From Fundraising Auctions to Billion-Dollar Impact: How “Do The Thing” Becomes a Movement

Guest: Stacey Lauren

What happens when you stop waiting for confidence and start building it in public? In this episode, Dr. Allen Lycka sits down with high-energy fundraising auctioneer and movement creator Stacey Lauren, founder of the Do The Thing platform. Stacey shares how she went from being afraid to speak—even running her podcast with the camera off for the first 100 episodes—to hosting challenges, charity auctions, and impact events that are on a path to raise a billion dollars for nonprofits.

You’ll hear how a 20-year run as a staffing company owner, stand-up comedy experiments, and mentoring with a celebrity charity auctioneer all shaped her framework for helping people “do the thing.” Stacey breaks down how her challenge model works, why she created the Comfort Circle framework to move people beyond fear, and how a trip to Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island sparked the idea for the Billion Dollar Impact Marketplace. Along the way, she shares hard-won lessons on rejection, momentum, and why movements grow fastest when they’re built around a shared cause—not the leader’s ego. If you’re craving more purpose, wanting to launch a challenge, or looking for a fresh model to fundraise for your favorite cause, this conversation will get you into action.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How Stacey turned personal reinvention, comedy, and auctions into the Do The Thing movement

• A simple challenge framework you can use to move people from watching to doing

• Why online charity auctions can outperform traditional galas (with less overhead)

• How to connect participants deeply to a cause so fundraising feels natural, not forced

• Practical mindset tools for handling rejection, staying in momentum, and not giving up too soon

Connect with Stacey Lauren:

• Facebook Group: https://dothethingcollaboration.com

• LinkedIn: Search “Stacey Lauren” on LinkedIn

Click here to claim your free gift: The Do The Thing Movement Challenge Workbook