find your cause

Joseph Smalzer

5.0 (9)
Non-Profit
Updated Weekly

"find your cause" is the official podcast of Greater Than Zero Percent (GTZP). GTZP is 501(c)(3) non-profit on a mission to find people and organizations that are changing the world and sharing their stories. We believe that however big or small of a positive impact you have, every bit counts. As long as you are adding greater than zero percent, the momentum you build is already changing the world.

5d ago

The Cowboy Myth Every Activist Believes with Shane Lukas

Shane Lukas is the owner and creative strategist of A Great Idea (AGI), an LGBTQ+-owned brand communications agency he founded in 2015, based in Greensboro and Durham, North Carolina, working with purpose-driven nonprofits and for-profit companies in healthcare and education across the country. He is also a two-time TEDx speaker (his second talk focuses on values), an author with a book coming out later this year, and a co-host of Power Beyond Pride, a weekly podcast spotlighting LGBTQ+ changemakers. Shane's activism started in his teen years and has centered on bodily autonomy and harm reduction, beginning with Planned Parenthood, work he says has shaped both his personal life and how AGI approaches brand strategy for its partners. Timestamps: 00:00 What happens when a nonprofit's numbers don't add up? 00:29 Who is Shane Lukas? 00:57 What is A Great Idea? 01:34 Why did Shane become an activist? 02:19 Is every organization "purpose-driven"? 03:44 Why does a food bank need to exist? 05:48 How do you find your real impact story? 10:12 What is the "Amazoning problem"? 13:57 Where's the line between values and manipulation? 16:54 Which values are rising and falling? 19:47 Why don't we agree on facts anymore? 23:05 Should social media follow publisher rules? 28:47 Can lived experience alone show you truth? 30:35 What should a young activist learn first? 34:03 Why shouldn't you do this work alone? 36:14 What impact has A Great Idea had? 38:25 Where does Shane want to be in 10 years? 41:07 Where can you learn more about Shane? 42:09 What's Shane's closing message? Guest Links: Personal website: https://shanelukas.comOrganization website: https://agreatidea.comLinkedIn (personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-lukas/LinkedIn (A Great Idea): https://linkedin.com/company/agreatideacomFacebook (A Great Idea): https://facebook.com/agreatideacoInstagram (A Great Idea): https://instagram.com/weareagiPodcast: https://powerbeyondpride.com GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Aug 7

Why Do Only 1 in 30 People Say Thank You with David Homan

David Homan is the founder and CEO of Orchestrated Connecting, LLC, a private global community of connectors spanning thousands of family offices, investors, artists, and impact leaders across dozens of countries. He is also the founder of SOAR Connect (Strength of Authentic Relationships), a relationship intelligence platform built to help people ask for what they need and match trusted introductions at scale, and co-author of the book Orchestrating Connection: How to Build Purposeful Community in a Tribal World, written with Noah Askin. Before building his network of connectors, David ran a global arts charity in his twenties and spent years as a classical musician and theater performer, backgrounds he credits with teaching him to listen closely enough to know exactly who someone should meet next. On this episode, he joins Joseph to talk about honoring the chain of connections, why gratitude is the most overlooked currency in relationship building, and what he's building with SOAR Connect to bring trust and intention back into networking. Timestamps: [00:00] Can one call end a trafficking ring? [00:34] Who is David Homan? [00:57] What is Orchestrated Connecting's mission? [02:00] How did a shy kid build this network? [03:13] What does honoring the chain mean? [04:31] How did a bathroom line fight trafficking? [05:59] Why don't we follow up on intros? [07:58] Why does one in thirty thanking you matter? [09:13] What happens when your network stops calling back? [12:14] How do you know a connection is worth making? [14:56] What should a new networker do first? [18:32] Why do doors open when you're not in the room? [19:23] Why be transparent about a startup that might fail? [21:03] What does David hope to see in ten years? [23:13] What is SOAR Connect? [25:08] What's the hardest part of building trust tech? [28:13] Why score trust out of fifteen, not ten? [30:15] Why won't SOAR Connect touch your inbox? [33:05] Can outreach be selfish and selfless at once? [38:57] What does SOAR Connect need to succeed? [40:35] How can listeners get involved now? [42:00] What has grief done to David's music? [43:12] What's the one thing to do this week? Guest Links: Website: https://orchestratedconnecting.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrhoman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_connection_orchestrator/ GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Aug 5

He Lost His Language When He Immigrated to America with Vladimir Baranov

Vladimir Baranov is the founder of Human Interfaces, where he coaches science and tech executives and founders on the leadership and communication skills their technical training never covered. His path there was not direct. He spent years in financial services before co-founding a wealth management SaaS company that grew over seven years and was acquired by Franklin Templeton, then moved into aerospace as an early team member on a satellite startup. Even after that success, he found himself wanting more direct, human impact, which led him to become a certified executive coach (UC Berkeley) with MBAs from Columbia and London Business School. His approach blends roughly 80 percent coaching questions with 20 percent mentoring from lived experience, built specifically for engineers and scientists stepping into leadership. Timestamps: [00:00:00] What happens when a founder wants to walk away from a co-founder? [00:00:51] What does a coach for science and tech executives actually do? [00:02:01] Why did Vladimir choose coaching as his life's mission? [00:03:21] What do first-time coaching clients actually want to know? [00:08:14] Why do even Amazon employees need a coach outside the company? [00:09:28] What's the real difference between coaching, mentoring, and consulting? [00:14:10] Why do technical people struggle to relate to others? [00:17:16] How much control do you actually have over your career? [00:23:04] Is your manager really the reason you're unhappy at work? [00:26:48] What happens when one question changes a founder's mind? [00:28:30] How did losing his language for eight years shape Vladimir's path? [00:31:21] Why did selling his company still leave him feeling empty? [00:34:59] How do you actually measure the impact of coaching? [00:40:14] Where can you find Vladimir Baranov? Guest Links: Website: https://www.humaninterfaces.co/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirbaranovInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/humaninterfacesx/ GTZP Links: Website: http://www.gtzp.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp
Jul 24

Don't Let AI Write This For You With Jermaine Ee

Jermaine Ee built a chatbot to help his mother put her life into words: her belongings, her memories, the people she loved. A few months into the project, she had a stroke and passed away. Before that, on a family trip back to Oklahoma, she stood in a remodeled Burger King and finished a story she'd carried for forty years. Jermaine turned that mission into HeirLight, an app built to make estate planning feel less like paperwork and more like the conversations that mattered most. TIMESTAMPS: [00:00:22] What is the mission and purpose of HeirLight? [00:02:07] What role did your mother play in inspiring HeirLight? [00:06:33] Was your mom able to share her story and experiences before passing? [00:11:28] What are the core components of a standard estate plan? [00:13:28] What is the difference between an advance directive and a power of attorney? [00:14:30] Why should you avoid drafting a legal will using generic AI tools? [00:17:18] What is the step-by-step experience for someone using HeirLight? [00:25:30] How has HeirLight evolved since launching, and where is it headed? Heirlight Website: https://heirlight.com/en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/HeirLight-61577567893011/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heirlight/ App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/heirlight-simple-will-maker/id6748193203 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.heirlight.app&hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heirlight/ GTZP links: Website: http://www.gtzp.org Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQ... YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp #FindYourCause #GreaterThanZeroPercent #EstatePlanning #Nonprofit #MissionDriven #HeirLight #LegacyPlanning #FounderStory
Jul 14

Giving At-Risk Kids Their First Passport With Omari Davis

Home economics. Wood shop. Music. The enrichment classes that taught a generation how to actually live got quietly cut from schools, but the kids still need them. Omari Davis built an organization to put them back. Omari Davis is the founder and executive officer of Get Out And Learn Something (GOALS), and a returning Find Your Cause guest five years after his first appearance. In this conversation he and Joseph Smalzer get into the "Use What You Got" culinary unit that teaches latchkey kids to make a real meal from whatever's already in the kitchen, the Passion Through Passports program that has taken youth on their first flights to Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Puerto Rico, why "no man is an island" still matters in the age of AI, the importance of protecting the pause between a question and an answer, and the slow, cold-call-and-a-flyer work of growing to nearly 20 schools across two states. G.O.A.L.S. Website: https://www.getoutandlearnsomething.com/ Email: getoutandlearnsomething@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getoutandlearnsomething Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getoutandlearnsomething/ GTZP: Website: gtzp.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent/ Want to be a guest? You may reach jerome@gtzp.org for inquiries. #FindYourCause #YouthDevelopment #Education #Nonprofit #LifeSkills #GreaterThanZeroPercent
Jul 7

45 Years Fighting for the World's Most Forgotten People With Steven Muncy

Steven Muncy was 23 years old, had never left the US, and couldn't speak a foreign language. He bought a ticket to the Philippines anyway. Forty-six years later, he leads Community and Family Services International, a 500-person organization working with hundreds of thousands of displaced people each year across Southeast Asia. In this conversation, Steven talks about the lessons that only come from showing up in a refugee camp, why the narrative around refugees is not just wrong but provably wrong, and the one moment with a woman named Dolores that changed how he listens. Guest links: Community and Family Services International: https://cfsi.ph/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CFSI.RebuildingLives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfsi_rebuilds/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cfsi-rebuildinglives/ X: https://x.com/CFSI_rebuilds YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cfsivideo/feed GTZP links: Website: www.gtzp.org Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZeAnlQdjwKX5JodvYFwp2 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp #FindYourCause #Refugees #HumanRights #Nonprofit #GreaterThanZeroPercent #SocialJustice
Jun 26

How 91% of Illinois Wetlands Disappeared With Peter Goodspeed

Illinois has already lost between 80% and 91% of its wetlands over the last 200 years. Most of that land is now farmland, and most people have no idea it happened. Peter Goodspeed, Restoration Program Director at The Wetlands Initiative, has spent his career working to reverse that loss, one acre at a time. In this conversation he explains what a wetland actually is (it is more than standing water), why losing them leads to catastrophic flooding and dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico, and how a small 20-person nonprofit is quietly restoring thousands of acres across Illinois and Indiana, including a former WWII munitions plant just outside of Joliet. He also walks through what farmers, homeowners, and regular people can do right now to be part of the restoration, even without owning land. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction [00:00] What Is The Wetlands Initiative? [00:00] Why Peter Chose This Work [00:00] What a Wetland Actually Is [00:00] What Wetlands Do for Us [00:00] Why 80-91% of Illinois Wetlands Are Gone [00:00] Balancing Agriculture and Conservation [00:00] A World With No Wetlands vs. a World With Plenty [00:00] The Smart Wetlands Program [00:00] The Dixon Refuge and Midewin Prairie [00:00] The Calumet Region Restoration [00:00] How You Can Get Involved Guest links: The Wetlands Initiative: wetlands-initiative.org Instagram: @wetlandsinitiative GTZP links: Website: gtzp.org Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-cause/id1528910691 Sponsor Alignment Call: calendly.com/gtzp/gtzp-impact-alignment #FindYourCause #WetlandsRestoration #EnvironmentalNonprofit #Conservation #GreaterThanZeroPercent #TheWetlandsInitiative #ClimateAction #Chicago
Jun 19

The Jersey That Changed a Life With Lesley de Jonge

Lesley de Jonge is the founder and executive director of Let's Keep the Ball Flying, a nonprofit connecting the global volleyball community to spread access to the sport. In this conversation he and Joseph Smalzer get into the moment in Nepal that started it all, why a jersey can be a bridge into belonging, how the organization teaches coaches in rural areas to build a volleyball from plastic bags and a net from bamboo, the school-adoption model that has clubs from Stanford to Nebraska giving back, and the lesson he keeps relearning: the people doing the giving are the ones who get changed the most. Let's Keep the Ball Flying: Website: lktbf.org Email: info@lktbf.org Socials: https://www.instagram.com/letskeeptheballflying/ https://www.facebook.com/letskeeptheballflying https://www.tiktok.com/@letskeeptheballflying https://www.linkedin.com/company/letskeeptheballflying/ GTZP.ORG: Website: https://www.gtzp.org/ Email: jerome@gtzp.org Socials: https://www.facebook.com/greaterthanzeropercent/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/greaterthanzeropercent https://www.youtube.com/@gtzp https://www.instagram.com/greaterthanzeropercent/ https://www.tiktok.com/@greaterthanzeropercent #FindYourCause #Volleyball #SportForGood #Nonprofit #AccessToSport #GreaterThanZeroPercent

5

out of 5

9 Ratings

LOVE!

01/03/2021

sondi18

Amazing people doing amazing things. Great space to listen, learn and feel inspired!

"find your cause" is the official podcast of Greater Than Zero Percent (GTZP). GTZP is 501(c)(3) non-profit on a mission to find people and organizations that are changing the world and sharing their stories. We believe that however big or small of a positive impact you have, every bit counts. As long as you are adding greater than zero percent, the momentum you build is already changing the world.

Creator

Joseph Smalzer
Years Active

2020 - 2026
Episodes

207
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2025 Joseph Smalzer
Show Website

find your cause