Episode 328- When the White House Calls: The Other Side of Comfort with Steve Preston

Faith Driven Entrepreneur

In this episode of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast, host Justin Forman sits down with Steve Preston, CEO of Goodwill Industries, to discuss his remarkable journey from Wall Street executive to nonprofit leader. Unlike the typical path of chasing wealth and status, Steve shares how he made intentional decisions to prioritize purpose over prestige throughout his career.

After starting at Lehman Brothers, Steve felt a tug that his faith was calling him toward a different path. He made a deal with God that he would "never make a decision for money, for prestige, or for power," which ultimately led him to leave banking on the cusp of making partner. His journey continued through corporate America, government service (including running the Small Business Administration during Hurricane Katrina recovery), and eventually to Goodwill, where he now leads one of America's most recognized nonprofit organizations.

Key Highlights:

• Steve's countercultural decision to leave Wall Street's wealth and prestige to follow God's calling
• The rich history of Goodwill beginning as a church-based ministry to help Boston's poorest residents
• How Goodwill provides holistic support to help people overcome barriers to employment
• The innovative prison education programs helping reduce recidivism rates to just 5%
• The power of corporate partnerships in scaling social impact
• How writing a personal mission statement helped Steve identify his calling
• The importance of seeing potential in people that they don't yet see in themselves

Quotable Moments:

"I felt like God said, I've taken you thus far. Will you really go where I'm taking you? And worse, most of the people in my close-in circle said, you're crazy... And I had this moment where I thought to myself, I have been like every other American watching these horrific stories on television and wondering what I could do."

"Our founder's story and our founder's vision 125 years later is still very much a part of who we are... It was all deeply based in the conviction that every human being has embedded potential."

"I often say, when somebody comes through our door, we often see more in them than they see in themselves."