A New Lens with CommonGood Capital

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Robyn O'Brien – speaker, entrepreneur, and best-selling author of Seeding Innovation: The Path to Profit and Purpose in the 21st Century – on how her early financial services career found her covering the food industry at an influential time, how activating capital can help create smarter, more […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with JaQ Campbell and Hope Lovell of Alexander Legacy Private Wealth Management, about investing and building businesses together during their successful decades-long partnership, their mission to increase financial services access to underserved communities, how a due diligence trip to Africa reframed their approach to regenerative living, their thoughts […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Bill Kelly, former CEO of Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA), about growing up in Yonkers NY and putting himself through college, learning the value of professional credentials while working for Price Waterhouse (before they added the Cooper), how investing in alternatives is becoming increasingly important for […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Rob Hurlbut, Managing Director and Co-founder of Agricultural Capital – with over 30 years of experience investing in and leading reiterative farming businesses. Rob talks about how his time sourcing and buying coffee for Nestle lead him to his current philosophy of balancing the environmental, social and […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Andy Lower, an entrepreneur, investor, fund manager, financial advisor, and author of I Gave Away All My Clothes: Living Out Values Through Social Entrepreneurship – about his long journey in Impact Investing, finding success in connecting investors and entrepreneurs in the fight against extreme poverty, how innovation and social entrepreneurship can […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Steven Moss, co-founder of M. Cubed – a resource economics and public policy analysis consulting firm, about his passion for engaging the levers of society to effect positive change, the challenges of creating a for-profit company to build a solar farm to support the non-profit Agahozo-Shalom Youth […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Shiri Sandler, Managing Director of Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV), about what the purpose of a “youth village” is and why Rwanda is ideal for such a model that provides a sense of familial love and opportunity, how her educational path in genocides of the past informs her […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Kendra VanderMeulen, CEO of the National Christian Foundation (NCF) who embodies the spirit of pioneering leadership and generosity. Kendra’s remarkable journey began in the telecommunications industry with AT&T in the 70s and 80s, where she was already on the cutting edge of technology, working on what would eventually become the […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Emmanual Nsanganwa, Investment Analyst at Fortis Green Renewables, on growing up in a small village in Rwanda with little access to power, on starting his own non-profit to provide scientific education to students, the pressure to be a good model of success for others from his village, […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Dave Clark, CEO of Promising People – which utilizes virtual reality training solutions for those struggling to find meaningful employment across the country. The guys chat about Dave's background in real estate development, his time in prison after a 40-year Federal conviction and subsequent Presidential pardon, how […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Michael Spraggins about his career as an entrepreneur and business owner, how his personal faith motivates his decisions, the founding of Lifenet International – a transformative healthcare conversion-franchise network he founded after recognizing a need for quality access to healthcare in Africa, his latest venture into renewable […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Ashleigh Chapman, a human rights lawyer and social entrepreneur, about her years of building solutions to end and prevent human trafficking as a non-profit, her realization that to effectively scale and sustain those solutions it would require an impact-focused for-profit framework, why she trains her teams on […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Brian Estes, CIO of Off the Chain Capital and producer of the upcoming film God Bless Bitcoin. The guys discuss Brian's long career in financial services, the accident that put him in a wheelchair as a teenager, his long-standing belief in the immoral nature of our current […]

Jeff is joined by Jerome Ringo, Chairman of Zoetic Global, which was founded to revolutionize the energy sector through innovative solutions that unleash the power of renewable resources. The guys discuss how Jerome's transition from a 22-year career in the international oil and gas business prepared him to lead several national conservation and environmental organizations […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Kalen Salmon, Founder of Identity Ministry – a program that provides material and spiritual support for ex felons returning to society – about his troubled history with the law, his path to living a redemptive life, leveraging his past to help others get their life in order, his thoughts […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Tim Johnson, the Senior Pastor of Orlando World Outreach Center – about his 9-year NFL career in which he won a Superbowl with the Washington Redskins, dedicating his post football career to ministry in Tennessee and Florida and later helping the incarcerated of Rikers Island with his […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Sister Charlotte Davenport of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, about how her early life as a biologist in Alaska prepared her for a life as a finance manager, educator, and Impact investor for her congregation, how the concept of stewardship is intertwined as is relates […]

In a replay of one of our favorite episodes – Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Pete Leonard, founder and Roast Master of I Have a Bean, on how moving a lot as a child taught him the value of diversity, how a missions trip to Brazil and his brother-in-law’s prison sentence collided […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Edmund Higenbottam, Managing Director of Verdant Capital, discussing his over 20 years of experience in investment capital and investment banking, how his early career in financial services led him to a focus on emerging markets, his passion to bring opportunity to lower-middle and low income African countries, […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Kenny Eck, Founder and CEO of Patient Sortal, on his favorite part of growing up on a large-production farm, his accelerated educational path the led to 3 degrees in 5.5 years, his shift in focus from medical school to the founding of Patient Sortal, which helps formerly incarcerated citizens […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with entrepreneur Janvier ‘Mike’ Ngamije, whose father died in the Rwanda genocide when he was 7 years old, on why it was important for him to forgive his father’s murderer, being raised by a dedicated single mother, the time he rescued a baby girl from a deep hole […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Greg Lanier, a pastor and New Testament professor at Reform Theological Seminary, on how his experience in financial services dovetailed nicely into a transition into ministry, how faith-based investors early-adopted the impact investing space, what Jesus thought about utilizing capital for good, why environmental stewardship is generally resisted […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Alix Lebec, CEO of Lebec Consulting and an entrepreneur and advisor focused on the intersection of impact, philanthropy, and sustainable finance. Alix details her unique formative years growing up as a French citizen attending school on a US military base in Korea, her time helping to grow water.org into a global organization, how philanthropic capital […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Reid Thomas, Managing Director and Chief Revenue Officer of JTC Americas, about living as a dual citizen, applying his Silicon Valley tech background to impact and opportunity zone funds, how the passage of time has influenced Reid’s perspective on life, how his involvement in the EB5 job creation program led to […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Diane Damskey, Head of Secretariat- Operating Principles for Impact Management, on establishing a framework for bringing greater discipline and transparency to the impact investing market, her extensive career in financial services before finding a passion to help grow the Impact space, the difference between ESG and Impact, and much […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Paulina Stannard, Head of Impact at CI Private Wealth, to chat about how a billionaire client changed her perspective and helped her analytical side and empathetic side combine forces to leverage capital for profit while also doing good, her crusade to spread this message to clients and peers […]

In a replay of our very first episode that you may have missed the first time around – Jeff speaks with Ron Cordes, a 30+ year veteran of the investment industry, co-founder and former CEO of AssetMark, and co-author of “The Art of Investing”. In 2006 Ron launched the Cordes Foundation – and has since focused […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Toussaint Bailey, Founder and CEO of Uplifting Capital, to chat about how his “super parents” shaped his outlook on life, his career path from lawyer to manager of lawyers to wealth manager to founder and CEO, how the chaotic events of 2020 inspired the creation of his […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Victor Lombard (aka DIVINE), CEO and founder of Solvent, on his troubled upbringing in Newport, RI leading to his incarceration, to starting a business that facilitates financial education and freedom for those affected by the justice system, his thoughts on running a business for profit AND for purpose, and […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by John Bowman, who serves as Executive Vice President for CAIA Association, to discuss his start in financial services, his eye-opening 14 years at the non-profit CFA Institute, how CAIA protects clients through education and advocacy, the importance of a stewardship mindset, his controversial thoughts on ESG, and much more.

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Jeff Shinabarger, Founder and Executive Director of Plywood People, on his passion for helping people get their ideas off the ground, starting a co-working space for problem solving start-ups, how defining success is difficult in social entrepreneurship, and much more.

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Marion Chebet, Senior Portfolio Manager and Director of Impact Investing at JFG Wealth, on growing up poor in Kenya, her collegiate running career in the US, the process of integrating Impact Investing into a multi-family office, the questions to ask yourself if you want to get into Impact, and much […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Ron Nikkel, President Emeritus of Prison Fellowship International and author of Hope in the Ruins, on his transition from running a successful business to working with troubled kids, how visiting a prison in Chile changed his life forever, on changing the perspective of business leaders by taking […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Sam Adams, CEO of Vert Asset Management and co-author of Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing, on his experience helping advisors in traditional finance transition from commission to fee-based business, how capitalism can be taught to drive positive change, how Impact positively changes the opportunity available in […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Rachel McDonough, Founder of Wealthfluence and Advisor with Wealth Squared (a team with EverSource Wealth Advisors), an author and financial advisor who is passionate about helping people integrate their values into their investment and financial decisions. Rachel talks about how growing up in Kenya as a missionary kid affected her thoughts […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Stephen Hester, Due Diligence expert and new Vice President of Investments at CommonGood, to talk about how living and learning in Houston drove an interest in energy and energy systems, how stewards of capital are obligated to allocate responsibly for their investors and society at large, how due diligence […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Jeff Korzenik, Chief Investment Strategist of Fifth Third Bank and author of Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community, on his path through financial services to bank-based wealth management, how the current labor shortage could be eased by hiring the formerly incarcerated, […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Chris Bentley, Managing Principal of De-Carceration Fund, on his transition from startups to his work in Impact themes like energy, environment, education, and healthcare – leading to his current focus on a fund that centers on the inclusion and success of people affected by the criminal […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Pete Leonard, founder and Roast Master of I Have a Bean, on how moving a lot as a child taught him the value of diversity, how a missions trip to Brazil and his brother-in-law’s prison sentence collided to help form his unique take on a coffee company […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Pete Ochs, Founder and Chairman of Capital III, on growing up in Kansas and starting his own investment banking business at the age of 30, his transition from pursuing success to pursuing significance and surrender, his heart for employing prisoners and formerly incarcerated, transitioning from doing to […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by self-proclaimed “Banking Nerd” Patrick Fisher, Founder and Managing Partner of Creation Investments, to chat about how living in China taught him how important access to banking services was for the poor and the unbanked, what it’s been like to be in the Impact investing space for over […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by economist Sharon Vosmek, CEO and Managing Partner of Astia Fund, to talk about how growing up in Ethiopia, Thailand, and Honduras helped form her life-long focus on actionable inclusion, why she resisted and then recently embraced the label of “Impact Investor”, how access to venture capital for […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Morgan Simon, founding partner of Candide Group and author of Real Impact: The New Economics of Social Change, to chat about how growing up in a highly segregated Los Angeles taught her to look at money differently, her advice for RIAs who don't see the value in […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Sherri Cooke, SVP-Business Development at iCapital Network, founder of AI Insight, Inc, and President of ADISA. Sherri tells the story of how she got into the industry, starting amidst the infamous 1986 tax laws changes, how she created a data company to collect and analyze information on the alternative investment industry, […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Sharna Goldseker, a leading expert on multi-generational and next generation philanthropy, to discuss growing up in a major philanthropic family where she was asked for a grant at the age of 14, taking on the responsibility of stewarding her family’s charitable foundation, helping others find their values […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Shundrawn Thomas, President and CEO of Northern Trust Asset Management and author of “Discover Joy in Work: Transforming Your Occupation Into Your Vocation”, to talk about being fascinated by grown-ups in business suits while growing up mowing lawns and shoveling snow on the south side of Chicago, […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Kyle Cousins, Orlando area Director of Mission Increase, to discuss being raised in a type-A family, spending a decade of his twenties moving from career to career before finally finding his calling in coaching non-profits on how to grow financially in a biblically sustainable way, and much […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Eva Yazhari, Founder of Beyond Capital and author of ‘The Good That Money Can Do‘, to discuss her early experience in traditional financial services, how her family’s experience in Africa motivated a transition to become an emerging markets venture capitalist, making the case for being a conscious […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Giti Khalsa, President of Pace Wealth Advisors, to discuss his experience growing up Sikh in Mississippi, his parents cultivating his love for the drums that lead to being a founding member of the platinum album selling alternative rock music band Seven Mary Three, how his music career […]

Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Alexandra Dest, founder and CEO of Willow, to talk about her path in financial services from a start in compliance to working her way to a CIO position at Berkshire Bank (all while battling multiple sclerosis), changes in her perspective on the financial industry after the market crash […]