World-Changing Women Podcast

Now that the U.S. has just elected a presidential candidate with the most specific, ambitious and comprehensive climate plan ever put forward by a national party candidate, how can the new administration make up for the lost time over the last 4 years? Nicole Systrom, Founder of Sutro Energy Group, works with investors and clean tech social entrepreneurs and is a climate activist who believes there are things President Biden--and everyone--can and must do to address climate change in his first few months in office. As a member of Climate Leaders for Biden, she is laser focused on addressing the climate crisis and can discuss what’s needed from investors, philanthropists and policymakers to move the needle forward at last, from supporting local environmental justice groups to making a first low-carbon investment. And, as someone who advises clean-tech entrepreneurs, she’s knowledgeable about the innovation that’s needed from startups too. Come join us as we learn more about the much needed “investment revolution” to combat the climate crisis. Nicole serves on the board of directors for Activate, a non-profit supporting entrepreneurial scientists and engineers tackling the world's biggest challenges; Prime Coalition, a non-profit providing funding to companies combating climate change; and the Energy Foundation.

Today we’re fortunate to be joined by Judy Samuelson, vice president at the Aspen Institute, Founder and Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, and author of her new book THE SIX NEW RULES FOR BUSINESS: Creating Real Value in a Changing World. We’re going to talk about Judy’s path as well as get a sneak peek at her book, out January 12, 2021. In it, Judy discusses the profound shifts in attitudes and mindsets that are redefining our notions of what constitutes business success. Changes such as transparency, the power of the worker's voice, and the lessening importance of capital. How do we balance the needs of our global supply chains with the reality of our limited natural resources?. Judy gives us a roadmap on how to engage business decision-makers and identify the forces that are moving the needle in both boardrooms and business classrooms and offers a powerful guide to how businesses are changing today—and how best to succeed in tomorrow's economic and social landscapes.

Sustainability and climate are front and center among many corporations and U.S. manufacturers as they step up and adopt more sustainable practices around their supply chains across industries. Some are just getting started, hiring sustainability officers, switching to renewable energy, and taking other initial steps. Today, however, "do less harm," is not enough—companies need to operate as regenerative businesses that give back. Walmart, an early mover in this field, is moving into the sustainable and regenerative future. In this episode of SOCAP Leadership, SOCAP Global President Kate Bryne has a conversation with Walmart's Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Kathleen McLaughlin.

Today we are sitting down with author and co-Founder of the Omega Institute, Elizabeth Lesser. Through her work, be it the books she writes or the wellness she empowers through the Institute, Elizabeth fuels our creativity and social change. One of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100, Elizabeth is one of a hundred leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity. This morning we are going to dive into her latest creation, Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the story changes. We’ll talk about power and investigate the role of men. What would the world look like today if the stories we grew up with, ranging from myths to the bible to fairy tales, were written from a female point of view? Listen and find out...

In this episode, we'll be hearing from serial tech entrepreneur, Cheryl Contee. Cheryl co-founded and sold her first company, Attentive.ly, and is now the CEO and Founder of the mission-driven digital agency, Do Big Things. On top of that, Cheryl is the author of Mechanical Bull: How You Can Achieve Startup Success, and she’s an award-winning political blogger. We recorded this conversation on June 3rd, 2020 in the midst of national protests of the murder of George Floyd. In our conversation, we talk about systemic racism in business and building diverse and equitable workplaces. Show Notes: The Way We're Working Isn't Working by Tony Schwartz and Jean Gomes HBR Article: Advice on Launching a Tech Startup When You’re Not a White Man by Cheryl Contee

Welcome back to the World-Changing Women Podcast Season 4! To kick off the season, we're releasing our favorite Lightning bolt speakers from past World-Changing Women's Summit Events. In this episode, we'll be hearing from leadership thought-leader, Akaya Windwood. Akaya led the Rockwood Leadership Institute for over a decade and is now a Partner at Wisebridge - a consultancy committed to creating a world where people and planet thrive. Akaya is internationally recognized for elevating the effectiveness of leadership and collaboration in the nonprofit and social benefit sectors (plus, she has always been a crowd favorite at Conscious Company events). Today, she’ll be offering her leading edge perspective on patriarchy, hierarchy, race, the future of the planet, climate change, being a woman, and where to source our wisdom.

Marci Zaroff has been leading the charge in the health, wellness, and organic apparel industries since the '90s — as in, before it was cool. She actually coined and trademarked the term ECOfashion and has built numerous brands over her 25-year career, including The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Under the Canopy, Metaware, and Farm to Home. She's also the author of ECOrenaissance. On this episode, Zaroff and I discuss what it takes to start multiple businesses, how she's followed her intuition, and what advice she has for others who are trying to change the narrative in their own industries.

Jenn Graham is on a mission to drive civic engagement. Her tool of choice: the dinner table. Graham is co-founder & CEO of Civic Dinners, a national organization that facilitates important conversations in cities across the country by bringing strangers together to share a meal and discuss specific topics affecting their communities. But the beauty of the Civic Dinners model is that the action doesn't stop when dinner is over. She and her team have created actionable steps to take after leaving these dinners, steps that are driving real positive impact — including people running for office, laws being changed, and more. On this episode, Graham shares her personal story of discovering the power of getting involved and explains how she's created a successful organization that helps others do the same.

As a long-time vegetarian, Miyoko Schinner knew that eating a plant-based vegan diet was better for the environment, but she was finding it nearly impossible to give up one food item: cheese. So, over the years, she began tinkering with creating vegan cheeses made out of cashews and in 2012 ended up literally writing the book on how to make vegan cheeses. A couple of years later, after encouragement from others in the industry, she ended up launching a vegan cheese company: Miyoko's Creamery. At first, she imagined the company would remain small, but the market had other ideas with the demand for delicious vegan cheese outpacing her ability to make it. Fast forward five years and Miyoko's cheese is sold in more than 12,000 stores nationwide and the company is on track to hit over $100 million in sales in the coming years. On this episode, I sat down with Schinner to talk playing to your strengths, the challenges that come with tons of demand for your product, and what to do when you realize your own leadership is getting in the way of your company's success.

Did you know that one in every four girls fails to earn her high school diploma in four years, and that those numbers are even worse for girls of color? When girls do not complete high school, they experience higher rates of unemployment, earn significantly lower wages, and are more likely to need to rely on public support programs to provide for their families. Research has confirmed that single-sex schools benefit students that are the most educationally at-risk, including girls and minority students. After learning about this, Liz Wolfson had a vision for an all-girls school that would foster academic excellence and personal development for young women. Fast forward many years, and she is now the co-founder of GALS and BOYS, which are tuition-free charter schools and are the only public, single-gender, college-preparatory schools in Colorado, which are now expanding into other states. We sat down with Wolfson to talk education, how she built a school with no history of doing so, and how she has overcome the challenges along the way.

In 2014, Heather Fleming, Jessica Stago, and Natasha Hale launched a one-day event on the Navajo reservation to help the community learn about entrepreneurship. With the hope that at least five people would show up, the team was shocked to see more than 80 people attend their first event. Of course, they knew they were on to something. One of their funders encouraged them to transition from a one-day event to a full-scale organization that would help create a space for Native entrepreneurs and community members to access the infrastructure, expertise, and support they need to build small businesses, and thus, Change Labs was born. On this episode, Fleming walks us through how she moved from a one-day event to a full organization, how she's navigated feeling like an outsider, and why business is so critical to sparking social change. 

After loving eating microwave popcorn during her pregnancy but not being able to find a healthy option, Kristy Lewis began researching healthier packaging and ingredient options for microwave popcorn a mere three days into her first maternity leave. She had been frustrated with the fact that no one had created a better-for-you microwave popcorn for years and decided to see what could be done about it during her three-month maternity leave. Little did she know that this would lead her to launching her own company that would disrupt an entire industry. On this episode, Lewis details how she started her company by asking tons of questions, how she's kept it alive for more than eight years, and why having passion for what you're doing is one of the most critical components. 

With her law degree from Stanford and a shiny new offer from a huge law firm in hand, Suzanne McKechnie Klahr was on her way to the top, but before she arrived, she decided to do one last thing that would change her life forever: she applied for a fellowship to work in East Palo Alto, which was the murder capital of the US at the time, to try to help low-income adults start businesses. Shortly after, four young high-school students walked into her office looking for help setting up their own business, and she realized she finally found the right target market. Twenty years later, her organization Build helps at-risk high school students learn entrepreneurship. I sat down with Klahr to talk following your heart, knowing when to step away, and figuring out how to start something even when you don't know what you're doing. 

Why is it that we think more about what we put in our bodies than what we put on our bodies? This was a question that Beck Lacouture asked herself when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in her twenties and was looking for answers. Fortunately, after Lacouture made it through her cancer diagnosis, she and her business partner Greg Altman set out to start a green chemistry company that reinvents silk in liquid form to replace harmful ingredients in skincare and textile products. In this episode, I sat down with Lacouture to hear about her inspiring journey from cancer survivor to green chemistry entrepreneur, including how she had two children in the first five years of her new business. 

As co-founder and Chief Purposologist, yes, you read that right, Chief Purposeologist of the Purpose Institute, Haley Rushing helps organizations and individuals find their true purpose in this world. It's work that she came to after working in the advertising space for much of her career and realizing that the companies that she loved working with were the ones that had an authentic purpose. So, she left the ad world behind and jumped into a new career focusing on purpose. On this episode, Haley will walk us through the basics of finding your purpose, as well as discuss the importance of taking care of yourself while you do purpose-driven work.

In 1972, a landmark civil rights law entitled Title Nine was passed, which requires gender equality in all aspects of publicly-funded education. Missy Park was one of the first cohorts of students to benefit from Title Nine during her college career, which allowed her to play numerous collegiate sports. Following her career as a student-athlete and after working in the outdoor apparel industry for a handful of years, in 1989 Missy realized there was a massive hole in the market for women's sports apparel. So starting with a self-made mail order catalog and inventory piling up in her garage, she launched a new women's sports apparel company and called it Title Nine. Title Nine is now a multi-million dollar company with stores in states across the US and a thriving eCommerce company. On this episode, I sat down with Missy to talk gutting it through your first few years, staying independent and not taking external capital, and the best advice she has for other business leaders — oh, and there's some good stuff about parental leave in here as well. 

Cat Perez didn't become a co-founder of HealthSherpa in the traditional way. Her journey actually began tinkering with friends after work on programming what they thought could be the next big tech company, which led to her and two others entering a Salesforce hackathon with a grand prize of $1 million. They entered the contest with a concept for making Healthcare.gov more user-friendly and, to their surprise, they won the entire event and with it, received $1 million. And all of this happened before she became a co-founder of HealthSherpa. In this episode, I sat down with Cat to talk about her incredible story, how she's overcoming the challenges of being a leader of a fast-growing startup, and how, by just going for it, she's changed her life forever. 

Most of us have had to scrounge around for odd jobs at certain points in our lives either to make ends meet or to help save for that certain special thing we've wanted in our lives, but few of us have turned that odd job into a thriving company. This was the case for Kristen Hadeed, who started cleaning houses in college as a way to save up for a pair of jeans that she desperately wanted. 10 years later, Hadeed is the Founder of StudentMaid, a cleaning company based in Florida that helps teach leadership skills to employees to help them move onto their next big thing. I sat down with Kristen to talk accidentally starting a business, the many failures she has had along the way, and how listening to your gut as a leader is critically important. Fair warning: this episode is chock-full of great insights for entrepreneurs. 

Elyse Stoltz Dickerson is an earwax entrepreneur. Yes, you heard that right. After being let go from her big-time corporate job, Elyse and a colleague decided they wanted to start their own business, but they didn't quite know what unmet need the would fill in the market. We sat down with Elyse to talk about how she created a successful company by going out and finding a problem that needed a solution, and how she transformed one of the worst days of her life into one of the best things that ever happened.

If you’ve got a business idea, chances are, you’ll need money. And money can be a major source of anxiety. There are fears about getting money… and once you have it, fears about how you’ll spend it. Jenny spent two decades as an attorney and advisor for mission-driven businesses and her primary focus is on empowering women entrepreneurs to raise money on their own terms. In this episode, we’ll hear Jenny’s story and her best advice for raising money.

In 2012, Meika Hollender was sitting by the pool during the summer of her MBA program when someone handed her a business proposal for a sustainable condom company. She took the leap and co-founded Sustain with her own father, Jeffrey Hollender, the founder of Seventh Generation. In this episode, we'll hear advice she has for starting a company with a family member, how she's built a company in such a taboo product category, and how she's kept it all together through the ups and downs.

Rosemary, Vanilla, Eucalyptus, Bergamont, Lavender - for decades, Susan Griffin-Black has been harvesting the essence of nature. As co-founder of the brand EO, Susan has created a line of ethical and sustainable body care products based on her passion for pure essential oils. A certified BCorp, EO has a purpose of creating natural products that are good for people and the planet. When traveling in London for her previous work, she discovered a curious little shop that started it all…

While she was in business school, Kirsten Tobey started a revolution. In a fight against childhood obesity and with a goal to set students up for success, she sought to redefine school lunches. Kirsten and Kristin Richmond co-founded Revolution Foods, which has grown from an MBA project into a thriving business that employs over 1500 people who serve over 3 million healthy meals to schools and communities every week. 

Rum is flowing from the mountains of Colorado, where spirits are crafted from pure spring water and sugar cane from family farms. Where ingredients are distilled in a mountaintop facility that’s 100% wind-powered. Over a decade ago, Karen Hoskin followed a dream and founded Montanya Distillers, a certified BCorp making award-winning rums, and at the time she was one of the few female distillers in the country. She is now setting out to prove that rum is so much more than a piña colada mixer.

Ruth Ann Harnisch has spent her life breaking through barriers and redefining what’s possible. Despite daily harassment, Ruth Ann became one of the first women to anchor evening news and earned recognition as an award-winning journalist. After her media career, she became a philanthropist, investor, activist, and coach with her life centered on giving. Through the Harnisch Foundation, she has invested millions in programs and projects focused on promoting equity around issues facing women and girls.

Arlan Hamilton arrived in Silicon Valley when she was 34 with a dream to become a venture capitalist. She was broke, had no network, and no financial background. But she was driven, and in time, launched Backstage Capital - a firm that invests only in companies led by underrepresented founders. Stay tuned to hear how Arlan built Backstage Capital by keeping hold of a vision for a more equitable future and by staying true to herself.

Courtney Klein believes that entrepreneurs hold the solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. With this mission in mind, she founded Seed Spot, an incubator supporting diverse, impact-driven entrepreneurs. Since the launch of Seed Spot, Courtney's helped hundreds of social entrepreneurs start ventures. In today’s episode, she shares her personal startup story, which involves deeply understanding a problem, while trusting her intuition.

Since Robyn Sue Fisher's humble beginnings selling ice cream on the streets of San Francisco, she’s opened 8 Smitten Ice Cream shops throughout California. Smitten makes ice cream differently - every flavor is churned to order with all natural flavors using her patented Brrr machine. Robyn’s mission is to spread joy, and she does this through a set of core company values. Today, we hear how Robyn made new discoveries and pushed past failures to give old-fashioned ice cream a major makeover. 

Jane Wurwand is the co-founder of Dermalogica, the world’s number one professional skin care brand. After immigrating to the US, she pioneered a training program for skin therapists. She went on to create a line of skincare products to serve her students. Dermalogica’s success has helped to train and empower thousands of women entrepreneurs. On this episode, we talk about of how she got started, how she scaled, and the difficult decision to sell the company that she spent decades building.

Lynn Jurich is on a mission - to create a planet that’s powered by the sun. SunRun has helped over 200,000 people harness solar energy to power their homes. And she’s grown this solar-as-a-service model into a $3 billion enterprise, and the largest residential solar installer in the US. On this episode, we hear her story, how her leadership has developed and the impact she's making in the world.

Lynne Twist is a renowned speaker, the author of Soul of Money, the founder of the Soul of Money Institute, and the co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance — a non-profit that works with an indigenous tribe in Ecuador to protect the Amazon rainforest. Her work has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, and on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday. We sat down with Lynne to talk about her decades-long journey in impact, what keeps her going, and how she listens to her own inner wisdom. 

Can you imagine what it would be like to start a new business after two personal bankruptcies? This was the situation facing Suzy Batiz when she had the crazy idea for PooPourri -- a magical spray that masks the smells of your #2s. Since then, she built it into a $500 million dollar company. On this episode of World-Changing Women, we'll hear Suzy's story, the difference between resonance and dissonance, and how she had her business idea in the darkest of moments. 

Tara-Nicholle Nelson is a wonder woman. She is the former VP, Marketing for MyFitnessPal, now part of Under Armour, the author of 2 books including The Transformational Consumer: Fuel a Lifelong Love Affair With Customers by Helping Them Get Healthier, and the CEO of a startup called SoulTour. We sat down with Tara-Nicholle to talk to learn about her purpose-driven career, how she's introducing spirituality into the tech world, and her best advice for a morning routine that inspires and connects people.

When Steph Speirs discovered that 80% of people in the US can't install rooftop solar, she set out on a mission to make solar energy accessible to all. As the co-founder and CEO of Solstice she is a pioneer in community solar. On this episode, we'll hear how Steph built her company, her take on the importance of relationships with your co-founders and teammates, and why she feels we all need to use our voices for change.

Sheryl O'Loughlin has seen it all. As the former CEO of Clif Bar, co-founder of Plum Organics, current CEO of Rebbl, and author of "Killing It: An Entrepreneurs Guide to Keeping Your Head Without Losing Your Heart," O'Loughlin has insights and wisdom that all leaders need to hear. In this episode, we'll hear the inside story of how she built her career, how she faced the demons along the way, and how she's found balance and joy in her career.

Lisa Curtis is the founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli foods, which makes energy bars, drinks, smoothie powders, and more that feature a new superfood ingredient, moringa, all while supporting moringa producers on small farms in Africa. Despite how prolific Kuli Kuli products are becoming, the company came from humble beginnings. Today, we'll hear about how Lisa brought a new superfood into the market, how she found investors who support her vision, and why she advocates for staying small as long as possible.

Donna Carpenter built Burton from the ground up alongside her husband, founder Jake Burton. In 2016, she was elevated to the role of CEO of Burton. Despite not necessarily believing in herself at the beginning and having to be nudged into the role by Jake, Donna has taken Burton to the next level. Today, we'll hear how Donna has increased the number of women in leadership at Burton, why she paid for employees to attend the women's march, and why business leaders should take a stand.

Eileen Fisher, Founder and President of EILEEN FISHER, is definitely not the archetype of someone who has built a half billion dollar fashion company -- that's what makes Eileen so special. Eileen's intuition has been the driving force behind the brand's aspirations to be one of the most sustainable clothing lines in the world. Today, we'll hear her founding story, her philosophy on leadership, and how she stays true to her inner voice that has guided the brand for over 30 years.

Rahama Wright has the type of personality that lifts everyone up around her. As the Founder and CEO of Shea Yeleen, Rahama is the driving force behind her company, which produces shea butter skin care products that empower women in West Africa. We sat down with Rahama to hear the story behind how she made the leap from Peace Corps volunteer to entrepreneur and what lessons she has learned the more than ten years that she has been running her social enterprise.

Meet Molly Hayward, the founder and CEO of Cora. Cora is a certified organic tampon company that provides menstrual products for girls in need around the world for every box of tampons that you buy. When Molly learned about the millions of girls around the globe who miss or drop out of school during their periods, she made it her mission to do something about it. We sat down with Molly to hear how she got Cora off the ground, managed to grow a company in a taboo area, and what advice she has for others.

After completing her law degree at Berkeley, Erin Wade was working as a lawyer in the San Francisco Bay area, and she was miserable. Beginning as a dream during this time, Erin's company, Homeroom Mac + Cheese restaurant, has since grown into a thriving business with over 100 employees and a great workplace culture. In this episode, we'll hear about how she built the company culture, how she walked away from her promising career, and how she and her team built an innovative sexual harassment system.

Today, we sit down with Vava Angwenyi, founder and CEO of Vava Coffee.  Vava Coffee is a Kenya-based coffee company on a mission to help support Kenyan coffee farmers. When she set out to start her company, however, she not only faced resistance from her family, but also from Kenyan culture at large. In this episode, we'll hear how Vava surmounted those obstacles, how she has found the courage to keep going despite struggling to find funding, and how she's transforming an industry from the inside out.

Tami Simon is the founder and CEO of Sounds True, a multi-million dollar media company on a mission to disseminate spiritual wisdom. Tami works with some of the most recognizable spiritual teachers in the world like Ram Dass, Eckart Tolle and Jack Kornfield. On this week's episode of World-Changing Women, we sit down with Tami to hear the inside story of how she built Sounds True one recording at a time and what wisdom she's gained in running her conscious business.

Yve-Car Momperouse is the founder and CEO of Kreyol Essence, a thriving beauty and hair products company with products sitting on shelves at mainstream retailers like Whole Foods. Her enterprise empowers women all over Haiti who produce Haitian Black Castor Oil. In this episode of World-Changing Women, we'll hear Yves-Car's incredible founding story as well as the secrets behind how she grew Kreyol Essence into a mainstream player rooted in deep values. 

If you're a beer-lover, you know New Belgium Brewing. As of last year, New Belgium was the 4th largest craft brewer in the US. But what people may not know is that it is a woman behind the company's success: Kim Jordan. In this episode of World-Changing Women, we'll hear the inside story of how Kim started a brewery from her basement, what it took to grow that company into what it is today, and why she decided to sell her entire company to her team.

Brook Eddy, founder of Bhakti Chai, is a force of nature. Not only did she create a multi-million dollar brand from her kitchen, but she did so as a single mother of young twins. In this episode, we'll hear how a trip to India inspired a brand, how Brook found her first customer, what it took to quit a full-time job as a single mother to pursue her dream, and the lessons she learned along the way.  Follow us on twitter @wcwpod Join us at the 2019 World-Changing Women's Summit! http://bit.ly/2019WCWS

What do some of the most impactful companies in the world - companies like New Belgium Brewery, SoundsTrue Publishing, EILEEN FISHER, and SunRun Solar have in common? They were all founded by women. And they did so despite the fact that the odds were stacked against them. So how did these women make it, and what leadership lessons do they have for others? Subscribe to the World-Changing Podcast to find out.