When people think about the legacies they leave behind for their families and communities after they pass away, many don’t think beyond financial wealth. Intrinsically, we know that a legacy should be so much more. Today’s guests specialize in finding the multidimensionality in legacy. Brandon Hatton is the president and CIO of Conscious Wealth®, an investment advisory firm rooted in the belief that money, when channeled correctly, can allow people to focus on what matters: a life of growth and fulfillment. Rehan Choudhry is the founder and CEO of Chptr, a digital platform that blends storytelling and multimedia to preserve memories in order to help communities commemorate milestones and honor loved ones. They discuss the human need to be remembered and the role of storytelling in connecting families and communities. This conversation unpacks profound questions about what essence of a person we can reliably hold onto when they pass on and how to go about capturing this in a world where people take for granted that we have more time.
In this episode, Brandon and Rehan talk about:
Resources:
Conscious Wealth book by Brandon Hatton
Conscious Wealth Conversations card game
Download your free copy of the Conscious Wealth card game
Subscribe and Review Poetry of Impact
Want to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player and you’ll be the first to know when new episodes drop.
Help us craft a memorable and meaningful experience! Click here to leave a review.
Impact strategist and systems designer, Laura François, joins us today as the Cofounder and Director of Awe Exchange, a nonprofit laboratory that champions the power of awe as a catalyst for genuine change, to relay the importance of awe in living a truly fulfilled life. We begin with the archetypal patterns of migration and transition and how this necessity to move and grow has informed Laura’s work before diving into the wonders of awe and why we all need it as a constant. Then, we unpack Barbara Neuhofer’s studies on behavioral change in Burning Man participants and how we can use awe to access the liminal space between zero inhibitions and legislating life, what South Africa’s Lugongolo Foundation teaches us about creating micro-moments of awe, and how the presence of awe improves physical and mental wellness. To end, we discover why and how awe is not learned but rather a deep remembering of the very essence of life, how to lean on awe to galvanize your actions, and how to create awe environments everywhere around you.
In this episode, Laura François talks about:
Resources:
Subscribe and Review Poetry of Impact
Want to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player and you’ll be the first to know when new episodes drop.
Help us craft a memorable and meaningful experience! Click here to leave a review.
Eliot Kotek and Jared Ruga are award-winning filmmakers who believe that media has the power to shift our perspective and behaviors in positive ways. Eliot is the Founder and CEO of The Nation of Artists, a production company and creative partner with social impact at its core, and Jared is the Founder and CEO of the socially conscious, ethos-driven media production house, Vavani Productions. They both know first-hand that filmmaking can be a powerful culture-building tool that amplifies voices and leverages storytelling for a cause. In this episode, we discuss the evolving role of media, from the digital renaissance of streaming to the disruptive influence of AI on content creation and consumption. We delve into the interplay between commercialism and philosophy in media and how content can change forms without losing its depth or impact. For content creators navigating the complexities of media consumption, this inspiring conversation offers practical insights and thought-provoking questions to ask yourself about the purpose and ethical dimensions of media, so be sure to tune in today!
In this episode, Elliot and Jared talk about:
Subscribe and Review Poetry of Impact
Want to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player and you’ll be the first to know when new episodes drop.
Help us craft a memorable and meaningful experience! Click here to leave a review.
Cameron Williams and Zack Richner join us to share their insights on the reasons behind the disappearance of local newspapers in the United States and the consequences communities face. But it’s not all doom and gloom! This conversation is filled with innovative solutions. While Cameron and Zack both grew up in the newspaper business, they’re still bringing fresh perspectives to the industry. Cameron Williams is the Chief Revenue Officer at The Ogden Newspapers and the Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Nutting Company. Also joining us is Zack Richner, the Founder and Managing Partner of Arrandale Ventures. If you care about the quality of journalism, you’ll really enjoy this episode! Thanks for tuning in.
In this episode, Cameron Williams and Zack Richner talk about:
Subscribe and Review Poetry of Impact
Want to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcast player and you’ll be the first to know when new episodes drop.
Help us craft a memorable and meaningful experience! Click here to leave a review.
Tillie Walton is an award-winning conservationist, hydrologist, river guide, and speaker. As the host of Wild Rivers with Tillie on PBS, she uses her knowledge and passion to help people connect more deeply to self, others, and nature. Join us today as Tillie tells us about the immersive nature experience in high school that ignited her deep and abiding love for rivers and what she learned from coming into contact with the margins of life through her immersion in backcountry living. She shares how these experiences inspired her to study waterways from both a scientific and an experiential perspective before giving her insights on the unique annual river trips she hosts for influential leaders. Tune in to learn about the profound shifts that occur when folks embrace the discomfort of the backcountry and give themselves over to river time.
In this episode, Tillie Walton talks about:
Resources:
Learn more about Tillie’s annual river trip for influential leaders.
Tune in to Wild Rivers with Tillie.
Subscribe and Review Poetry of Impact
Want to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify , or your favorite podcast player and you’ll be the first to know when new episodes drop.
Help us craft a memorable and meaningful experience! Click here to leave a review.
Joining us today are Josh Bernstein and Brett Howell, two founders with a passion for nature, problem-solving, and wild spaces. Josh is an explorer, educator, and storyteller, and the chair and founder of First Light Group, a collection of for-profit and nonprofit entities that elevate programming and content. Brett is the founder and executive director of Howell Conservation Fund, a company driving breakthrough solutions at the intersection of business, nonprofit work, and philanthropy. In today’s conversation, we learn about the journeys that led these two out-of-the-box thinkers to their shared belief in combating the world’s most pressing issues from a place of engagement, innovation, and solutions rather than a fear-based focus on problems. We delve into the profound impact of getting outside and spending time in the wild before learning how these two avid world travelers stay centered amidst the chaos of perpetual motion, and what they do to cultivate a curiosity-driven approach to collaboration across cultures. They also provide insight on how they managed to transcend traditional categories in their front-country work to create hybrid platforms that utilize diverse models of problem-solving, reflecting their deeply held beliefs on collaboration, innovation, and openness.
In this episode, Josh and Brett talk about:
Subscribe and Review Poetry of Impact
Want to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or your favorite podcast player and you’ll be the first to know when new episodes drop.
Help us craft a memorable and meaningful experience! Click here to leave a review.
Join us on the Poetry of Impact podcast as we welcome Kate Nevin, President and Portfolio Manager of TSWII, and Kate Horin, VC at H/L Ventures and City Rock Venture Partners. These two impact investors have a shared mission to promote diverse founders and portfolio managers in the investment space, and in this episode, they share their parallel paths to impact investing, despite their different backgrounds, and their hopeful outlook on diversity. We talk about the importance of bringing multidimensionality into your career (and the toxicity of work as identity) as well as the power of finding like-minded individuals and building a supportive community. Both Kates share their insights into how they stay motivated and support one another in their mission and why fostering diversity needs to be a collective effort. Tune in for an inspiring conversation with two women pouring their whole selves into making a difference.
Bruce Friedrich is the founder and CEO of the Good Food Institute (GFI). As a child, he
became profoundly aware of the poverty and starvation of others and was compelled to do
something about it. He explains how this led him to found GFI to address global poverty and
challenge the industrialized food system. GFI does this while also supporting a work culture that
promotes vocational self-actualization and avoids burnout. This conversation highlights Bruce’s
belief that making animal products without animals (plant-based and cellular agriculture) can do
a huge amount to prevent climate change, preserve biodiversity, and mitigate existential risks.
Jennifer McFarlane, a strategic CFO at both public and venture-backed companies and a finance and climate justice expert with decades of experience shares her path towards a blended finance perspective that incorporates values. Jennifer talks about her journey through the climate crisis and her recognition that the West has not yet accepted responsibility for climate change in the Global South. She also gives examples of her work with SV2 Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund and NEXTracker, highlighting the critical importance of making economics work.
Elizabeth Funk is the co-founder and CEO of Dignity Moves, an organization tackling the issue of homelessness. In this episode, Elizabeth shares her experiences from the early days of the internet at Yahoo, her motivation to use her entrepreneurial spirit for philanthropy, and her current passion project of ending homelessness. The conversation highlights Elizabeth's knowledge and approach to impact investing, her belief in the power of capitalism to solve problems at scale, and how she navigates the ethics of this.
Hedda Pahlson-Moller is the founder and CEO of Tiime, an advocacy, advisory, and education provider focused on impact investing. Her family also owns a forest in Luxembourg. In this episode, Hedda talks about her deep, personal connection to the forest, how she often feels that she is in conversation with it, and how it has taught her to slow down. Hedda shares her thoughts on the tension that exists between philanthropy and impact investing, where this tension comes from, and how we can move past it for the greater good. Hedda also shares to what degree deep self-work is a prerequisite for creating impact and how to help people feel the moral imperative of this personally.
Stef van Dongen is an innovator, an entrepreneur, and the founder of Pioneers of Our Time. While working with high-powered leaders and change-makers, he realized that they were making important decisions for the future of the world from a place of being disconnected from themselves, nature, and the consequences of their choices. In this episode, you’ll hear how Stef discovered an attunement with nature that set him off on a journey to help change makers reconnect with themselves and nature while working to restore and regenerate the forest ecosystem and rural economy of the Muga Valley.
Sam Teicher is the co-founder and Chief Reef Officer of Coral Vita, a mission-driven company that is restoring damaged coral reefs in the Bahamas. Inspired by the strength and peace he found in nature, Sam was moved to dedicate his energy to the wondrous ecosystem that sustains marine life and 1 billion human livelihoods. In this episode, he shares his story of being driven by a desire to do his part to “repair the world,” and how he maintains optimism in the face of environmental destruction. He also paints a majestic picture of the underwater world that evokes in him both immense joy and immense heartache. Sam reminds us of the power that lies in strengthening our connection with the natural world.
Teal Brown Zimring is a partner at Galvanize Partners LLC and executive director of Lab to Land. Hari Balasubramanian is a managing partner at EcoAdvisors and co-founder of EcoInvestors Capital. In this episode, Teal & Hari come together to discuss the magnitude of the problems of climate change and what’s causing the lags in addressing these problems. They illuminate their stories of how they individually arrived at nature as their focus. Teal & Hari talk about what stops capital from effectively addressing climate issues while providing a new perspective on how we might move forward.
Karine Sarkissian is a founding partner at Tamar Capital, a single-family office based between the Middle East, the UK, and the US. She co-founded Le Studio as a part of Tamar capital to actively support portfolio companies and investors through design. In this episode, Karine talks about exploring her identity and finding her voice through art. She tells us about the endless possibilities that can arise when design and art are integrated with impact. She also shares how she and her brothers are transforming the family legacy through the family office and how she works to maintain balance in the everyday.
Dr. Renee Lertzman is a pioneer and leader at the intersection of psychology, climate and environment. Renee is a climate psychologist on a mission to infuse as much literacy about the complexity of the human psyche, particularly paired with our present-day challenges in climate. In this episode, you’ll hear how Renee places emphasis on cultivating alignment and accessing our internal resources as we navigate living in an ever-changing world amid ecological crises.
Josef Abramowitz is the CEO of Gigawatt Global, a green energy impact platform building solar fields in some of the world’s poorest countries. He has been named one of the planet’s top Green Pioneers by CNN and nominated by 12 African countries for the Nobel Peace Prize for his solar work. In this episode, Josef takes us along for some of his wildest adventures, illustrating just how much he is willing to risk in order to make the most impact for the most impoverished communities around the world. He reminds us of the urgency to address climate change at full-force and gives us proof that change is possible even right now in the present.
Chintan Panchal is a Founding Partner of RPCK, a global boutique law firm that integrates the foundations of impact into its practice. In this episode, Chintan talks about a third-dimension of resources that extends beyond time and money – life energy. He questions how we can harness and apply our life energy in intentional ways through passion and purpose. Chintan grounds his work by staying close to the qualitative effects on those around him and finds his life energy is regenerative when involved in meaningful enterprises.
Tom & Alden Stoner are a collaborative father & daughter team who together lead Nature Sacred, an organization that builds urban sanctuaries that reduce stress, improve health, and strengthen communities. Tom is the Co-Founder and Alden is the CEO of Nature Sacred. In this episode, Tom & Alden tell the story of Nature Sacred’s evolution over the last few decades and how they anchor their success in ‘joy.’ It’s obvious in this conversation that their shared passion for elevating the human spirit enriches their relationship as father and daughter as well as the many, many others whom their work has touched.
Sam Adams, CEO and co-founder of Vert Asset Management, shares the entanglement of his love for the natural world and his joint desire for efficiency and justice. Sam talks about writing his first book, raising a family, and finding deep purpose in his work in sustainable investing. He believes that bringing people closer to more palpable experiences of climate change will be the ultimate game changer in shifting capital towards solutions. What’s apparent in this conversation is that Sam is committed to sustainability at every level of his life, from his day-to-day micro-actions to his macro-work in impact investing.