tomorrow.

p.s. remember to smile more when I'm talking to them. It’s hard for kids to know the difference between anger and concentration.

Love & Gratitude, Rob

Giving Back Podcast

Vinay Nair is the Co-Founder of Lightful, a suite of digital tools that help charities connect on a deeper level to their donors and show up more prominently in our digital world. Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword, it's a vital part of how we can strategically use grant money to give those in need a hand up, not a hand out. Vinay discusses his mixed feelings about Kiva, showcases an example of how you can help the community in a sustainable way, and so much more, on this week’s episode. 

Key Takeaways:

[4:55] Who is Vinay and how did he get started? 

[13:10] Vinay’s trip overseas helped him discover that he wanted to work in the social sector and help others.

[18:40] Vinay discusses some of the struggles he had when trying to get government approval for the Clinton Foundation’s project in Mozambique. 

[24:25] There was a lot of skepticism among the community on why Vinay and the group of volunteers were trying to help HIV+ women. 

[28:00] It’s important to use grant money not as a hand out, but as a hand up.

[30:35] Vinay shares his experiences with Kiva.org and the mixed feelings he has about the organization. 

[36:10] Rob wishes he received updates about the individual people he’s supporting on Kiva, instead of getting updates on payments. 

[42:30] Vinay believes it’s important to close the communication gap between where the money goes and who it actually helps. This is why Lightful was created. 

[51:20] Vinay believes more people are givers than takers. In fact, he’s willing to take chances on that belief. 

[1:01:25] Lightful will be rolling out beta tests on their products in early 2017, so stay tuned and visit their website to support their platform! 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Giving Back Podcast

Lightful

Kiva

Welcome to the 22nd episode of Giving Back Insights, my Thursday solo show where I talk about how our guests and their charities serve others, to explore actions each of can take to make a difference in people’s lives and to share. Today I’m talking about Faith! Listen to today’s episode and don’t forget to give your feedback and valuable comment. Enjoy!

I remember many years ago being at a pool with my son Tyler, him wanting to jump in and join his big brother. It scared him, waving for him to jump in with my arms outstretched. He jumped, it was a literal leap of faith that I would take care of him.

Taking a leap into the unknown. Was it bigger for him, taking the leap? Or for me, that he trusted me?

Faith for the spiritual. Is there a difference from faith for the religious? Acts of love for others is what I see is faith in action. So many of our guests have faced hardship and obstacles on their path to doing something great for others.

Edward Teller on faith: “When you get to the end of all the light you know and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”

Karen Blessen, 29 Pieces, doing enormous good to stop the violence. Sometimes it’s hard, and she keeps going.

Buddy Teaster, Soles4Souls, bringing shoes where they’re needed. Washing the feet for those he serves, to sustain him.

Pastor Michael Moore, talking about reconciling temptation to action. Are your actions reflecting your beliefs? #shilohm2m

What are YOU doing that reflects your faith?

Don’t be stingy with your love. Always err on the side of love and kindness.

Love & Gratitude

Giving Back Podcast

Karen Blessen, 29 Pieces

Buddy Teaster, Soles4Souls 

Shiloh Church: shilohchurch

PianoFight was formed by Rob Ready and two co-founders in 2007. They were able to successfully raise $1.2 million in their fundraising campaign, 10% of which was crowdfunded through Kickstarter.  PianoFight is unique because they are able to incorporate choose-your-own-ending plays, fully-scripted plays, and impromptu that anyone can be apart of, not just actors. If you have an artistic talent, no matter your socioeconomic status, PianoFight happily welcomes you into their venue. Find out more about how PianoFight is deeply involved in the community and gives back on this week’s show. 

Key Takeaways:

[3:15] Rob has been chasing Rob R for a while now to get on his podcast! 

[5:35] PianoFight takes things to the next level when it comes to giving back. 

[13:10] Rob R and his co-founders  started running these theatre shows in 2007 and he first got the keys to a studio space when he turned 23 years old. It was a lot of responsibility for a young kid. 

[17:15] You don’t have to be a large company to give back! 

[17:55] What is PianoFight exactly? 

[22:35] What do Rob R’s employees think of the company and what impact does it have on them that the company gives back to the community? 

[28:35] When it comes to expressing yourself and your art, people are able to connect on all sorts of levels. You just have to forget about the disparity in income first. 

[29:40] Rob R and his two co-founders are white males. He understands that the opportunities he’s been given and the ability to start such a unique company are luxuries.

[36:10] There are now new, and legal, ways to set up your company that make it easier for you to bring a social cause into a profitable business. 

[43:35] Rob can’t wait to see the plays that are being put on at PianoFight.

[46:15] Rob R always has interesting things happening at the venue because everybody has the creative freedom to create something beautiful and they’re not restricted to a certain day to create it. 

[50:45] The Bay Area and Silicon Valley are big disruptors in both culture and tech. 

[55:20] If you’re curious about Code Tenderloin, feel free to email the team! 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Giving Back Podcast

PianoFight

Code Tenderloin

Email: [email protected]

Welcome to the 22nd episode of Giving Back Insights, my Thursday solo show where I talk about how our guests and their charities serve others, to explore actions each of can take to make a difference in people’s lives and to share. Today I’m talking about Leadership with heart! Listen to today’s episode and don’t forget to give your feedback and valuable comment. Enjoy!

Key Takeaways:

In honor of National Foster Care month, last week we had Rob Scheer from Comfort Cases.  It was a great conversation full of passion and insight about the foster care system as well as his perspective as a gay white dad of four beautiful black kids. Two dads talking about family.

Here’s a great show about people doing things to help foster kids in Los Angeles, check out Crazy Good Turns, A Sense of Home at:

http://crazygoodturns.org/episodes/a-sense-of-home/

On to the show!  Talking about Leadership with a heart, first I want to give a big shout out to Debbie Radvar, my sister from another mister.

She decided to give me a ring and tell me that she kinda thinks my show is dope!  In fact, she likes the show with Ron Klabunde of Generosity Feeds so much, she wants to put together a food packing party with friends, neighbors, school parents, teens and businesses for her community.  

Absolutely blew me away, I kid you not.  I had to pull over to the side of the road, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for her.  What a great, generous spirit!  Looking forward to connecting her with Ron soon, check out Generosity Feeds at:

www.GenerosityFeeds.org

Here’s a couple of names you might recognize, Guy Kawasaki, Apple Chief Evangelists & Seth Godin, best known for the book Tribes.  These fellas are well known for thinking about creating raving fans, and that’s what the power of social impact can do for ANY company.  Think about creating Community Ambassadors for your company.

I spoke with Josh Schukman of Social Change Nation (www.SocialChangeNation.com) recently, and was joined by his smart as a whip bride Brittain.  He brought up several great companies founded WITH a specific social mission:

Mission Belt: fighting global poverty one belt at a time

www.missionbelt.com

Listen Sound company: hearing aids for every high performance audio product

www.LSTN.co

Many more examples with the people he works with, and that’s one way to stand out --- by standing out, declaring your intentions, and making the social purpose part of the fabric of your company.

An exciting channel for giving back is the opportunity for businesses to get involved in a meaningful way.  By meaningful, I’m not focusing on dollars.  And I’m talking about businesses without a specific social purpose in their founding.  Instead, it’s about reflecting genuine values of giving back throughout the company, making it a part of the culture.

One of the first people I spoke about corporate philanthropy is Candy Barone, executive coach and dynamo.  In fact, we spoke about corporate social responsibility programs being a waste of money unless companies measure the impact, both inside and outside the company.

You Empowered Strong, LLC

http://www.candybaroneinternational.com/

Candy goes deep and hard with her clients, many of whom are executives at Fortune 500 companies overseeing hundreds if not thousands of employees.  She can get fellas to dig deep because she’s…..well, she’s Candy.  And I’m not, so what is Rob to do?

When I consider effective, heart centered presentations, I go back to the well thinking about Krista Gawronski of the Fabulous Women of Petaluma.  Her activities during presentations really get people into the right mindset quickly.  It’s hard to think of myself or any guy talking to a room full of men about opening their hearts in leading their companies, but she pulled out a fabulously (word play on fabulous, get it?) awesome activity that resonated with the rational, business-minded part of me immediately.

https://thefabulouswomen.com/

Krista put me in touch with Laurie Zenga of Feminine Power Flow.  She’s also the chair of The Petaluma Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Committee.  We talked about local, neighborhood businesses, and the incredible opportunity they have to create a stronghold of goodwill if they use their local roots to get involved.

http://femininepowerflow.com/

Finally, my new friend Midori Verity, considered by many to be the Top Expert for Online Marriage Coaching.  We put all these ideas together, together with a little side bar about how this can all fit to move from midlife crisis to a midlife awakening, and I think I’m ready to get busy.

https://www.midoriverity.com/

More to come!  In the meantime, remember: Don’t be stingy with your love.  Always err on the side of love and kindness.

Love & Gratitude

Giving Back Podcast

A sense of home: www. asenseofhome.org

Ron Klabunde, Generosity Feeds: www.GenerosityFeeds.org

Guy Kawasaki 

Social change Nation

Mission Belt 

Listen Sound company

You Empowered Strong, LLC

Feminine Power Flow

Fabulous Women of Petaluma

MIdori Verity

Becky Slack is the Founder and Managing Director of Slack Communications. Founded in 2013, Becky was motivated to start her company so that she could share inspiring stories of charities and social entreprises doing good in the world. Becky believes anyone can create a ripple effect of good, no matter how small. Small companies are often intimidated by the concept of charity due to not ‘being able to afford it’, but Becky explains why they too, can give back without sacrificing profits. 

Key Takeaways:

[3:00] Becky has raised half a million pounds for the Red Cross. 

[3:50] Who is Becky? 

[7:35] Being trained as a journalist has a lot of perks and allows Becky to speak to very ‘inaccessible’ people. 

[14:45] Since Becky cares so much about some very serious causes, she can often find herself getting stretched too thin. 

[20:30] It’s important to help feed children in bad situations, but Becky believes it’s also just as important to make them smile and laugh too. 

[27:00] Becky shares some stories of simple acts of kindness that can brighten anyone’s day. 

[36:25] You don’t need to make grand gestures to help someone. Businesses are slowly realizing that they can give back without sacrificing big bucks. 

[45:35] Becky discusses some of the nonprofits that really hit close to home for her. 

[52:35] Giving back to serious causes doesn’t have to be so serious. You can make a charity event filled with laughter and support! 

[54:15] Fundraisers are supposed to be fun. 

[56:50] In three words, how would Becky describe the emotions she feels when giving back? 

Mentioned in This Episode:

Giving Back Podcast

Slack Communications

About Becky Slack at Slack Communications

Becky Slack on LinkedIn

Macmillan Cancer Support

The Flying Seagull Project