“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/
