Meet Kevin Smith

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kevin, so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.

Transformational leadership first requires believing in yourself and in your Vision even when no one else does. It requires being secure in your values and beliefs and having the confidence of your convictions. It’s less about what others think than it is about what you KNOW.

When you believe in yourself and in your vision, and truly “walk the talk”through the leadership of your example, others will eventually see it too and will start to believe in you. But it’s also essential to believe in them and in their potential even if they don’t and it seems no one believes in you. That’s when you’ll bring out the best in them, they’ll bring out the best in you, and you’ll bring out the best in each other with the collective whole greater than the sum of its individual parts.

That’s how organizations are transformed. That’s how transformational leaders are made, and that’s how not just your world but the broader world around you can be changed.

The story of Kindness Worldwide is a journey of passion, purpose, and perseverance for a cause greater than my own. A fight for the “greater good” is one always worth fighting for regardless of the cost or sacrifice..

For many months not a single person but one believed what I was attempting to do was possible. That one was me. Nothing was going to stop me from believing. Because I knew the heart, soul, and character of my home community of York, PA, of my country, and of global citizens at large. I knew all it would take was planting a seed, watering it as best I could, and that THEY would step up and make it blossom if only given the chance.

And did they ever.

All they needed was something to inspire them, a spark to empower them, and someone to believe in them.

Now? People are starting to “see” what I’ve seen all along and beginning to believe too. Once you believe not in the IMpossible but in the “I’M”possible magic happens and miracles manifest.

The world was never changed by the cynics and naysayers but by the dreamers and believers bold enough to courageously enter “the arena” and defy all expectations except for their own.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ve always believed that the meaning of life is to live it in a way to make a meaningful difference.

By day I’m the founder of Smith Wealth Advisory Group and have been recognized by publications such as Forbes and Financial Times as among the top advisors in the country and the most credentialed wealth advisor in the world. It’s very meaningful to me to help others translate their monetary resources into meaningful life experiences.

My life assumed new meaning and purpose when I was the beneficiary of an act of kindness on Good Friday morning 2023. An innocent attempt to identify a Good Samaritan woman who returned my lost wallet moments after I discovered it missing and thank her in a more meaningful way suddenly assumed a life of its own and became so much more. It became about making a meaningful difference. In what I can only describe as an indescribable adventure of a lifetime that continues to this day, I was ultimately inspired to form the nonprofit Kindness Worldwide with a vision “to create a culture of kindness in communities throughout the world.” Its signature initiative Kindness Week Worldwide was first celebrated in my home community of York, PA and since spawned a global movement by being recognized and celebrated in multiple communities throughout the country and the world as far away as Australia and Delphi, Greece. In October 2024 I gave the keynote address at the 11th General Assembly of the World Kindness Movement in Palermo, Italy with 40 nations represented. There, I called on leaders in all communities in all countries including every member nation of the United Nations to elevate kindness to the global shared value that represents ALL of humanity. There is a path.

Kindness Worldwide is not my story but ours. I’m convinced that, together, this vision can be achieved. I’m committed to doing my part. When accomplished, nothing could be more meaningful than changing the world through kindness.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Heart, Passion, and Purpose (and a ton of Grit mixed in!)

The above qualities are a powerful combination. I’m convinced from personal experience that with passion and purpose no dream is too big nor any star beyond reach.

It all begins with a strong foundation of personal character and integrity, and a genuine altruistic desire to serve others for a purpose greater than oneself.

There is no logical reason for any of what has happened and is happening with the movement of Kindness Worldwide unless one understands the tireless effort and dedication that has gone into it.

Every talent and skill I possess has been tested to the max, and skills I never knew I had have emerged in this journey. Beyond the above, the financial acumen and skills that have been instrumental in building a successful wealth advisory practice have been instrumental in building Kindness Worldwide and leveraging a unit of input into multiples more in impact whether in dollars or effective use of resources.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Absolutely! Kindness Worldwide has ambassadors throughout the country and the world who are those guided by heart, passion, and purpose and eager to champion the mission/vision of Kindness Worldwide and bring the magic of Kindness Week Worldwide to their respective communities, regions, states, countries, etc. The aim is ultimately to have an ambassador from every state and country in the world.

Kindness Worldwide is an ecosystem model. I do not consider it my nonprofit but “ours” more broadly. It relies on a shared spirit of collaboration in order to achieve synergies that make the collective whole greater than the sum of its individual parts. If we wish to make our world a better place, it depends upon all of us to manifest the vision I know is possible and a collaborative spirit of government, business, schools, citizens, media, and all community ecosystems.

Community is EVERY leader’s business. We are all part of a global community and have a shared responsibility to work together in order for it to be vibrant and thrive. We do not compete but complete.

So I also call on and welcome mayors, commissioners, supervisors, governors, presidents and all leaders to “join the movement” with us to further this meaningful work and our noble vision.

Our story is proof that no act of kindness is too small to make a difference and change a life, and that anyone can make a lasting impact – and even change the world – through kind actions.

Why not YOU?

I say, why not US?

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