April Tam Smith: Radical Generosity
Species Unite
elizabeth novogratz
5.0 • 911 Ratings
🗓️ 8 October 2020
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
…not everyone can afford to donate a certain percentage of their money, not everyone can afford to volunteer their time because they're working so much. If you can, this is your generosity to the world, this is your generosity to all the people that cannot. And I think that's kind of our duty and our privilege. What is the max generosity that you can live with, with your food choices, with your time, with your money choices. - April Tam Smith
April Tam Smith is the co-founder of PS Kitchen, a plant-based restaurant in the Theater District in New York City that gives away all of its profits and hires people in need of a second chance.
By day, April is a managing director at a large New York City investment firm. While spending her days on Wall Street and nights at the restaurant, she still somehow finds an amazing amount of time to give to and serve in other communities throughout New York City, as well as around the world.
April and I sat down at PS Kitchen to talk about what it means to give, to be radically generous, to live a life of service, and the insane amounts of energy that she has - not only to do all of the above, but to do it with grace, joy, and a boundless love of life.
April is an inspiration. After hearing her story I couldn't help but rethink about what it means to be a human walking around on this planet and how we all can be doing it a little bit better.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's hard to imagine the two and a half years where I doubted if I made the right call about starting this place because it took so much longer than what we were told it was going to be. |
| 0:12.0 | It costs so much more than what we were told it was going to be. |
| 0:13.0 | It costs so much more than what we thought it was going to cost. |
| 0:17.0 | And I have really wise people that care deeply about me, |
| 0:21.0 | really, really moved by the mission that tell me, |
| 0:24.0 | like, are you sure you don't want to just pull out? |
| 0:27.0 | Like, I love that you had the idea, but maybe it's time to cut your loss as short. Hi I'm Elizabeth Novigrats. This is Species Unite. |
| 0:43.0 | We have a favor to ask if you like today's episode and you have a spare minute. |
| 0:48.0 | Could you please rate and review Species Unite on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps people to find |
| 0:57.1 | the show. |
| 1:00.1 | Today's conversation is with April Tam Smith. |
| 1:03.0 | April's the co-founder of PS Kitchen, |
| 1:05.8 | a plant-based restaurant in the theater district |
| 1:08.0 | in New York City that gives away 100% of its profits |
| 1:12.3 | and hires people in need of a second chance. By day April |
| 1:16.2 | is a managing director at a large New York City investment firm and somehow between |
| 1:21.1 | the two she still finds an amazing amount of time to give and to serve in communities |
| 1:26.6 | throughout New York City as well as around the world. She and I sat down at PS Kitchen, we wore masks, and even though it's not open for indoor seating, |
| 1:37.8 | it's still a little bit loud. We're here at PS Kitchen, which is honestly my absolute favorite restaurant anywhere near the theater district. |
| 1:58.0 | Oh, so nice, thank you. |
| 2:00.0 | And every time since you've opened that I come to any kind of show, this is where we |
| 2:06.2 | dine. |
... |
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