Episodes
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In today's Where's My Village? we are exploring another pillar that's been supporting families and their kids for a long time - the community.
In the final episode of the series, Fortune's Ellen McGirt returns to explore how we can create community in a country that would rather we not.
This episode features the story of Fela Barclift and Little Sun People, a childcare center Barclift founded in 1980 to serve and strengthen the Brooklyn community it’s proud to call home.
Before we get to Little Sun People, we hear from Julia Gutierrez, a mom and infant mental health advocate from rural Michigan. Gutierrez describes how her family came together to help raise her two children, creating an invaluable support system that helped her through some tough times.
And we hear from Mia Birdsong, the author of How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship and Community, about what is currently separating us from the human need for community and how she reconnects to it in her own life.
Thank you for coming on this journey with us over these five episodes of Where’s My Village? We’re proud to have brought to you the stories of people who are working to make childcare accessible for all of us. And we know we have only scratched the surface of what’s out there...until next time, take good care of yourselves and each other!
Where's My Village? is written, produced and reported by Alexis Haut. Nicole Vergalla is our editor.
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Private investment in childcare companies doubled between 2020 and 2021, and the range of apps, software, products and services investors can put their money into is growing. Many think private dollars have the potential to transform the childcare industry, others think involving private investors is a risky endeavor.
In this episode of Where's My Village?, Fortune senior writer Megan Leonhardt digs deeper into the opportunity for and pros and cons of private investment in childcare.
Shruthi Jayaram of Dalberg Advisors and Jess Lee of Sequoia Capital talk through why investors have been skeptical of investing in care in the past and what's changed in the past few years.
Chris Bennett, the CEO of Wonderschool. discusses his decision to focus on in home providers, how many providers on the Wonderschool platform earn almost triple the national average and his vision for the company's future. Wonderschool is a childcare management platform that works with home-based providers to streamline and grow their businesses.
We also hear from home-based providers about the realities of their professions and experts in the field on their concerns about private investment in childcare.
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Missing episodes?
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Where's My Village? is off this week. In the meantime, Ellen McGirt wants to share with you a conversation that happened recently at a Fortune event - the Most Powerful Women Summit. This is a gathering of some of the most influential women in the business world. Fortune gathers the group each year to learn from each other and discuss some of the biggest issues of the day. This year, childcare was on that list of hot topics. Fortune editor Ruth Umoh spoke with Carol Juel, the Chief Technology and Operating Officer of Synchrony, and Reshma Saujani, the Founder of Girls Who Code and The Marshall Plan for Moms, about ways companies can support working moms.
Where's My Village? will be back with a new episode next week, in which Fortune senior writer Megan Leonhardt digs into how a growing number of entrepreneurs and investors are approaching the childcare crisis as a business opportunity.
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Families have known for years that reliable childcare is directly tied to parents' ability to work. But the pandemic made this painfully clear to employers, spurring many to rethink the benefits they offer employees.
In this episode of Where's My Village?, Fortune senior writer Maria Aspan explores how two companies and one New York City union have decided to support their workers with kids.
First up, Bank of America. The company, which employs over 200,000 people, extended a range of childcare offerings during the pandemic and ultimately decided to make several of them permanent.
Next, Corning, Inc. For years the Fortune 500 company has helped fund daycares and afterschool centers that are available to the entire community.
And finally, the New York City 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers union. For 30 years companies that employee union members have contributed money to a fund that subsidies childcare for union families.
Why have these very different employers decided to invest so heavily in childcare? And how has this choice impacted their workers? Find out in this week's Where's My Village?
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When it comes to providing support for America's childcare infrastructure, the federal government has proven infamously unreliable. But - on the bright side - in the absence of federal action, states and cities have become hot beds for childcare innovation. In this episode of Where's My Village? host Beth Kowitt investigates how one New England state and a city in Kansas are finding both the political will and the financial resources to provide reliable, affordable childcare to their residents.
Also in this episode, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) who has led the charge for childcare funding in the federal government for well over 20 years.
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Reinvent is proud to present Where's My Village?, Fortune's podcast about America's childcare crisis and the stories of people who are trying to fix it. The childcare industry in the U.S. has been in a precarious position for years. Childcare workers are chronically underpaid, yet quality care is hard to find - and for many families it's almost prohibitively expensive. This has long been a problem that individuals struggled to solve alone. But when COVID forced much of the industry to shut down, the problem burst into the open. It quickly became clear to many that childcare is essential to the country's economic health. Limited childcare options limit the ability of parents - often of mothers - to participate fully in the workforce.
Luckily there are entrepreneurs, corporate executives, community leaders and politicians who see this moment as an opportunity to make things better. In each episode of Where's My Village, Fortune reporters will introduce you to these people who are striving to improve the system.
But in the first episode of this limited series, host Ellen McGirt seeks to uncover how the country got into its current childcare mess. McGirt talks to organizers, advocates, historians, and policy experts about the historical roots and current state of America's childcare infrastructure and why they have hope for its future.
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Zoom has been a vital part of our daily lives over the past two years. We’ve used it to meet with co-workers, celebrate family events, and to attend concerts and yoga classes while the world shut down around us. But now that the world is opening back up, people are returning to the office and to life in person. Can Zoom stay relevant in our evolving hybrid world? And can it compete with similar services from bigger companies like Microsoft and Google?
In this episode of Reinvent, hosts Beth Kowitt and Geoff Colvin speak to Zoom’s Chief Product Officer Oded Gal about how Zoom will adapt its product to meet the needs of our changing world. Geoff and Beth also talk to Debbie Lovich, leader of Boston Consulting Group’s People Strategy Research, about the future of work and what it will demand of technologies like Zoom. Mike Fasciani, Research Director of Digital Workplace Applications at Gartner, shares how Zoom stacks up against its biggest competitors.
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Walgreens is transforming its pharmacies and retail stores into one-stop primary health care providers, with CEO Roz Brewer and her team planning to roll out 600 full-service clinics nationwide by 2025. It has invested $5.2 billion in primary care provider VillageMD as a partner in this transformation, a big and risky move. What can we expect from these clinics? Why is Walgreens doing this now? And can it compete with CVS which has a similar plan?
In this episode of Reinvent, hosts Beth Kowitt and Geoff Colvin speak to Walgreens Boots Alliance Chief Integration and Transformation Officer, Anita Allemand about how Walgreens plans to pull this off. Geoff and Beth ask Brian Tanquilut, Health Care Services Analyst at Jeffries, if Walgreens can compete with CVS and Walmart. And Dr. Deidra Candace Crews, of Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, speaks to how these clinics could address America’s profound health care inequities.
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If you’ve shopped for kids toys or clothing lately, you may have noticed a growing number of gender-inclusive offerings. Apparel giant Abercrombie & Fitch and Mattel Inc.’s iconic toy brand Barbie have made it a priority to produce products that go beyond the gender binary. What’s their motivation? Are these items selling? And does California Bill 1084 have anything to do with it?
In this episode of Reinvent, hosts Beth Kowitt and Geoff Colvin speak to Mattel’s Global Head of Design for Barbie and Fashion Dolls Kim Culmone and to Kim Dolder, General Manager of Abercrombie’s Gilly Hicks line, about how their brands are evolving to appeal to all genders.. Geoff and Beth also talk to Juli Lennett, Vice President and Industry Advisor for NPD Group’s Toy’s Division, about how gender inclusive toys perform in the market. Rob Smith, founder of the Phluid Project, shares how California Bill 1084 - legislation requiring retailers to sell trucks right next to dolls - came to be, and its potential impact.
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In January 2021, one of America’s most iconic automobile companies announced it was undergoing a huge transformation. General Motors said it would stop selling vehicles with internal combustion engines, and would go all electric by 2035. GM’s Zero Emissions plan is an enormous commitment that has the potential to impact the environment and the entire auto industry. But can GM pull it off?
In this episode of Reinvent, hosts Geoff Colvin and Beth Kowitt speak to GM Executive Vice Presidents Gerald Johnson and Doug Parks about how they will make the Zero Emissions plan a reality and what obstacles they'll have to overcome to get there. Geoff and Beth also talk to Harvard Law Professor Jody Freeman and Bank of America’s Lead Auto Analyst John Murphy to weigh the plan’s chances for success and what it may mean for our planet.
If you enjoy Reinvent, check out all of Fortune's podcasts here.
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The meteoric rise in unemployment during the COVID-19 crisis has forced many to rethink what they do for a living. According to economists, a large share of the jobs lost to the pandemic are gone forever. Enter MOOCs, the Massively Open Online Courses, which have long promised to democratize education. In this episode, Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda argues that MOOCs are an indispensable tool for retraining the workforce for the digital jobs of tomorrow.
Also in this episode: Dr. Annelies Goger of the Brookings Institution discusses how learning new digital skills, while important, is only part of what it takes to embark on a new career. Many of those rehired not only learned the right skills, they knew the right people.
If you enjoy Reinvent, check out “Brainstorm” the new Fortune podcast on how tech is reshaping our world.. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device.
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While COVID-19 has dealt the restaurant industry writ large a difficult hand, some are faring better than others. In September, McDonald’s reported the best month it’s had in a decade; in this episode of Reinvent, host Beth Kowitt speaks with CEO Chris Kempczinski about how McDonald’s finds itself in a surprisingly good spot, thanks to the premium customers are now placing on speed, efficiency, drive-thru, and delivery. Also in this episode: Aaron Allen, founder and chief strategist of Aaron Allen & Associates, a global restaurant consultancy, discusses McDonald’s remarkable size and how the fast-food giant will capitalize on the competitive advantage the pandemic has awarded them. If you enjoy Reinvent, check out “Brainstorm” the new Fortune podcast on how tech is reshaping our world. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, customers stripped grocery stores bare. While common products were uncharacteristically unavailable, farmers reportedly had to destroy crops because of kinks in their supply chains. Dairy farmers dumped millions of gallons of milk, right at what should have been the productive time of the year. Hosts Beth Kowitt and Adam Lashinsky discuss how the farmer-owned cooperative, Land O' Lakes, avoided dumping milk by pairing back its offerings and focusing on what its customers wanted most.
Also in this episode: Scott McKenzie, of the Nielsen Intelligence Unit, speaks on consumer trends during the pandemic, and how all industries are rethinking how best to get products to market.
If you enjoy Reinvent, check out “Brainstorm” the new Fortune podcast on how tech is reshaping our world.. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device.
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The ride-hailing company Lyft is no stranger to a challenge. As co-founder and president John Zimmer explains on this episode, Lyft has survived through hard times - and later flourished - by focusing on what it does best: Providing affordable and enjoyable transportation options to customers. But COVID-19 has dealt the company a punishing blow, forcing Lyft to lay off 17% of its workforce. Hosts Adam Lashinsky and Beth Kowitt discuss the company’s thinking on diversification, as well as its position on California’s Proposition 22 ballot initiative, which would exempt companies like Lyft and its behemoth rival, Uber, from classifying its drivers as employees.
Also in this episode: Richard Ezike, a Senior Policy Associate at the Urban Institute, discusses the proper balance between the public and private sectors in an ideal transportation system.
If you enjoy Reinvent, check out “Brainstorm” the new Fortune podcast on how tech is reshaping our world. To listen and subscribe, click here from your mobile device.
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After shuttering in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA decided to move 22 teams this summer to Disney World in Orlando, Florida in an effort to salvage what remained of the 2019-2020 season. It built a closed campus with strict public health guidelines: Everyone received daily coronavirus tests and wore not just masks, but also sensors to enforce social distancing. The "NBA Bubble" as it's now known, cost the league $180 million, and in this episode, host Adam Lashinsky makes the case to co-host Beth Kowitt it was worth every penny.
Drawing on interviews with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Andre Iguodala of the Miami Heat, and others, Lashinsky explains how the NBA navigated COVID-19, as well as a summer of social and political unrest, and still came out on the other side.
Also in this episode: Mehdi Bentanfous of Kinexon explains how his company's SafeTags are used to help professional sports leagues complete their seasons.
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In February, BP's new CEO, Bernard Looney, announced plans for the company to become carbon neutral by 2050. It will invest aggressively in renewable energy and move away from the oil and gas production that has fueled its success for over a century.
Hosts Adam Lashinsky and Beth Kowitt are joined by Fortune's Vivenne Walt, a correspondent in Paris who spent months digging into Looney's announcement. As Big Oil reels from plummeting demand due to COVID-19, many questions still exist about BP's promises, especially considering the company's previous attempts at reinvention.
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In 2019, the U.S. restaurant industry generated over $850 billion. This year it's on track for its worst year ever thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. With restaurants shuttered and millions of jobs lost, it's no exaggeration to say the industry is in turmoil.
But restaurateurs are not sitting idly by, waiting for a recovery. They are fighting to survive and finding innovative ways to do so. In this debut episode of Reinvent, hosts Beth Kowitt and Adam Lashinsky speak with Chef David Chang who opened a New York City ramen bar in 2004 and has grown it into an empire, complete with a Netflix series and a memoir. He lays out both the challenges facing restaurants and how he is tackling those challenges.
Also in the episode, Melissa Wilson of advisory firm Technomics offers a peek at how the pandemic will likely change restaurants, impacting everything from how you read a menu to how food is prepared in the back of the house.
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