19. Shaped by Sobriety: A Journey to Purpose, with Kenny Sipes

Kenny Sipes is a former youth pastor who was struck with the dire need for freedom, water, and food he saw during his mission work. So, he decided to take action.

Kenny created The Roosevelt Coffeehouse to mobilize justice through an everyday experience, and he’s given over $125,000 to date. He is also expanding the business to include Roosevelt Coffee Roasters as a way of reducing costs, increasing sales, and maximizing profits so that they can impact even more lives.

We’ve talked a lot about conscious capitalism on the show so far, but few walk the walk quite like Kenny.

What Brett asks:

• [02:45] What was Kenny’s journey to The Roosevelt Coffeehouse?
• [06:50] What was underneath the rebellious, partying phase of Kenny’s life?
• [09:40] What caused the underlying hole, the insecurity in young Kenny?
• [11:55] How did Kenny end up in rehab as a senior in high school?
• [15:25] Why did Kenny say yes to taking that hit of acid in rehab?
• [17:45] How does Kenny look at that bad trip now?
• [20:55] When did religion become a big part of Kenny’s life?
• [24:00] What did Kenny do professionally before becoming a pastor?
• [33:15] Knowing that you grew up with insecurity and doubt, how did Kenny find himself leaning into a life of purpose and passion?
• [39:00] How did Kenny know that he wanted to create The Roosevelt Coffeehouse?
• [48:15] Tell me about the coffeeshop today and how are you navigating the current global climate?
• [56:20] Any final thoughts?

To learn more about intentional living, and for the complete show notes, visit: gravityproject.com

Resources:

• Support: www.rooseveltcoffee.org
• Buy coffee beans with purpose: roosevelt.coffee
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kennysipes
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kennysipes

Gravity is a production of Crate Media