Disruptors for GOOD | Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises

In episode 50 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Andy Rieger, the Co-founder and President of J.Rieger & Co Distillery on navigating the pandemic and turning their 50,000 sqf HQ into a full-time hand sanitizer production facility.It all started in Kansas city during 1887, only to meet an early demise in 1919 with the onset of the 18th Amendment and Federal Prohibition. 95 years later, two ambitious young KC guys refused to let Prohibition be the final fate for J. Rieger & Co.‍In 2012 Andy Rieger, Jacob Rieger’s great-great-great grandson (and only living direct descendent at the time), and Ryan Maybee, a career bartender and restaurateur set out to resurrect this historic brand. Together they formed a bond based on their shared vision of re-establishing not only Andy’s family legacy, but also reviving the distilling industry in Kansas City. And in 2014, they relaunched J. Rieger & Co., Kansas City’s first distillery since Prohibition with the release of “Rieger’s Kansas City Whiskey”, a unique style of American Whiskey that pays tribute to J. Rieger & Co.’s history.‍About a month ago the distillery made a decision to fully commit its resources and time to producing, at scale, hand sanitizer for the Kansas City consumers, hospitals and overall community. Since making the decision the company has produced and distributed over 110,000 individual bottles of hand sanitizer, that’s almost 36,000 gallons!Personally, I am proud to be part of their efforts through a project I am involved with at Emoji My City, where we've created a Support KC Apparel Collection to support the service industry and its workers here in Kansas City. J. Rieger & Co has agreed to match all funds donated as well as distribute the product to those who qualify and sign up.Sanitizer will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis and recipients will receive pickup instructions on April 25 if available. Pick-ups will occur on April 28-29 at the J. Rieger & Co. Distillery in Kansas City, Missouri. Not an essential worker but looking to help? Click here to check out in the Support KC Industry Collection and find out more about how you can contribute.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 49 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Maggie Kane, founder of A Place at the Table on how Pay What You Can Cafes can revolutionize the restaurant industry in America.A Place at the Table in Raleigh, North Carolina is one of only 61 pay-what-you-can restaurants in the U.S. – which means customers can choose to pay the suggested price, pay what they can afford, volunteer their time or pay-it-forward. Maggie Kane opened A Place at the Table in January, 2018 with the mission for the restaurant being to provide everyone in the community with hot, healthy meals regardless of means. In 2018 alone, diners paid forward over 25,000 meals and volunteered more than 24,000 hours.Maggie Kane is the Founder and Executive Director of A Place at the Table, the first pay-what-you-can cafe in downtown Raleigh. She graduated from North Carolina State University in 2013 and began working for a nonprofit with people experiencing homelessness. By befriending many people living on the margins, she knew something needed to be done. Maggie has a heart to serve, a desire to always be inclusive, and a passion for loving people. Through her work with people on the streets, she realized the power of community, the importance of dignity, and the beauty in bringing people together over incredible food.In February 2015, A Place at the Table was birthed and Maggie never looked back, opening in January of 2018 serving thousands of people in Raleigh with a dignified, healthy, and affordable meal. However, more importantly, a meal that feeds more than just the stomach-- it feeds your hearts, souls, and minds.  Outside of the cafe, you will catch her running marathons and eating peanut butter! But...you will mainly find her at the cafe right now loving on people all day.  Check out Maggies TED Talk hereCheck out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 48 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Laura Hertz, Co-founder and CEO of Gifts for Good on using socially conscious products to disrupt the $100 million market of corporate gifting.Laura is the co-founder and CEO of Gifts for Good— an e-commerce site that curates and customizes premium gifts for companies and professionals that support charitable causes in 19 states and 65 countries around the globe. Making thoughtfulness and philanthropy easier for all.Prior to starting Gifts for Good, Laura worked as the Creative Director of Cultural Outreach where she helped mortgage and real estate professionals better reach and serve the next generation of multicultural and Millennial homebuyers through cutting-edge training, marketing, and diversity recruitment solutions. She also served as an Audit Senior Associate at Deloitte, where she helped to identify and mitigate potential risks within client accounting, internal control and operating procedures for leading financial institutions, Charles Schwab and Bank of the West.Laura dedicated two years of her life to national community service work with AmeriCorps NCCC— the Domestic Peace Corps. She is the recipient of the Bronze Congressional Service Award—the highest award given by any U.S. legislative body—which recognizes “initiative, service and achievement in young people.Laura studied Business Administration at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and later earned her Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business. Though originally hailing from New York, she has been fortunate enough to live in a diverse slew of countries, including China, Spain, and South Africa, and to have traveled through 22 countries and 49 states.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 47 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Christian Thrasher and Catherine Smith from The Clinton Foundation on the impact of COVID-19 across different sectors of our society.Catharine SmithCatharine Smith is the chief executive officer of the Clinton Health Matters Initiative (CHMI) at the Clinton Foundation. Catharine previously served as executive director of the Harvard Center for Primary Care where she led business development, strategy, and operations for a think-tank focused on improving value-based, patient-centered care. She has served in program development and management roles across various health care sectors, directing national and global initiatives in hospital medicine quality improvement and primary care systems strengthening. Catharine is currently completing a master's in business administration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a graduate degree in social science research from the University of Chicago. Christian ThrasherChristian serves as Senior Director of Substance Use Disorders and Recovery at the Clinton Foundation. In this capacity Chris oversees all of the foundation’s efforts helping to address substance use disorders. Before joining the Clinton Foundation, Chris served as the Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health at Sharecare, a comprehensive health and wellness engagement platform. Prior to Sharecare, Chris served in several leadership roles in the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2003, Chris founded and became director of the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health (CESH). In addition, Chris was a member of the faculty at MSM within the Department of Community Health and Preventive MedicineChris earned a BS Degree in Communications and Psychology from the State University College of Fredonia in New York and a MA Degree in Human Sexuality, Marriage and Family Relations from New York University. Chris is a certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor with the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare as well as a certified Sexuality Counselor and Sexuality Educator by The American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists.CHMIThe Clinton Health Matters Initiative (CHMI) works to improve the health and well-being of all people by activating individuals, communities, and organizations to make meaningful contributions to the health of others. The goals of this work is to reduce the prevalence of preventable health outcomes and close health inequity and disparity gaps by improving access to key contributors to health for all people. The Clinton Foundation achieves its goals through strategic cross-sector partnerships and by leveraging technology and digital innovation.This work includes the Clinton Foundation's Opioid Response Network which fights the opioid epidemic by expanding naloxone access and increasing education and awareness to decrease stigma and curb addiction, while providing communities with the tools they need to combat the epidemic and save lives. The Opioid Response Network builds and mobilizes networks of faith leaders that represent different faith traditions, and equip them with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to organize community members, reduce the stigma of addiction, and fight substance use disorders in their communities.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 46 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Priya Prakash, founder of HealthSetGo on her mission bring health education to millions of citizens in India.Growing up in India, Priya Prakash’s family showed their love through food. Nightly dinners, family gatherings, and celebrations were filled with joy and of course food.Unfortunately, most of the food was not of the healthy variety and eventually, she became overweight and was relentlessly bullied by her peers from the sixth grade until college. Friends and other kids and students called her fat, ugly, and made her feel like she wasn’t worth anything. Of course, this behavior beagn to take a huge toll on Priya’s mental health.Priya eventually made the decision on her own; to change her lifestyle and improve her physical and mental health. She is now the founder and CEO of HealthSetGo. and the recent winner of the $250,000 Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award.Her organization integrates technology and health care to empower parents, schools, and governments to make data-driven decisions to improve the health and lives of children. HealthSetGo has impacted the lives of more than 200,000 children and parents in India across more than 77 cities.India has the second highest number of obese children worldwide and is the cancer and diabetes capital of the world! Through Priya’s work, she hopes to positively impact one million people by 2023 and ten million by 2030.“I struggled with my health and my body weight throughout my childhood, and it took years to change myself into the healthy woman and the fit woman that you see before you today.” - Priya PrakashListen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 45 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Martin Johnston, Co-founder of Crafted Society on raising over $1 million to disrupt the luxury goods market with transparency and social responsibility.Martin spent the last 20+ years running global operations for companies like Nautica, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, and Toms. After taking some time away from the industry to reflect on his purpose, he and his wife started Crafted Society.Both Martin and Lise have a long and decorated resume of working in fashion, and in 2016 decided to leave the corporate world behind them, to create a luxury fashion brand which championed their own values of transparency, sustainability and social responsibility.Crafted Society is redefining what a luxury brand is and should be. Crafted Society was born out of a passion to create exquisite hand crafted products with the most talented artisans of Italy. And also use the products as a vehicle for positive social impact while helping to preserve authentic and traditional craftsmanship.To preserve the crafts the artisans must transfer their knowledge to the next generation but this is an increasingly difficult task, mainly due to the ‘secrecy’ which has surrounded these talented humans for decades. Crafted Society decided it was time to challenge convention, the founder decided it was time for TRANSPARENCY to triumph over secrecy.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 44 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Chami Akmeemana, CEO of Blockchain Learning Group and Convergence on how blockchain is impacting lives around the world.Chami Akmeemana is the CEO of Blockchain Learning Group and Convergence. He is a Blockchain and AI Specialist. He pursued a Ph.D. in Bioceramic Engineering at Queen Mary, University of London, until deciding to forgo an academic career in favor of Law Enforcement. In 2002, he joined London’s Metropolitan Police.His current company, Convergence, has successful deployed several blockchain projects in the developing world to connect individuals to simple human rights and create new businesses in areas never thought possible.Chami and his team has deployed blockchain to help farmers in Mongolia deliver sustainable cashmere, helped individuals identify there land rights in India, and has been tapped by the United Nations to help collaborate around the use of blockchain to dig deeper into climate intelligence to support climate action.Chami has had 4 successful exits over the last decade and is passionate about the intersection of technology, business and social good. His experience includes serving as Director of Regulatory and Government Affairs at ConsenSys Inc; Fintech Advisor to the Ontario Securities Commission; Managing Director, Fintech and Blockchain at the Global Risk Institute; and Regulatory Advisor to the Republic of Liberland.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 43 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Treana Peake, founder of Obakki on her journey impacting over three million lives around the world.Treana's philanthropic journey started when she was only 8 years old, when an envelope of money was anonymously slipped under her family’s front door. For Treana and her mother, that envelope was everything when they had nothing. It also motivated her mission to give back and was a catalyst that has impacted over 3 million lives.Having travelled to Africa over 60 times, Treana continues to facilitate sustainable solutions such as vocational farms, solar panel water systems and educational support that help the people she now calls family. Since launching the Obakki Foundation in 2009, she has developed authentic and lasting partnerships in the areas where she works, investing in the people and their communities.Recognized as an influential speaker in the field of social entrepreneurship, Treana has spoken about clean water solutions in front of the U.S. Congress and United Nations. Her work in the field has also been recognized and endorsed by UNICEF and The Carter Center. Treana believes that giving back can be a part of every person’s life. Her approach to philanthropy seeks to modernize the idea of charity, making it relatable and allowing everyone to play a role in sustainable social impact.Through her work, Treana continues to honor the stranger who helped her family in a time of hardship. Her efforts have brought water to 2 million people and she has supported the educational needs of thousands of children. She is relentless in her search for innovative solutions that empower change in others.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 42 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Marc Angelo Coppola, founder of Valhalla Farms on buying 60 acres of farmland to turn into a modern oasis of sustainable education and community.Marc dedicated to having an impact. Defining success in unconventional measures he has earned a living by applying the skills of entrepreneurship and marketing for a cause. Marc Angelo is also the founder behind Valhalla Farms, The Valhalla Movement, and Superhero Academy - he strives to empower social entrepreneurs and sustainable business leaders to be bold - dynamic - engaging storytellers - aka everyday superheroes - that will change the world through their actions and the movements they help inspire. Marc's thirst for exploring and the pursuit of new ideas and ways to growing the sustainability movement into a mainstream lifestyle is unquenchable.The foundation of the farm and community is built around a term called permaculture. Permaculture is a philosophy of working with nature through observation of all the functions of each element to design whole systems. Valhalla Farms Montreal is applying principles of permaculture in all aspects of the project.Natural Building; there are many solutions today that function passively using natural or reused materials such as Hemp, Earthships, Cob houses, Rocket Stoves and Compost showers. These innovative technologies provide accessible change for everyone.Sociocracy is a self-managed decision making model for organizations and communities. Valhalla Farms Montreal implements Sociocracy to ensure that all members are included in the decision making while still being efficient in our decision making.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.

In episode 41 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Laura Alexander and Liza Moiseeva, co-founders of Brightly on their mission to build a billion dollar conscious consumer platform.The Brightly platform focuses on brand + product recommendations, actionable + research content, and authentic community connections to empower people to make a difference for the planet.Laura co-founded Brightly after leading social impact search initiatives for Google, scaling Amazon.com’s Fashion business, igniting Sephora’s Beauty Insider Community, creating products for Adobe and more, Laura was driven to create Brightly to catalyze change. She is a technical and design-focused leader with experience managing teams of all sizes and disciplines, from engineers to marketers. Along with Liza, Laura co-hosts the Good Together Podcast, an arm of the Brightly.eco platform.Liza's personal passion for helping ethical businesses grow led her to found Scaling Good, an online community and consulting service for entrepreneurs looking to get an edge on their marketing and sales. Liza is also a co-host of the Good Together podcast, a resource for everyone looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle. The podcast was featured by Apple as their number #1 pick for conscious consumers and ended at the top 150 podcasts in the US after just ten episodes. Previously, Liza was a CMO at GlobeIn, the leading social enterprise subscription box company, which she helped scale from $0 to $12 million in sales.Listen to more Causeartist podcasts here.Check out:ImpactInvestor.io - Discover impact investors from around the world.Podcast Made with TransistorPodcast cover design Made with CanvaBuild amazing web platforms with Webflow ----------------------------------------Disruptors for GOOD is powered by Causeartist, a nonprofit media company dedicated to bridging the gap between capital and culture by spotlighting founders, investors, and organizations reimagining how business can serve people and the planet.Through storytelling, events, and open-access education, Causeartist helps create a shared language of impact, inspiring more founders to build with purpose and more funders to invest with intention.By amplifying ideas and innovations across industries, Causeartist transforms awareness into action and cultivates a community where paying it forward is part of the foundation for growth.