252: The Simple Power of a Pair of Shoes — Buddy Teaster with Soles4Souls

A shoestring budget and a pair of shoes can transform someone’s life in an unbelievable way.

Buddy Teaster, the CEO of Soles4Souls and the author of Shoestrings, is back for another episode of the Giving Back Podcast! Buddy has delivered over 30 million shoes to impoverished areas all over the world. Through Buddy’s shoe program, he is helping impoverished people transform their lives in a sustainable way that carries over to the next generation. All from just a pair of shoes!

“If we go out of business doing this, then it’s not going to help anybody. A few pennies, a pound really matters when you move a couple of million pounds of shoes a year.”

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Key Takeaways:

[3:15] This is Buddy’s second guest appearance!

[5:00] Buddy gives a quick recap of what Soles4Souls does.

[8:15] You might not know it yet, but we can create such a personal connection to our shoes.

[9:10] Buddy shares an example of how the shoe program helps people.

[12:40] One penny goes a long way for Soles4Souls.

[16:55] Going on mission trips or volunteer and charity trips is more for you than it is for the people you’re helping. You need to be honest with yourself.

[23:20] Why did Buddy decide to write a book?

[30:35] What kind of eye-opening moments did Buddy learn about while interviewing people for his book?

[36:05] How do you really know if you’re making an impact?

[38:20] How would you feel if you tripled your income overnight?

[43:25] Buddy is right now developing a partnership where he will make it easy for you to donate your used pair of shoes. Right now, it’s a bit ‘inconvenient’ to do.

[50:55] One pair of shoes makes a huge, huge impact on one person’s life.

“Being a Soles4Souls volunteer is not easy. The fact that people stay engaged blows me away.”

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