Harnessing Inner Light and Creating a Global Ripple Effect | Alice Chun

00:00
You know, I had the privilege of having Hillary Clinton visit my house, and we were on, you know, this docu-series with her and her and Chelsea, but I actually feel like I'm just a poor, just a poor Korean girl that had the privilege of having an education. You know, every day I feel like I, you know, I'm just grateful to be alive. Like, I should be dead right now. And if I can do anything to help.

00:29
other people. That's my purpose. Hey, everyone, I am Matt Gilhooly and I am the host of the Life Shift podcast. And on this week's episode, I speak with Alice Chun, and she really shares her experience of turning her passion for technology into a social enterprise. It's a story of of determination and grit and really trying to find a way to make a positive impact in the world. And throughout the conversation.

00:56
Alice continually emphasizes the importance of finding a problem that you are passionate about solving. And then surrounding yourself with a team that shares that same vision and go out into the world and make changes. And what was interesting about this conversation is, yes, it was centered around a company move and a chance to take technology to countries after disasters and things like that, but then we dove down deep to the human aspect of...

01:25
what she creates with her company and how it impacts the people that she is giving these products to, or the companies that are buying these products to give to other people. It was really a great conversation and it went in directions, as most of these episodes do, that I didn't expect and I'm really appreciative of Alice coming on the show and for our mutual friend, Melissa, for connecting us. Before I jump into the episode, I do want to...

01:56
Just thank all of the Patreon members for supporting this episode and the other episodes. As an indie creator, there's a lot of work that goes into these podcasts, and there's really no money coming in. And so when people offer their hard-earned money in the Patreon, it really helps with the production costs and trying new things with the show and really just trying to grow the show. There are tiers from $3 a month all the way up to supporting two episodes a month. So...

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If there's anything or if you feel compelled to help out and you wanna join the community, I also have a t-shirt giveaway every five people that join the Patreon. Head on over to patreon.com forward slash the Life Shift podcast and you can see all that information there and I would greatly appreciate it. Without further ado, here's my conversation with Alice Chun. I'm Matt Gilhooly and this is the Life Shift.

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candid conversations about the pivotal moments that have changed lives forever.

03:07
Hello, my friends. Welcome to the Life Shift Podcast. I am here with a brand new connection. Hey, Alice. Hey, Matt. This is amazing. Thanks so much for having me on your show. I'm so excited to talk to you today. Well, thank you for being here. And we were talking before we recorded that we have a mutual friend or a mutual connection that connected us. And so, Melissa, thank you for connecting us. Melissa and I, I'm just gonna drop the dirt. Melissa and I worked

03:36
in a very toxic workplace for a little bit together. And that's, so we connected in that misery, but we learned a lot from that moment. And so like Alice and I were talking about before we started recording is, it brought me to this place. And so everything has its purpose in our lives. I'm learning as I get older, this is such a journey. And so I just appreciate you wanting to come on and share your story and where this moment in your life.

04:06
triggered something related to something in your own family and caused you to create something that's helping other people. So thank you for being here. Oh, thank you for having me. This is a privilege and an honor. You know, maybe to get us started, you can paint the picture of a little bit about who you are. Maybe paint the picture of what your life was like leading up to this moment that really triggered this change or this impetus to create what you've created.

04:35
So I'm Alice Chan. I'm the CEO of Solite Design. I'm an inventor and I'm a social entrepreneur, which means that our company is a for-purpose company. We work to help communities in need all over the world with our lifesaving products, which are solar lights and solar power banks. I grew up in Korea. I'm...

05:00
100% Korean and immigrated to the United States when I was four. And I grew up outside of Syracuse and I was really teased a lot and beat up because I didn't look like everyone else. I was the only Asian in my school. And I remember, you know, after traveling and talking to so many children around the world, I...

05:26
tell them about my story of how when I was a little kid, I was very poor and lived in this very poor neighborhood and I didn't fight with my fists. I ended up becoming a fighter, but I fought with the light in my mind and the light in my heart. And tell the children that it's so important for you to remember that we're all empowered and have this light that's always inside of us and you have to keep fighting with that light no matter what.

05:55
and never ever give up. And so going back to our solar lights, which is an incredibly powerful tool in terms of ideologically, the sun is the most powerful source of energy that comes to the earth every day. But the light of our hearts and minds, if we fight with that light, it's even more powerful than the sun, far more powerful than you could ever imagine. And so this.

06:24
kind of is the impetus of what I try to share whenever I travel to different regions to provide literally a useful tool to survive. But also what I think is even more important is the tool of being able to have hope in yourselves and in the future. That is far more powerful than getting food or...

06:52
water or utilities sometimes. And I've seen this happen where I've been to a disaster zone and have come across a small village in the hillside where they might have committed suicide because they feel like no one was going to come to help them. And so if you don't have hope, you're still going to die. And that was a really powerful lesson for me when I discovered that.

07:20
growing up you talk about, you know, you didn't fight with your fist. Was that something that came from, like, your family? Did they teach you this? Or was this always something that just kind of was you? That was like, you had this hope and light. Actually, I grew up, well, you know, like Asian parents are extremely harsh, strict and controlling, but the neighborhood that we were in, there were a lot of kids beating other kids up. Like, that was a common thing in school.

07:50
you know, kids hitting each other and things like that, and making fun of each, you know, there was always this kind of toxic environment. And you'll see that no matter where you go in every very underserved community and underserved schools, you'll see a very similar kind of environment, and it grows. And so this is something that we need to address. And as you know with

08:18
this past year of so many school shootings, it's just incredible how prevalent it is and how we need to change our mindset about the environments where we're learning and working. So, after we moved out of that neighborhood, we went to a suburban neighborhood, it was a lot better, but still, I...

08:42
was still the only Asian kid in my school in like upstate New York. And I see this a lot with families that come from post-war histories, where the parents are kind of in survival mode, and they treat their children as if they have to do everything to survive as opposed to thrive. So, and so nurturing is kind of put on the back end versus giving

09:12
giving a space of exploration, discovery, wonder, awe, beauty, like those things are not important, but I believe they are so important and so critical and absolutely must be part of the way that we provide humanitarian aid, that beauty, wonder, and awe are just as important as utility because that, my friend, provides hope. So...

09:39
In any case, I grew up very challenged, but then it's a paradox because a lot of us who are, you know, you look at the histories of people that are successful and they all come from a very paradoxical condition where you're forced to be challenged. You're forced to fight in different ways, mentally, you know, even physically. And because of that paradox, it makes you tough. It makes you gritty. It makes you...

10:08
persistent, it makes you disciplined because it's part of human nature to thrive and also struggle and learn and be thirsty for knowledge. I think it's interesting though because there are a lot of people that have struggled in a similar situation that do not have that hope. When you were saying it...

10:37
I was thinking this and then you kind of came back and kind of negated it a little bit in my head, but do you think, and I kind of maybe now I think this, is that this hope and this idea for such a great opportunity out of everything and this kind of feeling right here as a child, is that something of privilege for a lot of people? Is that like, you know, like in the sense of...

11:03
people that don't have, that have to kind of fight to survive, right? They're fighting for food on the table, there's survival mode. There's not this opportunity or this openness to be able to have those hope, you know, feelings or wonder or thinking. Or am I like way off base? This is a new thought that just popped to my head based on what you said. But I'm wondering if, you know, people in more privileged areas are afforded that more.

11:33
I don't know. I mean, I think it really depends on the environment. I think it's both nature and nurture. I think it's both behavioral and environmental. You know, sometimes it depends on the parents and what kind of, you know, maybe they grew up in a more challenging environment, but their children had a more entitled environment, but they were able to ensue and instill the principles and the values.

12:02
that they learned throughout their journey. And some may not. Some may be ashamed of it and not discuss things that they struggled with. Some people are ashamed of that. And so I think it's really depends on the situation and the environment and the kind of characters that we're talking about. Because I think each...

12:29
childhood is different, each child is different. And I don't want to taint any situation where, cause I don't know, I don't know what they've been through. I can just kind of talk about my experiences and also my experiences with students. So I was teaching for 20 years at Columbia University, at University of Pennsylvania, at Parsons, the new school. And with

12:56
You know, I came across students from all walks of life, from very underprivileged communities to very extremely entitled communities where, you know, like at Columbia, you know, I think one of my students was one of the heirs to the Kellogg fortune. Very nice fellow, but very entitled, but had a very good disposition. And there are other students, many different students that, you know,

13:26
were from Florida and they lost their house. Hurricane Sandy or one of the hurricanes came through and they completely lost their house. They're very upper middle class neighborhood and they completely got their house destroyed and they were living in a makeshift kind of trailer for a while and the kid was still coming to school and very tough and very ambitious. And so these kids are...

13:55
You know, all, and I love kids so much. I mean, they're, I've always, whenever I was young, I, whenever there was a party, I would, if there were kids around, I'd spend my time with the kids and the animals, not the adults. And I still do that till this day. And I kind of think about my recent trips where I'm going into war zones or red zones. Like I.

14:23
I came back from Ukraine and I went to Turkey to deliver lights to children, people living in tents in Turkey, but children with PTSD in Ukraine. People always ask me, why are you going to these war zones? Aren't you afraid you're going to get killed? I think I'd rather be killed doing something good to help people than to be dying of old age in an old folks home.

14:52
you know, crossing the street and getting hit by a bus. But I feel like every day, I think God has given me the courage and the strength to go into these places to help people. And I, you know, that's, I, that's my, I feel better about, and I'm very excited to help whenever I can. But, you know, the whole reason why I started to invent was, you know,

15:21
point where I decided to really focus was because of my son, because my son was born with asthma, and we would go to the hospital all the time. And there's no other helpless feeling than to see your child not being able to breathe, because their lips are literally turning blue in front of your eyes. And that kind of fear and shock, you know, and I always say,

15:49
There's a saying, a worried mom does better research than the FBI. So yeah, you know, me being a professor, the data showed that the pollution in the air is really killing our families. I mean, the health, the issue of health, autism, you know, in relation to pollution and climate change and natural disasters, it's parallel. So there's no denying the effects of what's happening.

16:17
to our planet and you ask yourself, well, what can we do about it? I'm just one person, what can I do? But I believe that small things matter and every person matters. And even when you do something small, it matters because if you think about it, we all did something little, right? To cause what's happening to the climate, throwing away a plastic fork or plastic bottle or...

16:47
you know, cranking our air conditioning to the fullest for the whole summer, things like that. Those are all small things, but as a collective, what we've done is really endangered the whole planet. In any case, the worry about my son basically, you know, and finding out the data of, you know, 75% of the pollution coming from buildings, not the cars and urban areas and the spike.

17:17
a very high spike in asthma and autism, I decided to focus on solar energy and I was a material technology specialist in Columbia and at Persons teaching about material technology. And early on I was sewing solar panels to fabric and thin plastic because the trend in material technology is everything's getting thinner, lighter, faster, and smarter.

17:47
And with that technology, when the Haiti earthquake happened, I was teaching at Columbia, and I quickly turned my studio around to be an innovation studio to help Haiti, because enough was enough. All of these natural disasters coming more and more frequently, you know, I knocked on my dean's door and I pleaded with him, and he finally said, yes, you can, you know, change your studio around to be an innovation.

18:16
studio to help Haiti and that's when we realized 2.6 billion people live without access to electricity and they're using kerosene to light their world and they're spending if in Haiti they're living on three dollars a day spending a third of that income on kerosene and I thought like if they could save that money they could use that for food clothing education and it was a win-win situation.

18:45
if they could use solar and I researched every freaking solar light out there on the market and they were all heavy hard plastic and I designed ours with origami which is the art of folding paper so it's collapsible and you can fit hundreds in a box because they flat pack and then when you know deployed they pop into a beautiful cube and so they're extremely simple but really

19:13
They're beautiful too. And a lot of the children, when they see it, they think it's magic. And in fact, I've been into the hillsides of Haiti and they start crying because they think there is a kind of mystical magic about it of seeing this flat thing pop open into a bright cube. But yeah, that was a thing that, you know, of pivotal circumstances. But I always think that, I always go back to my thoughts about innovation.

19:44
and invention as something that has to do with lines of time. So the Greeks believed that there was two lines of time. One line of time was Kronos, which is an old figure with a beard and a cane, predictable, consistent. Another line of time, his name is Kiaros, and he had wings on his feet, and he flit and flew about, and he was unpredictable, unsequential, and

20:12
When those two lines, they coexist, and when those two lines of time intersect, those are the moments of invention. Those are the moments of opportunity. So going back to what you were saying, Matt, earlier about these moments in your life where things pivot, we all have these moments where those two lines of time intersect, and it's up to you to have the, sometimes it's courage, sometimes it's just.

20:43
you know, revelation. Sometimes it's, you know, being in a state where you're able to lean into that moment as opposed to lean back and be a witness versus leaning in and becoming a participant. Were you working on some of this stuff before that Haiti earthquake or was that really kind of like you feel like that was like, oh, got to hit the gas pedal. Let's go. Not the gas, the electric car gas pedal. Like I was, I was already working on.

21:13
this issue of solar, innovating solar, of harnessing solar, and making prototypes, but then getting the idea of the utility, the why it's so needed, and the how do we help people question, how do we help? That was the big shift was, oh, we can apply this technology

21:42
we have a reason for this technology now in its application. And then... It almost makes it more granular. Right, exactly. It almost makes it like taking it from, you're working on these solar applications that, we have a worldwide problem here, but now I can help an individual. I can help one person. In a small way, yes. Or big way. In a very small way. I would venture to say a big way. Only in a big way if it's done.

22:12
But for that one person, or that one family, it could be a very, if one third of the money they spend a day is saved by something that you've created, that is very big for that world, that little world that they live in. And so I can see how that would trigger you to be like, oh, this has more purpose, because you think globally you're like,

22:40
like you were saying, I'm one person, what can I do? Little things will add up eventually. But now, like, I could do a big thing for this one person or this small group of people. Yes. And that matters. And I believe in that so much, that every small, that small acts of kindness are so, so important to global health. Thanks for, you know, distilling that.

23:09
so clearly. For you, you deserve that. It is big. I mean, we can see grand picture what you're doing is big. But I'm thinking as that little kid that doesn't know any. I don't know that this kerosene is going to hurt me long term. I don't know that this is not what everyone else lives like. But then I love the image you created

23:39
about seeing the kids look at it and thinking it's magic and being that light, because now it's playing like this metaphorical role in their life as well, right? Of lighting up their world and wonder and hope and imagination and all these things. Like, how did they make this? How does it fold down? How does it work? You know, all those pieces that you are, by what you've created, you're giving to these children or adults or whoever.

24:08
by a product. I feel like it's so much bigger than just providing light or electricity. Oh, thank you so much, Matt. You really get it because I believe that too. I think that the story behind this light is so much more powerful than the product itself because when these, especially the kids that I saw in Ukraine, some of them had witnessed their whole family being shot and had witnessed...

24:38
gotten their legs amputated. Several children I saw that had their village bombed. And it's so important that even after the light is gone, the solar puff, our product, it's called the solar puff, is gone, that they have this narrative in their head that they are powerful, that they control their future, that the world doesn't control them, that they have...

25:07
this ability to overcome these incredible, like terrible obstacles. And you know that, you know what was really fascinating for me seeing these kids in the hospital beds, in these different awful situations where they've witnessed, they were found after two days hugging their mother after the mother died in the train station bombing. And I was like,

25:37
You know, you wouldn't blame them if they were filled with hate, these kids. You wouldn't, you know, if they were hateful and like revengeful, you wouldn't blame them because of what they've been through. But none of them, none of them had any hate. It was they were grateful. They were so happy to get this gift and the story and they related to the story. And

26:05
And there was this little kid who had a broken leg, and he was two years old. He's like, he gets his light and he runs away, limping as fast as he can. And then he comes limping back and he's dragging his friend, give a light to my friend too. Like that generosity and kindness. And I just, it's just amazing how resilient people are. Yeah, and I'm sure you see that more

26:35
I mean, I'm sure you see it in adults, but at these kids, I mean, kids just have this, they're not tainted yet. Even with that, I mean, that description of their environment and what they've just survived, somehow that light and that wonder and that curiosity, you know, and I'm thinking too, like, I don't know, you know, I'm very obviously privileged to live in America and things are around me and I can choose whatever, but I'm thinking the power of seeing

27:04
someone like you that has created a product, bring that to them. Because, you know, we'll buy things at the store, or they maybe have bought things before, and they don't think about it came from somewhere, someone created it. But now you are putting a face showing that like, oh, people can do things like this, people can create this, which creates another, you know, path for them, right?

27:34
of knowledge. Yes, yes, it's opening their eyes to possibility because a lot of times when I go to places, me being a woman and the girls are thinking I could be an inventor too. Right, a CEO. You know, that's a huge thing like in places like Haiti when I would go and also the little girls that I saw in Ukraine and Turkey. Part of that, you know, I...

28:01
I tell them when I come, that's why it's so important for me to cross boundaries and go into these war zones to travel halfway across the world so I can tell them in the flesh, you're important, you matter, and we haven't forgotten about you, and you're going to get through this. There's a big power in influential people.

28:26
hitting on people's lives in a certain point, I guess. As a child, seeing someone like you can create a new moment for them in the future. I'm trying, as you tell this story, I'm thinking of myself. When I was eight, my mom was killed in an accident and... Oh, I'm so sorry. But I didn't have people like, you know, that inspired that hope. It was this eight-year-old brain that was so fearful.

28:54
that if I messed up or I screwed up in some way, someone else would abandon me because I figured, you know, my mom abandoned me, not on purpose, but that was what my brain was processing. And so I didn't have that light. I didn't have that wonder. I didn't have someone going, because I didn't see anyone out there or that expressed that they had a dead parent and they were good. They were okay. They had created something. They had...

29:21
moved on with their life and I felt very alone. So I'm thinking of these children that you're seeing in these war-torn areas or natural disasters, and someone's coming in showing kindness, not that people around me weren't kind, but you're coming in and giving them something of utility, of something that can, one, help them in some way, but also you're just creating this unknown path for them by just being there and by doing that.

29:49
And I think there's such value in that. And I think we don't stop to think about those moments. And so thank you from that eight-year-old version of me that was searching for something. Thank you for doing that for the other little eight-year-olds around the world that have faced far worse than I faced. Oh, Matt, you know, you did have the light in you. Your mother's love was the light in you since you were eight.

30:17
She's always been with you the whole time, loving you. And being fully transparent, I didn't feel that way. I felt very scared. I felt very, you know, and the people around me did the best they knew how to do with the tools that they had. But I was just surviving. And that's really why I asked you about that four-year-old version of Alice, who had the light, who didn't fight with her fist, but fought with the light.

30:47
because it's kind of foreign to me in a way, in a sense that, you know, so curious how... But you did. I did. Now I did. Look at you now. Now I did. Yeah. And I'm not dogging on that. I'm not saying that there's a negative component to it. I think there is. I think it's just there's so much value in what you're doing for these little children and thinking back, like, what if there was someone like you with a utility or something that I needed at that time?

31:17
Who knows where I would be, but I wouldn't be here. And so, I am thankful for the journey. I'm thankful for what I've learned throughout the journey. But, I would just, everything that you're saying makes me think of that maybe still a little unhealed version of me from way back when. And that's okay. Yeah, totally. And that's the value of these stories. And I think, you even mentioned it. Your product is amazing, right? Your product.

31:45
can do things that they need. But the story and the reason why and what you can create and what it can do and the ripple effect that the story can have, right? Far beyond the life of the product, the ripple effect that that story that you're creating for people is so impactful. And you know, with the LifeShift Podcast, for me, it's like, I want every story.

32:10
to hit the ears of the people that needed to hear it the most, the people that felt alone, like that little eight-year-old version of me. If I had heard a story of someone being like, you know, they had a dead parent and then they were super successful, maybe I would have felt different. I wouldn't have felt alone in that situation. And so that's what you're doing with every time you go and you share or someone shares your product and the story behind it. I mean, that's big. Not to like toot your horn or anything, but like, good for you. Thank you so much. I actually, you know, I...

32:40
People are like, oh, you know, I had the privilege of having Hillary Clinton visit my house and we were on, you know, this docu-series with her and her and Chelsea, but I actually feel like I'm just a poor, just a poor Korean girl that had the privilege of having an education. You know, every day I feel like, you know, I'm just grateful to be alive. Like I should be dead right now.

33:09
And if I can do anything to help other people, that's my purpose. And even though like we're a very small company, we're not huge at all, but every time someone sees our light, they're like, why isn't this everywhere? I'm like, I don't know. But I think it's finding the people or you're bringing it to the people that need it most. And you're changing. Exactly. You're changing lives in multiple ways. That's.

33:36
what I believe in and that's what we're, you know, I'm trying to reassess, you know, cause like when we first started, everyone's like, market it to the camping industry, market it to the outdoors industry. And I'm like, well, but that's not all it is. You know, like we're, we did this because we really wanted to help these communities that are really suffering and this would really change their lives and even save lives.

34:05
It's really the story. And people really didn't want us to, like the marketing people didn't want us to like talk about our humanitarian side. And now I'm going all in. Like I'm just basically, you know, this is what we are. We're not going to fake it. You know, this is exactly why we're doing what we're doing. And we're going to show you what we're doing as opposed to downplaying it. You said you were just like a poor...

34:35
girl that had an education. Lots of people do that. It's something that you did with that though, because there are other people in your circumstance that were able to get an education, but something set you apart, that something lit that fire to keep going and help other people. And it's just, I don't know, I look at it as an anomaly more than I look at it as like something that...

35:04
Because earlier you were talking about how lots of successful people have this kind of paradoxical upbringing, right? You know, they have this struggle. But lots of people have those struggles and don't make it that far. So there's something in you that that light seems to be very solar powered. You know, do you find a way? Do you have to? Are there moments in which you don't have that light? Are there moments in which you... How do you recharge that light?

35:33
Absolutely, absolutely. And I have to say, you know, it's not easy. Oh, so like, you really have to love what you do. Otherwise you're gonna quit. And I also think like at a certain point you have to ask yourself, how is this like bigger than myself? Like once you come to a point where you discover something that is meaningful and for you.

36:02
whoever, whatever it may be that this thing is bigger than yourself, then the courage will come. And for many people, I don't, you know, going back to your discussion that some people never get to a point where they feel like there's anything bigger than themselves. That's just the way that they've been wired or conditioned, conditioned exactly. And some people

36:32
are conditioned to question and have curiosity and wonder and explore and test boundaries. And that, you know, at a certain point, you're going to discover a narrative that is greater than yourself and that you're passionate about. And I feel like that's very lucky to be able to have that moment. So

37:01
And if you're able to have that moment and not be afraid to take a risk, that's the other step is having the courage to go into the unknown. But I do believe that everyone has the power inside them to do it. Absolutely. I think it takes a lot of things that you just mentioned, the grit and the courage and those pieces. When you...

37:29
when you need to recharge, how do you take care of yourself? Or is there something that you do to keep going? Or is it just a- I think I've definitely been in very low parts of my life where I just wanted to crawl under a rock and die. And I've been in bed, not being able to get out of bed, on the bathroom floor, in the fetal position for hours. And you know, if-

37:58
once you start doing things like what you're doing, Matt, of like sharing and being public and people are going to hate you no matter what, you know? No matter how much good that you try to do, how much hard work, blood, sweat and tears and sincerity and authenticity you put into something, you're still going to have people that hate you, like really hate you, like want to kill you kind of hate you, which I've...

38:26
experienced as well and you know it's unfathomable to people like us but it's it's out there and for for people like us who have an incredible amount of empathy it's debilitating to think that someone would want to kill you you know it's like anyway so so um i'm laughing about it now but you know there's there are definitely you know bad times that you have to get through and i just say you

38:55
just one little tiny 1% just the next day, doesn't have to be a lot, but just and have a small group of friends that are there to support you, that you can really call friends. You don't need a lot of them, but just to have a few around, surround yourself with like-minded people and keep the negativity away from out of your life.

39:24
I mean, which is hard to do. And just in it, even when you're not in a running a company or inventing new products, it's hard. But I also think, you know, we also have to give ourselves grace as humans because we're going to make mistakes and we are gonna have good days and we're gonna have bad days and we're gonna be sad because we're human and that all should be okay, you know? And I think sometimes we, like you were saying earlier, people...

39:53
you know, in rough situations, they don't talk about it because there's like some kind of shame that comes with it or something. And it's like, well, if we pick that apart, it was not a circumstance that they could control. And why are we taking on the shame? But even if you have the shame, that's okay. Acknowledge it, you know, do what you need to do from it. And so I think sometimes we're afraid to have more than two emotions. Absolutely, absolutely. Because we are human.

40:21
Because the struggle is that we're just struggling to be human. Yeah. I would imagine that someone like you with a social focused organization, products that are trying to do good for an individual, for a community, for the world. I would imagine what gets you is when someone questions your motives. Do you ever have that situation? Yeah. They're like, why are you doing this? Yeah, definitely. Are you doing it for real? Yeah. I know.

40:50
I mean, luckily I don't have a lot of those, but every once in a while I do have, I get a hater. I mean, like this one person that would email me constantly and their Gmail would be alicemustdieatgmail.com. Why though? You know, like, I just, you can't let those people into your, you just have to, you know.

41:16
just cut it off at the pass and like get back to the zone of the people that are like-minded and the support that keeps you going and gives you energy. Like those things will drain you, will drain your energy. And your energy is far too valuable and important to waste on things like that because other people need you. What's the hardest part of your life?

41:45
Like, what's the hardest part of being you as a, either as a person or as an owner of a company or a CEO? What's the hardest part? Right now, since like right now, day to day, we're about to launch a new product and like it's called the MegaPof and it's just a bigger version of the SolarPof but with phone charging as well because I've learned so...

42:12
Every time I go places, you know, the issue of phone charging, that's a lifeline. If you don't have your phone, communication is life. And even in the poorest regions, they'll have like three or five phones because one's always charging. I've been meaning to do this for a long time is like a lower priced phone charger and an origami light that pops into a big cube.

42:35
And we're going to be launching it on Kickstarter. And it's just been consuming my life right now in terms of trying to get this ready to launch from prototype stage and working with the factories and, and then finally getting the final prototype and getting the content ready and the marketing ready and, and videos. And it's just been, you know, like I get up at three 30 in the morning sometimes. And then I go to the gym and then.

43:02
And you know, and that that way I can get stuff done before nine where people start bothering you, right? Yeah, and like making sure my son is okay making sure that he texts me back and calls me and things that's difficult But you know it is I love him so much that you know, I just let him get away with anything which is not good. But anyway It's totally fine. I don't think you're the only mother that does that Uh, what is what is your favorite part?

43:30
of being you and what you do. My favorite part is actually delivering the lights, you know, like no matter. Oh my God, when I went to Ukraine, it took four days to get through the border. I had to take two trains to get through the border of Ukraine. And when I finally got to the hospitals, there's just, you know, no better feeling than to be able to share these lights with these kids that are, you know.

43:59
have gone through so much and the mothers start crying. Oh my God, I'm going to start crying. It's OK. And the mothers start crying, and the aunts are in the room. And they're like, can I have one for my child at home? And I feel like I've made a difference. I feel like these kids are going to take away this. Even in Turkey, these kids were in these tents. I went to this tent camp. It was like miles and miles of tents. It looked like it just.

44:27
rows going into infinity. Each tent was a classroom. And I guess they bussed the kids in during the day and bussed them back to their tent camps at night. And I was telling this story of, you know, of how you guys, you know, the kids, you have this light inside you and you better keep fighting with that light and you matter. And I'm here because you matter and we haven't forgotten about you. And the kids started crying. The girls started crying because like she lost her parents.

44:58
And, you know, and the people were translating for me and they're like, she loved your story. She was so touched by your story because of what she went through. And, and to be able to know that that little girl is looking at that light in her tent, knowing that she has this, this light inside her and she's going to get through this. I guess that's the best part. And I'm sure in a way there are probably multiple facets of it, but I'm sure in a way.

45:28
It reminds you when you're like, oh, you know, I have all this extra work to do to get this whatever is done. But the end result is going to be so valuable. Right. I'm sure those moments probably pull you through some of the more tough stuff, the logistics that you don't want to deal with. And, you know, I know it's it's also like in the beginning, it was more like I know that by being successful with this this company, I'm going to help.

45:57
educate and also the environment that it's going to impact my son's grandchildren's lives. And then I learn all these new things along the way. There's so much hidden value in what you do for these people, the people that get this. There's so much, right? Because

46:22
Like, we've already talked about it. Your story gives them this hope and this light and this wonder and this curiosity. And like, how did she make this? Oh, and like, I could be this person someday. But then also you have this hidden, like, education component of it and the value of this solar component and this energy that is creating and how that all works. And so there's like, on the surface, it's a product, but there's so many layers to what you're offering the world. And I can't.

46:52
I can't stop coming back to this idea of this younger version of you that's just fighting with that light and how that girl wanted everyone to feel that way. And then you created this product. I mean, I feel like, I mean, I don't know you beyond what you've shared today, but that's what I see. Those are the lines I see. I'm wondering if you could go back to four or five-year-old Alice. That's...

47:21
living in the space that didn't feel as safe as you maybe wanted it to be. Is there anything that you could tell her about this journey that she's about to go on? Basically, one of the things that people ask me is, what would you tell your younger self? That quote by Teddy Roosevelt, Man in the Arena,

47:51
you're gonna go through really hard times and that man in the arena is gonna have blood and sweat and tears and dust in your face. But all of the naysayers are not in the arena with you. And so don't listen to the naysayers. Because a lot of times people give up because people are either.

48:20
tell them, you can't do that. Oh, that's stupid. It's not gonna work. A lot of people do that. A lot of people absorb that. A lot of people don't have that fire. And so I hope people listening to this episode feel that fire and see that something that seems maybe like a small thing, although you keep describing your thing as small and I don't see it as such, but something they can do something.

48:50
to help one other person. And that's adding value to the grand scheme of things, the grand, the big community, the globe of people, because you don't know the ripple effect. Yes, yes. You don't. Well, I appreciate you coming on and sharing this story. I'm wondering if you could just share a little bit of how people can find out a little bit more about what you do and how they can connect with you if that's something you would love. Oh, sure. They could just go to our website, so like.

49:19
We also have a give a light page where it's an opportunity for our customers to buy a light to give to Ukraine or Turkey or every time there's a disaster, we always send out newsletters about what we're doing. That's amazing. And if you want our lights for camping or outdoors, you can get them for yourselves, of course. And

49:48
Thank you, Matt. This has just been a really meaningful and auspicious interview that we've had. And I'm in tears from our conversation. I got to go buy a tissue. Well, you know, they're not very expensive. I got to go get some tissues.

50:09
We can get you some tissues. I'm gonna definitely, I'll have the links for everyone listening, everyone watching on YouTube. The links will be in the show notes in the description so that they can connect with you. Hopefully everyone listening is inspired to donate in some way by the give a light or whatever it may be and help other people or you know instead of camping buy one, buy one and then give it to someone that you know might need it you know and and do a little service.

50:38
of kindness to other people because again, never know the one thing you do for someone else, what that will change in them, that will then change someone else, then will change someone else. So thank you for being you, Alice. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Matt. This has been such fun and such an honor to have this discussion with you. And please keep in touch. Of course.

51:06
So if you're listening right now and you enjoy this conversation, it would be super helpful for a five star rating review on Apple Podcasts. I don't really know what it does, but apparently it does more than just make me feel good. So with that, I will say goodbye and we'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Thanks, Alice. Thanks, Matt.

51:38
For more information, please visit www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com