The design on these socks evokes the image of soapy water in honor of Social Spin, which embraces the potential of laundromats for community and sharing. or buy socks. (The socks sell for about $16.) Shaw’s vision is to create cool socks and start a conversation about meaningful things going on all around us. LEARNING TO LEAD Many believe that leadership is the most influential and critical element of business. As a good leader, you understand the mission, objective and goals. Shaw was able to shape his leadership skills with the best of the best. He is a proud graduate of Valley Leadership, a prominent group that, according to its website, “empowers, leverages and mobilizes leaders to meaningfully impact the most pressing issues facing Arizona.” Valley Leadership has been around for 40 years and Shaw was among its 39 th graduating class. So, fresh out of leadership training, he had one thing on his mind — make the socks! Shaw went to work leveraging his relationships and that’s how he was able to engage major Valley charities like Arizona Humane Society and Teach For America Phoenix. “A lot of people think when you are starting something it’s about how many resources you have, but really it’s about who you know,” Shaw said. For each pair of socks, there is a special design that will hopefully spark a conversation. For Arizona Humane Society, for example, they did not feature dogs and cats. Rather, there’s a houndstooth pattern representing a dog on one sock and a ball of yarn representing the cat’s independence on another. And Shaw is proud to point out that all of their socks are made in the USA. “When you are able to carve your own path, that’s super exciting,” he said. Shaw hopes his path expands in Arizona and beyond. Since they only work with and feature five organizations at a time — Shaw already has the next five lined up — there is a great amount of detail paid to every pair of socks and how the organizations are cross-promoted. He has identified Chicago and Seattle as socially conscious markets where he would love to expand. “Have a conversation. Tell someone about something great that’s going on … that’s how we change communities,” Shaw said. “Thoughts become words, words become actions, and actions become habits. So if we are constantly talking about things that matter, sooner or later we are going to put some action behind it.” Drew Shaw hopes his story empowers the audience to “pull hard at life’s loose threads until they find out where they lead.” To see Shaw’s podcast and other inspirational interviews with Carey Peña, visit inspiredmedia360.com . CAREY ’ S CORNER CONTINUED Carey Peña CONTRIBUTING WRITER @CareyPenaTV 18 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | MARCH 2019

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