Andy Way has done it all. The best-selling author and international speaker has lived a life of adventure, and is dedicated to helping others overcome the changes and challenges in their own lives; helping them embrace adventure.

Today you’ll hear about:

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Highlight

0:21 - Intro

0:53 - Andy’s bio

1:36 - What was life in the Navy like?

4:00 - How did you get from the Navy to where you are now?

5:31 - What was it like to help your son navigate his addiction?

8:02 - What are some of the unique challenges facing parents today? What can we do about them?

10:16 - Have there been any standout moments in your personal development journey?

14:05 - How can we all be more adventurous?

17:09 - What practices can we employ on a daily basis to be more adventurous?

19:05 - Why don’t we do the things we know could make our life more fulfilling?

21:50 - Scarcity vs. abundance mindset

24:05 - Have you had an important mentor in your life?

25:55 - Leading with your being, primal vs. powerful states of being

28:33 - Cognitive-behavioral flexibility, embracing change

29:24 - Andy’s experience with meditation, studying in Japan

32:08 - Who is your role model right now?

34:55 - Andy’s experience getting involved with the Fathers and Families Support Center in St. Louis

40:06 - How can event planners and venues do a better job of showing gratitude to their keynote speakers?

43:58 - Are you mostly focused on coaching or speaking right now?

44:58 - What does the next iteration of your work look like?

47:15 - How do you get most of your clients?

51:03 - Andy’s encounter with an unidentified MiG in the Navy

53:39 - The power of saying yes to things that make you uncomfortable

55:46 - Andy’s experience learning to accept himself

58:45 - Closing remarks

1:00:34 - Outro

USEFUL LINKS:

1) Andy’s website: https://andywayofficial.com/

2) Andy’s book, “Always Adventure,” on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BP9RSGW5

3) Andy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-way/

4) Utopia’s website: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/

What are the most effective ways to advocate for your organization?

What role do events play in fundraising?

What does it take to manage fear?

We explore the answers to all of these questions and more in today’s interview with Laura Roeseler, the Senior Annual Giving Officer at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis and proud mother of two.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Highlight/Intro

0:34 - Introducing Laura

1:07 - How did you end up in fundraising?

4:05 - When do we lose our ability to dream? 

6:28 - What is the one thing you want to be the best at?

7:46 - How did your childhood experience with philanthropy impact your life?

8:57 - Utopia at the Ronald McDonald House

10:30 - What have your last couple of years looked like?

13:13 - What’s one of the best ways you’ve seen someone show gratitude for a donor?

15:29 - Praise for Mercy’s standard of care

17:36 - The experience coming home with a newborn

19:20 - Advocating for your own business can be more difficult than advocating for someone else’s

21:13 - What role do events play in your fundraising?

23:31 - How do you create a sense of community at your events?

24:51 - We’re usually too focused on the goals to appreciate the journey

26:52 - Have things gotten more or less stressful because of the pandemic?

30:28 - Evolve or die

32:57 - How our relationship with technology changed because of COVID

34:32 - How do you get comfortable taking risks in your everyday life?

38:17 - The escalation of thrill-seeking

40:08 - Do you have any advice for struggling fundraisers?

42:50 - Closing remarks

44:02 - Outro

USEFUL LINKS:

1) Utopia Experience: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/

2) Mercy Hospital: https://mercyhealthfoundation.net/communities/stlouis-missouri/

Have you ever felt like a fraud while fundraising?

Like you’re just trying to get money out of people?

Does fundraising make you feel burnt-out and overwhelmed?

I mean, there’s no way it’s supposed to be this hard, right?

Enter the incredible fundraising and life coach, Mallory Erickson. She spent years as the successful executive director of a 3-million dollar organization… and hated it. She was ready to leave the nonprofit sector altogether. She knew something had to change. Today, we got to talk with her about her journey. About what she learned along the way. About why so many fundraisers hate their work.

If you’re a part-time or professional fundraiser, this episode is a must-listen.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Give people an out!

0:48 - Introduction

1:02 - Episode starts, introducing Mallory

1:56 - Mallory’s AI assistant

3:48 - Mallory’s bio

4:55 - What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had while scaling your business?

9:10 - Joey’s experience trying to navigate the pandemic

9:59 - What is your relationship with risk-taking?

11:37 - Joey’s experience building a team at Utopia

13:18 - How can an effective team change things?

15:49 - Catabolic vs. anabolic energy; how do you stay in an anabolic state?

19:11 - The great reframe; I have to do this vs. I get to do this

19:38 - Appreciative inquiry and dealing with changing environments

21:25 - How does our need to be right relate to the scarcity mindset?

25:15 - What are practices you recommend to help people ditch the scarcity mindset?

31:03 - The Wim Hof Method

32:25 - The importance of human connection

34:02 - Why is promoting ourselves so difficult?

38:50 - When you’re fundraising, give people an out!

40:37 - How do you, as a fundraiser, build real relationships with donors?

42:47 - Dealing with perfectionism

44:35 - What is the opposite of a binary?

46:27 - What’s the most important thing going on in your life right now?

48:05 - Appreciating the small things in life

50:55 - The myth of work-life balance

52:47 - The problem with hustle culture

56:30 - Who’s the perfect client for you?

58:06 - Are there any questions we should’ve asked, but didn’t? 

59:23 - Favorite book, movie, or podcast?

1:00:23 - Favorite place you’ve travelled?

1:00:48 - Someone else you think we should have on the podcast? 

1:02:14 - How to get in touch with Mallory

1:02:55 - Outro

USEFUL LINKS:

1) Mallory Erickson: https://malloryerickson.com/

2) Utopia Experience: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/

“It seemed crazy, like something out of a dystopian movie. How could daily life just stop for a nation of 300 million people? How could the wheels of the greatest economic engine in history come to a halt? But as the week progressed, it became increasingly clear that something unimaginable was happening.”

In March of 2020, the world shut down. It was a confusing and uncertain time for everyone, but an especially confusing and uncertain time for people working in the event industry. And for Steve Johns, the CEO of OneCause, it was a moment that would put his over 30 years of experience in technology, corporate development, venture capital, event production, and entrepreneurship to the test; the crucible that would forge OneCause into what it is today, the mud that would birth the lotus.

Steve Johns recently published “Fearless: Leadership at the Crossroads,” an account of his experience navigating the challenges he and his team faced during the pandemic. How did he do it? What did he learn? Is there anything that he would’ve done differently? Today, we got a chance to ask him all these questions and more, and to try and better understand what it takes to be fearless.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Introduction

0:43 - Introducing Steve and OneCause

4:03 - What is OneCause, and what makes it different from other fundraising platforms?

6:23 - What is a regular day in your life like? What are your routines like?

9:00 - How did you get from the finance world to the nonprofit space?

12:30 -  What bands did you manage?

13:23 - Joey’s experience getting from the finance world to the nonprofit space

15:16 - What are some of the most meaningful crossroads you’ve come to in your life?

18:53 - The little decisions can be just as important as the the big ones

19:32 - What was it like to be in the event industry when COVID shut everything down?

22:55 - Utopia’s experience (lol) during COVID

24:37 - Can you talk about the Lotus plant and your experience overcoming adversity?

28:31 - Steve’s favorite chapter in the book, “Connect:” the importance of community

34:15 - The scarcity vs. abundance mindset

37:24 - What are some of the challenges you’ve faced while scaling OneCause?

39:51 - How has stoicism impacted your life? What have you taken away from it?

43:19 - What are you most excited about right now?

45:33 - Utopia Sponsorship 

46:45 - Favorite book, movie, or podcast?

48:01 - What matters to you most in life?

48:22 - What is something you want to brag about?

49:24 - Who is someone that inspires you?

50:23 - Is there anything we didn’t get a chance to talk about that you want to share?

52:57 - Outro

USEFUL LINKS:

1) OneCause: https://www.onecause.com/

2) “Fearless: Leadership at the Crossroads:” https://fearlessfundraisers.com/

3) “Meditations” (by Marcus Aurelius) https://a.co/d/eNPbySL

4) Utopia: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/

What does it mean to lead with heart? What does it take?

Can money get in the way of your mission?

How do you find a balance between giving 110% and not burning yourself out?

These are difficult questions. Today we sat down with the CEO and Founder of Grace Communications, Emily Green, to try and answer them.

Grace Communications is a marketing agency that provides support for small and medium-sized businesses by offering event planning, social media, public relations, and business development services. Emily founded the company in 2018.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Opening highlight; finding space for yourself

0:45 - Introduction

1:46 - Emily’s journey

4:29 - What is Grace Communications?

5:28 - What does it mean for you to lead with heart?

7:37 - The Miracle Morning

8:59 - What are your core values?

10:25 - What’s one of the struggles that’s made you a better leader?

12:53 - The benefits of yoga, running, clearing your head

15:23 - The “Why” matters, it can’t just be about scaling for scaling’s sake

16:19 - Can money get in the way of leading with heart?

17:35 - Stop comparing yourself to others, especially to others on social media

18:16 - What role does marketing play in the event production process?

23:02 - Use your network! We live in the age of the influencer

25:16 - This week’s sponsor, Utopia

27:05 - Who is Grace Communication’s ideal sort of client?

29:34 - What’s the most unique PR campaign you’ve been a part of?

31:22 - Earned vs. paid media, advantages and disadvantages

32:16 - Favorite book, movie or podcast?

32:44 - What matters most to you?

32:56 - What is one thing you want to brag about?

33:13 - Favorite place you’ve traveled?

33:27 - Any further parting wisdom for the audience?

34:05 - Outro

USEFUL LINKS:

1) Grace Communications: https://gracecommunicationsagency.com/

2) Get in touch with Emily (just let her know you listened to this episode of The Impact Roadmap and you’ll receive a free consultation): [email protected]

3) Utopia: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/

A lot’s changed in the last 40 years, but events? Events haven’t. People are still producing the same conferences and galas that they did in 1980.

Matthew Homann wants to change that.

He’s the founder and CEO of Filament, a company that designs, facilitates, and hosts in-person and virtual meetings. An accomplished keynote speaker and creative facilitator, Matt has worked with legal, accounting, financial services, nonprofit, and healthcare professionals around the world, as well as with executives from companies like McDonald's, HP, IBM, British Petroleum, Nokia, DuPont and the US Military.

Today we sat down with him to talk about his perspective on events. How can we create more meaningful experiences for our attendees? What are some practical ways that we can bring people together more effectively? Why does it matter?

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro

0:55 - Episode starts

1:26 - Matt’s background and founding Filament

3:47 - How can we make events more meaningful?

7:13 - Ditching the “sage on the stage,” embracing the wisdom in the room

8:50 - The power of sharing ideas

9:48 - What are some of the most effective ways to build community at events?

11:58 - Distinguishing between the “how” and the “why;” start with why

12:31 - Digging into the details; how to make events more personal

17:02 - How can you implement things you learn at an event in a practical way?

22:18 - What are some exercises people can do at their events to bring people together more effectively?

30:19 - Why haven’t events changed in the last 40 years?

35:11 - The goal? Helping meeting planners recapture the expertise that has been taken from them

36:23 - You *can* start small. You don’t have to create your dream event immediately

37:50 - This week’s sponsor: Utopia Experience

38:52 - What are some of the most creative ways you’ve seen organizations get sponsorships?

46:08 - Finding meaningful sponsorships is more important than finding high-dollar sponsorships

46:42 - Matt’s new event case study

49:12 - What organizations would benefit from what Filament has to offer?

53:27 - Rapid fire questions: favorite book, movie, podcast?

54:42 - What matters most to you in life?

55:31 - What’s one thing you want to brag about?

57:08 - Where can people find you?

57:29 - Outro

USEFUL LINKS:

Filament: https://www.meetfilament.com/

Thinksgiving: https://www.thinksgiving.org/

Utopia: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/

Today we got to sit down with the incredible fundraiser, podcaster, author, and aspiring comedian Rhea Wong. She’s amazing.

A leader in the New York nonprofit community and a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the world of professional fundraising, Rhea has personal experience building a multi-million dollar nonprofit from nothing. She also recently published “Get That Money, Honey!,” a “no bullsh*t guide” to raising more money for your nonprofit. In 2015, she received the SmartCEO “Brava Award, and she was named one of the New York Nonprofit Media’s “40 Under 40” in 2017.

Rhea has dedicated her life to helping nonprofit leaders avoid the mistakes she’s made in her 20 years of fundraising, and her insights are a must-hear for anyone in the professional fundraising space.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - Intro

0:43 - Welcoming Rhea

1:37 - More about Rhea, her experience starting as an executive director

3:07 - What is the most meaningful mistake you’ve made?

5:16 - Scarcity vs. abundance mindset, Joey’s experience

6:06 - From Rhea’s book: “I have to do this” vs. “I get to do this”

7:13 - Where does your personal power come from? Survival vs. executive mode

8:52 - We only get 4,000 weeks. Every moment is precious

9:56 - Comparison is the thief of joy, stop comparing yourself to other people’s milestones

10:40 - Dr. Huberman: find joy in the doing, rather than in having the thing done

12:18 - Managing your own spiritual well-being is a critical part of fundraising! It’s about relationships

14:36 - We all know that our time in this world is finite. Philanthropy helps us do something meaningful with it

15:20 - Fundraising 101 strategies; how can organizations bringing in $200k scale past a million?

18:44 - Be intentional about how you’re inspiring trust; the 3 kinds of trust

19:57 - What is the best followup you’ve experienced as a donor?

21:28 - The most impactful followup Joey’s ever experienced

23:52 - CLOSE THE LOOP. Tell the end of the story

25:24 - What role do you feel events and storytelling play in fundraising?

29:22 - What Utopia has seen; events are transient

30:55 - Not enough nonprofits have a long-term vision

31:46 - Jon Levy’s “You’re Invited:” creating community

34:10 - Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Webb Telescope

35:28 - We’re all miracles made of stardust!

37:04 - Noticing the little things will change your reality

37:41 - Give people a reason to put their pants on! Make your events unique, novel

39:45 - Small gestures WORK. It doesn’t have to be complicated!

41:19 - Busting the myth of DONOR FATIGUE

43:21 - Rapid fire questions

47:53 - Outro

USEFUL LINKS:

Rhea’s website: https://www.rheawong.com/

Rhea’s book (enter your email to unlock a free chapter): https://go.rheawong.com/get-that-money-honey

Utopia Experience: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/

Pictures from the Webb Telescope: https://webbtelescope.org/news/first-images/gallery

Today we sat down with Dana Snyder to talk about her experience creating social media and digital marketing strategies that work for nonprofits.

What did she learn from her time working with American Idol?

How can nonprofits increase donor retention? And how can they turn donors into superfans?

What does she think of emerging technologies like AI? And how can they help nonprofits?

What did it take to create a maternity leave content strategy?

These questions (and more) get answered in today’s interview.

Dana Snyder is an entrepreneur, digital strategist, and passionate advocate for conscious consumerism. She’s also the founder and CEO of Positive Equation, an organization focused on giving nonprofits the tools to effectively connect with an online audience. They’ve worked with clients of all sizes, including Movember, Dress for Success, American Idol, Television Academy, LA84 Foundation, Hashtag Lunchbag, Women’s Sports Museum, Unseen, the Global Foodbanking Network, USTA, etc.

TIMESTAMPS:

[0:40] - Introduction

[1:13] - The trick to looking good on social media? Have your best friend do your photography

[1:52] - Dana’s bio

[3:33] - How Dana founded Positive Equation

[6:41] - What was your experience with American Idol?

[8:51] - Some of the social media Ninja tricks Dana used while marketing for American Idol

[10:06] - You don’t have to reinvent the wheel!

[11:20] - What are some of the most important things you’ve learned from working with larger corporations?

[14:26] - What are you most excited about in the digital marketing world?

[16:33] - Turning your existing opportunities into content, easily

[18:09] - Native Digitals vs Native Analogues

[19:03] - How can nonprofits reach younger donors?

[21:20] - Are companies doing social good unintentionally competing with nonprofits? What can we do about it?

[23:16] - The donor retention problem

[25:49] - Sponsor: Utopia Experience

[26:52] - What haven’t we talked about yet?

[28:23] - Dana’s content strategy during maternity leave (and the importance of Google Analytics)

[33:01] - Who are your ideal clients?

[36:25] - What are your biggest challenges and opportunities as a new CEO?

[37:48] - Writing letters to your children

[38:51] - What is your favorite book/movie/podcast?

[39:22] - What matters most to you in life?

[39:33] - What is the coolest place you’ve traveled?

[40:26] - What is one thing you want to brag about?

[43:24] - Who else do you think we should bring on the show?

[42:52] - Outro, how to get in touch with Dana

USEFUL LINKS:

Positive Equation: https://positiveequation.com/

The Missions to Movements Podcast: https://positiveequation.com/podcast/

Dana’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danarsnyder/

Utopia Experience: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/

Today we sat down with Alison Canavan. She was the keynote speaker at an event we produced, and had such an amazing presentation that we immediately invited her to be a guest on our podcast. Despite having only a couple of hours before her flight, she was kind enough to join us for the afternoon.

Alison Canavan is one of the top 8 transformational coaches in the US (according to USA Today). She specializes in managing change, stress, and burnout. She helps companies support members of their workforce who are transitioning back into the corporate office and are struggling to find their work/life balance. Dealing with depression and anxiety, in particular, is one of her areas of expertise. Alison is a UCLA-trained Mindfulness Facilitator from the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Master NLP Practitioner, HeartMath Facilitator, Nutritional Coach, Raw Foods Master, and the award-winning author of "Minding Mum--It's Time to Take Care of You," the world's first 360 self-care book for moms focusing on their health and wellbeing post-birth.

TIMESTAMPS:

[0:00] - Start Small. Win the morning, win the day. Ask, why am I creating this?

[0:52] - Introduction

[2:09] - Conversation begins, thanking Aly for joining the podcast

[3:04] - Is this next decision going to take me on a better path, or further away from myself?

[3:36] - How many of you only took action after you were in a state of catastrophe?

[4:05] - Busting the myth of no time

[6:50] - How to add value to the world

[8:00] - How to step into your power

[9:10] - Is thinking well of yourself selfish or vain?

[10:20] - We compare ourselves to everything

[10:45] - Aly’s struggle with depression and anxiety

[11:35] - The relationship between anxiety, depression, and alcohol

[13:18] - The only relationship you have from birth until death is with yourself

[14:22] - How do we start?

[16:00] - How to have an equanimous mind

[18:10] - Meditation was hard for you, too?

[20:00] - The practice of starting again

[20:23] - The way you think can affect your DNA

[21:33] - The more I learn, the more I understand just how little I know

[22:36] - The biggest secret kept from people is how powerful they are

[23:47] - Practical ways to step into your own power

[25:00] - Everything is created twice; first in our thoughts, and then in reality

[26:30] - Understand the story that you are living

[29:16] - Teaching story, don’t give up

[31:35] - Key ingredients for change to happen

[32:30] - Stop, catch, change

[36:20] - Your word is your wand

[38:30] - What is the frequency of our thoughts doing to our body?

[42:00] - Children mirror our emotions

[43:00] - Pay attention to your energy

[44:44] - Interconnectedness

[46:22] - Don’t forget to have fun

[47:44] - The lighter I am, the easier life is

[49:00] - Story and belief systems

[51:40] - Parting thoughts: live in your life, choose love over fear

[53:10] - Accepting things with grace

[54:20] - We all go into our heads

Delaney Mullennix is the new Executive Director of Nonprofit Hub, an organization that provides nonprofits with free resources and education. She has years of experience working with nonprofits, and a lifetime of passion for social causes. She’s also the host of “Nonprofit Hub Radio.”

On this episode of The Impact Roadmap, she and Joey sit down to discuss her unique perspective on some of the issues facing nonprofits today: how to master effective digital marketing, navigate discussions about financial compensation, and unlearn some of the limiting beliefs of nonprofit professionals.

TIMESTAMPS:

[0:00] - Intro

[1:38] - Delaney’s background

[4:43] - What inspired Delaney to get involved with social work?

[11:07] - How to avoid getting too set in your ways

[12:10] - What are some of the lessons you’ve learned as a new executive director?

[15:23] - As leaders, one of the most important things you can do is ask the right questions

[16:48] - The importance of staying open-minded (great ideas can come from anywhere)

[18:22] - What’s something you’re proud of?

[23:00] - Why aren’t fundraisers more proud of their work?

[25:15] - Make sure you’re taking care of yourself first

[26:10] - How to deal with the limiting beliefs of nonprofit professionals

[28:40] - Where to find more information about pay in the nonprofit sector

[29:58] - Dispelling the myth: a good story is NOT enough

[33:07] - The importance of having multiple points of contact

[34:39] - What Utopia’s doing to build a brand

[35:56] - About the resources offered by Nonprofit Hub

[38:38] - Final advice

[41:36] - Outro

USEFUL LINKS:

1) Nonprofit Hub: https://nonprofithub.org/

2) Sign up for Cause Camp: https://cause.camp/

3) Utopia Experience: https://www.utopiaexperience.com/