Behind the Mic: With Ken Streater Host of The Good Change Podcast

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Hello, hello amplify you Michelle Abraham your house here today. And I am very excited to bring you a behind the mic interview with Ken straighter, the host of the good change podcast. And I am just so excited to introduce you to Ken. Let me just first say hi before I tell you all about him. Hi Ken, how are you?

Hi Michelle. I'm great. Thanks for having me today.

You're welcome. Well, this has been a pleasure having you. We met a few months ago and and this has turned into a really great adventure we connected so well. On the first time we met like I were Kindred hearts I think kindred spirits from our love for the outdoor outdoors and outdoor adventure hinda travels so I would love to tell you a little bit more about Ken. Ken is a former international river guide and adventure out travel outfitter who's worked and played in 50 countries. He's an Alaskan bush teacher turns social good entrepreneur, a fortune 500, consultant, best selling author and keynote speaker. And Ken has seen firsthand how common ground blooms greater good. So can I really I love the title of your show. I love the concept of your show. And I would love to just share with our audience. What was your idea behind the show what inspired this motivation to do all the work behind launching of hi Cass?

Yeah, I love that story. I've, I've really enjoyed hearing that story, the first time that you said, You've shared it with me. And so I wanted you to share it today on this show, because I think it really, it really amplifies the message that you're really bringing to your podcast, and you've had some incredible guests on your show. Can you talk to talk to us a little bit about the different kinds of guests you've had on?

Absolutely. You know, I think that's a really great key point that you bring up there that you're just reaching out to people that are you're impressed by that you may not even have a connection with and that is perfectly okay to do that. And if not crazy to do that. Because you're allowing those experts to come onto your show, and really share their message and get it out there in the world. And that's exactly what they're seeking to do. So it's a win win for you having these amazing experts in them to come on and share their message in the world. And in fact, it's one of my favorite ways to connect with people is reaching out with that leading with service and being able to say I would like to invite you on my show. And then who knows where that relationship goes afterwards. There's a lot of different potentials. Have you have you had some relationships that have gone on from the podcast interview to other kind of other things?

Certainly, yeah. I mean, just being able to present their nonprofits, and then have had people that have reviewed the books that I've written after being guests on the podcast and gotten great testimonials from them. You know, there's, I've been really blessed, like I said, with the ability to just reach out to people do who I think, have something important to share. You know, when we're doing the project grafting, I actually cold called john Denver. And he picked up his phone and it wasn't because he knew me Who was I think, because he had been told by the operator that put us together that I sounded like I was earnest guy who wanted to make a difference in the world. And then Meryl Streep endorsed my my book, the gift of courage, that was through a connection of a connection. But it all gives comes back to what you were just saying was, if people want to share their message, and they feel like you are a heart driven, legitimate helper or messenger deliverer, then they're willing to talk to you. Absolutely, yeah, that's so great. I love your courage to reach out to those people that you've may think are out of your reach, because you're really you're you're doing them a service via promoting, they're promoting their, their, whatever their movement is that they're on. And it's great, because then you can help support getting more people on their movement and their movement wins. And it's a win win. I think that's great. Yeah, yeah. So the other the other thing about that is that it's it really I think it does matter to, to make sure that they know that you are doing it for them and to build their, their movement or their idea. And if you're earnest with that, they know that absolutely. And that's a really great nugget right there too, for our audience to just really pick up on that pick up on that when you're reaching out to people, make sure it's all about them and what you can do for them and their movement and what their what's important to them, not about your show, not my show does this and I do this and I've done this, it's because I know I've been pinched by many people that that's what they lead with. And it's like, Okay, well, what Why would my audience want to hear from you? Like, you know, like, what are you going to do for the audience? That's what they're most, you know, what we're most concerned about is, you know, their movement, how is it going to affect their movement or how it's going to impact their movements. So, another great little nugget there. I just wanted to reiterate to our listeners today because I think that's really important way of going about Doing things.

Now can you are an author, you have several books Tell us about your books. So the my most recent release is called beat the good with the subtitle becoming a force for a better world. And I just read a review on it from a reader this morning that was just so touching. So touching. She shared with the fact that the book hit her in a way that allowed her to realize little things that she could do on a daily basis to change her immediate community. And then she described reading it like as sitting with a good friend over a cup of coffee.

I love it. I love the way you write books too, because it's very different. It's not, you know, it's not your normal kind of book. It's like very actionable, like I've read Be the change in or be the good sorry. And I you know, it was interesting, it was all very like actionable items that you can do very easily. You didn't need anything extra to do it just to do them. And I got so inspired three quarters of the way through the book, when I was with a friend of mine, who is also another change maker will introduce to you one day, and she's a conscious hairdresser. And I got so inspired, I gave her my book because I wanted her to read it. And then now I have to order myself another copy so I can finish. Because I got to 17 action items, I need the other three, back and order another copy of it. And I'd love to read the gift of courage. I think it's really inspiring. I love the way you've laid it out. So it's so easy to read and digest for your listeners to then implement into their into their lives. I think that's really fantastic. Thank you very much. And I'll make sure we get you another copy of maybe I'll send you Tuesday, you can give away another shop. Yeah, I know I'm really good at giving them away.

So appreciate that. Michelle, appreciate it. So many people need them too. And now you've gone on to the TED stage to to share your message. Yep. A few years back, I was invited by TEDx Grand Forks to come and present on their stage. And the reason for that was TEDx Grand Forks or Grand Forks is a North Dakota community that is has a rich, rich heritage of agriculture. And then there's a college there that kind of has a more liberal bands to it. So it's a community that has a rich heritage, and they've experienced an influx of immigrants. And one night many, many years ago, somebody threw a firebomb into a Somali immigrant families cafe and destroyed the cafe. And the community was just torn apart by this. There are some people who are anti immigrant and some people who were pro immigrant or just everybody's entitled to equal opportunity. And so I was given the opportunity Do you need to go speak at their at their Ted organization meeting in the Imperial theater, I think it was called Empire theater beautiful old theater in downtown Grand Forks. And my the topic was the title of my speech was courage, your fear and your community, it's your choice. And I just presented the idea that each one of us again, and kind of an action item thing, has the capacity to build a trust, I'm sorry, trust or fear in your community, and that each one of us has an opportunity to build trust in our communities. And it's something as simple as not paying attention to the 32nd soundbite that the national media company is trying to get you to believe and live by. And just speaking to your neighbor instead.

I love that. Yeah, starting from home. And if in So Ken, with all these messages that you have in this message of the good change? What is it? Can you give our give our listeners a couple of tips that they can start with? Today, as we're talking about your podcasts and your books and your talks, you're out there doing the good doing the good work out there and making the good change? And at what what is it that we can do as podcasters or potential podcasters that our listeners today, give us a couple of ideas of things that we can do and start with? Well, the first one I would say is don't put the Q tip in too deep. Like read the instructions on the Q tip box, you don't want to hurt your eardrums. That's a great tip.

Q tip, that's a Q tip.

You know, 111 idea is to just be less certain that is the title of the first chapter and be the good. And it's be less certain. We walk around these days, absolutely convinced that our perspective is the right perspective. And it gets in the way of us being open to the possibility that even if it is the right perspective, there may be another perspective, that's equally right. And it prevents us from getting to know other people because we're almost overly strident in our positions. And so anytime that you have an interaction with somebody be less certain about what it is you think, is the absolute truth. Another one is just take a stranger to lunch. And when when I say stranger, I don't mean that somebody that you just met off the street, but somebody that's different than you. There's a study that's in the book, this reference in the book that says that the degree of credibility that we give people in conversations online, whether it's through social media or emailing or otherwise. It's, it's it's dented, we don't give people as much credibility and as much trust, when all over communication is via technology. And so invite somebody that you know, that has a different perspective than you on religion, on politics, on, on gun rights on you name it, and go have lunch with them. And it's such a simple and beautiful touch to call somebody up and say, I just want to get to know you better, let's go have lunch. And if you do that, once or twice a year, it can shift their perspective of you and quote your side and it can shift your perspective of their side. Really what this is all about are there. They're just tips that we can undertake to shift the narrative. And there's the analogy is, if you fly from Los Angeles to New York, or from from Vancouver to Toronto, and and the plane is off by one degree at takeoff, it's going to miss the community that it's headed towards. And so all you need to do is make these little adjustments as you go along. In order to arrive at the best place you're going to where you want to end up. And it's the same thing with community, it's the same thing with people is just make these little shifts these little directional shifts periodically, in order to end up at a better place and taking somebody that you don't have Haida I sentiments with to lunch is a perfect way to do that. I love that. And for all of us in the world, right now, we can take them to a zoom line until we can go to a restaurant again and depending on where you are in the world.

And but yeah, what a great idea, you know, be less certain about your perspective and take a stranger to lunch. And then there's one more simple one and we do still have to go to the grocery store. And this is one item in a chapter of a handful of items. I love doing this where I go into the grocery store. And generally speaking, the flower department of a grocery store is near the entrance because you know there's a marketing device that play there. They want you to pick up flowers.

If you pick up a $2 bouquet, and you go to checkout, and you tell the checker that you want to give those flowers to the person, two people behind you in line that gives you the opportunity to buy those flowers for two bucks. Leave him with the checker and be gone out of the store before the person behind you gets them. And an anonymous gift like that will lift somebody's spirit and not knowing who it came from mean that they have absolutely no idea of the impact that they're making on other people, because it's an anonymous gift that is treasured. And I guarantee you when they go home, whether it's a man or a woman where you go home, and they put those in a vase on their table, it's going to lighten their days for the next week or so. I love that anonymous gift idea. You know, it's interesting, because I the flower one, that's a that's brilliant, I really like that idea. I've been through a Starbucks drive thru before, where I've had my order paid for by the person in front of me. And the same sort of idea is interesting, because another time we went through, of course, you know, it makes you want to pay to pay it back. Right. So I paid for the person behind me. And, and, and without the, the cashier in the window. didn't even say anything, but she was like, you know what she's like, this has been going on since 8am. Right, like 11am. Right now, this has been a non stop chain of this happening. Because one person started it, I was like, wow, how many people's lives have changed, or our days have been brightener brightened, because every single person felt compelled to reciprocate to the next person behind them. I was like, that's fascinating, that that cause such it was I ended up on the news and stuff because it was such a, it was such an interesting way that that chain hadn't been broken into three and a half hours right on. That's, that's a fantastic and a remarkable story. And that, in essence, is why I have the good change podcast. And that is because we can affect that kind of changed instantly without very, with very little or no cost, and no change in our routine, if we're conscious about it. And so these leaders of these different industries that I'm interviewing that are guests on the show, they started their movement or their company or their organization, the same way with one small idea, one shift in behavior. And it's blossomed into culture changing entities now. Yeah, that's amazing. So cool. You guys, if you haven't listened to Ken's, good change podcasts, you really need to he's just a such a great interviewer, you really draw out the stories from people, you add so much value to your listeners, by the stories you're sharing, and the people you're bringing on and the community that you're growing through this, I commend you, you're a very new to podcasting only within the last few months, yet this show is reaching top 100 is in many countries right now, in self improvement and personal development. And I think is, is it's just the beginning of a lot of good change that can happen out there.

And, Michelle, I told you this, and I'll tell you it again, I owe so much of it to you and your company. I mean, you want to talk about a heart driven and out there to make a change. When we first talked, I asked you why it was that you were getting into this industry or why you were in this industry. And you explained that you had worked as a reservation as a secretary, office manager of a rafting company, and that that had some influence over some people positive influence, but it wasn't big enough for you. And so my hat's off to you, because you've created this community that is filled with change makers. And top to bottom side beside you. You have made this journey on the podcast so much more enjoyable and easy for me. And so I'm really, really grateful to you. Wow, well, thank you, Ken. It's so nice to see that and yes, my my joy comes in my fulfillment comes from having our changemakers get more visibility and get out there in the world in a bigger way so they can make a bigger impact. And I think that you know, I am I love that we felt a community full of amazing changemakers like yourself. So thank you so much for being on our show today. Ken, it's been a pleasure to dive into your podcasts and your books and your everything and where can you send? Where can we send everyone to get to know you better and also find out more about how they can order your books. Yeah, so I'll be on that street corner. I was talking about the sandwich sandwich board downtown. My website is probably the best spot. It's Ken Streeter comm ke n s t r e a t er.com. And you can find the books on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. And you can get an E book right now be the good. Here's a sales pitch. You can get an E book right now be the good Kindle version for 99 cents. So I would love it if you bought it and left a review if it's if you're so inclined. Absolutely. And don't forget to go check out the podcast get changed, and leave a review there as well. That would be much appreciated for Ken and a great way to support what he's all about and supporting us in this humanity in humanity to be better be better.

People hmm make good change out there. So thank you so much can amplify you family make sure you go check out all the places you can find out more information about Ken. And until next day go out there. You're unique. This is your genius The world needs your message. We can't wait to hear from you. Till then take care. Thanks, guys. Thank you Bye bye.