Our Origin Story























  
  








  
Before 6 Levers was a framework or a company, it was a conversation. When Joe Olwig and Shaun Lee met in 2019 at Mission Matters Group, they quickly discovered a deep alignment in how they thought about leadership, organizational health, and building strong, high-performing teams.
They both came from different paths, but shared the same core belief: that meaningful work has the power to transform lives. They were also both entrepreneurs at heart. Shaun had founded ventures in food and nonprofits and Joe was constantly innovating in the education sector. More than anything, they shared a desire to help teams reach their potential.
That shared conviction sparked a simple but powerful question: What if we could take everything we’ve learned, both as leaders and consultants, and build a framework to help teams everywhere thrive? That question became the foundation for 6 Levers, a practical and people-centered framework that helps leadership teams reach their potential, and even more importantly to find joy at work.























  
  





    

  
  

  




  
  
  
  

  
    
      
    
  
  
    
  






  
    
    


  
  




  

    

    
      
    
    

  

  

    

      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      




  
Meet Joe Olwig























  
  








  
Joe’s path began in a 7th-grade math classroom in Charlotte, North Carolina. As a Teach For America corps member, he was committed to building a space where students could succeed — and they did. By the end of the year, his students were outperforming nearly every other school in the district. That experience showed him something powerful. When people feel clarity, connection, and purpose in their work, they become deeply engaged and capable of extraordinary outcomes.
Joe’s success in the classroom led to school leadership, where he served as a Principal at KIPP St. Louis. Under his leadership, the school became one of the highest-performing public charters in the region. What Joe discovered was that great leadership is not just about personality or charisma. It is about building the right systems, cultivating the right mindsets, and creating a culture where people thrive.
Joe has been married to his wife Laura since 2014.  They have three children, Henry, Claire and Greta.  They live in St. Louis, MO.























  
  



































  
    
      
        

        

        

        
          
        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        
      
    
  













  

    
  
    

      

        

          

          
          

          
            
              

                
            
            
            
            
            
            
            

            
              
            
            

          
              

            
          

        

      

    

    
  


  




    

  
  

  




  
  
  
  

  
    
      
    
  
  
    
  






  
    
    


  
  




  

    

    
      
    
    

  

  

    

      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      




  
Meet Shaun Lee























  
  








  
Shaun’s journey into mission-driven work began early. As a teenager in AmeriCorps, he served individuals experiencing homelessness, and that experience lit a fire that would guide his entire career. Years later, at St. Patrick Center in St. Louis Shaun helped lead a crisis response team to support families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. His team relocated over 300 families and mobilized hundreds of community groups to provide long-term support. That chapter taught him a lasting truth: when people are trusted and empowered within healthy systems, they rise.
Shaun went on to become the COO at Haven for Hope, the largest homeless service facility in the US, where he focused on building intentional, human-centered systems that scale. After his time at Haven for Hope, Shaun launched a business focussed on making locally sourced food more accessible.  The idea for it came as part of the capstone project for his MBA he received in 2012.  After 5 years of growing the business, he sold it and guided its merger with Farmhouse Delivery in Austin, TX.
Shaun has been married to his wife DeeDee, since 2006.  They have three children, Georgia, Eli and Estella and live in Austin, TX























  
  



































  
    
      
        

        

        

        
          
        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        

        
      
    
  













  

    
  
    

      

        

          

          
          

          
            
              

                
            
            
            
            
            
            
            

            
              
            
            

          
              

            
          

        

      

    

    
  


  




    

  
  

  




  
  
  
  

  
    
      
    
  
  
    
  






  
    
    


  
  




  

    

    
      
    
    

  

  

    

      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      




  
Together Joe and Shaun have led over 100 organizational transformation projects, and they are the co-authors of the best selling book, At the Heart of Work.