The Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Podcast

In today's episode, Cory revisits three interviews from February and shares his thoughts, reflections, and key takeaways for the show's new annotations segment.  Hear a recap from Kate Stoddard, Branden Harvey, and Tara Donaldson.  Cory kicks things off with an overview of his conversation with Kate Stoddard, Founder of Orchestra Provisions, a company that designs cricket protein superfoods that can easily be incorporated into the average American diet. Hear about how Kate's parents shaped her desire to be impactful and why you don't need to do the extreme to have an impact.  Next, Cory revisits his interview with Branden Harvey, Founder of Good Good Good, a media platform that is designed to leave you feeling more hopeful and better equipped to do more good. Branden describes the distinction between feel good news and real news, why his company is all about good news, and how  being purpose driven can sustain you through tough times.  For the final recap, Cory takes a look at his interview with Tara Donaldson, Executive Editor of WWD, Founder of The Diversity List, and former Editorial Director of Sourcing Journal. His interview with Tara serves as a searing reminder of the failures of mainstream media to report on the less glamorous aspects of fashion and challenge the unsustainable status quo that is still dominating the industry.  Gain a new perspective on being impactful, doing good, and the role of journalism and check out the full episodes if you'd like to hear more! -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday. Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- -- 📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More     📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn   GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn   ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website   FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

It's easy to get distracted by the flashy surface of the fashion industry, but it's the sinister underbelly that we need to delve into to truly start making a difference. In the latest installment of our series on the Impact of Fashion with our partner, Dhana, we are joined by Tara Donaldson, Executive Editor of WWD, Founder of The Diversity List, and former Editorial Director of Sourcing Journal, to talk about how the business and media of fashion co-exist.  In her work, Tara has been covering the business of fashion, from textiles to retail, bringing light to the important issues of sustainable and impactful fashion, and speaking to a more inclusive and equitable fashion industry.  In this episode, Tara explains the role of media in the fashion industry and its effects on sustainability, social impact, and inclusion. She breaks down the effects of fast fashion on the immediate communities and environments of workers along the supply chain and shares her views on what precisely needs to change to prevent unethical labor practices and expose the bad actors!  We find out why we need to be supporting smaller brands who are building their business with sustainability at the center, starting with the design process, and the difficulty larger brands face in turning the ship around.  The term "sustainability" contains everything from waste prevention to the social impact element, and Tara touches on why it's critical to pay attention to and elevate the voices and contributions of people of color in the fashion industry. -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday. Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- -- 📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More     📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn   GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn   ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website   FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

Now, more than ever, we need a dose of good news. The past few years have seen an ever-increasing wave of negative stories that are hard to ignore. Our guest today is trying to change some of that.  Branden Harvey is the founder of Good Good Good, the host of the Sounds Good Podcast, and the managing editor of The Goodnewspaper, through which he aims to spread 'real good news' to inspire action and hope in his readers, listeners, and community.  For Branden, it isn't about ignoring the difficulties and tragedies that are present in our world, but rather he hopes to balance out what has become overwhelming and disheartening.  Branden has some great tips for staying energized and proactive, and this means reading the news instead of watching it, and finding a balance that is healthy for you and your needs instead of passively doom-scrolling.  Cory speaks to Branden about his background and what led him to where he is today, with some attention on mentorship, his passion for photography, and the beginnings of the Good Good Good brand. Branden also talks about the habits that help him stay positive about the future, and the gratitude he feels for his work and community. -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday.  Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- --   📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More     📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn   GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn   ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website   FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

Today we are joined by Kate Stoddard to explore how eating crickets could be the key to a sustainable food system.  Kate is a mother, social entrepreneur, and environmentalist. She has a Master's in the science of nutrition and is interested in finding regenerative solutions to mending broken food systems. She is the Founder of Orchestra Provisions, an organization that is reimagining traditional protein sources by incorporating crickets into daily-use superfood blends.  In our conversation, Kate talks about how she discovered the benefits of eating insects and decided to build a product line to advocate for them. We discuss our rich history of entomophagy (eating insects), what has separated Western culture from this practice, and how Kate is overcoming the barriers to its re-adoption through her marketing.  Our conversation also covers the many reasons why insect protein is more sustainable than other sources, and how Orchestra Provisions is slowly shifting perceptions using their line of delicious spices, protein powders, and therapeutics. -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday.  Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- --   📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More 📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

How can businesses be more sustainable? And from the consumer's side, what can we do to push businesses to make more sustainable choices? This episode marks the final installment of our sustainable business series.  Today, we unpack the seven most common prescriptions on how to become more sustainable, and three ways to become a more conscious consumer. We touch on the role of the Fashion Transparency Index, and the B Impact Assessment, along with taking an analysis of every company you spend money with.  We use the examples of Patagonia and Mud Jeans to illustrate companies who make value-driven decisions, and touch on why, to address global warming, you need to address current needs.  The majority of waste is created when we don't use materials that have taken energy and resources to manufacture. We discuss how bearing that in mind to make sustainable choices works for the good of the planet, rather than just serving as a marketing tool. -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday.  Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- -- 📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More ⭐️SPONSOR: Georgetown University's Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management 📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

What makes a sustainable business actually sustainable? There are many ways that a business can make an impact with seemingly standard business operations, and today we're breaking down the practices involved in this by leaning on an excellent impact analysis tool: the B Impact Assessment (BIA).  While the BIA process is extensive and rigorous, the results show major differentiators between those who are truly sustainable businesses and those who are not. Today we jump straight in with a quick explanation of how a company can use this to measure its impact on its workers, community, environment, and customer, with the aim of ultimately joining the Certified B Corporation community.  Hear about the two levels of sustainable business practices before we dive into the four impact areas of governance, community, environment, and customers. From transparency, civic engagement, and community partnership to energy and water usage, carbon footprints, and financials (and a whole lot more), this episode covers all the basics of how this assessment aids the progress of a business along the path to truly being a force for good. -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday.  Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- -- 📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More ⭐️SPONSOR: Georgetown University's Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management 📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

Today, host Cory starts a new mini-series in which he unpacks the central concept of sustainable business. The next few episodes will expand on the points that are raised here. Things kick off with a few new perspectives on why sustainability matters, and from there Cory gets into some definitions, as well as why defining what a sustainable business is so important for the practices that follow.  Listeners can expect to hear about the main factors that make a business sustainable and why these need to be baked into the core of any business with such aspirations.  -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday.  Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- --   📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More ⭐️SPONSOR: Georgetown University's Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management 📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

Today we are joined by Nivi Achanta, founder and CEO of Soapbox Project, making social impact easy for busy people, starting with bite-sized climate action plans!  During this conversation, Nivi tells us the story of what led her to start Soapbox and what she's aiming to achieve with it. We touch on some of the reasons that people don't take action and she shares which factors she believes have led to her success, as well as why you should just do things and see if they lead to your success.  We ask Nivi about her challenges and wins, why she felt that bringing Soapbox into the community space was the next step rather than just a newsletter, and what has been so exciting and productive about that process. She advocates for trusting your users and emphasizes the fact that community is about collaboration rather than control.  Nivi believes in positive messaging around social change and shares experiences that have motivated her to make a change. She shares some powerful advice, as well as all the details of her journey that will empower listeners to make a change. -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday.  Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- --   📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More   ⭐️SPONSOR: Georgetown University's Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management   📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn   GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn   ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website   FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

We often believe that people who are more successful than us have worked harder than us, and so hustle culture has become so ingrained in today's workforce. But it doesn't have to be this way!  You would expect the three people involved in a fast-growing tech startup that's doing north of a million dollars in revenue would be burning the midnight oil, but that is not the case.  Today we are joined by SparkToro's Marketing Architect, Amanda Natividad, and Co-Founder and CEO, Rand Fishkin, to talk about exchanging hustle culture for chill work. SparkToro is an audience research software program that helps brands discover what their audience reads, watches, listens to, and follows.  Before co-founding SparkToro, Rand also co-founded the SEO software company Moz and wrote the book Lost and Founder about that experience. When he co-founded SparkToro, he did it with a very different approach.  In this episode, we discuss the concept of chill work, how it differs from hustle culture, what goals and objectives look like when you embrace this mindset, and how to embrace it from the inside of an organization that does not. You'll also hear more about what SparkToro does and how it may benefit you. -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday.  Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- --   📄 Full Show Notes - Links, Transcript, & More   ⭐️SPONSOR: Georgetown University's Master of Science in Environment and Sustainability Management 📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!)  Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter Twitter or LinkedIn   GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn   ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website   FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS:  Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our Better World Business Growth programs.  Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.

Neoliberal capitalism turns life into money by killing it, but what good is that money on a dying planet?  Today we speak to Paul Hawken about how to end the climate crisis in one generation using an approach centered on regeneration.  Paul is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, author, and activist who has dedicated his life to environmental sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment.  For Paul, the solutions to climate change are local, where human beings use their imagination to form economies that create more life than they take.  We discuss Paul's book Drawdown, in which he provides a list of 100 potential solutions to climate change and ranks them by the potential amount of greenhouse gases each could cut.  We also talk about his new book, Regeneration, which offers a unique approach to understanding and taking action to address the climate crisis.  In this conversation, Paul talks about why the fear and guilt-based climate change narratives don't work and how we need to reimagine our relationship to our surroundings if we are to save the planet. He also addresses the lack of purpose people feel thanks to the current system and why bringing the earth back to life will bring people back to life too. -- -- 💌 BETTER WORLD WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: The Better World Weekly is a weekly newsletter written and published by Grow Ensemble Founder and Podcast Host, Cory Ames. For the latest insights, analysis, and inspiration for building a better world, join the 1000s of changemakers and social entrepreneurs from all sectors all over the globe who get this email in their inbox every Monday. Subscribe >>> https://growensemble.com/newsletter/ -- -- 📄 Full Show Notes: Links, Transcript, & More 📣 SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Leave a Review (on Apple Podcasts!) Subscribe to the Newsletter Share the Podcast on Twitter or LinkedIn GROW ENSEMBLE: YouTube Twitter LinkedIn ABOUT CORY AMES: Newsletter Twitter LinkedIn Website FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS: Get the courses, coaching, and services to help grow your business and expand your impact with our **Better World Business Growth** programs. Our newest course, SEO Traffic + Impact will help you use search engine optimization (SEO) to build an audience around your better-for-the-world business and mission.