Guest – John Wood
Encore Ep. 42: Former Microsoft Executive John Wood on Bringing a Growth Mindset to Helping Children and Young Women in the World’s Poorest Countries
In the late 1990’s, John Wood was living a great life. As a senior executive at Microsoft, his job took him to exotic places and he was experiencing an ideal post-MBA experience. His life would forever change on a getaway vacation in Nepal, when he had an experience that led him to quit his job and become a social entrepreneur. Since then, John Wood has created two successful non-profits and has written several books, including Leaving Microsoft to Change the World.” In this Blue Sky episode, John explains the business discipline and drive that he brings to his work, which he says he simply could not do if he weren’t an optimist.
In this conversation, John shares:
The moment in the Himalayas that sparked his decision to leave Microsoft
How he applied business discipline — benchmarking Room to Read's growth against Starbucks' post-IPO expansion — to scale a nonprofit faster than a Fortune 500 company
Why local ownership and community buy-in (not "helicopter philanthropy") became core to Room to Read's model
The origin of Room to Read's local-language publishing program, which has produced over 1,700 original children's titles
Why he launched a second organization, Ugo, to fund university scholarships for young women in low-income countries
The economics behind U-Go's $800-per-year scholarship model and its "zero leakage" funding structure
His advice for anyone considering a major career or life pivot toward purpose-driven work
Resources:
Chapters
00:00 A Pivotal Moment in Nepal
04:35 The Path to Scaling Impact
10:00 Productizing Philanthropy and Engagement
16:00 Local Empowerment and Cultural Solutions
22:00 Sustaining Motivation Through Challenges
26:40 Introducing U-Go: A New Vision
32:00 Creating Long-Term Educational Stability
40:10 Effective Altruism and Fundraising
44:10 Advice and Closing Thoughts
Listen to full episode :
