From Pizza Millionaire to Saving Lives: Paul Robinson's Divine Calling at Home of Innocents

[0:16]  Welcome back to another episode here on the Hard Hustle Podcast. Our next guest, he sold his pizza franchises. He stepped away from a thriving business and he spent four months quiet in discernment. What came next though is a mission to serve Kucky's most vulnerable kids and I'm so excited to be talking to Paul. Paul, you were living the entrepreneurs dream. I mean, the Papa John's franchises, the financial stability, and then you just all of a sudden walk away, man. What was that moment that made you go, I need to do something that feeds my soul and not just a paycheck?

[0:49]  Well, thank you for having me here. Um, you know, I love to to talk a little bit about my my story. You know, it's a it's a unique story. So I was a franchise owner for 21 years. Found that very rewarding. Thought I would be doing that for much longer than I than I had been doing it. But we were approached about selling. Never dreamed that we would sell, but uh it was just too good of an offer to pass up. So I was 45 years old. I had already started, grown, and sold a multi-million dollar franchise of Papa John's. And I was in this moment that I had to stop, reflect, pray, and think about what it is that I wanted to do in this next chapter of my career. And a lot of people don't get that opportunity. I was I was blessed that I got four months of quiet, a lot of prayer time, a lot of vulnerable uh discussions with my wife and my family and with with my Lord as well. And at the end of that prayerful discussion, I ended up uh shifting to be the CEO and president of Home of the Innocence. So coming over into the nonprofit space to do impactful work.

[1:59]  How crazy, huh? It's not crazy because God would do things like this. But it's crazy. You know what I mean? Like that your life played out some it's we always have a plan. You mentioned I had this plan to, you know, continue doing this, but it's not always our plan, right? And you learned that you you sat in the sermon for 4 months after selling that business. What showed up in that stillness that changed everything for you?

[2:22]  Well, I will admit I'll be vulnerable and say, you know, I like to think that I'm in control. I like to think that I am in charge of everything. And I think really when I was sitting and I was praying, you have to surrender and you have to really realize that we are doing God's will and we have to be comfortable with that. And I just remember uh getting really peaceful uh with I'm I I kind of started to visualize that I'm on a raft and I have to let go of the shore and I have to trust that the raft that you know that God's going to take me down the stream and he's going to take me to where it is that I'm supposed to be. And I started really visualizing that over and over again. And I just got so peaceful with that. And right after this moment of peace, I was called by the board of directors and extended the offer to come here. And I thought, well, it's not an accident. It it this is what I was called to do.

[3:19]  Purpose. Yeah. Wow. What an that's a wild story right there, Paul. And how long have you been now with Home of Innocence?

[3:26]  I just celebrated nine years that I've been here.

[3:30]  Wow. And then when I sit here and I think about you mentioned at 45 you stopped doing the franchise uh with Papa John's but you were doing it for 20ome years. So that puts you kind of in your early 20s. You're a franchisee owner in your early 20s. What does the entrepreneurship come from? Like how did you even get started there?

[3:48]  Well, I've got to give credit to my father for that. So I was uh gosh um I was 24 years old when I started working with my dad. he gets credit for purchasing the franchise and for having the the vision that it would be a great investment opportunity. Um I was finishing graduate school. I got my MBA and he asked me to come with him to um to do this together. And so that's what really that's that that's when that began. I was 24 years old. I think back then I think I thought I knew a lot and I had a lot to add to the to the partnership but come to find out I really didn't know that much.

[4:28]  I was very naive. Uh but over the course of 21 years um I was given an opportunity to put sweat equity into this company u to purchase equity um and to grow in my leadership role there. So, by the time we sold, I was the president of the company and we had 21 locations. Uh, and it was just it was, you know, it was a great chapter of my career.

[4:49]  Yeah, that's a lot, man. 21 locations is truly a lot. You're the man for getting that done. So, your dad invested in that one location and you scaled it to 21.

[5:00]  Uh, well, and he he was there with me throughout the process. So, and in fact, we brought my sister into it as well. So, it was a family

[5:08]  uh owned company. So, you know, father, uh, son and daughter. Um, and yeah, so we, so we did that together for a long period of time. And it was it was a great opportunity. You know, we we got to learn how to run a business. We got to make mistakes. We got to scale and grow and and then, you know, I was able to take a lot of those lessons from that right here into this role that I'm in here.

[5:34]  Let's talk about it. Home of Innocence. Um, do you remember the moment that made you say, "This is why I'm here." I mean, you went from ROI to impact lives. It had to be that moment you can still remember like, "Man, I love this."

[5:46]  Well, I I remember when they offered me the position. And I was very excited because I would I I I draw a lot of excitement from new challenges

[5:55]  and the thought that I was going into a sector that I had never worked in before, doing a thing that I had never done before and helping a very vulnerable population I had never done before. That all appealed to me. But again, I look back, you know, that was nine years ago. You don't know what you don't know. Um, I think it was not probably until a few years in when I started to see the actual tangible results of my leadership here, the the programs that were growing, the new services that we were beginning to provide, the growth in our team members, the number of children served growing. That's when I started to realize, oh my gosh, you know, my leadership has helped encourage this and helped make this possible. And that's when I realized, gosh, I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

[6:45]  And what does an organization look like when it's 600 staff, kids in crisis, you're walking down the halls of hope, and it's it's what does it feel like on on a hard day?

[6:55]  Well, if I could real quick, let me just tell your viewers just high level what we do because then I'll answer your question. Uh, we are the state's only

[7:04]  skilled nursing facility for children that live with a medical complexity. So, these are children that are on ventilators. These are children that are being fed with a G tube. These are children that are going to have their lives cut short because the medical illnesses that they have will cause their lifespan to be shorter. Um, the other part of what we do is we are a behavioral health continuum for children that are living in the state's child welfare system. So, these are children that have been abused, abandoned, neglected. So, now that I've shared that, now let me answer your question. So, a typical day walking the hall here looks like this. I'm walking past a resident that's in a wheelchair that's connected to a ventilator that um is on his his way or her way to our pool to be lowered in so that they can be freed from their wheelchair. Their ventilator can float on the surface of the water. They can receive occupational and physical and speech therapy by our team and they smile. They make sounds. They're happy. I mean, that's just so incredibly rewarding to watch that. Um, a day here looks like I'm walking down the hall. This just happened last week. And I pass a 15-year-old who was physically abused by his father. He's healing while he's here receiving clinical therapy. and he gives me a fist bump and he like says hello and and he's smiling and and I think those moments that I just described are made possible by our team here and I get to be the leader of this incredible team that makes things like that happen.

[8:43]  Yeah, man. And you're not just running a nonprofit truly creating transformation in lives as you just mentioned um those two examples. Can can you share a mission moment that left you speechless as well? Gosh, there's so many. Um, well, I I think let let me share this one. Um, you know, there's there's a mortality aspect to the children that we provide skilled nursing care to. So, some of our our residents uh will pass away by natural result of their illnesses. And I'm always humbled, greatly humbled. Whenever there's a death, I I typically will call the family or I will attend uh the memorial service to extend my condolences to the family and I always will thank them for entrusting the care of their child to us. That's just that is the professional thing for me to do and the compassionate thing for me to do. But I did that last year. I went to one of our residents his memorial service. He came to us when he was um 13 years old and he lived with us till he was 24. And his mother was crying tears of gratitude for the life extension that we made possible for her. The extra time that she got with her son and the fact that he had such incredible care that was provided to him, the memories that he had, the activities he got to participate in. and her tears were tears of gratitude to me for what we did for her son. And I think that was just such a that was such an emotional moment for me because those moments are made possible by thousands of hours of nursing care and physical therapy that is provided and emotional supports that are provided. It's not just one moment. It's a series of hundreds and thousands of moments. and and for at a moment of desperation where a child has died for for the mother to be thanking us is just I think it's such an incredible special moment.

[10:50]  No, 100%. To know that you're touching lives in those ways. I ask you man, some of that was in the in the space of for profofit for a very long time and then you get into the nonprofit probably having a whole bunch of different um you know thoughts of the nonprofit. There's no money. There's like we all have this idea of what a nonprofit actually looks like. But now you've been in it nine years, you're seeing the impacts being made. What What are your thoughts on when it for those leaders that may be wanting to get to nonprofit but they feel well should I make the jump? Like what would you say to those people with knowing both now sides of the spectrum?

[11:26]  Well, I might say two things. First of all, you know, I found what I did in the private sector very rewarding. I find what I do here in the nonprofit sector very rewarding. I mean, they're they're they're both incredible. They're different, right? Over on the private sector, you know, you measure success by return on investment. In the nonprofit space, it really is the impact you are creating and who you're serving. And so for us, the serving is to children, vulnerable children, and then their families. So that that's different. Um, but you know, part of the the mystique, part of the uh misunderstanding about the nonprofit

[12:05]  space is that people think that, you know, when you're in the nonprofit space, you there's the scarcity model. You shouldn't have the resource that you need to fulfill your mission. You need to go without being paid a good salary. You should, you know, get things for free. A good nonprofit is a is a business just like other businesses. Yeah,

[12:28]  that it's a tax filing status. We we are not we are not charged a tax for the services that we provide, but we still need revenue to make our mission possible. We still need to pay our people uh at a competitive salary. We still need to have a good benefits package. We need to have the investment back in the things that we need to do in order to grow our mission. And so I think I'm fortunate that I bring with me that experience from the private sector. And from day one here, I've really tried to challenge our team and our board of directors. Let's not think through a scarcity mindset. Let's go find the investment we need to strengthen our mission and let's run this like the organization that it needs to be.

[13:14]  I love it, man. I I love to see when people make that that uh that jump and just so excited to be in the space and like literally continue to do that for life whether it's different organizations but just being in the nonprofit sector people realize that it just kind of fills the cup right it's not about the money clearly it's not about the money but it fills your cup to know that you're actually making changes in people's lives and I'm I'm just kind of kudos to you for making that career um jump and succeeding at that too, right? You love a challenge and you succeeded at the challenge. Like you're nine years at the organization. So I appreciate that. And now last time I spoke to you, I think we were talking about you were early adapter of AI into um the nonprofit or you guys have some some things that you guys were working on now or something like that. Where you guys in AI space when you talk about some of your things that you guys are doing, how does it helping?

[14:09]  Well, and I'm sure there are people that are much further along than we are. I want to remain humble to to that. I I think that what we have tried to do is get out ahead of this to really think about the structure,

[14:21]  to think about the governance, to think about the risk, all the different considerations that need to be in the forefront of our minds as we then think about how AI can be a disruptor for good. Um, our team has been really wrestling with where where can AI help provide efficiencies for us that can help us again, you know, with with the limited resources that we have. How could it help uh ease some of the workforce burdens that, you know, we continue to be challenged with. You know, our team has to document all the different aspects of the services that we provide. How could AI help us with that? um how can AI help us with

[15:04]  um what we do as far as communications, what we do as far as um efficiencies and then uh generative projects. So um our executive team that surrounds me uh we have just been spending a lot of time in how can this really help us blaze a path forward that is going to be one that is going to help us strengthen further. Um, I I like to remain humble to the fact that, you know, as the CEO, I may not be the biggest user of AI. Uh, and and I do use AI. I'm not saying that I don't. Um, but it's already being used by everyday team members that are helping with the care delivery that's happening here.

[15:47]  So, let's learn from them. So, this really becomes a workforce support instead of it being a topdown forced project. Um, we've been studying a lot of like really good best practice from others. And where you involve team members from the very beginning and help go top down and bottom up together, then you you have great success. And so that's really been our focus, setting it up properly.

[16:14]  Hey, real quick. If you enjoying the podcast, we first want to say thank you. And we also just want to give you a little insight of what we're up to at Francis. Some don't even realize that we're working with organizations to help them use AI to create that real human communication experiences where that's actually supporting your your families, those patients or the entire community. We're actually creating tech that connects. Check it out. Francis.ai. That's good. Now, just think about just the communication with the community, right? What that communication looks like. I mean sometimes even internal external when you think about five years out in your space hope of innocence what would you like to see AI like what are some of those things that you would like to see AI done right for a child if done right

[16:59]  I I think if we can take 20 to 25% of the time back from our staff from having to document so um rigidly and in such a prescribed manner that that time uh in charting and documentation is more automated that that's time back in care delivery interactions with children. Um that's more clinical uh discussions with children.

[17:24]  I think that would be wonderful. And then I think if our uh support departments like our development team or our grants team, if they're able to gain some efficiencies in the way that we approach our funders and we can automate that, then that is uh going to give them more time to reach more people across our community to make more investment in our mission, which is going to help more children.

[17:47]  I like that, man. And and and you know something else, Paul, that just came to mind as you're mentioning all these different things. You once said, "When people feel loved, excellence follows." Was there a moment when that belief was truly tested for you?

[18:02]  Well, I I I I think I'm reminded almost daily here when I see children smile or I see in particular, well, I I take this back. Let me let me give you a very specific moment and and this this is a very heartfelt moment. So we had a young girl uh a child of the child welfare system um 17 years old had bounced from place to place to place abandoned by her family. No one believed in her. She came to us at a point of desperation. Nowhere else to go. She was a year behind in school. Over the course of six months, our team helped her not only catch up but graduate on time. at her graduation ceremony that was attended by hundreds of team members from across our organization. She asked to get up on stage and she asked to speak and she looks out to the crowd and it's full of, you know, all of us as team members and she's crying and she says, "My own family didn't even believe in me, but every single one of you did. You helped me get to this moment." Every eye in that gym had tears in it. And it was that moment of love, that moment of compassion that our efforts seemed so validated. But the positive ending to the story is this. She came to us behind. She caught up, graduated. She's now in college and doing very well. And so, how do you put a price tag to that? How do you how do you measure the the significance of that moment? I mean that that to me just always serves as such a grave reminder of we can create more moments like that. My goodness, what is possible?

[19:43]  I love that. And it and it it is those little things, right? Is for someone to feel loved, seen, heard, and you guys allowed that. You know, it seems like you're an organization that has all of that. So someone like myself that was adopted or sexually abused and I hear these type of stories, it is because you guys just allow them to be who they are. you meet them at where they're at, per se. And um just just be there for them. All that just truly makes a difference. A whole it's like a whole bunch of mentors right in one facility is like really what it is. Um I love it. I love what what you're doing, man. I know you have to love what you're doing. Like making pizza is cool, but this right here, this is cool, you know?

[20:21]  Well, I tell people I used to make cheese sticks for a living. Now we provide human services. It's a little It's a little bit different.

[20:29]  It's a very It's huge. hugely different, man. But, uh, it's great. It is very just listening to the stories, I'm just kind of like, man, this this is so cool that you get to do this. You've also mentioned when I last spoke to you about a $75 million expansion, truly bold, audacious dream. What are you fighting for with this project?

[20:50]  So, the skilled nursing part of what we're doing, uh, we currently serve 76 residents who are living with medical complexities. uh we are limited uh we're we're always uh with a robust waiting list for other children uh to be served. But we also um were haunted with a very sobering statistic. Our services are pediatric in nature. So when one of our residents turned 21 years of age, they would leave us. They would go to a geriatric facility and about 40% of our residents when they would discharge from us would pass away within 18 months. And so in the last couple of years, we got very bold and we decided we are going to solve that problem. So we are creating 50 additional beds that will allow our residents to stay with us after they turn 21. So that's already happened and it's going to create more capacity for more children to be served. So it's a very expensive endeavor. We're raising $75 million that's going to help us build a 75,000 square foot expansion to our campus, build 50 additional beds, all of which will be ventilator capable because so many of our children come to us with ventilators. Um, and we will be serving more children, but also our children because they're always children to us. When they turn 21, they get to remain with us for the rest of their life. This is great. And how I'm pretty sure someone is listening and thinking $75 million is impossible. Why is this more than just a fundraising goal?

[22:30]  Well, I'm happy to report since I last talked to you, we've now raised 62 million of that 75 million. Um, and and it is possible. And the reason it's possible is this. We are very fortunate that we have a very generous community around us and they believe in our mission. And I think our mission is believable because people see very clearly and some of these examples that I've been sharing with you that we are transforming lives. So our mission is one that supports vulnerable children and now young adults. And so people want to invest in that. They want to help support that. And and the fact that we raised 62 million in two years speaks to that.

[23:11]  That is amazing tr like truly amazing. And when you when you talk about the community behind you and a support system for leaders that are watching right now and and kind of asking themselves, how do I continue to engage with my community? What what are you doing to keep that engagement going? You know, it's not like they're coming to your door, but how are you getting out in the community and getting the word out?

[23:35]  Well, so we're governed by 32 board members that are members of our community at large. They help connect me to opportunities to speak to groups, speak at events, uh sometimes, you know, receptions and things like that.

[23:49]  We just hosted our annual u fundraising breakfast just a couple weeks ago. We had a thousand people that joined us at 8 a.m. to hear us talk about our mission and our expansion and our campaign. Um, at that event, that one-hour event, we raised almost $750,000 from the people that were in attendance. And again, I think that's the power of our mission. But, you know, it's it's my role. It's my responsibility as the CEO to just make connections with people. It's constant making connections, talking about our mission, encouraging people to volunteer, encouraging people to come take a tour. uh walking people through our campus, showing them our children, showing them the impact of what we do, showing them our expansion project. And I get to do that with such excitement. I mean, it's like I get to showcase this wonderful mission. And then eventually through relationship, people want to invest and support it.

[24:53]  That easy, huh? That easy, huh, Paul?

[24:56]  Well, it takes time. It takes time. Relationships take time, right?

[24:59]  Yeah. No, I love it. One of the things, you know, I I learned from leaders is different things. So earlier I learned alumni picnic. There was another leader doing an alumni picnic and I thought, "Oh, that's pretty cool how you bring people together." But what I took from you is fundraising breakfast. Like that's also cool, right? Um me leading a nonprofit is always finding ways how can we get better. So when I when I hear things like yourself, you know, saying like, "Hey, just just relationship, just just building the community." Um, you know, and I hear others say going to chamber meetings, becoming part of the chamber, right? But it all pieces on you got to get out there. You got to let people know that you even exist. People have to know the stories. Um, I just spoke to another leader uh earlier today and he was mentioning about um he's just very data driven. So, he knows his numbers when he when he talks to people. He wants them to know that hey your dollar investment actually go when you talk about um I can't remember the exact words but it was$1 to $50. You give one and it's the impact is really almost $50 per person and I was like man how cool is that? Like we have to know our numbers like there's so many different things when organizations are asking themselves how do we survive in these times? How do we pivot? How do we scale? You're just dropping gems here now. Is this something that you just was you knew from having a business mindset or is it that you just had a great team behind you? Is it that you had to trial and error? Where did it all come from? It's like you you almost like you were meant to be here.

[26:32]  Well, you know, I as you're asking this question, I think I I left out a kind of a key part to the story. while I was a business owner and and doing that work, that's where I started volunteering for nonprofits and and and what I loved about my volunteer work again as a father and as a business owner was um helping children and families. So, Ronald McDonald House Charities

[26:57]  was one that really spoke to me and I ended up being their board chair for a number of years. I help them grow their endowment. And I and I never realized it at the time, but the executive director would take me to meet donors and she would actually encourage me to ask them for money. And and it just came so natural to me. I again, I never really thought that much about it. I kind of was thrilled with the that the challenge of it to convince somebody to love the mission as much as I did. And so when I came over into the space of all the parts of this job that I had to learn, the fundraising piece just seemed to be so natural for me because I had already been doing it as a volunteer on the other side.

[27:41]  And so so I realized I probably needed to share that piece with you. So you you knew that. Um but but I I give large credit to the U executive director at Ronald McDonald House Charities in Northwest Florida. When I got to work alongside her for a number of years, she really challenged me. She encouraged me and and and in fact after I came here, she traveled to Louisville to visit here to see how I was doing and and then she took some ideas back, you know, to to where she was going. So good relationships.

[28:14]  That is so cool. No, it makes sense. So, you had a lot of education before you even stepped foot into Home of Innocence. Um, and it goes back to God would do things in mysterious ways where you thought you were just volunteering your time. He was really setting you up for the next part of your life, which is giving back, right? You were able So, it Yeah, it is pretty cool, man. Um, what a hell of a story. Do you get to tell this story enough?

[28:36]  Well, you know, I I you know, part of my faith is that I I tried to be humble. Uh, you know, that is that is a characteristic we aspire to. So I probably could talk about it more than I do, but when I feel comfortable and I and it's a way for me almost to evangelize a little bit because it is a very much a faith centered story. So when people ask, I'm always happy to share.

[28:58]  Yeah, I I I love me a good story. So to hear your story today and someone that just got into the space, you know, um not wanting to, but the call happened and you said, "Great, I'll take on the challenge and and succeed at that challenge and love it so much that it almost the way you talk about it, it's like your baby." Is that how you feel? Like this is your baby?

[29:23]  Well, it it has it has become that. I I do have a sense of ownership here even though I'm not the owner like I was at my own company.

[29:31]  Yeah.

[29:31]  Um but I think that's because you know I I I realize the great responsibility that I have here as the leader and and I I kind of I view it like this. I am the steward of this mission right now. It's been entrusted to my care

[29:45]  and I take that very seriously. Um, and I hope when the the day comes that I step away from here, that I've left it in a better place than when it was given to me because I'll only be here for a chapter of time. But as the building that we're building that's going to house these 50 new beds that are ventilator capable and it's right outside my window. It's happening right now today.

[30:09]  They're uh lifting the steel beams up.

[30:12]  As that building is being assembled, I do take great pride in that. I think that will end up being my legacy here that I helped create this wonderful thing that that is going to solve a problem that has been decades in the making.

[30:26]  Truly amazing. Yeah, Paul, that's cool, man. I can't wait um to talk again and really see what that looks like and and what you guys are running over there. It it's just cool when people give their life to help others, you know, that's truly what you're doing. Um, and is this something when you think about just a space of giving and and not being selfish, like you don't do it for you, you know, it's not about you. It's about everybody else that's in there that that needs that extra help to stay alive, you know, in a sense to, you know, to be seen, to feel heard. Um, what leaders were pouring into you? You mentioned about the Ronald McDonald exec. Was mom and dad also into like kind of the giving space which is where you kind of learned it all from?

[31:13]  Well, I think my mom and dad instilled in me from from the very beginning uh morals and values and prioritizing my relationship uh from a faith perspective uh with God. Um so I I give credit to them for that. I I think the philanthropic part of of my life came by encouragement by other people in the community to you know that you know it's important to pay things forward. Um so like as an example I had a neighbor who was on the board of Ronald McDonald House and he said you know you really should consider this. I didn't even give it much thought. So I kind of went into it a little again naive but but you know it's that encouragement. It's that at that moment that person crosses your path and like says the thing or does the thing that puts it right in front of you.

[32:06]  And so I feel like I've been fortunate that I've had a series of those kind of events and just, you know, random people, some random, not so random that I think just open your eyes to what is possible. Um, and so I I I I think I went into that because I'm the father to five children, two of which are adopted. And I only share that because there was a lot of challenge that my wife and I faced as we welcomed these two children into our family um along with our other three children. And so with all the craziness of that, it was extremely important to my wife and I that we model um the benefit of helping others and to very directly show that we have been blessed beyond measure. We must pay these blessings forward. when you're given gifts, we have to share those gifts and give back. So, I think that really was kind of maybe what was at the super center of my desire to to help others.

[33:06]  And then I think I just kind of built upon that as I came here. And

[33:10]  I'll I'll share with you and I'm sorry I'm being so lengthy here, but we just had Father's Day and my kids wrote this incredible

[33:17]  card to me. And in one of the notes, my my son was saying how proud he was of me. And that pride was seeing me do what I'm doing here at Home of the Innocence. And that really just stopped me cold in my tracks. And I thought, "Oh my gosh, I didn't even think about it that they're watching me do this work here. They're seeing the impact of what I'm doing." And I didn't even realize that maybe that was influencing them

[33:43]  in some way. So, how meaningful is that for me as a father?

[33:46]  No, that's amazing. All right. And and for you to just do the work and just like for me, I realize as much as you tell your kids, they uh don't really listen is good, but they they they're watching everything you're doing, right? And that's really what the kids are letting you know. Like, dad, maybe I wasn't you didn't think I was listening to you, but I sure am watching you and seeing you. And it is you're you are a role model to these kids. You are a role model. Um you mentioned the kids that you adopted. I mentioned that I'm an adopted child. So, anyone that that takes on that responsibility to give back in that sense, I'm always just say kudos to you for doing that cuz um there's there's risk in that, right? There's a lot of risk in opening up your doors to and not knowing what um that child's life was, what their upbringing was, right? what that foundation looked like for them and and you're having to work with that, you know, and five years of of just not a good life is it's hard to uh flip around, you know. So, uh kudos to to you what you do, man. I actually helped an organization yesterday with an idea. I have a shirt that I wear very proudly. It says adopted and and people would obviously comment. It's a it's a conversation starter. But I love it because when I was young, I hated to say that I was adopted, right? like I I just didn't want this is my mom, my brother and sister. And I would walk around with my sister that I called my sister. She was with my cousin. She would say, "Oh, this is my cousin, but we adopted him. I I didn't like that. But now I realized like why not?" Like to me, it was one of those second chances of life and to embrace it. And I think no one ever really taught me to embrace it. And it wasn't until I did national TV where I talked about adoption. Then you get people reaching out like, "Oh my god, thanks for being the voice of the voiceless." And you just that's why I say I love your story because your story becomes a testimony to others, you know, and what you do and what your kids are going to do because the chance you gave them, they're going to continue to give, man, because you were the trends setter of that. So, um, your legacy is is the building and it's the kids, is everything that you've been doing as you mentioned, just very humble with it. You didn't ask for anything in return. You're not asking now for anything in return. you're just doing, as you mentioned, God's work while you're here, you know, and and blessed that you have the opportunity to do so. And um as you mentioned, you had 21 stores. You you didn't you didn't need to chase purpose. You had the paycheck, but it was bigger than a paycheck for you. It was truly saying, "No, I I want to live with purpose." And and I'm pretty sure that's one of your values is has to be purpose with everything that you've done. So, um man, I love this. I love this. What's one simple act as we start to wrap things up, Paul? What's one simple act someone could do today to support a child that they've never met but who desperately needs them today?

[36:33]  Well, at our fundraising breakfast we just had a couple weeks ago, we I my closing speech from the stage was very similar to what you're asking. You may never know the face of the child that you're helping, but your financial gift or the gift of your time volunteered or the gift of your connection to somebody to help learn about the mission will help create safety for them. It will help create um compassion for them. So we we try to help people that support our mission to see there's so many different ways that you can show up and you can make the difference in the life of a child because it's different for everybody, right? Some people only have time to give. They don't have money to give and some people only have money to give and then there's everything in between and we need it all. So um but everything in the end helps to touch the life of a child.

[37:26]  Love it. Well, Paul, it's time for the hot seat, man. It's time for the blind question. Are you ready? I am ready and I and I I thought about this. I'm ready.

[37:33]  All right. Good. So, I'm gonna ask you a blind question and then you're going to ask a blind question to us. Okay.

[37:37]  Or to the next leader. So, the last blind question the individual had was organizations have mission, but what is yours? Uh my mission is uh to to achieve salvation when this life is over to to live the most purposedriven life that is in alignment with my faith to achieve eternal salvation.

[38:03]  If Paul uh no was it no it wasn't Paul it was Ralph. So when Ralph listens to this he's going to love it because he was also another faith-based leader. So he would love the answer you just gave actually. Oh good. Uh what is your blank question to the next leader Paul?

[38:16]  All right. So when we think about all the years of our life, what has been the best year of your life, but most importantly why. So they the person that's going to be after me has to tell you what that year was and then they have to give you a really good reason why.

[38:34]  Wow. That's that's making you really think there, huh, Paul? You wanted to give something that they actually think. I love that. Paul, as we start to close up, man, I would love for people to know where can they find you? Um, obviously homeof innocence.org is the website. Is that correct?

[38:46]  That's correct.

[38:47]  And um, are you guys on social? Are you guys Instagram, Facebook?

[38:50]  We are. Uh, so we're on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube TV as well.

[38:55]  I love they can find on YouTube. And how about you? Are you on LinkedIn if someone wants to connect with a leader like yourself, maybe for questions, partnership or anything like that?

[39:03]  Yes, I'm I'm active user of LinkedIn and that's a good place to reach me.

[39:07]  I love it, man. Well, it's been a pleasure. We didn't get to talk about plants, but I just want to say you have a nice plant back there. Just so everybody knows, he is a plant dad as well. What I guess he's more of a gardener. Is that correct? You said not so much in this to the plants, but you love gardening.

[39:20]  Um, well, I I have both. I've got plants, all kinds of plants inside my house, all kind of plants outside. I love to garden outside. I like it all. I like to get my hands in the soil. That That's the goal.

[39:31]  And why why before we head off, why did you say that you like to get your hands?

[39:34]  It's therapy. It's just very cathartic and therapeutic for me to work the soil. It's a good stress relief. It's a good exercise. It's a good quiet moment of peace.

[39:46]  I love it. I love it. Listen, I just had to bring that out there. All my plant dads, we got to show love to each other. You know, cuz sometimes people come into our house and and says, "Oh, to the wives like these are great plants." And for me, at least in my house, I got to say, "My wife doesn't even water these plants, okay? She would kill every single one of these in here. It's me. I do it." Um, so I just got to make sure we show love to all the plant dads. Paul, thank you so much for the conversation, man. Truly an honor to just meet someone like yourself that truly lives with purpose, you know, and doing this out of pure love. Um, and I respect you for who you are, who you've been in your life, and who you're going to continue to become because you still got so much life ahead of you, man. So, we thank you guys. This is another great leader in Paul. If you guys haven't already, make sure you guys do like, comment, and share, but also go ahead and connect with Paul either on LinkedIn, make sure you guys go to home of innocence.org, check out what they're doing, and follow the expansion. They're on the goal on the wave really to raise 75 million, and there's 62.5. Is that what you said?

[40:47]  Right around 62. We've got 13 million left to to raise in the next two years. So,

[40:52]  I love it. So, if you guys also want to be a part of that, home of innocence.org, you get all that information. My name is Era. This is Paul. We'll catch you guys in the next one.