Meet Charlie

Charlie, 26 years old, is the co-founder and CEO of Social Impact platform VOLI. His already rich career journey commenced in the Start-up sphere, across Med-Tech, Finance, Property and then - more recently - the blockchain industry, where he consulted with a number of businesses across Australia and in the US. Charlie hails from a tiny regional town in regional Victoria near the South Australian border of only three or four thousand people! Charlie’s family moved down to Geelong when he was 10 years of age.

Charlie had a distinct interest in extreme sports from the get-go; sports such as surfing, deep sea fishing, and pretty much anything that pumped adrenaline. That now manifests in ultra running, with Charlie taking on 50, 70 and 100km runs all in the last 3 months. So here we are again, exploring the undeniable relationship between sport - particularly physical and mental wellness - and pursuing purpose. Just what is the link? I wanted to explore this with Charlie who is undoubtedly one of the most driven individuals I have ever met.

When did you become aware of your sense of purpose?

Charlie’s understanding of his own sense of purpose certainly grew with the learning of a massive opportunity for combining both the scalability and leverage of technology within the social impact space; he shared with me his vision of utilizing technology to make social impact more accessible. There was a definite frustration in Charlie as he addressed the lack of platforms like his own in the impact space historically, leading him to create VOLI as a solution. “We can use our phones to book a flight overseas, or book a hotel in another city, but not necessarily to create a positive impact on someone else's life”.

VOLI aims to bring social impact to the world and in doing so, make it easy, meaningful, and rewarding for those who choose to contribute and serve others. The platform connects companies and their employees to increase their overall impact, measurement capabilities, and ability to showcase their impact. “It felt like this calling where you just know this needs to happen, and it's not just going happen by itself. So I may as well try to do everything that I can to contribute towards that mission”.

At this point, I had to slow us down for just a second and give a seriously enormous virtual and non-condescending pat on the back to Charlie, a 26-year-old who’s taken on this behemoth of a challenge, who endeavours to change the way the world approaches social impact. It’s quite incredible.

What are your drivers, motivators and habits?

“Wild ambitions and big dreams will get you excited and fired up, but what's difficult is maintaining and sustaining that energy and motivation to stay true to your mission”, Charlie responded, when I moved the conversation toward the topic of motivation. We naturally flowed into the daily practices that keep him aligned with the vision he has for his future. Charlie has the sleep routine you’d expect from a pro athlete... He likes to be asleep by 9 pm, using mouth tape, earplugs and an eye mask! And what about when he wakes up?

“So this morning I went for a 6km run, then came home and went for a cold dip. It was around 2 degrees when I did that”. Knowing that I couldn’t stay in a cold bath for more than 30 seconds before my bones rattle, I told him I couldn’t think of anything worse! Although, it’s not something Charlie relishes either, as he shares the internal conflict of: “Should I go in? Should I not? I’ve acknowledged I really don't want to do this. So my next conclusion is: Well, that's why I have to do it because often the beauty is in the work that you're avoiding”.

Charlie realises more often than not if he’s avoiding a particular thing, it typically is going to be good for him in some capacity. Something profound that Charlie said - applicable to sport, business or any purposeful pursuit - was: “Every single decision you make is ultimately getting you closer or further away from your dream”. Let that one sit! What a mindset.

Your proudest moment

My personal belief is that it’s not a marathon time, the dollar amount of a sale, or the acclaimed award that defines us. It’s the moments of struggle and resilience in the pursuit of our dreams that ultimately move the needle toward where we want to be. The moment on stage is yet a flashing byproduct. I think Charlie would agree based on our conversation!

As far as VOLI goes, Charlie humanly conceded that simply giving his Mum a celebratory call to mark a small success is what gives him the most pride. I should do that more! But this seems ever more important to Charlie given that ‘Goliath’ challenge we spoke about of changing the Social Impact game. It was wonderful to hear him concede that yes, it is a Goliath, but nicking the Achilles of Goliath feels bloody great!

On the sporting front, a 12 hour, 60km ultra trail marathon in Bali with 3,800 metres elevation made the cut for this segment, where Charlie let out more than a few tears at the finish line after battling mudslides, the dark of night and that little devil on our shoulder we call self-doubt!

Challenges & Obstacles

Charlie’s underlying vision is to build a platform that is synonymous with impact.

“Similar to what Strava has done for fitness, and Linkedin has for business. I'm sure there is going to be a platform of that pedigree for all things impact, whether it be discovery, measurement, recognition, and rewards as well. We're doing everything to throw a hat in the ring.”

Rather terrifyingly, Charlie spoke to the enormous challenge of building something of that ilk, but in a sector where it hasn't been done before on a global scale. “Some would say that we're delusional to think that we can do it, but I think the fact that we are almost oblivious to the challenge has allowed us to keep pushing forward”. This challenge alone, for me, says so much about Charlie. The audaciousness to take it on, the ambition to believe he can succeed, and the passion he brings every day to take small bites of the beast in front of him are nothing short of awe-inspiring.

How can we pursue our sense of purpose?

“I think that the one thing that's going to get you closer to the thing is doing the thing.”

Charlie paraphrases Chris Williamson who says ‘talking about the thing isn't doing the thing. Writing down notes about the thing isn't doing the thing. Preparing to do the thing isn't doing the thing. Doing the thing is doing the thing’.

Charlie insisted that if you have the idea you’re already 90% of the way there! Simply allocate whatever amount of time you can towards bringing that idea to fruition, whether it's half an hour a day, or a few hours on the weekend. Just make sure there's consistency behind it”.

How can we support your cause?

Partner with VOLI; Any businesses wanting to measure and increase their social impact can contact Charlie via [email protected]