The Redox Podcast

The Redox Podcast 12: What’s with the pink socks?

March 4, 2020
Niko Skievaski President & Co-Founder

Key Moments

01:30 – The accidental start of pinksocks 
05:43 – Creating a shared cultural narrative
11:12 – How the “gifting” ethos at Burning Man struck a nerve with Nick
15:40 – Expanding from healthcare into education
20:30 – Additional charities that pinksocks works with
27:15 – How to get involved with the pinksocks movement
32:15 – Description of the pinksocks blog, which chronicles how pinksocks has impacted lives around the world

“It’s an opportunity for you to say ‘look what she is doing today, look at what he is doing, look at what they’re doing over there. Oh! So much good is happening!’ And the force multiplier of all of us banding together and celebrating each other is really the collective power – the collective good – of what’s happening with the pinksocks movement.” 

Nick Adkins

Every health tech conference I attend I find myself asking the same question, “What day will I wear my pink socks?” This wasn’t always the case. I used to see these socks peeking out from under the dress pants of panelists or groups of people hiking up their bottoms to proudly display their pink socks for pictures. It seemed to me like an in-crowd that I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a part of.

Nick Adkins gave me my first pair of these socks at HIMSS one year in Vegas. I had met Nick and his co-conspirator, Andrew Richards, in Salt Lake City a few years before when our young companies were both there collaborating with Intermountain Healthcare. Nick approached me on the tradeshow floor wearing his usual kilt letting his pink socks shine. He went in for an embrace. After we caught up he said, “I have something for you” and pulled out a pair of pink socks. It was in that gift that I started to understand what this pinksocks movement was all about. It’s a gift. It’s kindness. Connection. 

After it’s humble beginnings at HIMSS15, the pinksocks tribe has grown to over 100,000 people around the world. Andrew and Nick embraced the movement (do we call it a movement?) and started the nonprofit Pink Socks Life focused on promoting human connection by socially supporting other public charities. 

For instance, at HIMSS this year they’re using the momentum of the tribe to draw awareness and raise money for BASE Camp Children’s Cancer Foundation in Orlando. With that in mind, please donate to the cause with Venmo: @basecampccf. 

The pinksocks movement has grown from healthcare into all kinds of industries around the world. And, as stated on the pinksocks website – “The pinksocks are our reminder that shared connection is what it’s all about. Have fun! Smile! Give hugs! Life, it’s happening right now! Don’t miss it!”

Our thanks to Nick Adkins and Andrew Richards for joining us on The Redox Podcast – and, more importantly, for spreading kindness through Pinksocks Life.  Visit their website to order socks make a donation to keep the movement alive. This tribe is for you.

Stay in the know! Subscribe to our newsletter.

Related Posts