At the ripe age of 29, now CEO of charity: water Scott Harrison had been navigating the NYC nightlife (and all that came with it) as a prominent Nightclub promoter. Where many evenings included debauchery, notoriety and heavy drinking, Scott recalls himself feeling “spiritually and morally bankrupt”. A radical change was needed and a radical choice was made as Scott walked away from a life full of vice. Scott chose to enter an upside down world of what he knew — on the opposite side of the world — taking on a two year humanitarian medical operation in post war Liberia. While Scott was there, he saw many debilitating problems we take for granted in America. Scott shares how we grew more curious by a single daunting fact: 1.2 Billion people, at the time, who didn’t have access to clean drinking water. We cover a lot of ground in this episode including his trips to 69 countries, how Scott came face-to-face with a global water crisis and how he has now embarked on a relentless 14 year sojourn for the purposes of providing clean water to populations in need all around the globe. Enjoy.
3:01 - A Pandemic Pivot: Moving to PA
6:24 - Radical Life Change On the Horizon
9:40 - Scott shares the upside down (life-changing) world of Liberia
12:20 - Walking Away From a Life Full of Vice
14:04 - Scott shares what he saw in Liberia
15:32 - A Challenge Was Posed to Scott
16:59 - "In the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing..."
18:20 - Scott shares how he threw a party to jumpstart his first Uganda wells
18:40 - Showing people where their money had gone
20:12 - "There was no business plan. We just tried stuff"
23:18 - We are inviting people to bring the best part of themselves to a party and we’re celebrating the ons together.
23:44 - Scott shares their monthly givers: The Spring
24:38 - "It's just a different party. It's a party that matters."
27:56 - Fundraising in a pandemic
28:00 - "Clean water is literally the first line of defense against Covid."
30:09 - The importance of clean water
33:33 - Scott discusses the cost of drilling a well...
35:32 - Working with partners to preserve, protect and maintain the wells.
37:15 - Scott shares the future of their tech: proactively servicing a well -- well before it breaks.
37:52 - Thirst: Scott Harrison's Book
40:13 - "Your past doesn't need to define your future"
42:34 - Advice to making change: this is the time
44:12 - Scott shares staggering remote work statistics...
46:16 - Scott shares what he is NOT motivated by: money
47:26 - "I'm not a very good manager"
50:09 - Get involved: thespring.com