In face of global crises, “societal leadership is now a core function of business,” says the Edelman Trust Barometer. As a consequence of this, leaders find themselves amid growing pressure for their businesses to espouse and act in accordance with clearly articulated values and forming alliances, cross-sector and international, and in attempting a long-term trajector forward. Which unexpected alliance—between public and private sector will need to be designed upon which principles, in order to keep business accountable and integral? We hear from Laura Kristine-Krause, More in Common Germany, and Daniel Lim, Salesforce.

By the end of 2021, as UNHCR predicts, 89.3 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations—and this is only the beginning given increased global migration due to climate change. In this an increasingly globalized and polarizing world, the question of trust in “the other” is being challenged. How do you build and maintain a sense of self when you’re forced to leave the place you were born in? How does the notion of “belonging” change overtime? And in all of it: where do trust and trustworthiness stand, as integral parts of building relationships? We hear from dancer and choreographer Ahmad Joudeh, facilitator and community builder Julia Singh, Voices of Ukraine, and activist Diana Dayoub, SupportUkraineNOW.

In an increasingly decentralized world where business models are being reinvented in distributed ownership and global market activity, and employees are being given the opportunity to work largely from anywhere, anytime: how do leaders continue designing and nurturing trust—towards and between their employees? How does the perceived and felt position of power and trustworthiness change? And how does it affect their personal relationship to trust and distrust? We hear from John Sinclair and Maggie Fitzsimmons, ustwo studios, and Renee Davis, talentDAO.

How might people form meaningful connections in the future? What role will machines play? We hear from Helen and Dave Edwards, Zoltan Istvan, Mathana, Twain Liu, and Marc Mathieu, in this episode narrated by House of Beautiful Business head of curation and community Monika Jiang.

Can individuals affect systemic change? How can we include more voices as we move toward a better world? We hear from Alex Evans, Heather Fleming, Karen O’Brien, Emilia Roig, plus Marjon van Gelderen and Arnoud Grootenboer, in this episode narrated by Madeline Davis, who does content development for Salesforce Design

Is technology making our conversations shallower? Are we being honest enough? How can we have more memorable conversations? We hear from Esther Blázquez Blanco, Fred Dust, Aditi Khorana, and Lindsey Wehking in this episode narrated by House of Beautiful Business editorial director Megan Hustad.