

Next Economy Now: For the Benefit of All Life
LIFT Economy
Next Economy Now highlights the leaders that are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, democratic, equitable, racially-just, and whole-systems approach to creating the new economy. Popular guests include Vincent Stanley (Patagonia), Winona LaDuke (White Earth Reservation), Frederic Laloux (Reinventing Organizations), Autumn Brown (AORTA), Kate Raworth (Doughnut Economics), and Aaron Tanaka (Center for Economic Democracy). Learn more at www.lifteconomy.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 24, 2026 • 1h 2min
Rebuilding Healthcare for the Benefit of All (w/ Dave Chase)
What if the real reason healthcare keeps getting more expensive isn’t doctors or patients, but a benefits system that is designed to reward overspending instead of better health outcomes? In this episode, healthcare entrepreneur Dave Chase, founder of Health Rosetta, joins host Kevin Bayuk to unpack what is wrong with U.S. healthcare and what needs to change to realign the system towards better outcomes.For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/dave-chase/The LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Mar 10, 2026 • 39min
Rethinking Waste in a Circular Economy (w/Tom Szaky)
What if waste isn’t an inevitable byproduct of modern life, but a design flaw we can solve? In this conversation, Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, joins host Kevin Bayuk to explore how businesses can rethink waste and build systems that move us toward a circular economy. More than two decades ago, Tom founded TerraCycle with a mission focused on Eliminating the Idea of Waste®, growing the company from an early vermicompost venture into a global platform that recycles some of the world’s hardest-to-process materials.For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/tom-szaky/The LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Feb 24, 2026 • 59min
Degrowth, Disaster Justice, and Building a Post-Growth Society with Feroz Khan
What if perpetual economic growth is part of the problem, not the solution? Feroz Khan explores how degrowth and disaster justice could guide a more sustainable and equitable future.For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/feroz-khan/The LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Feb 10, 2026 • 29min
Mission-Driven Banking and Systems Change (w/ Francis Janes)
What would it take for banks to move away from capital extraction and toward climate resilience, racial justice, and community wealth? Francis Janes, Senior Director of Industry Relations and Partnerships at Beneficial State Foundation, joins host Erin Axelrod to explore how banking can become a lever for social and environmental justice. Drawing on his work with banks and trade associations, Francis shares how mission-driven standards, corporate social responsibility, and stakeholder approaches can shift how capital is deployed in local economies. For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/francis-janes/

Jan 27, 2026 • 48min
Raising Collaborative Children in a Fragmented Economy (w/ Dr. Lucía Alcalá)
This conversation with Dr. Lucía Alcalá explores how cultural values shape children’s autonomy, motivation, emotional development, and contributions to family life. Drawing from her research with Indigenous communities in Yucatán, she reveals what Western parenting norms overlook and how collaboration and reciprocity can transform family dynamics. The episode invites listeners to rethink childhood itself as part of a healthier, more regenerative economy.View the show notes: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/2026/1/27/raising-collaborative-children-in-a-fragmented-economy-w-dr-luca-alcalThe LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Jan 13, 2026 • 36min
Earth, War, and the Path Toward Regeneration (w/ Zainab Salbi)
Zainab Salbi joins Next Economy Now to share her remarkable journey from founding Women for Women International to launching Daughters for Earth, a movement uplifting women-led climate solutions across the globe. She discusses the moral crisis of war, the urgency of biodiversity protection, and the unique contributions women bring to climate restoration. This episode explores the Hummingbird Effect and how each of us can play a meaningful role in healing our planet.View the show notes: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/2026/1/13/earth-war-and-the-path-toward-regeneration-w-zainab-salbiThe LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Dec 30, 2025 • 52min
Building a Liberation Economy (w/ Solana Rice & Jeremie Greer)
This episode challenges you to rethink the economy from the ground up. Solana Rice and Jeremie Greer of Liberation in a Generation break down why extraction and exclusion are not bugs but core features of our current system, and invite listeners into a bold vision of a liberation economy rooted in guarantees rather than scarcity. Through stories of gentrification, community-led policy making, and real experiments like social housing and guaranteed income, they offer a clear and hopeful framework for how economic power can be rebuilt within a generation.View the show notes: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/building-a-liberation-economy-solana-rice-jeremie-greerThe LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Dec 16, 2025 • 42min
Choosing Home in a Time of Displacement (w/ Fabiola Santiago)
In this episode of Next Economy Now, Erin Axelrod speaks with Fabiola Santiago, founder and executive director of Mi Oaxaca, about what Indigenous worldviews can teach us about belonging, reciprocity, and everyday consumption. Drawing from her experience as a diasporic Zapotec woman from Oaxaca and a public health researcher, Fabiola explores the hidden systems behind mezcal, food, and tourism, and how extraction and cultural appropriation shape communities and ecosystems. The conversation invites listeners to rethink how they relate to culture, place, and what they consume, and to imagine a slower, more regenerative economy rooted in care and mutual responsibility.View the show notes: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/choosing-home-in-a-time-of-displacement-w/-fabiola-santiagoThe LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Dec 2, 2025 • 49min
Science, Spirit, and the Future of Healing (w/ Dr. Shamini Jain)
True health is about more than simply taking your medicine. It’s about healing the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. In this episode of Next Economy Now, Dr. Shamini Jain, a clinical psychologist, scientist, author, singer, and founder of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative, explores the intersections of science, spirituality, and creativity in advancing health and well-being.View the show notes: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/science-spirit-and-the-future-of-healing-w/-dr-shamini-jainThe LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps

Nov 18, 2025 • 53min
Restorative Justice and the Work of Repair (w/ Tatiana Chaterji)
What if accountability led to healing instead of more harm? In this conversation, restorative justice practitioner Tatiana Chaterji shares how her work in prisons, schools, and communities is helping people move beyond punishment toward real repair. She reflects on her own experience as a survivor, the power of truthful dialogue, and why accountability requires support rather than shame. This episode opens a clear-eyed look at what it takes to build safety and dignity in a society ready to move past punitive responses to harm.View the show notes: https://lifteconomy.com/blog/tatiana-chaterjiThe LIFT Economy team is passionate about creating learning communities where we can put the skills and values we discuss on Next Economy Now into practice. Learn more ➡️ https://www.lifteconomy.com/nextsteps


