The Push For Change – The Skid Row CEO | Joe Roberts

Building Resilience, Adapting to Change, Inspiring Hope
The world has changed, our mission has not!

Kevin and Shelley have done it again… This time with Mr. Joe Roberts – The Skid Row CEO. Kevin MacDonald and Shelley MacDougall run The Extraordinary Leader Program, a 12-month coaching program aimed at creating results with and through your people. I’ve been following them for a few years now, and will soon be joining The Extraordinary Leader Program. Until I pull the trigger, they have been gracious enough to invite me to join several of their Master Calls to get a taste for the content being shared. A few weeks ago I joined a master call with Joe Roberts – The Skid Row CEO.

The Master Call was amazing and had me holding back tears listening to Joe talk about his journey. He talked about The Push for Change Foundation, a charity focused on youth homelessness. He also talked about his best-selling book titled “The Push for Change – Stepping Into Possibility“, filled with hope, inspiration and tools you can apply immediately that you can use to make a real difference in the world. After the Master Call, I emailed Mr. Roberts thanking him for his time and for sharing his story with us. To my surprise, he responded, and we scheduled a phone call later that week.

We talked for 10 minutes, but became quick friends. He showed interest in being on my podcast, but I felt my blog was a better fit for him and a more suitable place to share his story with you, the world. He agreed, and I got busy doing my research. It was fun learning more about him, his wife, his foundation… His new book. This man is something special, and I was honored to have a chance to learn more about him. Grab a box of tissues as you read this… You’re going to need it. It is my distinct pleasure to introduce you to Joe Roberts – The Skid Row CEO.

A few weeks ago I joined your Master Call as part of The Extraordinary Leader Program. How do you know Ms. Shelley MacDougall and Mr. Kevin MacDonald? It was an amazing hour spent, by the way! Wow. What a story you have to tell!
That’s very kind, thanks Ricky. I met Kevin and Shelley through a keynote I delivered for iA Private Wealth at their Annual Conference. 

I think everyone has massive potential and what I try to do is connect people to their possibilities by sharing an incredible human journey with them. My story is a rag to riches tale of failure and despair. In 1989, I was pushing a shopping cart in Vancouver, Canada, collecting cans to support a drug dependency. Twelve years later, I was on the cover of national business magazines as a celebrated entrepreneur. I literally went from Skid Row to CEO.

I believe inside every human being is a powder keg of possibility waiting to be lit up. My job as an inspirational keynote speaker is to tell a story that emits sparks.

You are an Inspirational Keynote Speaker. Where are some of the places you’ve had the pleasure of speaking?
I have spoken all over the world, in just about every venue one can imagine. From a community on the edge of Hudson Bay accessible only by air and snow machines to the Prime Minister of Canada’s office in Ottawa.  

When it comes to conferences, like many other professional speakers, I work with a ton of associations, businesses and government clients, typically at annual events. I am most often the opening or closing keynote speaker, and my job is to inspire people to see the world through a different lens. My job is to inspire, engage, connect people to purpose and give them take-away ideas they can apply to their world to create the changes they want in their business and personal lives.  

My message is simple: “If I can do it, you can do it too!”

Do you get nervous while on stage? Also, do you change the message based on the audience, or are you telling the same story every time you speak?
Always! You owe it to your audience to be terrified before you step onto any stage.

The story is always the story, but the context changes depending on what outcomes the conference planners have. My message is always tailored and customized to match themes, topics, and events goals. In one conference my message might be about reaching for your goals, in another it might be about empathic leadership, in another it might be about mental health and wellness. Because of this, I have been able to reach people in dozens of different industry sectors.

Tell me more about your wife… That is such an amazing story!
It’s a love story for the ages. We met in grade 10 working at Ponderosa Steakhouse. Although it was a teenage romance, we both had a huge impact on one another. We broke up after a year and a half. 28 years later, both of us now living in separate parts of the country, we reconnected, fell in love again and ended up getting married and picking up where we left off in 1985.

Let’s say I want to book you to come speak to my team or present at an annual conference. What does that process look like, and how much will it cost?
It varies greatly depending on customization, availability and where in the world the event is. What we do is very consultative in nature. I like to always chat with stakeholders, ask some preliminary questions, see if the dates are available and then put forward a solution. It’s so tough talking price before understanding the problem. That said, a 10-minute zoom call is often all I need to understand a clients need and provide fees.

More can be found here.

Tell me more about your new book “The Push for Change, Stepping into Possibility”. I can’t wait to read it!
When I was homeless on the street, I made a deal with God to pay it forward if I got a second chance in life. A part of that promise was a decision to raise money and awareness for homeless youth. After finding success in business, I decided to start a charity and use my influence to impact youth at risk.

My idea was simple, push a modified shopping cart, a symbol of homelessness, 9064 km (5632 mi) across Canada. It was nothing short of the most epic thing I have ever done in my life. The winter was the toughest. It’s also worth pointing out I began this mammoth journey as a 49-year-old non-athlete.

The book tells what happened on that journey but also provides a roadmap that anyone can use to tackle their goals and dreams.

My wife and I lived in Santa Rosa for a few years… The homeless issue is bad in the Bay Area. What can be done? How can folks at home help those in need?
That’s two very big questions. What needs to happen is a national plan to address homelessness as a public health issue. Services and supports to help people BEFORE they are homeless and supports to help move OUT of homelessness. During our charity walk, our focus was on early detection and supports for youth at risk to help a young person get the resources they need before entering into chronic homelessness.

On a personal level we can all do something whether that’s donate to a local agency or give our time and influence, or volunteer.  

One question I get all the time is: “should I give money?” my answer is give if your heart tells you to, but one of the things I do is engage and ask a person’s name. If you feel safe, talk to the person, listen to them, see them and ask the empathic question: “what happened before this happened?”

We will never solve the bigger problems in our country if we can’t meet people where they are at.

What is The A.I.R. Model?
A.I.R is simplicity on the other side of complexity. It is a behavioral change model authored by my business partner Dr. Sean Richardson. A is for Action, I is for Inspiration and R is for Roadblocks. When we connect our actions to purpose (what inspires us) we can overcome any situational or psychological roadblock we may face.  

The A.I.R. Model is what I tapped into everyday that took me from a non-athlete to walking across the second widest country on earth – over two summers and one winter.

Where is the shopping cart? I could see that sitting in your living room… The memories you have from that journey!
We actually had two shopping carts. One was mine and the other was for celebrities and politicians. In fact, Walter Gretzky joined us in Ontario and pushed the “Celebrity Cart”. So when it came time to retire them we put them in the backyard of our home and transformed them into planters.  

The memories and stories I have today colour the fabric of how I see people and the pace I am blessed to call home.

Speaking of Push For Change, tell me more about The Push for Change Foundation.
The Push for Change Foundation was set up for the walk across Canada, and today we work with schools to Inspire, Empower and Educate youth on the issues that lead to youth homelessness.

Inspired by my walk across Canada and my promise to pay it forward, we launched The Promise Project, a youth empowerment grant program that rewards young people for doing community-based social justice projects that impact issues related to youth homelessness.

More can be found here.

You have some pretty powerful testimonials on your website… Including some comments from Mr. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. Are you out looking for testimonials, or do they just come to you thanks to your powerful message you are sharing?
Both. Words of praise can often be the thing that opens a door to the next audience, so we do ask our clients at the very beginning of a conference to write a testimonial if we hit it out of the park for them. We always do! That’s the wonderful thing about doing work you love!

We also get a ton of organic letters from people talking about the impact my words had on them. So many people are going through stuff, and when someone comes along and inspires and encourages them, it moves their life forward. It’s humbling, to be honest, as I don’t take credit for anyone’s results except mine. But knowing I have this impact keeps me going on days I get discouraged.

Are you connected with CMAA yet? How can I help introduce you to others in the United States of America?
Not yet, but I plan to! Your annual event is the perfect venue for what I do, and over the year, you have had some of the greatest speakers in the world. I was just looking at your San Diego lineup in 2022, and it looks amazing.  

But it’s not just the huge national conference, it’s all the other state/provincial events where you can reach people too.  

The biggest way I meet new clients is through referrals. The challenge in planning an event is finding a speaker that connects with their people, gives them ideas that help them reach their goals and is professional and easy to work with.

Connecting me directly to people who plan events via an email introduction, and telling them what you experienced when you heard me speak is the number one way I meet and connect with folks planning events. From these introductions, I connect with people one-on-one and learn about what they need. My email address is joe@josephroberts.ca.

What is your Free Energizer Program all about?
This program was inspired by my walk across North America. I love going to a conference, sharing my story and then organizing a walk inspired by The Push for Change campaign. I have a passion for getting people active and moving, and so I offer this as a way to engage a conference. That’s also why I offer it for free. It’s huge value, and I love doing it.

Tell me more about your blog. How often are you sharing fresh content, and who all is contributing to that?
I love sharing ideas that help people, and so I try to capture thoughts and ideas that inspire, engage and empower people to make change in their life. That is what’s most important when I sit down and write.

What can people expect when they see you speak for the first time? Besides a box of tissues!
Impact! Redefining what they can do. Expanding and getting them to see beyond their limitations. Understanding that the stories we tell ourselves are the ONLY thing that is in the way of all our hopes and dreams. If I do my job right, the one hour you invest listening has the power and content to impact your life every day afterward.

All of us have our favorite authors, speakers and leaders. These people have shaped our thinking, and ergo, the actions we take in life. A one-hour keynote can change your life. That’s the goal I’m aiming for every time I speak.

Thank you for doing this… For sharing your story with The Extraordinary Leader Program and for sharing it with me here today. It is an honor to know you, sir. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. No different here today… Go.

I have a goal of inspiring 10,000,000 people with my story. We are actively looking for partners who can help us develop and promote a documentary film series. We are also rapidly expanding to reach our goal of 1000 conferences in the next 10 years. I want to create an epidemic of self-worth by getting people to truly see their unlimited possibility. To walk the talk, I am in training to complete a full Ironman next August in Penticton, BC.

Connect with Joe Roberts:
Website: https://SkidRowCEO.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkidRowCEO/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SkidRowCEO/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJoeRoberts/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/SkidRowCEO/
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkidRowCEO/