Our special guest today is Jeff Rasley, a lawyer-turned-philanthropist and author. Jeff founded The Basa Village Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps marginalized communities in Nepal. The books the Jeff wrote, Bringing Progress to Paradise (2010) and You Have to Get Lost Before You Can Be Found (2020) describe his journey from simply an adventurer to becoming a philanthropist. Jeff coined the term “philanthro-trekking” to describe what he has been doing. 

Before establishing The Basa Village, Jeff has been a lawyer for 30 years. However, in his 40s, despite being financially independent and having a successful law firm, Jeff encountered midlife crisis, leading him to mountaineering. Jeff found mountaineering to be therapeutic, and it became perfect chance to channel his adventurous side, which has been ignored due to busy and fast-paced life.  

But being in the mountains and meeting the communities, Jeff fell in love with what should’ve been a hobby. Through mountaineering, Jeff found a new purpose in life: to do philanthropic work over Nepal, which he discovered to be a country in need of help and support.  

Luckily, Jeff was able to find other climbers and trekkers who share the same purpose. Together, they founded The Basa Village Foundation. Since then, they have been doing several projects. They had been providing clothing, books, and other needs for children. They also plan on reaching communities with no electricity, water, and medical clinics. All their staff are unpaid, and their efforts are completely voluntary.  

Jeff also mentioned the part of his philanthropic work that he least like, which was fundraising. But he ends up doing it anyway, as the donated money can get a really long way—five thousand dollars are enough to give a village two more  teachers, two more classrooms, which means two more groups of students can learn.   

Today’s Guest 

Jeff Rasley is the author of eleven books; the most recent is America’s Existential Crisis: Our Inherited Obligation to Native Nations.  He has published numerous articles in academic and mainstream periodicals, including Newsweek, Chicago Magazine, ABA Journal, Family Law Review, The Journal of Communal Societies, and Friends Journal.  He is an award-winning photographer and his pictures taken in the Himalayas and Caribbean and Pacific islands have been published in several journals.  He has appeared as a featured guest on over 100 radio and podcast programs.   

Jeff founded The Basa Village Foundation USA and has been doing philanthropic works in Nepal since then. Jeff’s wrote two books about his philanthropy and mountaineering journey Bringing Progress to Paradise (2010) and You Have to Get Lost Before You Can Be Found (2020).  

• JeffRasley.Com 


• Twitter: @jeffrasley


• LinkedIn: Jeff Rasley


• Goodreads 


• Basa Foundation 

You’ll Learn:  

• Finding your passion in doing what you love  


• “Philanthro-trekking”