Episódios
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Katherine Neebe serves as senior vice president of national engagement and strategy, and chief sustainability and philanthropy officer for Duke Energy. She leads Duke Energy’s stakeholder engagement efforts to develop solutions to meet customer needs for continued reliable and affordable energy—while simultaneously working to achieve the company’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In addition, Katherine maintains oversight of the Duke Energy Foundation, which provides philanthropic support to help meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work.
In this episode, we discuss:
● Nuclear power’s resurgence
● Modernizing the power grid
● The surprising reason the US power industry has been able to reduce emissions by 40%
Key Takeaways:
● Tipping Point Industries: Tipping points can be for the better or the worse. When it comes to creating a sustainable future, there are tipping point industries that can have an oversized impact on our collective emissions reductions. The energy sector, for example, is foundational—it powers our lives and businesses. By making it sustainable, we create a massive ripple effect that benefits every organization and individual relying on it. Similarly, transportation is another cornerstone sector. Innovation in tipping point industries can profoundly impact our collective path to sustainability.
● Energy: The Force of Transformation: Physics teaches us that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it merely changes from one form to another. This principle allows us to power entire cities by harnessing, transporting, and converting energy. It got me thinking—what do you want to power with the energy within you? What do you want to build and sustain with your life force? Reflecting on how you harness your energy can lead to a legacy that outlasts you.
● Levers for Change: Three levers for driving sustainability are: business, government, and philanthropy. These forces work together, to create combined change that’s more than the sum of its parts. Like sustainability, most areas in life have multiple levers to create change, where a combined effort produces the best results. If there's something in your life, or your business, that you want to change, take some time to consider what the levers of change are for that thing. Chances are, your best results will come from approaching change from multiple directions.
References:
● Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn
● Duke Energy
● The U.S. National Science Foundation page on the CHIPS and Science Act
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Breene Murphy is the president of Carbon Collective, a climate investment advisor. They create low-fee investment portfolios for employer 401k plans and individuals that divest from fossil fuels and reinvest in climate solutions. They have launched two Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): a climate solutions equity ETF (ticker: CCSO), and a green bond fund (ticker: CCSB).. Carbon Collective is an implementation partner of Project Drawdown, and a member of Rewiring America’s CEOs for Electrification coalition.
If you are responsible for your company’s 401K plans, look to Carbon Collective’s ETFs as a sustainable option to offer employees.
In this episode, we discuss:
● What an ETF is, and why Carbon Collective needed to create their own
● How an investment portfolio is made
● Why it’s important to invest more funds into climate solutions companies
Key Takeaways:
● Investing: Simplify the Complex. Investing can feel like trying to decipher a foreign language. You're either lost in the weeds or barely skimming the surface. Here's my straightforward advice: First, if you're in the USA, start investing in your 401K as early as possible, and always contribute at least the maximum amount that your company matches. There is no fallback social system to rely on in retirement. Second, remember that your investments are your bets on the future. When you put your money into a company, you're saying, "I want this company to be part of tomorrow's world." So, invest with intention. Make sure your financial choices align with the future you want to live in.
● Expanding Investment Choices. For markets to genuinely reflect individual choices, people need a full spectrum of options. Carbon Collective stepped in to fill a significant gap by creating new ETFs and 401K portfolios that exclude fossil fuel companies—something that was missing in the market. Considering that 401Ks are the primary retirement-saving vehicle for Americans, having no option to align those investments with personal values means the market can’t truly reflect individual preferences. It’s like having a dessert bar that only offers ice cream and then assuming everyone’s favorite dessert is ice cream. True choice requires diverse options.
● Helping: The Antidote to Helplessness. Before we started recording, Breene shared his eye-opening experience of joining the workforce and realizing that most adults are just figuring it out as they go, struggling along the way. This shattered the illusion that adults “have it figured out”. He talked about the impact helping those around him had on his career. It reminded me of the phrase "helping is the antidote to helplessness". No matter what, every life journey will have spots that feel helpless. This phrase is a nice reminder. Helpful acts not only lift others up but also pull us out of our own helpless ruts, reminding us that we have the power to make a difference.
References:
● Connect with Breene on LinkedIn
● Carbon Collective
● Project Drawdown
● International Energy Agency
● Rewiring America
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Julia Marsh is the CEO and co-founder of Sway, a clean tech startup scaling seaweed-based, home-compostable packaging. Sway’s patented products match the vital performance attributes of conventional plastics and are designed to plug into existing infrastructure, enabling scale and massive impact. Julia’s work is driven by a deep passion for regenerative design and biological circularity.
In 2023, Sway won first place in the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize. In 2021, Sway also won the Beyond the Bag Challenge sponsored by Closed Loop Partners and a consortium of major retailers. Sway’s solutions have garnered recognition from Vogue, Condé Nast, Forbes, Business Insider, and Fast Company. As a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and 1% for the Planet, Sway is working holistically to scale their product for a thriving, equitable future.
Learn more at swaythefuture.com.
In this episode, we discuss:
● Why recycling won’t fix our plastic problem
● The properties of seaweed that make it a flexible plastic film substitute
● The “Amazon Rainforest” ecosystem you never considered
Key Takeaways:
● Seamless Integration for Easy Adoption: Introducing a new material into established supply chains and factory processes can be challenging. Take a page out of the Sway playbook. If possible, create a plug-and-play solution that works with existing machinery. This lowers the barrier for manufacturers to test and adopt the new product, making it significantly easier to scale and implement across their industry.
● Understanding Product Lifecycles: To truly grasp the benefits and costs of any product, it’s crucial to examine its entire lifecycle. Take plastic, for example. The visible litter on beaches is just the tip of the iceberg. Microplastics in our oceans and bloodstreams are harming marine life and human health. The environmental impact of extracting petroleum for plastic production, and the long-lasting waste clogging our landfills, are often hidden from view but equally damaging. Out of sight should not mean out of mind—these unseen costs are critical to our understanding of plastic's true impact.
● The Power of Innovative Thinking: We need more people like Julia innovating new ways to do things. People who question the status quo. People who notice the cost of continuing to do things the same way, and aren’t ok with that cost. People that are curious enough to lean in, tinker, and innovate new solutions that are better for everyone. The next time you notice something off, don’t dismiss it. Instead, explore it—maybe you’re the one who will come up with the next groundbreaking solution. Your curiosity could lead to innovations that make a better future.
References:
● Connect with Julia on LinkedIn
● Sway
○ Keep up with Sway on Instagram
● Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize
● Lonely Whale
● Beyond the Bag Challenge
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Dalila Wilson-Scott serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Comcast Corporation, and President of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation. Dalila oversees all Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives and philanthropic strategy with a focus on advancing digital equity and economic mobility through Project UP, which is supported by a $1 billion commitment.
In 2023, Dalila was honored as WICT Woman of the Year in recognition of her work developing women leaders who transform the media, entertainment and technology industry. She has been named one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable” by Cablefax Magazine; one of the “Most Powerful Women in Business” by Black Enterprise; and an “Innovative Rising Star: Building Communities” by Forbes magazine among other honors.
In this episode, we discuss:
● The importance of data and transparency in DEI
● 3 key lessons for running a Foundation
● Looking at diversity through a holistic business lens to include employees, suppliers, customers, and product creation
Key Takeaways:
● Diversity: It's Not Just Business, It's Human: I’m done debating the business case for diversity—it's crystal clear, yet it hasn't solved the leadership imbalance. Let's focus on the human case. Look around the C-suites of S&P 100 companies: 70% of executives are white men, while they make up only 30% of the US population. Despite progress in diversifying executive teams over the past decade, these numbers don’t lie. Our system is still broken. It’s past time to fix a system that continues to perpetuate unfairness and bias, not just because diversity is proven to be good for business, but because it’s the right thing to do. Let’s not hide the need for fairness, justice, and ethics behind a business case.
● Building Solutions Through Continuous Listening: Listening to the people you aim to serve is crucial, and it’s not a one-time act—it’s an ongoing practice. This dialogue informs how programs need to evolve to meet changing needs. When you continuously listen and adapt, you build solutions that resonate and have lasting impact. It’s about creating a dynamic partnership with those you serve.
● The Importance of Community: The power of community cannot be overstated. We know the phrase “it takes a village”. This principle extends across all areas of life. Small businesses supported by their communities are more likely to succeed. Families with community support are more likely to thrive. Individuals who feel part of a work community are more likely to flourish. Humans are social creatures; we struggle in isolation but thrive when we come together. Building and nurturing community bonds is key to collective success and well-being.
References:
● Connect with Dalila Wilson-Scott on LinkedIn
● Comcast
○ Project UP
○ Comcast RISE
○ NBCU Academy
● Edelman Trust Barometer
● National Skills Coalition
● Pinnacle Group
● Making Space
● Code Path
● Per Sholas
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Dr. Stafford (Staff) Sheehan is an American scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur at the forefront of the carbon capture and utilization industry. Staff is the Co-founder and CTO of AIR COMPANY, a business converting captured carbon dioxide, water, and electricity into the fuels and chemicals that we get from fossil fuels today. He is the inventor of AIR COMPANY’s core patents and is responsible for the technology and operations of the business. Prior to founding AIR COMPANY, Dr. Sheehan served as the co-founder and CEO of Catalytic Innovations, where he developed electrochemical technologies to reduce energy consumption in refining processes.
Staff was recognized on MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 in 2023, as one of Chemical & Engineering News Talented 12 in 2017, and a Forbes 30 under 30 in 2016. He received his BS in Chemistry from Boston College and his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Yale University.
In this episode, we discuss:
● Carbon capture and carbon utilization
● The process to create sustainable aviation fuel
● The magic of chemistry
Key Takeaways:
● Circular Economy in Fuel Production: AIR COMPANY is transforming captured carbon from the atmosphere into fuel, creating a circular economy in the fuel industry. When this fuel is burned, the carbon released can be captured again to make more fuel. This closed-loop system is an incredible leap forward in sustainable energy.
● Cutting Costs and Emissions Globally: The ability to create fuel anywhere in the world means we can slash energy use and costs across the supply chain. By producing fuel locally, we eliminate the need for transportation, drastically reducing associated energy use, costs, and emissions. This innovation could revolutionize how we think about energy logistics and help eliminate global conflict over fuel.
● Turning Thin Air into Valuable Resources: Chemistry often feels like magic, and AIR COMPANY's work with carbon capture and utilization truly embodies this. Their work gives the phrase "making something out of thin air" a whole new—literal—meaning as they convert atmospheric carbon into new products like - aviation fuel, perfume, and vodka.
References:
● Connect with Staff on LinkedIn
● Air Company
● To learn more about renewable hydrogen listen to the Purpose and Profit episode with David Reynolds, then Chief Executive of the Department for Trade and Investment for South Australia.
● Defense Innovation Unit
● “$400 per gallon gas to drive debate over cost of war in Afghanistan”, by Roxana Tiron, The Hill, October 16th, 2009
● NASA CO2 Conversion Challenge
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Alex Lauver has been in the Outdoor Industry his entire career. Alex is currently Sr Director Materials, Innovation, & Sustainability at Outdoor Research (OR) where he specializes in advanced materials, sustainability, and high-performance apparel.
Since 1981, Outdoor Research has created outdoor apparel, accessories, and equipment for outdoor enthusiasts and military users around the globe with an Infinite Guarantee for their products. Most recently, Outdoor Research has partnered with a chemical company called Nikwax for PFAS free waterproofing, with all of their products transitioning to be free of intentionally added PFAS for Fall 2024 production.
In this episode, we discuss:
● Why PFAS are prevalent in the outdoor industry, and why PFAS are a problem
● The ups and downs of the continually evolving sustainability journey
● Green-washing and green-hushing
Key Takeaways:
● Persistent and Pervasive PFAS: PFAS are notorious for their persistence in the environment and their ability to bioaccumulate in living tissues, including humans, leading to serious health risks. These "forever chemicals" don't break down easily and they’re highly transmissible through air, water, and soil. Because of potential cross-surface contamination, factories aiming to produce PFAS-free materials will most likely need to eliminate PFAS entirely from their processes, a daunting task but one that could trigger a domino effect of widespread adoption of PFAS-free manufacturing.
● Collaboratively Evolving Sustainability: Sustainability is a continuously evolving journey. We learn, test, improve, and then repeat the process. To accelerate collective progress towards a sustainable future, transparency is key. When organizations share their sustainable innovations openly, others can replicate successful strategies and propose even better solutions. Transparency fosters a collaborative environment where sustainable practices can rapidly evolve and improve across many organizations and industries collectively.
● Shifting to Net Positive: Alex pointed out a stark truth: the most sustainable action for companies, as they currently operate, would be to cease business. The black and white truth of this statement illustrates how radically we need to transform our current business approaches. The goal is to shift from a standard and accepted operating model that has a net negative impact on the planet to achieving a net positive impact. This paradigm shift demands a complete overhaul of our current operating methods, pushing us towards innovative, planet-friendly business models.
References:
● Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
● Outdoor Research
● Outdoor Industry Association
● Nikwax
● California AB 1817 “Product safety: textile articles: perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)”
● bluesign
● International Trade Association page on the Berry Amendment
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Rob Acton is the Founder & CEO of Cause Strategy Partners. Through his firm’s signature program BoardLead, Cause Strategy Partners has placed nearly 3,000 professionals in the United States and the United Kingdom on nonprofit boards, while training tens-of-thousands more in high-impact nonprofit board service.
Rob is a recognized expert on nonprofit governance and leadership. He has nearly three decades of experience founding, leading, and scaling social good organizations as both a nonprofit chief executive and board leader. Rob currently chairs the Board of Directors of Broadway Inspirational Voices. His causes are second chances for formerly incarcerated individuals, nonprofit capacity building, and the performing arts.
Rob’s forthcoming book, Becoming a Causie: Champion Your Cause Through Nonprofit Board Leadership will be available for preorders on July 5th and is slated for release in early September.
In this episode, we discuss:
● The personal—and professional—benefits of joining a nonprofit board
● What makes a great board member (and what makes a terrible board member)
● Why diverse representation on nonprofit boards matters
Key Takeaways:
● Shifting The Conversation To Meaningful Action. “What causes do you support, and how do you support them?” This was a question Rob started asking people, instead of the standard “What do you do for a living.” It stopped people in their tracks. I love this question. In an age when so many people confuse liking an Instagram post with action, this question moves beyond what causes matter to you and into the world-changing realm of actions. With that in mind, I’d like to ask you: “What causes do you support, and how do you support them?”
● The Three T's of Board Commitment. Rob discussed the commitment expected of nonprofit board members, emphasizing the three T's: Time, Talent, and Treasure. Time involves dedicating 4-6 hours a month, manageable alongside a regular job. Talent means leveraging your professional skills to guide the nonprofit. Treasure is about financially supporting the cause, reinforcing your commitment. There's a psychological shift when you invest your own resources, and it feels disingenuous to ask others to donate if you haven't done so yourself.
● Setting Up for Success. Cause Strategy Partners provides a blueprint for success that all organizations can learn from. They emphasize three key components: high expectations, training, and accountability. High expectations mean clearly defining the job role and responsibilities from the start. Training ensures individuals acquire the necessary skills to excel. Accountability involves regular check-ins to track progress and ensure each person meets the established expectations. This structured approach sets new board members—and employees—up for success.
References:
Connect with Rob on LinkedIn
Cause Strategy Partners
Taproot Foundation
Broadway Inspirational Voices
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Anna Hammond is the Founder and CEO of Matriark Foods, a social impact business on a mission to scale access to healthy food for the benefit of people and the environment. Each year in the USA, roughly 33 million tons of perfectly healthy vegetables never make it to the table. That’s a waste of food, water, and greenhouse gasses. It’s bad for farmers and the planet. Matriark Foods upcycles farm surplus and fresh-cut remnants into healthy, delicious, low sodium vegetable products for schools, hospitals, food banks and other foodservice.
All Matriark products are Upcycled Certified. Upcycled food is about doing more with less, and elevating all food to its highest and best use.
Matriark is also a certified Women-Owned Business (WBE) that mentors and supports other WBEs. It’s a fact that despite receiving less than 5% of venture capital, WBEs outperform other structures by 63%. In the words of Joan Armatrading, “If women ruled the world, it would be a good thing.” Matriark Foods is a shining example of this.
In this episode, we discuss:
● The issues with our current food system that cause so much food waste while people go hungry.
● What Upcycled Certified means.
● How Matriark Foods benefitted from participating in incubators and accelerators.
Key Takeaways:
Forging New Paths: Imagine setting out on a journey into uncharted territory, where every step forward demands innovation and resilience. For the most interesting projects with the biggest potential to make an impact, at the start there is no “plug and play”. In order to have a plug and play you need a system to plug into. But when you’re creating entirely new ways of doing things across an entire supply chain, you’re doing the heavy lifting of creating an entirely new system. While the initial stages will be daunting, each stride forward lays the foundation for a future where, eventually at scale, you will have created a new system that others can plug into—and that new system you forged will enable systemic change making a bigger impact than any one person or organization could ever have on their own. This work of system reinvention takes time, it takes collaboration, and it’s essential for fixing the broken systems we’re currently relying on that are damaging people and the planet.
Tackling Food Loss and Waste: Food loss (on farms and in supply chains) and waste (at the retail and consumer levels) deprives farmers of income, costs consumers money, and exacerbates biodiversity loss. All while more than 700 million people go hungry worldwide including 44 million Americans (13 million of which are children). America discards more food than any other country, an estimated 30-40% of the entire food supply. Each year that equates to 46 million tons of food, 145 billion meals, and $473 billion lost dollars that were used to grow, transport and dispose of the surplus (which is roughly 2% of U.S. GDP). This wasted food not only doesn’t make it to hungry people’s mouths, it’s also a greenhouse gas footprint equivalent to 4% of total U.S. GHG emissions. All of that of that time, energy, and money for nothing. Matriark's innovative approach to food upscaling offers a triple win: income for farmers and manufacturers, reducing carbon footprints, and enhancing nutritional well-being.
Food as a Gateway: Food is more than nourishment; it's a gateway to connection, grounding, and humanity. We talk about breaking bread with others, as a way to form bonds. And food is literally how we nurture our bodies, so they have the fuel they need to operate in the world. Food is a way to ground, since natural food literally comes from the ground. Food serves as a cornerstone of human experience that ties us all together—but too many people are still tied together by the shared experience of food insecurity. This is a global problem, that we call need to do our part to help solve.
References:
● Connect with Anna on LinkedIn
● Matriark Foods
● Matriark Foods + Google Food Team case study
● ReFED
● Baldor Specialty Foods
● Chex Finer Foods
● Hudson Harvest
● Rainforest Distribution
● Foodbuy
● Compass Group
● Upcycled Food Association
● Planet FWD
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Shawn Seipler is the founder and CEO of Clean The World, a social enterprise that offers sustainable, socially responsible programs to the hospitality and meetings industry. Their mission is to prevent millions of deaths caused by acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease.
Clean The World started in Shawn’s garage in 2009, recycling leftover soap from hotel rooms to create new bars for those in need. Today Clean the World is a global enterprise with over 8,300 hospitality partners, and processing centers in seven cities that have manufactured and donated more than 84 million bars of soap while diverting 26.7 million pounds of waste from landfills.
Partner organization CTW Events is a customizable team-building experience with a purpose that enables corporate teams to build hygiene or educational kits. Since 2012, CTW Events has distributed 5.1 million kits to over 933 charity partners around the globe and supported 191,000 hours of corporate team-building participation.
In this episode we discuss:
● How one person's trash can be another person's treasure (and life saver!)
● The ups and downs of a social impact start-up
● The importance of mission when the going gets tough
Key Takeaways:
● The Power of Clarity: Ever notice how a simple, easy-to-understand mission can light a fire in your belly? It's like a roadmap, guiding us through the twists and turns of our journey. When a mission speaks to our hearts, it's not just a statement—it's a call to action that inspires us to roll up our sleeves and get to work. In a world buzzing with noise, clarity is a powerful lightning bolt leading us toward meaningful change
● Honoring the Why: Amidst the complexities of execution, it's essential to stay true to your “why” not your “how”. While strategies and tactics may evolve, the core purpose (i.e. your “why) remains constant, guiding decision-making and fostering authenticity. Staying true to our why is like finding our true north. It keeps our actions grounded, reminding us of our core values and passions.
● The Rise of Changemakers: We need more people rolling up their sleeves and using their intellect, creativity, and business knowledge to dive into the world of social enterprises—accelerating the business revolution. The power of social enterprise is in the marriage of business savvy with social impact. It’s the marriage of purpose and profit. These changemakers aren't just dreaming of a better world—they're building it, one impactful venture at a time.
References:
● Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn
● Clean the World
● The WASH Foundation
● CTW Events
● The Soap Story Museum
● “After 10 million bars of soap, Clean the World is just beginning”, Orlando Sentinel
● CBS Evening News feature on Clean the World
● Learn about becoming a B Corp at B Lab.
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Hannes Schoenegger is the co-founder and CEO of Swiss bag brand QWSTION and its “spin-off” company Bananatex®. QWSTION has been making bags from plants since 2008, combining functionality and timeless design with the smallest ecological footprint and biggest social footprint possible. Their efforts have been honored with several international awards for outstanding material development and sustainability solutions. Bananatex® is a Cradle to Cradle Gold Certified® material.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why recycling won’t solve the global plastic pollution problem Understanding the full cost of materials The importance of questioning the status quoKey Takeaways:
Beyond Recycling: Addressing global plastic pollution requires more than just recycling. While recycling plays a role, it's not a complete solution. First, not all plastics can be recycled, and those that can degrade with each recycling cycle, limiting future usability. Plastic's diverse chemical composition also complicates the recycling process by making effective sorting challenging when compared to materials like glass and aluminum. Moreover, the recycling process itself can increase toxicity and release harmful microplastics into the environment.
Equitable Waste Management: It’s interesting to think about how to spread the cost of our waste problem across all stakeholders. While regulations target corporations' environmental impact, what about consumer responsibility? Could a shift toward consumer accountability for end-of-use disposal accelerate demand for sustainable alternatives, prompting companies to adopt more eco-friendly practices?
Navigating Sustainability's Complexity: Sustainability is complex because you’re dealing with natrual ecosystems and business systems, and sometimes there aren’t clear ways to value costs and benefits. We don’t always know all the implications of a process or decision. But what we can do is make the best decisions available to us given the information we know now. For example, we know plastic can be a huge problem, and therefore we need to start innovating alternative solutions across the board.
References:
Connect with Hannes on LinkedIn Bananatex® A Textile (R)evolution, a short film on Bananatex® QWSTION The National Law Review primer on New York State’s “Fashion Act”Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Kimberly Shenk is the co-founder & CEO of Novi Connect, a company that was inspired out of transparency pain points Kimberly experienced firsthand launching an indie clean beauty company.
Novi Connect is the first data-driven marketplace for personal care product development. Novi helps brands create clean and sustainable products by working with suppliers, manufacturers, brands, and retailers to validate ingredients along the supply chain. The company acts as a neutral party to ensure full transparency while protecting intellectual property for each group.
Kimberly was formerly the Head of Product/Data Science for multiple tech startups, including Eventbrite, and served as a Data Scientist and Officer in the United States Air Force. She holds an MS from MIT and a BS from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
If you’re in the beauty industry and would like to learn more about Novi Connect, head to their website and sign up for a free account: noviconnect.com/purpose
In this episode, we discuss:
● How to start building a trusted network across stakeholders in order to deliver benefits along the supply chain
● How intellectual property within industries can create challenges for transparency
● Why it’s difficult to verify source ingredients the further down the supply chain you go
Key Takeaways:
● The Empowerment of Third-Party Verification. The power of third-party verification comes from two crucial factors. First,unlike internal assessments, an unbiased outside entity assesses the product. A third-party verification cannot be bought, and this independence ensures the integrity and credibility of the verification process. Second, these verifiers stake their own reputation on their assessments, underscoring their accountability and commitment to integrity. To maintain credibility and mitigate legal risks, they rigorously conduct due diligence before endorsing any product.
● Broken Systems Inspire Innovation. I’ve said this many times and I’ll say it again: When you experience a broken system, that experience is an invitation to fix it. To innovate a solution takes courage, creativity, and a leap of faith. Kimberly experienced a broken system when running her own beauty brand, and that experience inspired her to create a new company that fixes the challenges she encountered. By creating Novi Connect, she’s created a solution that helps an entire industry.
● Data Science's Role in Advancing Transparency. The evolution of data science has revolutionized our capacity to capture and analyze diverse datasets, fostering transparency within businesses and across sectors. This transparency helps us make more informed decisions, driving progress and accountability. Looking ahead, the integration of AI holds promise for further transparency, shaping a future where data-driven insights catalyze positive change.
References:
Connect with Kimberly on LinkedIn
Novi Connect
ChemFORWARD
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Glen Delaney is a project director at the nonprofit Earth Economics. Earth Economics quantifies and values the benefits nature provides, driving effective decisions and systemic change through a combination of education, natural capital analysis, and policy recommendations. As businesses begin to explore their impact and dependency on nature, valuation is a useful tool for integrating nature into their existing frameworks.
In his role, Glen works with climate-impacted communities, tribes, and governments to value ecosystem services—the benefits created by nature—translating their work protecting and restoring nature into a dollar figure.
In this episode, we discuss:
● What “ecosystem goods” and “ecosystem services” are and why they’re valuable
● How and why businesses are starting to value nature
● Frameworks that help businesses embed nature into their strategy and decision-making
Key Takeaways:
● The Economic Wake-Up Call from Nature. The conversation around nature’s value is growing louder, especially as we confront a critical juncture where environmental degradation and climate change start to hit our wallets. Look at California, where leading insurers like State Farm and Allstate stepped back from renewing homeowner policies in 2024 due to increasing risks. This move strips individuals of coverage, leaving them to face financial vulnerabilities on their own. Companies too are grappling with the tangible impacts of climate change, from droughts affecting manufacturing to unpredictable crop yields in supply chains. It’s a stark reminder of an old adage: we often fail to appreciate what we have until it’s under threat. Our collective delay in valuing nature’s gifts is now being countered with the harsh reality of its decline, signaling an urgent call for environmental stewardship.
● Climate Change: The Economics of Health Impacts. The repercussions of climate change extend well beyond financial losses, touching the very essence of our well-being. Health insurance companies are also considering adjusting premiums to reflect the increased risks associated with environmental shifts. Wildfires deteriorating air quality, extreme heatwaves, and out-of-character flooding are translating into higher medical claims and hospitalizations. Droughts leading to wildfires not only claim lives and devastate communities but also jeopardize access to healthcare, contaminate water sources, and degrade air quality far beyond the immediate areas of the fires.
● A Global Domino Effect: From Migration to Food Security. While the U.S. may not be grappling with climate-induced migration or food security yet, the global nature of our supply chains and the pandemic have highlighted our interconnectedness. Events unfolding across the globe offer a glimpse into potential future scenarios closer to home. Our global interdependence reminds us that the impacts of climate change are not confined by borders.
References:
Connect with Glen on LinkedIn
Earth Economics
The Natural Capital Protocol framework by Capitals Coalition
Task Force for Nature-related Financial Disclosures
inVEST by the Natural Capital Project, Stanford University
The Nature Conservancy
Kresge Foundation
Soil and Water Outcomes Fund by Quantified Ventures
Avahoula Climate Mitigation Project with Pachama & Delta Land Services
Stitching the West Back Together: Conservation of Working Landscapes, edited by Susan Charnley, Thomas E. Sheridan, and Gary P. Nabhan
Purpose and Profit episode with Fawn Bergen, lead of Intel’s Corporate Sustainability Group
Ecosystem Services Valuation Database (ESVD)
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
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This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Senan Ebrahim is a physician-scientist and entrepreneur dedicated to creating technology to improve global and maternal health. Senan is the founder and CEO of Delfina. He developed Delfina to create lifesaving AI-powered pregnancy care after personally witnessing the challenges faced by pregnant patients and their care teams.
Senan previously founded Hikma Health, a tech nonprofit creating digital health solutions for refugees, migrants, and other vulnerable populations. He has an MD and PhD from Harvard in Computational Neuroscience
In this episode, we discuss:
● Why the United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the developed world
● Why maternal health inequity exists across populations
● The importance of data for better decision-making (and better health outcomes)
Key Takeaways:
● Change Takes a Village - Real change, the kind that reshapes systems, is a team effort. It thrives on a network of individuals across the whole system that are ready to rethink, test, and collaborate to create better solutions for us all. Senan's initiative with Delfina in maternal healthcare shines a spotlight on this truth. Senan is the first to acknowledge all of the partners that have shaped Delfina’s journey. From doctors willing to pilot a new idea, to users offering feedback for refinement. The truth is, that it takes a village to create systemic change.
● Tailoring Solutions to Fit the User - The principle of one size fits all falls short in addressing complex human behaviors, especially when it comes to health and wellness. Delfina's approach to maternal healthcare highlights the importance of understanding and respecting individual risk, environment, and challenges. By integrating recommendations that resonate with the individual's daily life and cultural context, Delfina makes behavioral change more approachable and sustainable. This sensitivity to the nuances of the user experience isn't just thoughtful—it's effective, bridging the gap between knowledge and action in meaningful ways that create better outcomes for all.
● Closing the Gap Between Us and “Other” - Refugees are often painted with broad strokes that obscure their individuality and humanity. Senan mentioned his grandmother was a Syrian refugee. My family is intertwined with narratives of displacement and resilience as well. From my father and grandparents' escape from Lithuania during WWII, to my sister-in-law’s flight from war-torn Cambodia. Each story is a testament to the human spirit, and each story reminds us that the plight of refugees is not a distant issue; it's woven into the very fabric of our communities. By bringing these stories into the light, we bridge the gap between 'us' and 'them,' transforming refugees from abstract concepts into fellow humans deserving of empathy, dignity, and support. The more we share stories of displacement, the more the refugee crisis moves out of the shadows of “someone else’s problem to solve”, and gently nestles into our interconnectedness, asking us to care for our fellow humans.
References:
● Connect with Senan on LinkedIn
● Delfina
○ Learn more about Delfina’s collaboration with the Mayo Clinic here
● Hikma Health
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Shola Richards’ life’s mission is an ambitious one: To end generations of professional suffering, simply by changing how we treat each other at work. An advocate for positive change, Shola addresses the often-ignored issue of workplace bullying by highlighting its impact on trust, communication, and company resources. With a focus on unveiling the cost of toxic behaviors, Shola offers practical solutions for creating healthier work environments.
At his core, Shola is an advocate and humanitarian, guiding us back to our shared humanity. Shola shares his insights as a speaker, coach, consultant, and author. His work includes the best-selling books Go Together and Making Work Work, with a third booking coming out in late 2024.
I met Shola a year ago at an incredible NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) workshop. I immediately gravitated toward his genuine warmth and openness. Shola is a remarkable human-being, making a huge impact.
In this episode, we discuss:
● The transformative power of sharing mental health stories
● The importance of practicing civility in modern-day discourse
● The often-overlooked distinction between being nice and being kind
Key Takeaways:
● Embracing Ubuntu: "I Am Because We Are". Imagine a world where we live by the profound ethos of ubuntu, an African philosophy that teaches, "I am because we are." This philosophy illuminates our inherent interconnectedness. It suggests that our humanity is inextricably linked to the humanity of others, and that our personal well-being is anchored in the collective well-being of society. Shola's exploration of ubuntu in Go Together suggests that adopting this worldview could revolutionize our approach to life, work, and leadership. Ultimately, transforming the world around us.
● Cultivating Culture: A Collective Responsibility. We are all collectively responsible for the culture we live in, the culture we work in, and the culture we’re passing down to the next generation. Simply put, culture is just a collection of the norms we accept, or no longer accept. Culture is powerful because it permeates everything. Seeping into how we behave, how we view the world, and how we view ourselves. What we have compassion for and what we judge. What cultural norms don’t feel right to you? When have you felt like you had to “play the game” when your insides were boiling or crumbling? What if, next time you felt that way, you took a deep breath and said “That didn’t sit well with me. Can you please explain what you meant?”. This could invite a courageous dialogue that might just help pave the road to a better culture.
● Protecting the Heart of the Workplace: Listening to the Empaths. In environments that feel cold and disconnected, those most in touch with their humanity—the empaths—feel the impact most sharply. They are the canary in the coal mine, alerting us to psychological hazards that lurk within toxic cultures. For leaders, the call to action is clear: listen and respond. Ignoring toxic behaviors erodes morale, diminishes trust in leadership, and questions the organizational commitment to employee well-being. Remember, your employees are building your company's future. Their success is your success. As leaders, it's your job to foster a nurturing environment where every team member can thrive, innovate, and excel.
References:
● Connect with Shola on LinkedIn
● Shola’s website
● Books by Shola:
○ Making Work Work: The Solution for Bringing Positive Change to Any Work Environment
○ Go Together: How the Concept of Ubuntu will Change How We Work, Live and Lead
● Keep an eye out for Shola’s next book due out September 2024
○ Civil Unity: The Radical Path to Transform Our Discourse, Our Lives, and Our World
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Dr. Cassandra Zentner is the Vice President of Technology and Sustainability at actnano, the global leader in PFAS-free nanocoatings used to protect circuit boards across industries. Actano was created after the CEO, while working at a different company, saw factory workers getting sick from handling traditional coatings. Actnano’s technology is currently protecting many of the world’s foremost consumer electronic brands, safeguarding millions of vehicles, and defending numerous industrial applications against harsh electrical and environmental conditions.
Cassandra leads actnano’s implementation of innovative protective materials. While driving customer-focused technical initiatives, she also leads the company’s sustainability efforts and commitment to protecting human health and the environment. She brings her scientific background—a PhD in Chemistry from MIT—to drive actnano’s mission to bring safer chemical alternatives to the electronics industry.
In this episode, we discuss:
● PFAS—what they are and why they present a huge problem
● The meaning of “safer chemicals”
● The importance of prevention versus mitigation
Key Takeaways:
● Takeaway 1: Innovating Out of a Broken System. When actnano founder Taymur Ahmad noticed the harmful impact of PFAS in protective coatings, he didn't just stand by. He saw a broken system as a call to action. A puzzle to be solved. By developing PFAS-free nano-coating he stepped up as a true innovator, showing us that discovering a broken system is the first step towards creating a solution. It's a reminder that the world benefits immensely from changemakers like Taymur, who not only dream up safer alternatives but also pave the way for others to adopt these groundbreaking solutions in their operations.
● Takeaway 2: The Invisible Threats Among Us. We're naturally drawn to the big, obvious problems. The proverbial elephant in a room. Yet, it's often what we can't see that poses the greater danger. PFAS, a prevalent yet invisible threat found in countless everyday items—from electronics to personal care products—carries serious health risks, including certain cancers, fertility issues, and developmental delays in children. This hidden danger reminds us that sometimes the most significant threats to our well-being lurk out of sight, challenging us to look beyond the obvious.
● Takeaway 3: Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind. Then there are the enormous issues we choose to ignore, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an immense span of waterborne waste twice the size of Texas, floating in the middle of the Pacific without much attention. This "plastic continent" is a stark example of "out of sight, out of mind," yet its impact on our health and environment is profound. Microplastics, including those containing PFAS, break away from this mass, infiltrating the seafood we eat and carrying with them a host of health risks. It's a clear signal that just because we can't see a problem, or a problem feels far from home, doesn't mean it's any less real or harmful. This unseen danger serves as a critical wake-up call to the interconnectedness of our global ecosystem and the hidden impacts on our health.
References:
● Connect with Cassandra on LinkedIn
● actnano
● EPA page on PFAS
● ChemSec
● North Carolina DEQ page on the Cape Fear River
● Change Chemistry
● EU page on REACH Regulation
● EU page on RoHS
● Purpose and Profit episode with Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Sam Shiroff is the Senior Director of Global Sustainability for EnerSys. A multibillion-dollar business serving over 10,000 customers in 100 countries, EnerSys is an industrial technology leader offering stored energy solutions that meet the growing need for energy efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. The company’s purpose is “Powering the Future, Everywhere for Everyone”.
Sam combines 20+ years of international corporate ESG, sustainability, and community relations experience with a deep knowledge of carbon finance, energy efficiency, and the nonprofit world. Sam has held leadership roles in sustainability at nonprofit organizations and companies including Bosch, Deutsche Bank, and Signet Jewelers. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Germany, has an MBA, a Creating Shared Value (CSV) accreditation from Harvard Business School, is a LEED Green Associate, and is Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) accredited.
In this episode, we discuss:
● The role of batteries in transitioning to a renewable energy future
● The enormous electronic vehicle market you never considered
● An unexpected gold standard case study in the circular economy
Key Takeaways:
● Climate Tech – A Marriage of Growth and Sustainability. It's so cool to see companies—like EnerSys—whose business success is intrinsically linked to reducing carbon emissions. Their success is a barometer of our collective progress in battling climate change. The more we excel in this fight, the more they thrive. What if all companies had their individual thriving tied to our collective thriving? How would the world look differently? This is a model of growth that raises all boats with the tide.
● The Ebb and Flow of Energy Consumption. I loved the description on how the power grid works—it's an exercise of balance, matching the energy poured in with what's drawn out. Consumer demand for energy is not consistent throughout the day, which is a challenge, but it’s also cool to note that people are using the most energy during the day, and when solar energy is available. It’s neat that our own productive cycle mirrors nature’s in this area.
● The Many Gifts of Environmental Reporting. Sam's insights into environmental reporting sheds light on its multifaceted benefits within organizations. It's not just about compliance or public image; it's a tool that crystallizes sustainability strategies. It aligns teams on key metrics, sets benchmarks, and maps out ambitious goals. More importantly, it ensures a consistent focus on long-term progress and keeps the entire team engaged in the sustainability journey. When done right, environmental reporting acts as a compass guiding organizations towards a greener, more responsible future.
References:
● Connect with Sam on LinkedIn
● EnerSys
● International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
● Ridwell
● Call2Recycle
● Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
● Climate Disclosure Project (CDP)
● United Nations Global Compact
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Amelia Nickerson is the CEO of First Step Staffing, an organization that connects people experiencing homelessness, veterans, and recently incarcerated individuals to sustainable employment and income. The First Step team has created an ecosystem for success, coordinating closely with other nonprofits to help provide clients with resources and services such as housing, healthcare, childcare resources, transportation, food, and clothing needs to develop a stable path out of poverty and homelessness.
First Step has successfully replicated the Atlanta-based model they started in 2007 to become the largest nonprofit staffing agency in the U.S., with operations in seven states. They employ more than 1,900 individuals weekly and in 2022, 75 percent of their staffing placements were actively experiencing homelessness, and 25 percent were recently incarcerated.
In this episode, we discuss:
● Untapped talent waiting to fill your labor shortage
● The power of solving social challenges through a business framework
● The importance of avoiding mission creep
Key Takeaways:
● Blending Worlds – Nonprofits and Businesses Learning Together. Imagine a nonprofit moving with the agility and strategic growth mindset of a tech startup, reaching more people, creating greater impact. Now picture a corporate giant, inspired by the heart and purpose of a grassroots organization, igniting passion and commitment in its team. This is the essence of cross-sector learning. Nonprofits using business strategies can scale their impact, ensuring their cause isn't just a flash in the pan but an enduring beacon of change. On the flip side, businesses adopting a nonprofit’s purpose-driven approach can see a transformation in their workforce. It's like adding a soul to the corporate machine; employees are no longer just working for a paycheck, but for a purpose. This cross-pollination of approaches between nonprofits and businesses isn't just beneficial—it's a powerful catalyst for sustainable growth and genuine engagement.
● Reframing Challenges into Opportunities. How we frame a situation can transform it. Take, for instance, the employment of individuals with past criminal records. Viewing this as businesses benefiting from the untapped potential of these individuals, rather than doing them a favor, shifts the entire narrative. The statistics are compelling—$87 billion in GDP is lost from 1.9 million workers excluded due to criminal backgrounds. The unemployment and underemployment rates for formerly incarcerated individuals are staggering, and yet, those who find employment have a 70% lower rate of recidivism (i.e. reentering the prison system). They’re not just employees; they often become dedicated, fast-learning members of the workforce. It’s about changing the story from charity to opportunity, from exclusion to economic empowerment, from broken communities to thriving lives.
● The Power of a Focused Purpose. There's a lesson to be learned from the Swiss army knife: trying to do everything can mean excelling at nothing. In business and life, it's easy to stretch yourself too thin when attempting to be a multi-tool. However, true effectiveness comes from honing in on your core purpose and core skills. Follow the example of First Step Staffing, and avoid mission creep. Stick to your core focus and you'll not only do it well, you'll do it exceptionally. This approach is the key to making a meaningful impact.
References:
● Connect with Amelia on LinkedIn
● First Step Staffing
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Ken Cook is the president and co-founder of Environmental Working Group (EWG), whose mission is to empower individuals with breakthrough research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment. EWG lives its mission by empowering American families with easy-to-use, data-driven tools to help reduce their exposure to potentially harmful ingredients in everyday products like foods, personal care products, cosmetics, and cleaning products.
Ken testifies regularly before House and Senate committees, and for the past 20 years has briefed top White House officials and every U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and EPA Administrator on EWG’s research and policy positions. In the 1990s, EWG’s research was a major factor in the passage of the landmark pesticide reform law, the Food Quality Protection Act.
In this episode, we discuss:
● Why products containing harmful ingredients are sold in retail outlets across the USA
● The changing landscape of environmental policy in the USA
● The power of the Internet to create transparency and empower consumer choice
Key Takeaways:
● Investing in Progress, Not Stagnation - I wonder about the mountains of money poured into lobbying since 1996 to keep industries unregulated, clinging to a harmful status quo. Imagine, for a moment, if those funds were instead channeled into innovating for a better future. Where we direct our resources is a choice between stagnation and evolution. It's high time we bravely choose to evolve, not just for our sake but for the generations to come, shaping a legacy that’s woven together with pride and progress.
● Toxic Products – A Call for Responsibility - It’s wild to me that a lot of products on store shelves contain known toxic ingredients. Known carcinogens as ingredients. The burden of screening products for safety should not be placed on the consumer, it should be placed on the government setting regulations that make toxic-free products a bare minimum before something can be sold. And the accountability should be placed on business leaders, ensuring consumer safety is standard practice.
● California Leading the Charge in US Product Safety - California's recent legislative victories in banning harmful chemicals in cosmetics are a beacon of hope and a call to action. With Governor Newsom's approval of legislation banning 26 toxic chemicals in 2023, following the landmark Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act of 2020, California is trailblazing personal care product safety. When the federal government lags, states like California step up. As the largest economy in the USA, California's laws can create a domino effect. If a company has to innovate safer products for California, those safer products will probably be sold in all states. But let's be clear: we've only scratched the surface. When you compare California’s legislation to the European Union's ban on nearly 2,000 chemicals in personal care products, it's evident that our journey towards safer products is just beginning.
References:
● Connect with Ken on LinkedIn
● Environmental Working Group
○ Skin Deep database
○ Healthy Living App
○ EWG Verified
● Natural Resources Defense Council
● Environmental Defense Fund
● World Wildlife Fund
● EPA page on the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment
● Henry Rose
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Marissa Fayer is the founder and CEO of HERhealthEQ, a global non-profit with the mission to improve women’s health in developing countries by providing access to medical devices & equipment, creating an equitable standard of care.
Here are two 2020 statistics from the World Health Organization that highlight the inequitable standard of care for women in developing countries that HERhealthEQ is trying to combat:
● 90% of cervical cancer and related deaths worldwide occurred in low- and middle-income countries
● approximately 95% of all maternal deaths occurred in low and lower-middle-income countries, and most could have been prevented
Marissa has spent the last 22 years growing medical device companies into world-class organizations through improvements in their operations, implementation of new innovations, connections to capital sources, and creation of more sustainable impact-driven organizations. She is a strategic advisor, board member, and executive leader of several venture-backed private companies. Marissa is also a UCSC Miller Center Social Entrepreneur Fellow and has been listed as one of the Top 100 Women in Medtech.
In this episode, we discuss:
● Why HERhealthEQ is focused on noncommunicable diseases
● The counterintuitive healthcare consequences of foreign aid ending as a developing country grows its economy
● The importance of strategic partners in creating change
Key Takeaways:
● While we often spotlight sustainability in business, focusing on financial, social, and environmental sustainability, it's crucial to turn this lens inward and consider personal sustainability. This is about finding that sweet spot where what we do aligns with what we love and what we're good at. This harmony is the antidote to burnout. It's about not just being a cog in a machine, but being a vibrant, contributing part of a meaningful pursuit. Working towards something that resonates with our values and beliefs isn’t just fulfilling; it's personally sustaining and personally regenerative.
● There's a curious magic in the act of paying, even a token amount, for something. It's like a psychological switch that flips our perception of value. When people invest in something, even minimally, they're more likely to use and appreciate it. This principle is a fundamental human truth that applies to products and services. Charging a fee isn't just a business strategy; it can be a way to ensure engagement and respect for what's being offered.
● Amazon famously paid zero federal income taxes in 2018, despite an $11.2 billion profit. They achieved this through completely legal tax strategies: heavily reinvesting profits back into the business, which allows for tax deductions; utilizing tax credits, especially for research and development; paying employees with stock options, which can offer tax advantages; and carrying forward financial losses from unprofitable years to offset taxes in profitable years. It feels unfair that a successful company can avoid federal income tax, which supports the common good for a nation including roads, infrastructure, emergency services, and education. However, I love the idea that corporations should only be eligible to enjoy certain tax benefits if they demonstrably contribute to society or the planet. It's about modifying our systems to align financial success with ethical responsibility, transforming business from a mere profit-making entity to a force for positive change.
References:
● Connect with Marissa on LinkedIn
● “How to ensure social enterprises have an impact”, TEDxLugano
● HERhealthEQ
● Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières
Connect & Share:
If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading them!
If this episode resonated with you, I ask you to send it to a friend. Help bring even more visibility to these leaders that are using business as a force for good!
Subscribe to the Purpose and Profit newsletter to make sure you don’t miss future episodes.
This podcast is for you, the listener. I’d love to hear what resonated with you, or if you have a suggestion on who would be a great guest for this show. Please send me a note at [email protected].
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Carrie Freeman is the Chair of the SecondMuse Group, which includes SecondMuse, the SecondMuse Foundation, and SecondMuse Capital. Carrie is also the Interim Executive Director for the SecondMuse Foundation, a non-profit focusing on advocating for building relational wealth as an approach to building inclusive and resilient economies.
SecondMuse focuses on the design, development, and implementation of innovative programming that seeks to benefit people and protect the planet. Over the last decade, SecondMuse has designed and implemented programs on 7 continents with 600+ organizations such as NASA, The World Bank, and Goldman Sachs. SecondMuse’s initiatives have delivered the following impact: accelerating 200 + ventures annually; prototyping 50,000+ solutions; enabling $575M investment to supported ventures, with 80% still in business; and generating $10B in social and environmental impact.
Under Carrie’s leadership, SecondMuse won numerous awards including the Reuters Responsible Business Award, Real Leaders Most Impactful Leaders, and the YPO Global Impact Award.
In this episode, we discuss:
● The importance of collaboration in solving complex challenges
● How the timeline of change can determine who the best change partners are
● The role of intersectionality in systems change
Key Takeaways:
● Navigating the labyrinth of tax and accounting systems is a Herculean task for trailblazing organizations that are marrying commerce with compassion. It's akin to a team of adventurers channeling all their might into deciphering an ancient map, only to have no energy left after deciphering it. This bureaucratic quagmire siphons away the zest they could pour into sculpting a brighter world. As we build a new vision of what a thriving economy, society, and planet means, we need to consider the new types of organizations required to create and sustain that vision. Then, we need to create the systems that allow these new organizational structures to not only exist, but thrive.
● Think of how easy it is for a kid who grows up in a wealthy neighborhood to snag a great internship through family connections—it's like having a VIP pass to the front of the line. Now think of a kid from a regular family, who doesn't have that golden ticket—it's like they're stuck in the line that barely moves. This is just one way life isn't fair. But when we become aware of the value of networks, and the inherent inequity in opportunities caused by networks, we’re able to build solutions that bridge the equity gap. Only then can we find ways to share these VIP passes around so everyone gets a shot at the good opportunities.
● Getting people to come together for a common goal is like lighting a fire that everyone wants to gather around. Carrie talked about the work SecondMuse does to build networks, community, and solutions around a shared objective. The shared objective is the fire. It’s the call to action. This same principle is also powerful inside a company. When you establish a purpose beyond profit for your company, you invite employees and consumers to join a movement that’s bigger than themselves. Your purpose acts as a magnet, attracting employees and consumers with aligned values. This shifts the relationship from transactional to emotional and meaningful.
References:
● Connect with Carrie on LinkedIn
● SecondMuse
● SecondMuse Capital
● SecondMuse Foundation
● NASA International Space Apps Challenge
● Circulate Initiative
● Circulate Capital
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