Episode #01: Rob Lawless

“It kinda felt like a punch in the gut, and felt guilty for even thinking that I could know what someone’s story was before sitting down to talk with them.” Rob Lawless

Rob Lawless is on a mission to connect with strangers one on one and get to know one another for an hour. His starting goal is 10,000 conversations, and I was his 3,097th.

Rob has crisscrossed the United States and ventured into Canada as he catalogs his steadily increasing numbers on Instagram @Robs10kFriends. He discusses his reasons behind wanting to connect with others, his vision for the future, how to build empathy, and being an active listener.

Our initial connection was in October of 2018 at the intersection of his project and my #YearOfConnection (@kenwoodward99) project on Instagram. This conversation includes some of my stories as Rob sought to learn about my connection journey to ensure he was faithful to the spirit of counting me among his 10k conversations.

I am grateful to the Tru by Hilton Audobon Valley Forge hotel for hosting our discussion. The background sounds were indicative of the happy hotel staff and guests.

Episode Notes:

Uses his planned trip to Albania in 2020 as an overview of his project. [00:30]

How confidence and gratitude increased during his project. [03:40]

Rob's approach to the conversation [08:56]

Where Rob starts his conversations and the structure he uses to understand people. [11:13]

Why Rob doesn’t put pressure on people during conversations. [13:30]

Pie analogy to understand primary elements of life. [13:50]

Thoughts about how to make human connection with others a viable option for busy people. [22:00]

Why he created the #12FriendChallenge [25:30]

Why questions are solutions for shy people in conversations [31:45]

What the next 10 years of conversation and achieving his goal will look like. [32:30]

Expects EQ will be more important than IQ in the future. [36:40]

Why he insists on strictly one-on-one conversations. [38:27]

Discusses international travel plans. [47:02]

Resources Mentioned:

KOTA The Friend

Drake

Tim Ferriss

Questions Asked:

How has your life changed as a result of this project?

Have you found any useful questions during your conversations?

Is career a big or small part of life?

Who is someone in your top five favorite musical artists?

What are routine things you do in your life outside of work?

What caused a transition?

How did you know that was not your true identity?

How did you start to work on your true identity?

How did you start to work toward your true self?

Why did you make human connection important?

What was the best way to connect with people?

When did you learn the power of questions?

What happens when you reach your goal?

Have there been any surprises on this journey?

Are there any places you would like to visit?