Luke Mickelson of Sleep in Heavenly Peace: The Kids Without Beds

Luke Mickelson is the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit dedicated to building and delivering beds to children who don't have one. What started as a family project in an Idaho garage has grown into a global organization with nearly 400 chapters and more than 300,000 beds delivered to date.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The moment Luke discovered that kids in his own town were sleeping on the floor—and why that was so shocking.

• The Christmas project that helped Luke see poverty through the eyes of a six-year-old.

• How TV personality Mike Rowe got involved—and helped spark a national movement.

• What actually happens at a bed build—and why volunteers keep coming back.

• The 150,000+ kids currently on their waiting list and the plan to reach them.

Chapters & Timed Links:

[04:12] The "Garage" Start: Why great American stories often begin in small, unheated spaces.

[08:45] The Discovery: Realizing "bedlessness" was a crisis in a town of only 4,000 people.

[12:30] The First Design: How Luke measured his daughter's bed to build furniture for the first time.

[17:15] Haley's Story: Seeing the impact of a bed through the eyes of a six-year-old.

[23:40] Avoiding "Mission Creep": Why saying "no" to teddy bears helped SHP scale to 400 chapters.

[31:20] The Mike Rowe Effect: How the Returning the Favor program launched 125 chapters in one year.

[40:05] More Than a Bed: The physical and emotional weight of a good night's sleep.