MEET ROB LAWLESS
On a mission to make 10,000 new friends
While on a journey to meet 10,000 strangers, keynote speaker Rob Lawless discovered the incredible power of intentional connection and how organizations can use it to create positive, connected cultures.
Meet Rob Lawless.
Rob Lawless is a 33-year-old originally from Norristown, PA, with a genuine passion for getting to know new people. Graduating with highest honors in May 2013 from Penn State University, he earned a Finance degree with minors in Accounting and Entrepreneurship. Rob then joined Deloitte Consulting as a Business Analyst in Strategy & Operations, fulfilling his dream job. However, after a year and a half, he made a typical Millennial move, accepting a significant pay cut to join RJMetrics, a $24 million venture-funded startup.
At RJMetrics, Rob worked as a sales representative, engaging in daily cold emailing and requesting 30-minute phone calls to discuss the company's product offerings. Yet in his post grad life, he missed the authentic connection he'd experienced in college. As a result, he set off on a journey in November 2015, aiming to meet 10,000 people for an hour each for no specific reason. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, and he began meeting people from incredibly diverse backgrounds.
Then on Monday, June 20, 2016 . . .
RJMetrics was acquired by a larger company, which didn’t require Rob’s position, so he dove in full-time into my endeavor to meet 10,000 different people for an hour each.
To date, he's connected with over 6,000 individuals from more than 90 countries worldwide. His travels have taken him across the nation six times, and he has been featured in prominent media outlets, such as "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" and the "TODAY Show with Hoda and Jenna." He even appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show, alongside Jane Lynch and Jo Koy, in front of an entire audience of friends from the project!
Rob Lawless remains deeply passionate about the value and adventure of connection, is excited to meet the next 4,000 of his friends and is eager to continue sharing what he's learned from his journey - that every human interaction holds the potential to change your life!