People Helping People

Hosted by Adam Morris

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Jun 2026

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Inspiring greater social change in the world.

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June 9, 2026Episode 1229 min

Applied Design Thinking with Tracy Brandenburg

What if the reason your idea isn't working isn't the idea itself, but the questions you're asking before you build it?About This EpisodeTracy Brandenburg has taught design thinking at Stanford's d.school, built three programs at Cornell, and helped student entrepreneurs go from "I already know the answer" to actually talking to real humans and learning something.Tracy unpacks what design thinking really means, where it comes from, and why it might be the most practical tool a social entrepreneur can have.Tracy started as a cultural anthropologist, showed up at Stanford not knowing why she was there, and ended up running design thinking workshops on her living room floor with popsicle sticks and craft supplies. From there it grew into JetBlue airport fieldwork, Cornell university programs, and now work with student entrepreneurs at Denison University's Red Labs.The conversation covers the full arc of the design thinking process, from building empathy and asking better questions to prototyping, pivoting, and integrating what you learn. Tracy is honest about what students consistently struggle with: getting out of the classroom to talk to strangers, and letting go of an idea when the feedback tells them to.There's also a genuinely fun tangent about designing your life the same way you'd design a product, and what a pirate surf camp in Costa Rica has to do with finding your calling.Episode in a glance00:00 Introduction to Design Thinking and Its Impact01:30 How an anthropologist ended up at Stanford's d.school03:26 Empathy as the foundation of design thinking05:44 From living room workshops to university programs08:35 Getting students to talk to strangers and what actually helps12:30 Applying design thinking with student entrepreneurs at Denison15:15 Why pivoting is the hardest skill to teach17:34 Designing your life like a prototype 221:54 Reimagining the Rust Belt with design thinking24:20 What Tracy wants to build next in social innovationAbout the GuestTracy Brandenburg is a design thinking trainer, anthropologist, and social innovator who has taught at Stanford's d.school, pioneered three design thinking programs at Cornell, and currently leads design thinking work at Denison University's Red Labs. She is also the founder of Reimagining the Rust Belt, a social innovation project in her hometown of Middletown, Ohio.Connect with Tracy and her work:→ tracydesign.rocks→ LinkedIn

June 16, 2026Episode 1315 min

Engaging Social Media For Impact Founders

What if the reason social media feels pointless for your business has nothing to do with your content and everything to do with how you're using it?About This EpisodeMost early stage founders treat social media like a megaphone. They post, nobody responds, and they quietly give up. I've been there, and I'll be honest about it. I spent a year in speaking classes to get better on video, then avoided posting for another eight months. What finally broke the cycle was a simple commitment: one minute reel, every day, for 100 days.This is a candid, practical breakdown of what actually works for impact founders who are just getting started on social media. Not viral hooks or follower growth hacks, but the real stuff: finding a content rhythm that doesn't drain you, using a weekly brain dump to never run out of ideas, and understanding that the most valuable thing social media can do early on is start conversations, not broadcast messages.I also share the workflow I stumbled into, recording video, pulling the transcript, and using AI to draft LinkedIn posts that still sound like me.The piece most people skip entirely is engaging with others, and I'd argue this is actually the whole point. Commenting on posts, replying to people in your space, and showing up consistently in other people's conversations is how you build real connections and do customer learning at the same time.Think of it less like a bullhorn at a party and more like actually talking to the people there.Episode in a glance00:00 Why social media feels hard for impact founders and what actually helps01:30 The 100 day reel challenge that broke the barrier02:19 Social media as a conversation tool, not a megaphone04:44 How to find your voice and stop running out of ideas07:13 The weekly brain dump and the Storyworthy method08:19 Why engaging with others is the most important thing you can do10:53 How to use social media as a research and learning tool12:41 Stop treating social media like a party with a bullhorn14:00 How I can help you get started and find your footingTrying to get your social media off the ground or figure out what to test next in your business? I'm currently working with early stage impact founders and would love to connect. Drop me a line at adam@peoplehelpingpeople.world to start a conversation.

May 12, 2026Episode 1121 min

Lessons from the Social Impact Mastermind

What does it actually take to build a social enterprise when you still have a day job, a family, and a world that won't slow down?Three years in, the Social Impact Mastermind has become one of Adam Morris's favorite things he does. The idea was simple: bring social entrepreneurs together at a similar stage in their journey, create a space where they can be honest about what they're struggling with, and let the group do what groups do best. Support each other.This recap covers the four themes that kept coming up this year: revenue, social media, scope creep, and balance. The revenue conversation gets refreshingly real, from a founder who paid $100 to practice discovery calls on userinterviews.com before ever approaching a real decision maker, to the mindset shift that turns sales from something uncomfortable into something genuinely collaborative. There's also a honest look at how the nonprofit funding landscape has changed and where to start looking when the grants dry up.On social media, the big unlock was simple: stop waiting until you have the perfect post and just start showing up. Scope creep and balance round out the conversation, with Adam sharing why a weekly review habit and protecting your personal time are not nice-to-haves, they are the whole game when you are building something meaningful on the side.Episode in a glance00:00 The Social Impact Mastermind and how it started03:14 Theme one: finding revenue and reframing sales as discovery08:45 Theme two: why consistency beats perfection on social media13:25 Theme three: avoiding scope creep with a weekly review practice17:11 Theme four: protecting your time and energy as a busy entrepreneurCurious about joining the next Social Impact Mastermind? Reach out to Adam directly to find out when the next cohort kicks off.

April 21, 2026Episode 830 min

Confidence Lab with Rachyl and Lachandra

What if the thing standing between you and the impact you want to make isn't a lack of resources, but a lack of confidence?Confidence is one of those words that sounds simple but hits differently when you're an entrepreneur trying to do something meaningful in the world. Adam Morris sits down with Rachyl Kershaw of Greater Columbus Consulting and Lachandra Baker of LBB Edutainment to dig into why so many purpose-driven people hold themselves back, and what they're doing about it through the Confidence Lab.Two powerhouses who somehow never crossed paths despite moving in the same Columbus circles for years, Rachyl and Lachandra bring complementary energy to a shared mission: helping people show up as their full, authentic selves, whether they're in a boardroom, building a nonprofit, or somewhere in between.The conversation gets real fast. Lachandra talks about the emotional exhaustion that drives people to the Confidence Lab, the feeling of constantly trying to find your sea legs in a world that keeps shifting. Rachyl shares her own journey from a sharp-elbowed early career version of confidence to the healthier, more grounded kind she now teaches, rooted in knowing your value rather than defending it.They also tackle something particularly relevant for social entrepreneurs: the discomfort of selling, speaking up, and delegating when you're used to carrying everything yourself.Their message: You don't have to do it all, and you don't have to do it alone. The Confidence Collective they've built is living proof of that, a group of brilliant leaders pooling their strengths and going after opportunities together.Episode in a glance00:00 Why confidence is harder in practice than it sounds01:05 Rachyl's background and why she left corporate life02:43 Lachandra's 35 years in people-first work05:04 How the Confidence Lab idea was born and the gap it was designed to fill08:31 What participants took away from last year's event10:50 Why the Confidence Lab naturally became a women-centered space16:21 The power of delegating, partnering, and not doing it all yourself19:41 Rachyl's personal story: from defensive confidence to the real thing25:19 How leaders can create psychological safety so others speak up too28:35 How to find the Confidence Lab and get involvedAbout the GuestsRachyl Kershaw is the founder of Greater Columbus Consulting, bringing decades of corporate and technology experience to help social enterprises and conscious capitalists build stronger, more impactful businesses.Connect with Rachyl and her work: → LinkedIn Lachandra Baker is the founder of LBB Edutainment, with 35 years of experience in employee engagement, company culture, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is a speaker, culture strategist, and champion for bringing full humanity into every workplace.Connect with Lachandra and her work: → LinkedIn The Confidence Lab Summit is Monday, May 4th, noon to 4pm at Rev1 at the Peninsula. Grab your tickets and learn more at confidencelab.org.

April 28, 2026Episode 924 min

GiveBackHack In Action - Launching Social Impact

Can you actually build a meaningful business in a weekend and have it still be running years later?Social entrepreneurship can feel lonely, overwhelming, and undefined, especially when you care deeply about a cause but have no idea how to turn that passion into a functioning business. That's exactly the gap GiveBackHack was designed to fill.Adam Morris pulls back the curtain on the Columbus, Ohio-based organization that gave him his own entrepreneurial start, sharing how a weekend hackathon format rooted in applied design thinking has launched real businesses tackling real community problems. The secret isn't building a finished product. It's getting the right people in a room, surfacing your assumptions, and then actually going out to test them by talking to real people.Adam walks through the stories of participants like Karen, whose research on Black caregivers became the foundation of her nonprofit Pair to Care; Leah, an AmeriCorps volunteer who discovered that a crumpled piece of paper with outdated resource phone numbers was failing the people she served; and Wesley, the rapid-prototyping tech wizard who embodies the "scrappy and fast" philosophy that separates learning entrepreneurs from stuck ones.Along the way, Adam reflects on his own journey launching Wild Tiger Tees, a screen-printing business that employed youth experiencing homelessness at the Star House, and what it taught him about what entrepreneurship actually feels like from the inside.At its core, this episode is about something bigger than business. It's about building authentic human connections, slowing down in an AI-accelerated world, and creating spaces where people feel genuinely heard. GiveBackHack, it turns out, is less a startup event and more a community transformation engine.Episode in a glance00:00 What is GiveBackHack and why Adam cares deeply about it02:42 How GiveBackHack was founded and why it broke from the traditional startup weekend model04:28 Design thinking explained: testing assumptions before building solutions08:30 Karen and Pair to Care: turning research into a social enterprise10:27 Wild Tiger Tees: Adam's own GiveBackHack origin story12:31 Wesley's scrappy prototyping approach and what it teaches us14:03 Leah and Hunger Helper: learning from people experiencing the problem firsthand16:59 The Impact of Rapid Change in Technology19:15 What the best social entrepreneurs have in commonInterested in launching a social enterprise? Reach out to Adam or join his social impact mastermind group for entrepreneurs at the early stages of building something meaningful.

May 5, 2026Episode 1029 min

Connections That Drive Business with Nevin Bansal

How can a small business owner find the time to change their community when they are barely finding the time to finish payroll?Small businesses are the soul of our local economy, yet many founders struggle to find a way to give back while juggling the daily chaos of running a company. Nevin Bansal saw this gap firsthand. Coming from a corporate background with endless resources, he realized that small business owners often want to volunteer but lack a clear roadmap to get started.Small Biz Cares was born from the idea that giving back should not be a luxury for the big players; it should be part of every company's DNA. By moving away from stuffy networking events and toward shared "sweat equity" experiences—like sorting toys for the holidays or making no-sew blankets—founders are building deeper, values-based relationships that actually strengthen their local network. It turns out that when you lead with service, the business growth follows naturally. This is a journey about moving beyond just surviving to finding a purpose statement that inspires both goodness and greatness in others.Episode in a glance00:00 The origin and birth of Small Biz Cares02:56 Launching the first community service events05:20 Pivoting impact and storytelling during the pandemic07:40 Advice for new owners on getting involved09:53 Marketing your business through community service14:37 The Power of Shared Experiences20:53 How community leadership changes your perspectiveAbout Nevin BansalNevin Bansal is the Executive Director of Small Biz Cares and the founder of Outreach Promos. With over 14 years of experience running his own business, he is a passionate advocate for small business community engagement. He focuses on helping founders align their professional goals with meaningful local impact through volunteering, fundraising, and storytelling.Connect with Nevin Bansal and his work→ Visit the Small Biz Cares website: smallbizcares.org→ Connect with Nevin on LinkedIn: Nevin Bansal

April 14, 2026Episode 726 min

Emotional Wellbeing for Social Entrepreneurs

How can you expect to change the world if you are constantly running on an empty tank?Social impact work is inherently heavy, but lately, that weight feels even more intense for many founders. Between massive federal funding cuts, the rapid acceleration of AI, and a general sense of global uncertainty, change-makers are finding themselves at the brink of burnout. It is a rational response to an irrational world, but it creates a dangerous paradox: the people most committed to helping others are often the ones neglecting themselves the most.Prioritizing your own mental health isn’t a retreat from the mission; it is a prerequisite for it. Just like the oxygen mask analogy on an airplane, you have to be grounded and healthy to hold space for the challenges others are facing. Whether it is through morning journals, finding space to recharge, or reconnecting with nature, these self-care pillars provide the resilience needed to stay in the game. Real change happens when we move out of isolation and back into community, sharing our vulnerabilities authentically and remembering that we do not have to solve the entire puzzle alone.Episode in a glance00:00 The Importance of Emotional Well-Being01:53 The impact of recent federal funding cuts04:56 Navigating AI anxiety and rapid change08:54 Why your well-being is a core business metric14:15 Moving from a downward spiral to a grounded state17:13 Five pillars for maintaining daily resilience19:59 Finding community in social impact masterminds24:33 Prioritizing Well-Being for Greater ImpactAre you feeling the weight of the work? Adam is here to support social entrepreneurs through the messy middle of building an impact venture. If you are feeling burnt out or just need a non-judgmental space to talk through your strategy, reach out for a conversation today. Don't forget that you are part of something bigger than yourself!

April 7, 2026Episode 631 min

Finding Your Brand Story with Brandy Walker

Are you struggling to explain what you do without launching into a long-winded explanation that leaves your audience more confused than when you started?Mission-driven leaders often fall into the trap of leading from behind, assuming that if the work is good, the supporters will simply find them. But as Brandy Nicole Walker, founder of Brandworthy Solutions, explains, "intention without clarity is a missed opportunity for impact." Growing up with two entrepreneur parents and spending years as a teacher, Brandy learned early on that the best stories are the ones people can actually see themselves in. She eventually moved into the nonprofit world, where she realized that the "symptoms" organizations complain about such losing donors or failing to get traction on social media, are usually just a lack of clear, cohesive storytelling.Building a brand is about more than a nice logo; it is about establishing a structure that pierces the heart and prompts action. Whether it is through an "origin story" that hooks an audience in seconds or an "invitation story" that makes a specific ask, the goal is to stop talking to everyone and start speaking to one person. For those who are terrified of the camera or overwhelmed by the "post every day" pressure, the secret lies in treating social media as a data experiment. By shifting the focus from perfection to practice, leaders can move from being "confusing" to "brandworthy," ensuring their message finally lands with the right customers and supporters.Episode in a glance:01:09 From the classroom to coaching adult storytellers08:40 Why fundraising is actually just relationship-building12:22 Why structure matters more than the actual words in messaging15:06 Social Media Strategies for Early Stage Entrepreneurs18:17 The three stories every organization needs22:15 Purposeful Content Creation23:46 Choosing the Right Social Media Platform25:06 Overcoming the fear of recording video contentAbout Brandy WalkerBrandy Walker is the founder of Brand Worthy Solutions, where she helps mission-driven organizations and entrepreneurs own their stories and amplify their voices. With a deep background in nonprofit program development, teaching, and fundraising, she specializes in helping leaders move from internal confusion to external clarity.Connect with Brandy Walker and her work→ Visit the Brandworthy Solutions website: www.youarebrandworthy.com→ Follow Brandy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandywalker→ Find her on social media: @brandywashere

March 24, 2026Episode 434 min

Business Trash Talk with Tia Johnson

Tia Johnson was a mother of three climbing the corporate ladder in 2013 when she reached a breaking point. She knew she wanted to instill something more in her children and redefine what wealth really meant beyond just a paycheck. After a frustrated argument with her teenage son about a smelly trash bin, a lightbulb went off: nobody actually wants to clean their trash cans. What started as a relatable household pain point turned into Fresh Bloom Bins, a venture that eventually blossomed into Fresh Environmental Services.Tia leveraged free community resources and leaned into her natural grit to navigate the challenges of the 2020 pandemic. By listening to the specific needs of municipalities and property managers, she moved beyond simple cleaning to offer a full environmental services model. Her journey is a masterclass in staying flexible, asking the right questions, and understanding that even something as overlooked as waste management is a key factor in community equity and quality of life. Today, she is helping property managers manage the complicated logistics of waste while empowering her employees to see that no one is a "throwaway" person.Episode in a glance01:06 Breaking free from the corporate burnout03:06 Lessons in grit from a childhood paper route06:23 How a smelly trash can became a business11:17 Winning municipal bids by asking the right questions17:55 Pivoting into Fresh Environmental ServicesAbout Tia JohnsonTia Johnson is the founder of Fresh Environmental Services (formerly Fresh Bloom Bins). She is a mission driven entrepreneur dedicated to improving waste management logistics for multifamily properties and communities. Through her Clean Community Program and upcoming "She Speaks Trashy" brand, she focuses on quality of life, sustainability, and empowering people through purposeful work.Connect with Tia Johnson and her workLinkedin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/tia-johnson-environmental-servicesWebsite → https://freshtrashservice.com

March 30, 2026Episode 524 min

Creating a Clear Offer for Finding Revenue

Do you ever feel like your passion for change is miles ahead of the actual business model keeping you afloat?We have all been there. You get into this work because you love the community and want to solve a real problem, but then the business side of things starts to feel a little scary. It is easy to get stuck in imposter syndrome, wondering if what you are offering is actually worth the price tag. But here is the truth: a strong revenue stream isn't a distraction from your mission. It is the engine that helps you scale that impact to a whole new level.The secret to getting unstuck is starting small. Instead of spending months building a massive product in isolation, try running tiny revenue tests. Think $10 digital products or quick offers that take just a few hours to create. This is how you learn what people are actually willing to pay for before you commit your life to an idea. It is about understanding the dream outcome your audience wants and building a bridge to get them there. Whether you are partnering with local nonprofits to share resources or moving into high ticket consulting, the goal is to keep your messaging and your impact consistent. When you stop guessing and start having real conversations, the path to growth becomes much clearer.Episode in a glance00:00 Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship and Revenue Models00:17 Why business models matter for scaling impact02:51 The power of the $10 micro-offer test05:29 Creating Effective Offers for Social Impact07:34 Navigating impact audiences versus paying customers10:49 Building Partnerships for Greater Impact13:08 Developing a Consistent Business Model15:26 Scaling Your Business and Revenue StreamsAbout Adam MorrisAdam Morris is the founder and host of People Helping People. He launched the podcast in 2017 with the vision to learn and share what is possible through social entrepreneurship, as well as to give individuals the tools to successfully start their own impact ventures. He is passionate about connecting people and creating a world that will thrive for generations.Connect with Adam and his work→ People Helping People→ Linkedin→ Instagram→ Youtube