Small Things that Make a Big Difference; The Shoe that Grow with Kenton Lee (Episode #08)
I often say Thought Leaders provide out of the box solutions to everyday problems. Today’s thought leader, Kenton Lee, is a speaker and the Founder of Because International, an organization that provides growing shoes to children in need. After traveling to Nairobi, working at a small orphanage, he saw a child with ill-fitting shoes and cuts on her feet. He used his innovative mind to ask the question, what if there was a shoe that could adjust and expand its size? Thus, Because International was born with the mission to help those in need, and what started as a small business began…
Resources Mentioned:
You can reach out and support Kenton on Instagram, Twitter, and kentonlee.com. Also, visit his website https://becauseinternational.org/ to learn more about how you can donate and get involved.
[00:01 – 07:02] Opening Segment
- Let’s welcome our guest for today, Kenton Lee
- Kenton gives a bit of background
- Because International
- Located in Idaho
- Using products as solutions to alleviate poverty
- The Shoe that Grows
- 10 years of service
- I talk about how my book applies to Kenton’s work
- Gratitude economy
- Kenton’s story
- Traveled the world after college
- Saw the need in Kenya first-hand
- Donations only offer one-time solutions
- Started as a hobby for six years
- Went viral in 2016
- Distributed over 300,000 pairs of growing shoes to kids in 100 countries
- Bringing jobs to the areas
[07:03 – 16:20] A Small Thing that Makes a Big Difference
- Kenton talks about why shoes are so important
- 300m kids in Africa alone without shoes
- 1.5b people worldwide with soil-transmitted diseases
- Shoes provide protection
- Shoes as a requirement to attend school
- Kids in orphanages are the same as our kids
- Happiness and confidence
- Potential being realized
- Trying to create a solution to a clear problem
- There’s power in small things
- Kenton talks about problem-solving
- It doesn’t have to be the perfect solution
- This stops you from moving forward
- All of us can do small things to make a big difference
[16:21 – 24:51] Seven Heroes to Save One Person
- The conspiracy of goodness
- There is a wave of goodness that is not reaching the internet
- The story from Le Chambon France
- 7 rescuers to every 1 person saved
- Kenton shares the story of people asking for his shoes
- Gro-Five owned by the non-profit
- Money from here goes back to the kids
- Kenton talks about being part of the story
- Being a small part of a big conspiracy of good
[24:52 – 36:03] The Gratitude Economy; Businesses Run with Good Hearts
- Kenton talks about his work
- Does the world need more non-profits?
- We need more good businesses with good hearts
- Believing in the small
- What people can do
- Making money while doing good things
- It can be done, and you can be the one
- You don’t need to be the next giant
- See where the journey takes you
- Work with what you’re passionate about
- Figure out what makes you go
- Being happy to wake up in the morning
- How Covid has come into play
- Forcing us to pause
- Taking lemons and making lemonade
- We have no control, so what will we do with what we have
- Humans are good at adapting to their circumstances
- How we can change the future
- I talk about my book
- Storm before the calm
- We leap forward together
- I talk about my book
[36:04 – 47:17] Closing Segment
- What keeps Kenton hopeful in the world
- There’s power in small things
- Everybody can do small things
- The example of Kenton’s Mayor
- People are encouraged by the small things
- Your actions can be magnified
- How people can reach out and support Kenton
- Links below
- What reminds you that it’s still an amazing world?
- Kenton talks about his children and family
- You can learn from the littlest ones among us
- Seeing life through the eyes of a child
- Final Words and Announcements
