Tell me about your vision.
Yes, I have a big vision of solving relational poverty in the United States.
Now, a lot of the times people don't know what does relational poverty really mean.
And it's something that you probably have heard but didn't realize that that's what I'm talking about.
Think about one in five Americans who currently, when surveyed, say that they feel lonely and isolated and depressed because of it.
That's a really high percentage of the country that feels this way.
And what most people don't realize is that relational poverty actually has a significant effect on our community and on the country overall.
So I'll give you a couple of examples of how it affects our country and then go into what specifically we're trying to solve with our organization.
So some research says that relational poverty has a $9.5 billion loss in productivity per year because people take time off, they're depressed, they might be going to hospitals more often.
So there's a lot of different variants that go into it.
But the area where I'm focused is actually homelessness.
So what most people don't realize is that number one reason why people become homeless is relational poverty.
So those Americans who currently live on poverty line paycheck to paycheck, when something unexpected happens like job loss, maybe health issue and bills pile up, if they don't have community around them, family, friends, maybe faith community,
what ends up happening, they don't have that safety cushion and so they are not able to pay their rent and then they end up homeless.
And so with our organization, our vision is to solve homelessness through addressing the relational poverty.
Wow.
I can only see the impact. I can only see the impact of what it could have on people.
Wow. That's amazing. I want to dive deeper into that and see where did this vision of you coming in, Anna, and focusing on relation poverty because that term I've never heard of it until now and until today.
Yes.
You said it's uncommon, it's very uncommon for people to know. Where did it come from?
So, you know, relational poverty is really a term that if you really Google it, nothing really comes up, maybe earlier than 2016. It's really new term, not very well researched.
We're really diving into more and more and writing currently like a white paper to really dive into deeper aspects of it. But the way that the vision came from, I didn't know the term either, nor did I know anything about homelessness.
My story is a little bit unique and different.
We started two years ago, about two years ago, and the way that it started is I used to be completely atheist, not believing in any higher power, God, and then I had a pretty supernatural encounter with God where I received this message to go and feed the hungry.
So I started driving the next morning downtown Atlanta after I prepared 24 packed lunches, and I had an encounter with a homeless woman and that encounter really changed my life.
And I believed that God was real.
And fast forward two years, I actually started going on these silent retreats and during my second silent retreat, I really was seeking to go deeper and find my purpose because I do believe that every person is born to really fulfill some sort of big purpose, but not many people actually find what it is, unfortunately.
And so I felt very dissatisfied with my previous career and I wanted to really have meaningful work moving forward. And so this whole vision for the foundation came from a vision during that silent retreat.
And so I really received this whole business plan, how to work it, how to start it, and it was really overwhelming because I knew nothing about homelessness. I wasn't really a nonprofit leader at that point because my background was in business sales.
It was a little scary, but I thought about it and I said, you know, if this was a five year plan, right, how do I get there? And so slowly started working on it two years ago by starting this networking organization in Atlanta to really grow my connections and circle and become a leader in the community.
And then a year later, the foundation was actually launched. And so right now we are about to start mentoring homeless in Atlanta. So the way we're solving the relational poverty is through one on one mentorship between a professional in Atlanta and a homeless living in one of the homeless shelters in Atlanta.
So what we're trying to achieve is for them to have that human connection, that friend who they can call in the future. Once they reintegrate into society and no longer homeless, they will actually have an emergency contact at this point.
I can only imagine the impact it will have. The problem with homelessness is day by day increasing by a lot and it's not getting any better. And yeah, you had some thoughts, I see.
Yeah, yeah. You know, I was researching a lot what's going on with the homelessness in the United States because, you know, I started every time you dive deeper into an issue, start asking questions. Why? Why? Why? Right.
And so I looked at Atlanta, well, Georgia, the state specifically. And so we've had about 10,000 homeless for the past six years. That number is really not moving one way or the other.
And so and then I started looking at how homeless shelters operate. And so majority of them operate where they solve the needs of the homeless, such as, you know, helping them with the shelter, food, maybe some health, you know, provisions.
And so a lot of the times they also help with jobs. But that element of the relational poverty is not solved. So while they're fixing, you know, the elements that are everyday need and physical needs of the homeless, that relational poverty piece of the puzzle is really not fixed.
And so then we said, OK, so if that's the missing puzzle piece, how can we come in, not reinvent the wheel, but come in with a program that really just helps existing homeless shelters?
And so the foundation really is just that, an additional piece of service that they can offer to the homeless where, you know, nothing is really needed from them except for them to help us match our mentors with the homeless living there.
Is this like a state sponsored thing that you do? Who funds your side of the situation and how does it sustain itself?
Yeah, so I did the crazy thing where I actually, when I started it, I sold my condo to start it because I just said, I really believe in this and I want to get this started and I will fund this venture.
Now, with like any nonprofit, we're applying for grants. We also, you know, look for foundations to provide funding and individuals to provide funding.
It's a little bit tough to get funding from the government when you are a faith driven organization.
So we're really not able to tap into a lot of that, but it's really mostly individuals who I talk to and when I share the vision on podcasts and different interviews, it really starts clicking with a lot of people just like, oh yeah, it makes sense why this, you know, issue has not been really solved.
And this foundation can really come in and prove the concept and our hope. And once we prove this concept in Atlanta, that we can really start launching it in other cities and just bring that network nationwide.
That's awesome. And as of right now, do you are the one who handles everything and who talks to people with grants and and and banks or whatever?
Is that you who do that? Yeah, I mean, I do most of it. I do have a full board. I have two committees. We have programming committee. We have fundraising committee.
And then we have a grant writer who is working on the grants. And of course, we have like marketing assistants and so on who do all the promotional items.
Awesome. I just wanted to get to know. I want to see how I can be of help.
Thank you for sharing that.
My next question for you, Anna, is why do you do what you do?
Because I love God. That's my answer.
Once I had this experience and really transformed my life, I just had I went really from existing to truly living in the past.
I had a very successful corporate career, but yet I was very unhappy.
And my soul was searching for something, but I really wasn't sure what it was. And I thought that my happiness could be brought by like fancy vacations and acquiring stuff.
But that was really short lived. But once I found this purpose, it's really driving me. It really feels like I'm not working.
It's really feels like I'm just helping. And it's my hobby. And it's an amazing career shift because now I get to meet amazing people.
I get to help tangibly, right, to transform lives and speak and inspire others to really seek their purpose.
So I think that, yes, our foundation works to solve homelessness, right, help solve homelessness.
But bigger than that, me personally, I see my role as inspiring others to pursue their dreams and go after their purpose and really seek healing.
I have a lot of work that I've done with just different books I've written about the healing and so on.
So it's really, I mean, sometimes I feel like I live in a dream life, right, never would have imagined that this would be my life, because in the past there was just really, you know, grinding in this corporate job and living for the two week vacation every year and really not having purpose.
So my why is just living the life that's bigger than myself to serve this community where I live.
And what you just said, so many of people, they want it, and they don't have it because they can't figure it out.
And there's a very amount of few people who have figured it out and they know the value of it.
I personally know, I personally know a lot of them.
And you can see the difference in how they do things and what they do.
And there are around it and I see that in you as well.
Thank you for sharing your authentic self with us.
Absolutely. Yes.
You know, that's the message I often share on podcasts is that if you know you as a listener right now are struggling because you have something that you want to change in your life but you're too scared, or you don't know where to go.
There's really
two questions that you can ask yourself and I've done that the work. It's take a piece of paper and really write down two things to lists on one side write down what would be the worst case scenario.
If you made that change, and really, really write down all the things like just worst case.
Like just go crazy with your fear and anxiety, and write it all down. And on the next sheet, write down what's the best case scenario that could happen and really go crazy with dreaming.
And I can tell you that I've done that work before I quit my job and I went on my sabbatical and to look for my purpose.
And I looked back at that list, after I found my purpose and like right now looking at it, and I can tell you that I couldn't even dream big enough to what have happened since that journey.
And another thing that I asked is that, imagine that right now you have $500 million in your bank account just like really imagine in your bank account.
What is it that you would do right.
Once you answer what you would do that if you are seeking change that means you're not living in your purpose.
Because if you ask me that question, I will answer that I will do the same thing, just much faster because I have the resources.
Thank you for being here today. I'm really happy that you tuned into vision pros live. I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions as these episodes continue to move forward.
This is going to get more and more fun, more and more engagement as well one by people to participate in the show, and thank you for giving us your time and attention, have an excellent time building out your vision and becoming a vision yourself.