Tony Shu is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Harvard senior, and co-founder of the non-profit Breaktime which is on a mission to end young adult homelessness by providing a first step into the workforce and personally empowering their people. 

Just prior to COVID-19, Tony and his co-founder, Connor Schoen, were ready to open Breaktime Cafe - a brick and mortar cafe that would employ around 15 young adults experiencing homelessness and give them on the job training as baristas. Now, in spite of circumstances that prevented plans literally years in the making - not to mention the pressure of having financial backing from major financial institutions, Harvard, the City of Boston, and more - Tony and his team gracefully pivoted.

Over the past year, Breaktime has transitioned to a double impact model - employing young adults experiencing homelessness and feeding food insecure communities around Boston. At this point, these young people have prepared and delivered well over half a million meals - all the while receiving a living wage and on-the-job skills.

In this conversation, Tony provides a behind the scenes look into all that and in the back half, gives a deep dive into his daily meditation practice that lets him check in with himself and the affirmations he says every morning that guide his own life.

So maybe you're a budding social entrepreneur and have a project of your own in mind. Maybe you want to learn about the realities of homelessness and the state of solutions like me. Or maybe you just want an uplifting story about a college student making a positive impact in his community. Whoever you are, I hope you take something away from this conversation.

Please enjoy this one with me and Tony Shu.

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Full show notes here at chrismcgrory.net