Luke Mickelson: Ending Child Bedlessness One Bed at a Time - #175

Alex Quin sits down with Luke Mickelson, the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit on a mission to end child bedlessness. What began as a small garage project has transformed into a global network with 350 chapters across four countries and over 250,000 beds delivered.

Luke shares how a single community need shifted his perspective on success and led him to walk away from a high-paying career. Learn about the pivotal moment that inspired the movement, the scale of the issue, and the grassroots strategies that helped SHP thrive.

Episode Outline

[00:00:03] Intro: Meet Luke Mickelson and SHP’s impact
[00:02:15] How Luke discovered child bedlessness
[00:07:40] The first build: From garage to mission
[00:12:10] Personal transformation: Fulfillment through service
[00:16:50] Early challenges and Facebook’s unexpected role
[00:23:10] First delivery: The story of Haley
[00:29:05] Scaling SHP: People, process, and passion
[00:34:45] Child development and the effects of bedlessness
[00:39:20] Redefining success and building community
[00:44:00] How to get involved with SHP

Wisdom Nuggets

From Couch to Action: Real change begins the moment you move from wanting to act to actually doing something. Luke’s story highlights how powerful a few inches of movement—off the couch—can be.

Local First, Impact Global: SHP’s model focuses on keeping support local. This not only solves immediate community issues but fosters long-term engagement and ownership.

You Can’t Scale Alone: Empowering others and letting go of control was key to SHP’s expansion. Trusting people with clear responsibilities created a thriving, scalable nonprofit.

Redefining Wealth: True success isn’t the size of your paycheck—it’s the impact you leave behind. For Luke, fulfillment came from service, not status.

Simple Fix, Big Problem: Child bedlessness is a solvable issue that most people don’t even realize exists. A $300 bed can drastically improve a child’s life and future.

Power Quotes

“No kid is gonna sleep on the floor in my town if I have anything to do with it.”
— Luke Mickelson

Meet the Guest

Instagram: @shpluke
Website: shpbeds.org

Connect With the Podcast Host Alex Quin

Instagram: @alexquin
Twitter: @mralexquin
LinkedIn: Alex Quin on LinkedIn
Website: alexquin.com
TikTok: @mralexquin

Our Community

Instagram: @hustleinspireshustle
Twitter: @HustleInspires
LinkedIn: Hustle Inspires Hustle on LinkedIn
Website: hustleinspireshustle.com

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