Building a Culture of Giving: The Story Behind Give Culture #legacybuilding

Welcome to the Legacy All Stars podcast. We feature inspirational stories from people who dedicate themselves to helping others. Here is your host, Alan Pavloski.

Welcome to another episode of Legacy All Stars, where we celebrate people that make a difference. I'm thrilled to welcome power couple Noel and Shawna Felix to the show. From the hardwood of the NBA to the heart of his community, Noel Felix has always played for something bigger than himself. A former professional basketball player whose journey took him from Fresno State to the Seattle SuperSonics, Noel is now a part of a new kind of team, one that I really relate to, one that includes his wife, Shawna Felix, and a growing community of change makers. Together, Noelle and Shawna founded Give Culture, a lifestyle brand that's more than fashion. It's a movement built on the belief that giving back should be as natural as getting dressed. Give Culture channels efforts into local philanthropy, youth mentorship, and grassroots support. In this episode, we'll talk about this dynamic duo and how they are reimagining what it means to live generously, why they believe in doing good in style, and how athletes, entrepreneurs, and everyday citizens can all become culture shifters. Noel and Shawna, welcome to the show. My friends, good to see you.

Thanks for having us.

Glad to be here.

Yes, we are.

I'm loving your gear. And just personal note, you know, I got a couple pieces of the gear from my wife and I, and, man, good quality. Everything feels great. Very comfortable. Really wanted to compliment you on how well that gear is made.

Quality.

Yeah, it's very important.

Yeah. Before I start, I just wanted to ask Noel a question here. Now that the Oklahoma City Thunder have won the NBA championship, do you feel any connection from your former Seattle supersonics days?

Yeah, I do. One of my teammates when I was in Seattle, his name is Mike Wilkes, he went to the University of Rice. He's on the staff with okc, so he gets a chance to get a ring. So not only was he my teammate way back when, he also was on the staff and getting a ring and celebrating with those guys who want to who won a very amazing basketball series because that game was very strategic. They had a superstar on the floor, and Indiana was a great opponent. It was terrible how it went down, but Mike Wilkes is definitely a guy that I am super happy for because he's a great guy. Again, Notre University he went to. I played against him there, and he was my teammate with the Sonics at the time, so.

Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. Happy for those guys. Good group. Always nice to see some good people get an opportunity to get a ring. And I definitely relate to that. Let's jump into our first topic. Noel, your path from college ball to the NBA is really inspiring, but what inspired the transition from professional athlete to purpose driven entrepreneur?

So it's funny, back to the Seattle Sonics. When I left college and I went to play professionally, I started off in China first, but in China, there isn't a lot of, I want to say, public relations, where you go out and you do things in the community. Community service, if you will. So in Seattle, our community service was going to different schools and just talking to schools and signing autographs and stuff like that. And I started to like it more and more and more. And I ended up taking my teammate slots to do public speaking for our team. And so I told our HR person, I said, whatever. You guys need someone to speak on behalf of our team, I'd like to go to all of them. And so I just started going to all of them and meeting people and felt more comfortable talking to groups, and it just turned into something that I became more passionate about.

Yeah. Yeah, that's a great story. Shauna, when did you first realize that you and Noel could create or co create something that would blend family impact and philanthropy?

I knew as soon as he was done. When he retired in 2015, he played 12 years altogether in the league and overseas. And so he spent a lot of time away. And I came from a military background, so I was kind of familiar with the idea of long distance, you know, relationships. And so when he came back, I knew that I wanted to create something that would allow us to be together every day because we spent so many years apart. And I wanted to have something that our kids could be inspired by and look up to. We were kind of given a. Well, we have an interesting path as to how we landed on this story and this shirt. But I just knew, based on the character that my husband has, like, he's just such a selfless, generous guy. And I grew up very different. Like, my grandmother raised foster kids, so I was very. She did 300 over the course of 12 years, 300 kids came in and out. And she was my primary caregiver also. And so I was very, like, selfish. Like, this is mine, not yours, it's mine. Like, so I wanted to keep the things for myself. And so being married to him, he was just so selfish, selfless. Like, literally shirt off his back if he needed to. He inspired me to want to create something that kind of encapsulated all of his personal qualities that I did not have and had to work towards being selfless and like, and not thinking of myself first, which sounds silly, but I know where it came from. And he just inspired me to be a good giver. And so we kind of. I took all that he was and.

Put it into the opposite. Opposites attract. Right, Alan? We all know.

Oh, my goodness. I have gotten to know you two a little bit, and I have a hard time believing that Sean is not selfless as well.

I was not selfless. It was very self centered, like selfish. You know, like, it's.

I mean, we all have a path, right? We all grow. We all go into this. I have definitely learned a lot from the relationship with my wife, and I credit her with making me a better person. So I think each of you must have qualities that you've given to each other that have been really dynamic and really powerful. So I see how unselfish you are and how humble you are, Shauna, but I think you bring a lot to the table.

Thank you. Well, he inspired us. And when basketball was over, we knew we wanted to create something together that would encourage people to be mindful and considerate towards others. So, yeah, it's all based on him.

Good stuff. Good stuff. So give culture isn't just a brand. It's a lifestyle. How do you define giving culture and what does it look like in everyday life?

Well, for me, where Shawna talked to me about creating something like this, I always took my experiences in the locker room all over the world. You know, there's opportunities that I've had through this game of basketball where I'd be in a locker room in China and no one spoke my language. So the one thing they could speak on is, hey, pick a roll. We all know what that means all over the world. But at the same token, it's like, how willing and am I to be open to that culture, whether it's the food, whether it's trying to learn a language, just respecting what they do and how they do it. I've been able to do that all over the world. So I always led with an openness to understand cultures that I did not know that could be something to me. I relate to people in a way where in schools, like some kids that don't have both parents at home, I say, well, I grew up without my parents, so I can relate in a way. But that doesn't define who I am as a person. Just like going overseas again and trying different foods and learning about different cultures, that's something that I take a lot of pride in because I want to show that I'm willing to learn things I don't know. And once teammates pick on that, from Italy to China to.

Where, Israel, once they pick that up, there's a different level of respect that we develop as teammates in the locker room because the locker room experience is very important. So I'm always open to those things. And that was something that I tried to bring into sharing with people now how I was respectful and kind and I led with it first and it allowed me to build strong relationships with players and teammates all over the world.

I like to, because he talks a lot about his locker room experience with the young people that we get the chance to speak to. And we always remind them that culture is not your nationality. Like your culture is, you know, the food that you eat, the clothes that you wear, the words that you say, the music that you listen to. And so we chose to call give culture. We use the word culture because it's another word for lifestyle. Like, this is a lifestyle of selflessness. It's a decision that we make every day to be mindful and considerate of other people that. Especially if they don't look like us or, or vote like us or eat like us. Like, the idea is that we don't have to look the same to love this.

That's right. Yeah. Very powerful statement. I appreciate that. Let's talk about the power of partnership. What's it like building a mission driven company as a married couple and any lessons you've learned about partnership in business and in life?

Well, for me, I know that my wife is very competitive and so am I. And I mean, we met in college in study table. I was a freshman and she was a sophomore at Fresno State. And so we had that in common. Just that competitive drive, but also the teamwork aspect where it's like, you know, I'm doing this and she's doing this. And then we come together and we figure out what's best for us to move together. And I think give culture is big for us in doing that. We talk about different words. Like today, my words, encouragement. I choose to give encouragement every single day as a teammate in my marriage. So when we go out, I lead with that. When she goes out, she leads with that. And we. The good thing about that, Alan, is when we are on that page, whenever we go through anything together, we recover quicker. Because the biggest point is to lead with kindness in house. Like, the thing about give kindness, I can't be kind to anybody else unless I'm kind to Myself. So if I'm going out there leading with kindness and I'm coming home mad, that's a lack of integrity on my part, and I'm not really fulfilling the piece that I deserve to have, which is to take care of home first. So Sean and I, we try to stay on the same page when it comes to how we deal with people outside that. A lot has to do with our teamwork, and it has a lot to do with our competitive spirit to say we want to do right by what we're saying. We can't just talk about giving kindness. We have to live it every single day. And so that's kind of how we've done it. And we hold each other accountable that.

Way so we can. So we can win the day. Yeah, and he does a really good job. Like, I really feel so blessed. Unfortunate, because my husband doesn't mind taking over a dinner or taking over breakfast if I have somewhere to be, or taking care of the kids and doing all the things that I would usually do all day. When it comes time for me to step into, you know, put my. My business hat on and go out into the community, he has no problem taking over all the roles that I would usually fill at home. So it's like we. We switch roles all the time, and we're constantly sharing the responsibility equally.

Going back to teamwork, because at the end of the day, we spend a lot of time together just talking. And at the end of the day, we talk about what's next and also how the day went and just trying to stay on the same page as much as possible. So when we are spread thin and doing so much for other people, we always come back together and figure out what can we do to make sure we're on the same page no matter what it is.

Definitely. How do your personal values show up in the way you raise your kids, run your company, and give back to your community?

So I like to talk about the fact that, well, we both kind of have similar stories as far as our childhood, but my main goal in, like, life is to give our kids what we didn't get. So I had really young parents. I have amazing parents that are amazing people and really great parents, but they had me first at 19. And so, you know, there was a lot of a big, long grace period before they became, you know, effective adults.

And so as we all do. Right? We learn along the way.

Exactly. So no knock on the parents, but it's important for us to be super conscious and hyper aware of what our kids receive. Every day. And then the affirmations that we, because they go out into the world and can hear all kinds of cruel, horrible, hateful things, but they come home and finish the day with positivity and encouragement and affirmations that remind them of their personal power and their beauty and perfection just the way they are. So it's important to us that we get to instill in them what we've learned as adults and. And be the parents that we didn't have.

Yep, absolutely.

Good stuff. Your website talks about living generously and loving fearlessly. I love that. Can you unpack what that means to you?

So to me that means I use the example of being in China, I am six nine and I am Belizean slash African American. And in China, everybody just does not look like me. So when I am out and about, you know, and obviously the population in Shanghai alone is well above 10 million. So when I'm out and about, people are looking at me. No matter how I feel, people are going to look at me with some sort of amazement because they've probably never seen anybody that looked like me before, let alone being 6 9. So with that approach, I have learned to only focus on what I can do to be of service anywhere I'm at, whether I'm walking into a store, whether I'm helping somebody at the Walmart get something off the top aisle, I'm always willing and able to be a service to someone else. And I got out of my own way. Like, if something's wrong, if I have an issue and it's out of my control, I'm not taking that issue out on anybody else. And so I try to lead with kindness, lead with encouragement, lead with patience, lead with forgiveness. You know, those things are very important and it helps me keep my peace personally. So that's something that I've used every single day and I let it become a part of my, my daily habits.

And to, to love fearlessly. I feel like there's so many preconceived notions.

Stereotypes, assumptions that people make in the world. Like, he's 6 9, but I'm 6 1. So people, especially women, look just as crazy as at me as they do at him. But. And they're always quick to assume, oh, you played basketball. No, I did not not assume I played ball. Excuse me. No, but my point is like, to love fearlessly is to kind of live outside of any preconceived notion that you think you have of someone or to not live with assumptions and stereotypes or, you know, a lot of the World around us creates fear in building relationships with people that speak a different language or don't look like you. So we love everybody equally, no matter how different we are.

Yeah. Great message. How does Give culture work behind the scenes? From product creation to choosing the causes you support?

So we have three different sales channels. So I have the online direct to consumer print on demand website where a customer can go online and pick their shirt, custom customize their color, their word, their size, and that all goes directly to them. And then we have our pop up shops, which is my bread and butter because I get the chance to actually share with people the fullness of the message. Give culture, we call it a lifestyle of social consciousness and really being mindful of how your actions and your attitude affect other people because they do. So the I and give is lowercase because we intentionally consider the people around us and put other people first. And so our table, our setup, like we have a big booth with the flags and the whole thing. And that's my bread and butter because I get to share the fullness of the message. And then we have a bulk option where people can buy 50 plus units at a discounted rate. And for like, for example, for a team or for a conference or for a youth convention, there's so many different reasons that people buy. Right now I have an insurance company shirt on. We have a big insurance company that supports our business across the country. And so those are the three different sales channels. And as of right now, this is the team. This is the sales team, the marketing team, the CEO, cmo, cfo, all of it right here in house.

You got the whole C suite right there.

C suite. We're really lucky. I love that. It's still, even though we've had the message for so many years, it's still just barely growing to the point where people that we don't know have shirts and don't even, you know, there's thousands and thousands across the country now. And so it's still, but it's still very grassroots and we're still like the bottom small town, big message people. So it's exciting to see how it's going to grow from here.

Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm a branding and marketing guy and I love the intentionality behind what you've created on that. I think that's really thoughtful. I also am really excited about the fact that you use the brand also to channel your efforts and your energy into mentorship and other things that help others. You've both been very vocal about mentorship, especially for youth in underserved communities. What role has mentorship played in your lives in general?

For me, mentorship plays an enormous role because I work in a school district and I've gotten to that level where I've worked with kids in elementary and I see them graduate high school and to see them and to acknowledge them and them know that I played such a role in their lives to encourage them to see that positive outlook in all things and understand that sometimes situations are bigger than you when they cross that stage and they get ready for that next stage of their lives. It's been very cool to be influential in kids lives that way. So every single year I get a chance to work with hundreds of kids and try to steer them in the right way. Understand that they have those, you know, obviously 13 and 18 or two different stages of your life, even 9 and 13. And working with those kids at those levels allow me to be a person that they could come to. And I always tell them this is this rule I have when I come to see you. You're never in trouble. I'm only about helping you figure out the solution. And at the end of the day, having that consistent approach, it has built me relationships with kids from elementary to high school graduates. And also I'm a coach. So that's a whole nother lane that I get to work with kids to help them figure out the solution all the way down and not worry about missed shots, you know, little things like that. I try to teach that focus of what's next. So.

And I like to say they can't be what they can't see, right? And so we like to give them a physical, literal representation of what it looks like to care about other people. Because they look up to him, like literally and figuratively. Like they get to see how he interacts with all the different kinds of people every day. Like he's out there much more than me because he's on a campus every day. But when we get invited to do assemblies and team team workshops and all those things that we get to do, it's important to let them know, like, we've been in your shoes and here's what we did to get to where we are so that you can then model that, model some of these behaviors and some of these, these considerations towards others. Like it's all about building relationships and, and how you treat other people matters because you never know who might be your boss, you know, who might hire you someday. So we try and instill in them just little values, core values that they can take with them. And then the T shirt just gives them, like, a physical representation of the internal commitment that they've made, to be mindful of the relationships that they build and how they impact relationships in their life, and so that they can be something maybe that they can't see at home or they haven't seen before.

Yeah, that's a good point. Because even. Even. Even just to say this real quick, like, I. I am very consistent with my approach on how I work with students. And I don't know which void I'm filling for that student. Like, if there's a student in the foster care and they don't have a dad, I'm filling a role as a dad. But when I wear a shirt that says give kindness, and it's a tangible shirt that they can wear now, they're a part of something in a way that they feel empowered to go be kind to people the way I was kind to that student. And so that's something that I'm very. I'm very proud to see. Because, Alan, every single day when I go to school, some student is wearing a gift shirt every single day. It's pretty fulfilling.

And that's why we love. When we do assemblies at school, we always make sure that staff gets a shirt, too, because we're building relationship and commonality between staff and student. A lot of times students just feel, like, not accepted by or not thought of by their staff. And so this is like a bridge.

Yeah. You know, I reflect on that quite often. And, you know, with the things that I do, you never know what the tipping point is of when you're going to make a difference in somebody's lives that will change their trajectory in a way that will just be monumental.

We like to plant little seeds of love. We're like, this is just a love seed. And we just plant it in their heart and then encourage them along the way. And then the shirt is something that they get to take with them as a reminder and as an accountability partner that, you know, they've made a commitment to be mindful towards others.

Yeah. And you never know what somebody's going through. I always try to tell everybody I'm working with.

We always tell them, like, be the friend you wish you had. You know what I mean? You know what you wish someone would have said to you. But you don't get to control whether or not that person gives you what you need. You can, however, control what kind of friend you are, you know, so.

That's right.

Yeah, it's a. It's a great message.

Let's talk about that. How can listeners support your mission and your message not just by buying gear, by becoming part of the culture?

Well, it starts with a T shirt. Also, you can follow us at Give Culture on all the platforms, so Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and just follow along. And then we're honestly looking for people to share their stories. We call them give shirt Stories because we always get a lot of positive feedback on how a T shirt caused a person to pause before spewing Prof. You know, or like, before going off on their kids with their Give Patients shirt. So. So we are always looking for people to experience the T shirt and then share their experience with us so that we can use it as just kind of the proof of concept and put it out into the world that this is so much more than just a T shirt. This is a personal commitment, and it really works. So, I mean, engagement is everything. Yeah.

We'll be tagging your socials on all the reels we create on this show, of course. And we want to make sure that people are getting an opportunity to participate in this culture shift.

Yeah. And for us, Alan, like we always say, adults are harder because our bad habits are kind of baked in. But we love the opportunity to talk to the young people and give them a chance to learn something new and to be a part of something that's fun and positive in the world. So if people are listening and want to purchase or provide shirts for their collection of young people, that really just blesses us the most because we know that we get to plant that love seed in as many young people as possible. So one adult could impact a lot of young people.

Absolutely.

Right.

Yeah. Anybody that's available to let us share, we would love to share that. Have that culture, have that in your atmosphere. You know, it's a. It's very cool to be. Be a part of something that is only about how you choose. So you have the choice. Like I choose every day. You have to choose on your own whether you're wearing a shirt or not. What kind of person do you want to be, you know?

Yeah. Yeah.

And that was no knock on adults because adults need it just as much as the young people.

You're preaching at the choir there, let me tell you. We know kids can be so pliable and so such sponges, and they can really adjust and learn so much more quickly with new concepts than adults that have been.

And they can influence the adults in their life because, like, I most definitely tell you how many times my kids have said, hey, like, mom, you know, And I'm like, oh, dang, you're right. You know, so these kids always. When they got it, they really got it.

They.

They will hold the adults accountable?

Oh, most definitely. If each of you could leave behind one sentence, one truth or one concept as part of your legacy, what would it be?

Oh, you can't control what you get, but you can control what you give. And so this is all about taking a personal responsibility, taking accountability for my contribution to the world around me and the people that I interact with on a daily basis. And we like to say, you get what you give. So if you're wanting respect, give respect. If you're wanting patience, give patience. If you're wanting affection, give affection. And then slowly and surely, it will come back to you.

Yep. Do it with no patience. Just do it because it's the right thing to do. I mean, I can use the example of basketball. Like, I rest in peace. Kobe Bryant. Like, I love Kobe Bryant. I'm a Laker fan. But when we played the Lakers, I tie my shoes like Kobe tied his. So I had to get ready to play against him, and I had to represent the Sonics when I played them, and so I had to come and do what I could control. I can't go out there and say, can you sign my. You know, I got. I got to help my team. It'll be nine on, you know, four on five if I don't come out there with the preparation and know I have to do my part. So to me, that's something that is very important. Like, I have control of my preparation. What I do, I have to bring something to the table. So that's kind of my approach to the answer to that question.

Yeah, we like to say, give the best of yourself and see the best in others.

Yep.

So, and. And that's something that we've learned. I know I could just keep going. But we created the shirt so that it could hold a person accountable and cause them to be kind to someone else. But what we've learned is that the shirt kind of works both ways. It's really hard to be a jerk to a person in a shirt that says give kindness on it, you know, so it holds me accountable, but it also is kind of cause for pause with the other person. Also, like, I'm smiling. I'm holding the door. I'm kind of. You may have had a bad day, but you're gonna say, hey, you know what? Thanks. Like, it's just. It's just this, like, mutual reciprocation thing that we've learned has inspired both parties in every interaction. So it's really exciting.

Great stuff. Great stuff, you guys. Well, we've come to the end of our time together. I want to sincerely thank you both, Noel and Shauna Felix, for sharing your story today. I hope our audience can find some inspiration from today's episode and find a path to making a difference in the lives of others. Certainly our guests have found that path, and we hope that you all find that as well. Until next time, I'm Alan Pavloski signing off for Legacy All Stars.