Episode #39: From Kenya to Clarity: What Donating a Classroom Taught Me About True Success

Hello, my friends. I am so glad you are here with me today.

It feels like forever because I just got back from the most incredible 20 day journey and I honestly don't even know where to begin. But I am going to try.

Because what happened on this trip, what I experienced, what I learned, what shifted inside of me, I know is going to impact you too. And so I batched my podcast before I left, and so it just feels like it's been forever since I talked to you guys.

And I just want to say to anyone who's reached out to me via email and shared love with the podcast, I just absolutely appreciate you.

And so if there's something in the podcast that resonates with you, or if you want me to talk about something more, or if you've questions, please, please, please feel free to email me@hellosignyourdreamlifetoday.com and I will do my best to help you in any way that I can. So let me start with the full circle moment that still gives me chills when I think about it.

So, over two years ago, I went to Kenya for the first time as a guest. My client, Amy. You guys have heard me talk about Amy before.

If you're a listener of the podcast, she is the one that I met on a ferry boat in Toronto when I thought I was never going to get a client. Anyways, Amy was going through a divorce at the time, and she had donated a classroom to this incredible charity called Village Impact.

And she was supposed to go with her husband to see the grand opening of the school, but because of the divorce, he wasn't going anymore. And Amy said to me, kara, you have helped me build all of this wealth. I cannot imagine anyone else I would rather take with me.

Just pay for your airfare. And you guys, I was so honored.

And when I was there two years ago, walking through the village, seeing the impact of the education on these communities, I made myself a promise. I said, I am going to come back as a donor. I don't know how, but I am going to figure it out.

And here's the thing, some people fundraise for causes like this. Not me. I looked at the goal and I said, no, I'm gonna just make more money. I'm gonna donate to this classroom myself. And that is exactly what I did.

Because here is what I've learned about money, about success, and about what really matters. And this trip, honestly, just reinforced it in the most beautiful way. Success isn't just about what you accumulate. It is about what you contribute.

It is about what you make possible for others. So fast forward two years, and there I was getting off the plane in Kenya with my husband Sean.

And we did this incredible 20 day trip, five days in Dubai first, which was absolutely magical. And then we did 10 days in Kenya, and then we broke up our long flight and we went to London on the way back.

But Kenya, you guys, Kenya changed me all over again. We got to see our classroom, the Dream Big Dreams classroom.

And yes, that's what we named it, because that's what Shawn and I used to say to our kids every single night before bed. Dream big dreams. And so above the door of our grade one classroom, those words are there for every child who walks through Dream Big Dream.

And my daughter actually saw it on Facebook and commented, mom, that's what you used to say to us every night. And I just teared up because it all became full circle for me in that moment. And you know what struck me most about this trip? Man.

And then there was a lot of things, but the resilience, the absolute unshakable resilience of these people who have so little by our standards, but are some of the happiest, most grateful people I have ever encountered in my life. You know, I met a woman who would walk 45 minutes each way to collect water in jugs when there wasn't enough rainwater.

45 minutes there, 45 minutes back, carrying a heavy jug of water. And they would wrap it around their head like there was this scarf.

And they actually put it on my one girlfriend who I was with, so that she could try walking with it. And it was just like, it was absolutely insane. And they were so proud of it, and they were so proud to show us. They were not complaining.

They were not saying, poor me. They're just doing what needs to be done to take care of themselves and of their families.

And here I am getting frustrated when my wi fi is slow for two minutes. The perspective shift was immediate and profound. We also visited a girl's high school.

It was one of the biggest projects built today by Village Impact. I don't remember how many girls there are, I want to say between 400 and 600.

And these beautiful young women kept wanting to touch my hands, and they were amazed by how soft they were. And here is the funny part. My hands were not even that soft at the time.

I had been doing some planting work at the school construction site, and I had some kind of, like, allergic reaction, and I had these bumps on my hand. And so I was taking some medication That I completely dried out my skin. But to them, my hands felt like silk.

And it made me think about perspective, you know, about how what we think is our worst might be someone else's dream, right? And it's so funny because they even made the funny comment of, do you work? Like, your hands are so soft. Do you work? And I'm like, of course I work.

But also, when we were at the elementary school, we got to play with the kids. And these kids had never seen bubbles before. Bubbles, you guys.

Sean and I literally got trampled on in the best way when we started blowing bubbles, because they were so fascinated, so delighted by something we take completely for granted. And the gratitude. Oh, my goodness, the gratitude, not just from the kids, but from the parents, from the entire community. They were not entitled.

They weren't expecting anything. They were just purely, genuinely grateful that someone cared enough to invest in their children's future.

And it made me think about my own journey, My own journey from bankruptcy to being able to fund that classroom on the other side of the world.

From that day when I got the terrifying letter about the personal guarantee, personal guarantee on our apartment building to standing in a classroom with dream big dreams above the door, and I realized something profound. Every single failure, every single setback, every single moment where I wanted to quit, it all led to this.

It all had to happen for me to become the person who could create this kind of impact. Here's what I know, and I know this to be true, because. And even though I knew this when I was filing for bankruptcy, I kind of forgot it.

And it's that reminder of your current circumstances are not your final destination. They're not even close.

When Sean and I lost everything in 2008, when we had to move from our 7,000 square foot mansion to the little house with the green linoleum floors and purple bathroom, I could have never imagined that one day I'd be standing in a classroom in rural Kenya that I had funded honestly. Wouldn't have even crossed my mind. But that's the thing about designing your dream life. It is not about the money, though. The money does matter.

It's not just about the freedom, though. The freedom is incredible. It is about becoming the kind of person who can create impact beyond yourself.

And let me tell you something, this trip also reinforced why I do what I do, why I am so passionate about helping burnt out female entrepreneurs break free from businesses that drain them and build something that actually serves their lives. Because when you build a business from a freedom first mindset, when you heal Your relationship with money.

When you create systems that work for you instead of against you, you get to show up in the world differently. You get to contribute differently. Sean and I had some incredible conversations on this trip about making more money to have more impact.

Because that is what money really is. When you have a healthy relationship with it, it is honestly just a tool for creating the change that you want to see in the world.

Those kids in that classroom are going to have opportunities their parents never had. They're going to learn to read and write and dream beyond their current circumstances.

And some of them, maybe many of them, are going to go on to create change in their own communities. That's the ripple effect of abundance.

That's what happens when you stop playing small and start building wealth that serves not just you, but the world around you. And here is what I want you to hear.

Whether you're listening to this and you're just starting out, or you're in the middle of burning your current business model to the ground, or you're already successful but feeling empty because something's missing. You have more capacity than you know. You have more resilience than you think. And your dreams, they are not too big.

If anything, they might not be big enough.

Because when I was sitting in that 1970s house with that red velvet carpeting, crying over bankruptcy papers, I could never have imagined that one day I'd be funding this classroom in Africa. But that's exactly what happened when I stopped accepting my circumstances as permanent and started designing something completely different.

Those kids in Kenya don't necessarily have WI fi, although it's actually surprising how many of them have cell phones. But I still don't know if they have plans or not. To be honest, I honestly don't know that one for sure. I didn't ask. I should have asked.

They don't necessarily have running water. They don't have electricity. But, man, they have dreams.

And now, because of that classroom, they have a place to develop the skills to make those dreams a reality. So here's what I want to ask you. What would you do if you knew you had this same resilience as those incredible women walking 45 minutes for water?

What would you build if you had the same gratitude of those kids seeing those bubbles for the very first time? And the joy, I'm going to say gratitude and joy.

What impact would you create if you had the same determination that took me from bankruptcy to funding a classroom? You do have that resilience. You do have that capacity for gratitude, and you do have that Determination. It is already inside of you.

The question is, are you going to give yourself permission to use it? Because the world needs what you're here to create. It needs your gifts, your talents, your unique perspective.

It needs the business you're going to build, the problems you're going to solve, the people you're going to help, and maybe, just maybe, the classroom that you are going to fund, the community you are going to support, the change you're going to create.

When you finally stop playing small and start designing the life you're actually meant to live, every level of success opens up a new level of giving. Every breakthrough in your business creates new opportunities for impact.

And every time you heal your relationship with money, you create more capacity to contribute. This is not just about building a business, friends. This is about becoming the person who can change the world.

One classroom, one dream, one life at a time.

And it all starts with giving yourself permission to want what you actually want and building something that serves your life instead of consuming it.

If you want to learn more about Village Impact and this amazing charity, the amazing team that does this incredible work, please visit villageimpact.com that's V I L L A G E I M p a c t.com they are an incredible organization and trust me, you do not need to donate an entire classroom if that is not within your budget. But there are certainly just message them. You can donate whatever feels good for you, whatever you can do.

And I know that they would greatly appreciate that. Dream big dreams my friends. The world is waiting for what you are going to create and more importantly, what you are going to give.

Have an amazing week my friends. I will talk to you next week.