
← Distilling Philanthropy4 Aug · 49 min
Why Shawn and Andrew East don't find the best charity – they find the best problem solver
Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East built a large platform through athletics, relationships, and years of storytelling, and in this conversation they turn that lens on giving. They make the case that seeing the work firsthand beats writing a check, that charities lose people when they sound like commercials instead of humans, and that the real task is finding the best problem solver rather than the best charity. Along the way: the "beautiful guilt" of getting more than you give, why they take their kids to build homes in Tijuana, and how proximity to a problem shapes the causes you choose. A warm hour for donors, families, and philanthropic advisors thinking about impact, storytelling, and how giving gets passed to the next generation.