The Company Road Podcast E86 Jet Swain on Why the Next Great Economy is Built on Affection
In this episode of The Company Road Podcast, Chris Hudson welcomes Jet Swain, design guru and founder of The Affection Economy, a transformative framework for how we lead, work, and measure success.
Jet argues that the next great economy isn't built on logic alone, but on affection, defined as people, purpose, and values. Drawing on an incredible 35-year career spanning advertising, architecture, systems design, and policy, Jet has seen systems that have lost their soul and their care.
She helps organisations move beyond quarterly targets to build cultures of courage, connection, and care. This conversation is a vital listen for intrapreneurs, examining why empathy is not enough and how to move to compassion (which she defines as action). We discuss everything from the need to dismantle 1950s childcare policies to the role of "meliorism", the idea that the world can be made better by human effort, to drive micro-movements of change within your business.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Why the Affection Economy is "care as strategy" and not a soft skill.
The difference between empathy (knowing how someone feels) and compassion (taking action).
Why leaders must first "come home to your values" before trying to implement corporate values.
A powerful example of systemic change: redesigning maternity leave (designed by men, for men ) into flexible parenting or carers leave.
The concept of "meliorism" and why intrapreneurs are best positioned to enact those tiny, courageous acts that shape culture.
How to achieve both profit and purpose instead of being forced to choose one.
Key Links
Jet Swain's Website: jetswain.com
About our guest
Jet Swain is the Founder of The Affection Economy, a movement and methodology born from her 35-year career in advertising, architecture, systems design, and policy. As an executive leader, speaker, and author of the upcoming book The Affection Economy, Jet helps organisations build effective, ethical performance by centering their work around people, purpose, and values. She is driven by the conviction that human-hearted design, which leads with the heart, creates safety and healthier cultures.
About our host
Our host, Chris Hudson, is an Intrapreneurship Coach, Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching and consultancy Company Road.
Company Road was founded by Chris Hudson, who saw over-niching and specialisation within corporates as a significant barrier to change.
Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.
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