How a $200 Act of Kindness Transforms Lives

“Philanthropy can be selfish — it doesn’t mean it isn’t good for other people.”
What if one small act of generosity could shift someone’s life — and yours at the same time? In this episode of Doing Business with a Servant’s Heart, Steve sits down with Peter, a film producer turned philanthropist whose journey began with an act of compassion and grew into a mission to empower foster youth.

You’ll hear how Peter created a “Random Acts of Kindness / Pay It Forward” course for high school students in foster care — starting with $200 per student to execute bold, meaningful giving. You’ll learn the radical vision behind First Star, his nonprofit that now supports foster teens at 12 major universities, achieving an 89% college-entry rate among its scholars.

Through the lens of storytelling, you’ll feel the frustration, heartbreak, determination, and breakthrough that shaped Peter’s mission. You’ll also receive tangible tools you can apply today: a generosity exercise you can try for yourself, ways to integrate service into your business, and a fresh mindset shift: that giving can be selfish in the best way — it transforms you.

Whether you feel stuck in chasing profits or hungry for deeper impact, this episode will reawaken your “why” and give you a clear path to serve from your strengths.

P.S. Share your $50-kindness-essay with me — let’s co-create a ripple of change in this community.

Guest Bio
Peter is a visionary film producer turned changemaker whose heart found its truest calling in service. After producing over 20 films and working with high-profile creators, he founded First Star, a nonprofit that supports foster youth in major universities across the U.S. Peter teaches a course called Random Acts of Kindness / Pay It Forward to empower 10th graders from foster backgrounds to imagine what generosity feels like — and then act on it. Through this work, he has touched countless lives and proven that giving — even from a place of scarcity — builds legacy, joy, and deeper purpose.
https://www.starlight.org/
https://www.firststar.org/
https://www.samuelson.la/

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