Adam Torres and Portia Richardson discuss the Grant Cardone Foundation Pitch Competition.
Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify
Apply to be a guest on our podcast here
Show Notes:
Listen to coverage of the Grant Cardone Foundation Pitch Competition in Miami, Florida. In this episode, Adam Torres interviews Portia Richardson, Executive Director of Tumaini DC, Inc., explore Tumaini DC, Inc. and the Grant Cardone Pitch Competition.
Watch Full Interview:
About Portia Richardson
A native of Southeast, Washington, DC., Portia Richardson started her entrepreneurial journey as the Executive Director and Founder of Tumaini DC, Inc, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that designs and facilitates holistic Social and Emotional Learning resources and experiences for students and adults. A Sky Zone Trampoline Park Owner, former DMV Top 30 Under 30 Award recipient, Teach for America alumni, Founder of the Impact Institute Accelerator for aspiring non-profit leaders, Author of the 21-Day Purpose Challenge and Virtually Resilient e-books, Restorative Justice Practitioner, Social Emotional Learning Expert, The Tumaini Way Curriculum Developer, and Captivating Speaker, Portia Richardson has a deep passion for pushing individuals and organizations to their greater purpose, cultivating trauma-informed and culturally responsive social and emotional learning, advocating for equitable outcomes for ALL students.
About TUMAINI DC
Tumaini DC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that designs and facilitates transformational social and emotional learning curricula and experience. The Tumaini Way, our research-based SEL curriculum, school-based program, and implementation model has transformed climate and culture in schools and community-based organizations in the US and abroad.
The mission of Tumaini DC, Inc. is to transform communities and schools through culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and healing centered social and emotional learning curricula, programming, and training for youth and adults.
Full Unedited Transcript
Hey, I’d like to welcome you to another episode of Mission Matters. My name is Adam Torres. And today we are at Grand Cardone’s headquarters in Florida. And let me tell you, I just now watched a pitch competition and I have one of the directors on the line here. So first off, Portia, welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me. Oh, my gosh. So I just obviously we just got done watching the pitch competition. Mind blown. My first time coming to one of these things. things. And I have to say it was quite an experience. Maybe just start off with talking a little bit about your background and the organization and what we’re doing here today.
Yeah, of course. So I’m Portia Richardson, the founder and executive director of Tawani D. C. I grew up in Washington D. C. In the same community that most of our students grew up in. And so I became a teacher and I you know, looked at my background, my own background as a teacher. So I grew up in a single parent household.
My dad was on and off drugs, in and out of prison. I watched my mom struggle, but it was great programs like Tumani that gave me access to resources and opportunities that I would have never had otherwise. So when I became a teacher, I thought about ways that I could bridge the gap between communities and schools.
There were so just so many disparities happening in the communities. And I felt like a lot of the schools I taught in. They did a great job of like teaching the academics and making sure students were prepared for testing and even college and career in some cases. But there was this deep, like, social and emotional piece that was missing because of the trauma in our communities.
And so that is how Tuani was born, by, you know, thinking about a solution of how we can offer resources, mentorship, innovative and trajectory shifting programming, like, Entrepreneurship programming as well as vocational programming, um, and social and emotional and mostly, um, emotional intelligence based programming that really pushes students to success and takes more of a holistic approach.
So that’s how we started. This was 11 years ago. Wow. I heard, so I heard a little, I heard a little fragment of a story about how you originally met the Grant Cardone Foundation or how the original pitch took place. Give me the full story. Give me the full story. I gotta hear it. That was a wild ride. So, in 2020, during COVID, Everybody was bored at home and there was this app that took off called Clubhouse.
Oh, yeah, I was on it. Grant was like running, he was like the Clubhouse guy. He always does that. Every time there’s a new platform. I remember from Periscope days. Yeah, I got it. He ran Clubhouse. And so my husband was like, let’s listen in to Grant’s room. And so he actually, my husband actually introduced me to Grant Cardone because he was always a fan.
And so I got into this room and there’s these people in there like pitching, you know, Real estate investment companies, and nobody pitched a nonprofit. Okay. But I call myself one of those crazy people that do a lot of crazy things. So I was like, what if I pitched to money? And he was like, do it. And there was like thousands of people in this room.
So I’ve raised my hand virtually. And surprisingly, Grant brought me to the stage. You got picked. How are you feeling at that moment? You’re the husband for Lincoln. I was like running through the house, grabbing paper. Like, I’m gonna say this. He’s like, Portia, it’s your organization. You talk about this mission all the time.
Why are you nervous right now? Put the paper down and pitch. And I put the paper down, I pitched from my heart and my soul. I knew our numbers. I’m so familiar with our mission because our mission is my story. And Grant was like, wow, this is amazing. And he said, yes, you’re in D. C. and I’m in Florida, but I’m gonna make it happen and we’re gonna make Big impact together with something that’s very interesting.
And I always say this, and this is one of the reasons I love Grant is because there were other people on this virtual stage. And so he asked everybody to match his gift and there were so many people who will remain nameless. Yeah. Who agreed to match his gift and Grant was the only person that kept his commitment in his word.
Wow. And not just to the financial gift because that is the, that has been a very impactful component of this partnership. But it’s these moments, it’s the pitch off where we get to bring students, you know, two years ago we brought 30 students here. You know, every year we bring on average 20 to 30 students.
Wow. Because he’d fly us in from D. C., pay for our accommodations and For most of our students, this is their first time ever getting on a plane there for some of their first time staying in a hotel, definitely their first time pitching a business, developing a business, you know, and coming in front of senior leaders and senior people like yourself, highly successful individuals to pitch their ideas.
So, That has been to date. Our students have won now, after today, they’ve won over 90, 000 in funding. Wow. That’s absolutely amazing. What’s one of your favorite parts about the whole pitch competition process? Just to let, it could be any piece of it, just to let the audience at know, at home, just know how significant this is.
Yeah, I think the biggest part is like seeing them get out of their own way. And out of their own head, a lot of people see adults need that. Hold on, you know, I need it too. Me too. Right. And so, and, and the other thing is I have a movement, personal movement called the impactpreneur movement. And so it’s people who are not your everyday entrepreneurs, but very committed to trajectory shifting resources, that’s going to bring change.
And so all of you, you heard from all of our businesses, We push them to start with what are you passionate about? What’s your purpose? What is a pressing problem that you want to solve? And so these are businesses that are impactful, that are solving a pressing problem in our community. So that’s the first thing.
The second is because we do this trauma informed work, a lot of our students come to us and they feel like, you know, I’m not enough. This is too much. This is too big. There’s no way I can go all the way to Miami and do this. There’s no way somebody is going to invest in my, my business. And some of them, unfortunately have been told that they’re not enough.
Some of them have had adverse experiences that made them feel like they’re not enough. So when I see them push through all of those adversities, when I see them get out of their head and truly own their power and take this stage, and honestly. What you guys saw today, we were surprised because when they get up there, they throw in some extra razzle dazzle that we’ve never seen.
You’re like, how they do that? I had Sarah on the line. I had Sarah on the show and she’s like, wait, weren’t they at one? Right. So there’s this magic that happens when they get in the room and they find out. Finally get out of their head. So that’s the really my favorite part of this whole experience, the process for them and how they grow and develop with their businesses.
All right. So last thing I want you to do here, Portia, is I want you to look directly into the camera and tell everyone, the other business leaders out there, why they should be supporting the Grant Cardone foundation and why they should be supporting the pitch competition in general. So. Absolutely. Okay.
To everyone out there, you should be supporting the Grant Cardone Foundation and Tumani DC because we are providing opportunities for young people and communities where they would not otherwise have access to these resources and opportunities. The experiences that our students have are not just experiences that will change their lives, but it will impact generation after generation.
It will allow them to create a legacy for themselves, and it will allow them to to break the cycle of trauma and poverty in our community. So please, please donate and support these organizations. Amazing. And so thank you, Porsha. And for everybody listening at home, if you haven’t done it yet, hit that subscribe or follow button.
This is a daily show each and every day. We’re providing you with. New content, new thought leaders, and hopefully new stories that will help you along the way in your journey as well. So again, hit that subscribe or follow and Portia again, thank you so much for coming in. So it’s been an absolute pleasure.
Thank you.