Let's Give A Damn

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Peter Shankman in his Midtown Manhattan office on a rainy day in NYC. Peter and I originally interacted on Twitter when he posted, “How can I help you today?” I ask that question often and love it when others do, too! I went on his website and, sure enough, the first thing I see a banner that reads, “How can I help you today?” I love this! And he truly means it. We...

I had the privilege of sitting down with three wonderful humans while spending just a few hours in Baltimore, MD. We met up at Baltimore’s ImpactHub location and I met with them one after the other. By the end, I was drained, encouraged, and, more than anything, had real love in my heart for these three people and the city they cared for and loved.  First, you’ll hear my conversation with David Fa...

I had the privilege of sitting down with a fantastic human and writer, Jonathan Merritt. We met at his apartment in Brooklyn, NY and spoke for an hour or so over wine and a beer. We discuss everything from growing up as the son of a prominent Southern Baptist pastor and leader to how he got into writing as a career to how he uses his life and skills to give a damn by writing articles and books tha...

I had the privilege of sitting down with the incredible Noor Tagouri. We met for an hour last week at VaynerMedia in NYC. We discuss everything from growing up as a Muslim in West Virginia to her success as a storyteller to why she wears a hijab and what that empowers the women around her. And so much more! I had so much fun talking with her and I know you’ll learn a ton from a young woman who giv...

This week, I share six of my favorite moments so far on the podcast. These are, of course, not the only favorite moments I have had. Not even close! I have loved each conversation with the incredible people with whom I’ve been able to chat. These moments, however, stuck out in my mind and I wanted to share them with you. I hope you learn from them and are inpsired to take action and give a damn TO...

This week, I have a conversation with my new friend and super human, Becca Stevens. Becca Stevens is an author, speaker, priest, social entrepreneur, founder and president of Thistle Farms. After the death of her father when she was 5, Becca experienced sexual abuse at the hands of someone close to her. As she grew older, she longed to help women who had experienced some of the things she had when...

In this Season 2 finale episode, I chat with you, my dear friends! Well, we’re not really chatting. But I am speaking directly to you. Season 2 has been extraordinary! In this episode, I recap our amazing guests like Rainn Wilson, Timothy Sykes, Andrea Geubelle, Jamie Tworkwoski, and so many more! I also share what I’ll be doing in between seasons and I share a brief challenge based on quotes from...

In this episode, I chat with my friend, Nickolas Gaines. Nick currently serves as the Suicide Prevention Program Manager for the Department of Defense which entails training, teaching, and caring for 11,000 Soldiers across 26 states. Before his current role, he served as an Army officer and chaplain. In that role, he helped soldiers process major events in their lives and he also helped them in th...

In this episode, I chat with my friend and PR extraordinaire, Melissa Orozco. Even as a young social entrepreneur, Melissa has already had an incredible career. She received Marketing Magazine's 30 Under 30 marketing pro award and she was the Chair of Communications for the Urban Land Institute of BC from 2011-216. She also played a key role behind impactful & global campaigns including Fuck Cance...

In this episode, I chat with filmmaker and creative genius, Ricky Staub. Ricky is an accomplished filmmaker. By his mid-twenties, he was living the dream! Well, the dream for some, anyway. He was an assistant producer for Sam Mercer, who co-produced most of M. Night Shyamalan’s films. While in Philadelphia working on Shyamalan’s film The Last Airbender, he met a man that changed his life and the c...

In this episode, I chat with penny stock trader and millionaire, Timothy Sykes. Sykes has amassed quite a bit of wealth by the age of 35. He has done all this through trading penny stocks and teaching students how to do the same. If you look for Sykes on social media, you’ll probably find photos of him holding stacks of cash, standing next to his Lamborghini, or flying in a private jet. So why am...

In this episode, I chat with my new friend, Andrea Geubelle. Andrea has always excelled in every athletic endeavor she embarks on. Andrea is a University of Kansas alumnus, a three-time NCAA champion, a gold medallist at the 2012 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Athletics, and she represented the United States at last summer’s Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.  In our chat, we talk about her childhood, h...

In this episode, I sit down with Rainn Wilson at his home in Los Angeles. Rainn is most widely recognized as Dwight from The Office but he also starred in movies like Juno, Super, Monsters vs Aliens, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and many others. We don’t talk about his Hollywood life all that much in our chat, though. I was more focused on figuring out who he is, how he spends his time, an...

On this episode, I have a conversation with my friend Brit Gilmore, President of The Giving Keys. My chat with Brit was so much fun. I could have talked with her for hours! I loved hearing about her upbringing, about her family, and about how life led her down the path of using the fashion industry as a means of helping to end homelessness in Los Angeles. Brit was recently recognized as one of top...

In this episode, I have a conversation with my new friend Jamie Tworkowski, Founder of To Write Love On Her Arms. Jamie grew up surfing and began his career at Hurley. He never imagined his life would turn into what it has. In 2006, everything changed by him helping one person in need. Over a decade later, TWLOHA has grown into an organization that has helped millions of people find hope during di...

Our host, Nick Laparra, wraps up Season 1 by sharing more of the vision of Let’s Give A Damn, compiling highlights from each conversation we’ve had so far, and giving a little taste of what’s ahead for Let’s Give A Damn and for Season 2 of the podcast.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. Join our weekly email list. Also, follow our host, Nick Laparra, on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. F...

In this episode, I chat with my friend and SoulPancake’s Head of Creative, Golriz Lucina. Golriz shares stories from her incredibly global upbringing, she talks about the journey that led her to join Rainn Wilson’s SoulPancake team, she snickers for a little bit about being married to an entrepreneur, she drops incredibly valuable wisdom bombs for those wanting to be agents of change in the world,...

In this episode, I chat with my friends, Propaganda and Sho Baraka. Prop and Sho are hip hop artists from Los Angeles and Atlanta, respectively. I spend an hour chatting with them about civil rights, the race issue in America, and how we can engage with people with whom we don’t see eye-to-eye. You’ll hear a bit about their backgrounds, their family, and their faith. Prop and Sho are good friends...

In this episode, I sit down to chat with the 26 year old CEO of New Story Charity, Brett Hagler. Join us for a few minutes as we talk about how he ended up creating a non-profit startup in one of the most competitive cities in America. You’ll hear about his upbringing, some struggles, and how New Story Charity is impacting the world. You’ll even get to hear a little bit about what they’re doing to...

In this episode, I sit down to chat with my friend Kate Gazaway in her East Nashville home. We talk about everything from growing up in Georgia to struggling for years to figure out what what she wants to do with her life to this season of still growing and changing and figuring it out. The journey of a visionary and dreamer never ends! Kate is amazing, raw, honest, and I know you’re going to love...

In this episode, I have a conversation with my friend, Bucky Buchstaber. Bucky is a Pacific Northwest native born into a rough and rural family life. He went from being a Pastor in Portland to fly-fishing for living. You might ask, “Why did you interview a fisherman for Let’s Give A Damn?” Glad you asked. Because Bucky is giving so many damns doing something he absolutely loves doing! He is using...

In this episode, I have a conversation with my friend, award-winning photographer, and entrepreneur, Jeremy Cowart. Jeremy has been named “The Most Influential Photographer On the Web” by Huffington Post & Forbes. He has photographed Taylor Swift, The Kardashians, and many other celebrities. His clients include ABC, FOX, A&E, Discovery Channel, ESPN, People Magazine, etc. His work has been publish...

Let's Give A Damn is a podcast where we tell the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things because they saw something wrong that needed to be made right and they gave a damn about it. In this episode, I briefly discuss why we’re starting this project and what we hope to accomplish.  MLK Jr once said that, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Our g...