John Lapham is the general counsel at Getty Images. He splits his time between Seattle and New York. When in Seattle, he gets his Real Change paper from me in front of Zeitgeist Coffee. I was having a challenging day when I first encountered John. It was late winter, pouring rain, and sales were sluggish. He was gone before I noticed he had slipped me a generous tip. His face became etched into my memory. The next time he came to the cafe I thanked him for his generosity.
John’s compassionate response: “Yes; you weren’t doing so good that day.”
We started a conversation. When John is in Seattle he frequently brings a co-worker with him to the cafe. He makes sure to introduce me to each one. They all say things like, “Oh, I have heard so much about you.”
Let’s hear a bit more about John.
Tricia: How long have you been reading Real Change?
John: I have been reading Real Change for around 10 years.
Tricia: Is there is a solution to ending economic inequality in our society?
John: I think there are a number of partial solutions but no silver bullet. Much of it begins with people making the individual decision to share what they have, realizing that often only small shifts in grace or good fortune separate a business executive from a Real Change vendor.
Tricia: Is there content that you would like to see in Real Change?
John: I would enjoy more stories about organizations helping with homelessness or job training (like FareStart).
Tricia: Do you support or are you affiliated with any other causes or meaningful organizations?
John: I’m working on a White House initiative to combat and raise awareness of child prostitution (rape) in the U.S.
Tricia: If today was your last day on earth how would you spend it?
John: Sitting in the sunshine with my family watching Eddie Johnson from the Sounders score a hat trick on the Portland Timbers. Ice cream would help!
Tricia: Do you have an inspirational mantra that you live by?
John: “There but for the grace of God go I.” The fact that I have smart, healthy kids when others are sick; a great job when others do not; am still married to my high school sweetheart when other families are broken. These things are not just earned, there is a measure of grace involved.
Tricia: What is the last book you read?
John: I just read “The Defining Decade” by Meg Jay on the importance of life in your 20s.
Tricia: What would people be surprised to know about you?
John: People would be surprised to know I’ve lived in London, coached soccer for years, and ran a very successful Kool-Aid stand in the mid-1970s…
Tricia: If you were a rock star/ musician who would you be?
John: Somewhere between Tim McGraw and Chester Bennington from Linkin Park.