Finding your why can turn a single moment into a lifelong mission, and sometimes, all it takes is asking the right question.

For Adam Braun, that question led him to a small boy in India, and his response led to a movement that has since impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids around the world.  

In this issue, I share how Adam uncovered his purpose and used a simple object to tell a story people will never forget. Plus:

Enjoy sharpening your pencil on this story….LG

Adam Braun grew up in a small town in Connecticut, the grandson of Holocaust survivors and the brother of two adopted boys from Mozambique. His childhood was defined by a sense of global connection and a deep responsibility to help others.

His parents instilled the idea that we are all part of a global family. And Adam took that seriously.

So, in college, Adam withdrew from his classes, left the basketball team, and enrolled in a program called Semester at Sea. The idea was simple: travel around the world by ship while earning college credit.

But just thirteen days into the journey, the unexpected happened.

A 60-foot rogue wave hit the ship during a storm. Windows shattered. Power failed. Students panicked.

In those terrifying moments, Adam thought he might die. He asked himself, “What would my legacy be if this were the end?” “What did I actually stand for?”

What he walked away with was a new clarity. He wanted to live a life that improved the well-being of others. His job now was to figure out exactly how.

Once the voyage ended, Adam returned home to finish college. Then he packed his bags and spent the next several years traveling to over 50 countries.

His goal: to discover what “purpose” looked like in practice.

Along the way, he began asking children a simple question:

“If you could have anything in the world, what would you want most?”

The answers weren’t what he expected.

A girl in South Africa said, "To dance."
A boy in China replied, "A book."
Another in Hong Kong grinned and whispered, "Magic."

But it was in India where everything changed.

That was it. A pencil. Adam reached into his pocket and handed him one. 

The boy’s face lit up like he’d just been given the world. That single exchange hit Adam harder than any storm. It was so small, so simple, yet so profound. 

Adam began carrying pencils with him everywhere he traveled, handing them out by the thousands. But more than that, it shifted his entire perspective.

“It was simple,” he later said, “but it triggered all these deeper thoughts. What does a pencil transform into? Opportunity.”

He realized that the barrier to education for millions of children wasn’t always something complicated. Sometimes, it was as small as a pencil. A doorway to learning. To potential. To a future.

When he got back to the US, Adam took a job at Bain & Company, one of the world’s top consulting firms. His goal wasn’t to climb the corporate ladder. It was to learn how Fortune 500 companies operated.

He wanted to apply that same level of structure and strategy to something with far more heart, building a movement to change lives through education.

And he didn’t wait long to start.

On his 25th birthday, Adam opened a bank account with $25 and launched a nonprofit he called Pencils of Promise.

He then threw a birthday party and asked every guest to donate whatever they could. Four hundred people came. Most gave around $25.

By the end of the night, he had enough to fund his first school.

Adam soon left Bain to pursue the mission full time. He flew to Laos, backpack in hand, with no salary, no office, no team, just a belief that he could build something that mattered.

He met with village elders. Talked with education leaders. Shared his vision on Facebook. And with help from those early donations, Pencils of Promise built its first school.

Then another.
Then another.
Then momentum took hold.

In the early days, 98 percent of all donations were under $100. But they kept coming. The movement grew. More schools were built in countries like Nicaragua and Guatemala, places that had been historically overlooked in global education aid.

Eventually, Pencils of Promise began hiring full-time teams. They expanded into new regions. They refined their school-building model. And they didn’t just construct classrooms. They trained teachers, delivered clean water, distributed books, and created digital programs to amplify their impact.

Today, Adam’s small act, handing a pencil to a boy in India, has transformed into a global movement.

Pencils of Promise has now built over 600 schools across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, impacting more than 250,000 students and delivering over 24 million hours of education.

Adam Braun’s story shows how a single moment, shared with honesty and heart, can spark something much bigger. He didn’t just tell people what he wanted to build, he showed them why it mattered, invited them into the journey, and gave them something simple to believe in.

Here are three storytelling takeaways founders can use to deepen connection and drive action.

1. Start with Soul: The Power of Finding Your Why

When a massive wave struck Adam’s ship during Semester at Sea, he faced his mortality head-on. That near-death moment didn’t just scare him; it gave him clarity. He realized that his purpose was to improve the lives of others. That “why” became the driving force behind everything he did next.

As founders, your “why” is your compass. It’s the emotional heartbeat of your story. Take 30-60 minutes this week and write down the 2-3 moments in your life that most shaped who you are. Those are the entry points to your story, the ones your audience will feel before they think.

2. Build Your Tribe: Rally Champions Around a Clear Mission

Adam didn’t just start a nonprofit. He created a for-purpose movement. And he brought people into it. By making Pencils of Promise radically transparent and focused on impact, he earned the trust of over 200,000 individuals, schools, and companies. He invited everyone to participate. Not just wealthy donors. Not just large organizations. That inclusiveness turned supporters into storytellers.

Share stories from your community. Celebrate small wins. Let people see the real impact their support makes. Transparency builds trust. Trust builds champions.

3. Use a Symbol: Let a Small Object Tell a Big Story

A pencil changed Adam’s life. It became a symbol of access, of dignity, of potential. Symbols are sticky. They give people something to hold onto and something to share. And in Adam’s case, handing out pencils became a ritual, a conversation starter, and a reminder of what they were all working toward.

What’s your pencil? Identify an object, phrase, or visual that captures the heart of your mission. Use it in your storytelling. Turn it into a metaphor, a tradition, or a call to action that others can see like the sun. 

A study at the University of Pennsylvania found that people are twice as likely to make a charitable donation when they hear an emotional story focused on a single individual rather than statistics or broad narratives.

Adam Braun has told his story thousands of times over the years, and it works. His entire journey began with one moment, one boy, and one pencil. Science confirms what great storytellers know: when you make people feel something real, they act.

If you want to see a clear example of how to embed your why into your story watch this “Adam Braun on THE PROMISE OF A PENCIL” video as Adam describes the origin story of the organization. Adam Braun doesn’t just share what inspired him, he brings you into the moment that sparked his mission. His tone, pacing, and emotion make you feel what he felt and understand how deeply he cares. It’s a reminder that the most powerful storytelling comes from personal truth, told with heart and clarity.