Lead With We

Eddie Bauer recently celebrated 100 years in business, and the iconic outdoor brand is focused on making the outdoors accessible to everyone. It’s a mission that deeply resonates with me as I believe that reconnecting to the natural world will help us repurpose business to restore the planet. In this episode, I speak with Eddie Bauer’s Vice President of Marketing, Kristen Elliot, about the many ways Eddie Bauer is bringing this mission to life, from their new outdoor gear rental program to working with underserved communities. Kristen also shared her advice for starting a sustainability journey which can seem daunting at first but should be viewed as a long term investment in brand equity.

Note: The team and I will be on a holiday break following this episode, but we’ll resume Season 3 with new episodes of Lead With We in the New Year. I hope you get some time to unplug and be with family and friends as well.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Audible. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Simon Mainwaring: 

Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future; as the Founder and CEO of We First, an award-winning strategic consultancy that works with purpose-led companies to build their brand strategy, company culture, and impact storytelling; and as the author of the influential ‘Purpose At Work’ column in Forbes and host of the podcast, Lead With We.

Kristen Elliott:

Kristen Elliott is Vice President of Marketing for Eddie Bauer, LLC. With over 20 years of marketing experience, Elliott has spent the bulk of her career in fashion retail gaining expertise in Public Relations, Communications, Advertising, Social Media, Digital Media and Creative Development. At Eddie Bauer, Elliott has successfully led cross-functional marketing, digital, creative and merchandising teams to bring integrated, on-brand    experiences to customers across all channels and ensure the Eddie Bauer brand is at the forefront of making the outdoors more accessible and inclusive. Elliott received her Bachelor of Applied Arts, Interpersonal and Public Communications from Central Michigan University.

Resources:

Learn more about Eddie Bauer at eddiebauer.com

Connect with Kristen on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristen-elliott-2482115

Visit leadwithwe.com to learn more about Simon’s new book or search for “Lead With We” on Amazon, Google Books or Barnes & Noble. 

John Hardy is an ethical jewelry brand whose production facilities are based in Bali. In fact, they’re the biggest employer on the island. In this episode of Lead With We, I spoke with their CEO, Kareem Gahed, about how John Hardy employs local Balinese artisans to hand craft their pieces and build communities and a culture of humanity and courage. We dig into the details of what ethical production truly means in the jewelry business and how the company’s vertical business model enables greater transparency. Plus, Kareem shares how he hopes to level up the entire industry by setting an example and encouraging others to take a stand on today’s pressing social and environmental issues.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Audible. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Kareem Gahed:

As CEO of John Hardy, Kareem Gahed is guided by a singular belief: people are the key to retail success. Since stepping into the role of CEO in 2019, Gahed has fostered an open and honest company culture that supports diversity, teamwork and creative thinking. By combining this people-first approach with globally tailored, targeted growth strategies, he has uniquely positioned John Hardy to expand to new markets, capitalize upon new opportunities and reassert its original commitment to sustainable sourcing, manufacturing and operating practices. Born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Kansas and Ohio, Gahed — whose parents immigrated from Egypt — developed a passion for travel as well as a curiosity about different cultures at a young age. A degree in Political Science from Ohio State University further illuminated the complexities of the world, awakening within him an entrepreneurial spirit similar to that of John Hardy’s namesake founder. This penchant for taking risks and learning by experience guided Gahed as he grew from store, visual merchandising, merchandising and buying positions into executive leadership roles at prominent global companies, including American Eagle Outfitters (AEO). 

Simon Mainwaring: 

Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future; as the Founder and CEO of We First, an award-winning strategic consultancy that works with purpose-led companies to build their brand strategy, company culture, and impact storytelling; and as the author of the influential ‘Purpose At Work’ column in Forbes and host of the podcast, Lead With We.

Resources

Learn more about John Hardy at johnhardy.com

Connect with Kareem on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kareem-gahed-5222027/#

Visit leadwithwe.com to learn more about Simon’s new book or search for “Lead With We” on Amazon, Google Books or Barnes & Noble.

As PepsiCo’s Global Marketing Director of Sustainability & Purpose, Maddy Kulkarni has been an integral part of charting a new course for one of the world’s largest enterprises. And now she’s passing on that knowledge to younger generations as a professor at the University of Texas. She even created her own textbook!

In this episode Maddy and I chatted about the importance of educating the next generation of business leaders on how to blend purpose and profit, the case studies she uses from PepsiCo, and some of the exciting details of pep+ (pep Positive), a strategic end-to-end transformation of PepsiCo that will drive growth by restoring the planet and inspiring positive behavior change. 

Maddy Kulkarni

Maddy Kulkarni is the recent author of Social Impact Marketing: The Essential Guide for Changemakers, a textbook for her new course at the University of Texas at Dallas. She is also the Global Marketing Director for Sustainability & Purpose at PepsiCo where she consults marketing leaders on how to connect the organization’s sustainability agenda with their consumers through the voice of their brands. Recognized as a 40 Under 40 business leader by Dallas Business Journal, Maddy has served on boards of Social Venture Partners, the Terry Foundation, and the PR Committee of the Dallas Arboretum. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Dallas Heroes Project, an organization that creates engaging marketing campaigns to drive awareness of the positive impact local heroes and organizations are making in their communities. Through her new textbook, she is enjoying teaching our next generation of leaders on how marketing can be a force for good.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Resources

Visit leadwithwe.com to learn more about Simon’s new book or search for “Lead With We” on Amazon, Google Books or Barnes & Noble. 

Learn more about PepsiCo’s pep+ strategic plan at pepsico.com/pepsicopositive

Connect with Maddy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madhura16

For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

My new book, Lead With We, is officially out in stores and online, so in this episode we’re turning the tables and I’m in the hot seat for a change. In this episode Goal 17 CEO Greg Mollner, who has been our partner on this podcast from the beginning, interviews me about how my personal and professional journey led me to rethink business as usual and create the new business paradigm I lay out in the book to better serve humanity and the planet. Greg and I chatted about the collaborative strategies that every business leader can and should adopt to help solve today’s escalating challenges and unlock extraordinary growth.

Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future; as the Founder and CEO of We First, an award-winning strategic consultancy that works with purpose-led companies to build their brand strategy, company culture, and impact storytelling; and as the author of the influential ‘Purpose At Work’ column in Forbes and host of the podcast, Lead With We.

Greg Mollner

Greg Mollner is a veteran entrepreneur, business, and organizational leader with a diverse background in investment banking, media, and the Arts in for-profit and nonprofit sectors. In 2019, Greg and his wife Allison founded Goal 17 Media and Goal 17 Foundation. Goal 17 is a media and finance company driving greater awareness of and financing for purpose-led companies. The Foundation is dedicated to helping nonprofits committed to improving economic opportunity and equality, climate change, and mental health. In 2001 Greg founded the boutique investment banking firm Vinton Street Partners, Inc., raising over $400M of private debt and equity early-stage and established purpose-led companies. From 1998-2001, Greg served as COO for ShadowCatcher entertainment. ShadowCatcher’s film Smoke Signals won the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. In 2002 Greg led the restructuring of the nonprofit Seattle Theatre Group (STG) that resulted in investors gifting their ownership of the theatre to STG. As CEO, he led the creation of STG’s Racial Equity program.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Resources

Visit leadwithwe.com to learn more about Simon’s new book. You can also search for “Lead With We” on Amazon, Google Books or Barnes & Noble. 

Connect with Simon on LinkedIn

Learn more about Goal 17 Media at Goal17Media.com

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn

For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

Dr. Mark Goulston has had a fascinating career as a psychiatrist, from helping those contemplating suicide to assisting the FBI with hostage negotiation, and now coaching the world’s top executives at companies like IBM and Goldman Sachs to become better leaders through his company Michaelangelo Mindset. Oh, and did I mention he’s written nine books?

In this episode I spoke with Mark about the type of leader the world needs now and in the future and some of the techniques he uses to draw out leadership qualities like humility and empathy.

We also chatted about how business leaders can persevere through the relentless challenges of the pandemic by taking care of their own mental health and the power of women’s leadership.

Dr. Mark Goulston

Dr. Mark Goulston is a business psychiatrist, former UCLA professor of psychiatry, FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer and co-founder of Michelangelo Mindset which companies, founders, entrepreneurs and CEO's hire when they want to think outside their box, see clearly into their future, visualize what success for their companies and themselves looks like and then help them free it just as Michelangelo "saw the angel in the marble and carved until he set it free." He is the author or co-author of nine books with his book, "Just Listen," being translated into 28 languages and becoming the top book on listening in the world. He is also a Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches coach and the inventor of Michelangelo Leadership. He also hosts the highly rated podcast, My Wakeup Call.

Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and his upcoming book, Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future; as the Founder and CEO of We First, an award-winning strategic consultancy that works with purpose-led companies to build their brand strategy, company culture, and impact storytelling; and as the author of the influential ‘Purpose At Work’ column in Forbes and host of the podcast, Lead With We.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Resources

Learn more about Mark’s work at michelangelomindset.com

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markgoulston

Listen to Mark’s podcast, My Wakeup Call, here: https://apple.co/3EqfcOK

For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

Simon’s new book, Lead With We, comes out Nov. 9th and is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Google Books and Barnes & Noble. Check it out!

Stacey Pool became Chief Marketing Officer at the fast casual restaurant chain Noodles & Company just before the pandemic started. In this episode Stacey shares how she’s leading this purposeful company through these unprecedented times. We talked openly about how COVID has taught us to be vulnerable as leaders, the balancing act of looking out for the wellbeing of our employees while still providing opportunities for professional growth, and using transparency and innovation to stay ahead of rising consumer expectations around the environment in an industry that’s been hit hard by supply chain constraints.

Stacey Pool

Stacey Pool has served as Chief Marketing Officer at Noodles & Company since January 2020. Prior to joining Noodles, Stacey held a variety of leadership roles at Vail Resorts, Inc., including Senior Vice President of Season Pass Marketing, Chief of Staff to the CEO, and Vice President of Digital Experience. During her time at Vail Resorts, she was responsible for Epic Pass brand marketing and delivering and executing the Vail Resorts digital experience. With over twenty years of experience in consumer marketing across multiple industries, Stacey has a strong track record of utilizing guest insights to deliver strong business results. Before joining Vail Resorts, Stacey was at Nike, Inc., where she defined the vision and strategy for the NIKEiD.com digital experience. Prior to Nike, she worked in consulting at Accenture, where she supported both Verizon Wireless and Qwest Communications. Stacey holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.

Simon Mainwaring

 Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and his upcoming book, Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future; as the Founder and CEO of We First, an award-winning strategic consultancy that works with purpose-led companies to build their brand strategy, company culture, and impact storytelling; and as the author of the influential ‘Purpose At Work’ column in Forbes and host of the podcast, Lead With We.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Resources

Learn more about Noodles & Company at noodles.com

Connect with Stacey on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/staceyjopool

For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

Simon’s new book, Lead With We, comes out Nov. 9th and is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Google Books and Barnes & Noble. Check it out!

Bragg Live Foods has been in the natural foods space for over a century. Now the family-owned original health food company is a movement for healthier and happier lives with CEO Linda Boardman at the helm. In this episode Linda and I spoke about how she’s leading the company at such a pivotal time in its history, especially given the explosion of clean food and her personal passion for health and wellness. Hear our deep dive conversation into how she's capitalizing on today’s consumer trends and carrying forward the company values to drive a new era of growth.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

 Linda Boardman

Linda Boardman is the Chief Executive Officer of Bragg Live Food Products, LLC. Previously, she was president of Branch Brook Holdings, an investment partnership between Swander Pace Capital, Jefferson Capital Partners and United Natural Foods, Inc. that invests in natural and specialty products companies. Linda currently serves on the board of directors of Branch Brook’s portfolio companies, Oregon Ice Cream (Alden’s Organic) and Reliance Vitamin Company (PlantFusion). Previously, she was a board director of Kicking Horse Coffee Company, and was board president of Frontier Natural Product Cooperative (Simply Organic and Aura Cacia). Prior to joining Branch Brook, Linda was president of Applegate Farms, the leading brand of natural and organic deli meats. She also held senior roles with Whole Foods Market, including leading the company's private label group. Linda started her career in the food industry at Ocean Spray Cranberries, where she worked in brand management. Linda holds an AB degree from Harvard College.

Simon Mainwaring 

Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and his upcoming book, Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future; as the Founder and CEO of We First, an award-winning strategic consultancy that works with purpose-led companies to build their brand strategy, company culture, and impact storytelling; and as the author of the influential ‘Purpose At Work’ column in Forbes and host of the podcast, Lead With We.

Resources 

Learn more about Bragg Live Foods at bragg.com

Connect with Linda on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/linda-boardman-1372786/

For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

Simon’s new book, Lead With We, comes out Nov. 9th and is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Google Books and Barnes & Noble. Check it out!

Dan Widmaier is a bioengineer who’s taking on the fashion and beauty industries. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Bolt Threads, he’s ushering in a new era of regenerative lab grown materials that can help us reverse course when it comes to the health of our planet. In this episode Dan and I talked about the science behind Bolt Threads’ patented materials, and how they’re being adopted by big brands like Stella McCartney and Adidas. In what was a fascinating conversation, I heard about his growth strategy, how industry disruption can be used to create social and environmental impact, and why companies that don’t adopt regenerative practices could face existential problems.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Dan Widmaier

Dan has carefully tended Bolt’s growth since 2009, using his passion and expertise to lead the company through technology development, expansion, and financing. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from UC San Francisco, where his graduate research involved designing genetic circuits to control microbial organelles. Dan has grown Bolt Threads from an incubator start-up to a biomaterials platform company with 75 employees. He has led Bolt Threads through multiple fundraising rounds, created lasting partnerships with iconic global brands like Stella McCartney, and launched commercially available materials including MyloTM – a mycelium-based leather alternative - with a select group of partners including adidas, Kering, lululemon, and Stella McCartney.

Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and his upcoming book, Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future; as the Founder and CEO of We First, an award-winning strategic consultancy that works with purpose-led companies to build their brand strategy, company culture, and impact storytelling; and as the author of the influential ‘Purpose At Work’ column in Forbes and host of the podcast, Lead With We.

Resources

Learn more about Bolt Threads at boltthreads.com

Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dan-widmaier-1760601/

For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

Simon’s new book, Lead With We, comes out Nov. 9th and is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Google Books and Barnes & Noble. Check it out!

As we witness the acute effects of climate change and economic inequality, business needs radical reshaping. Andrew Winston has advised countless companies on how to create positive impact, and in his new book, Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take, he charts a way forward for the future. In this episode Andrew and I talk about what it means to be net positive, how he co-authored his book with former Unilever CEO Paul Polman who shared his experience at the helm at one of the world’s largest companies, and why net positive is the only path forward for business and humanity.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Andrew Winston

Andrew has been working at the intersection of business and the planet and society for 20 years. In addition to his newest book, Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take, he is also the author of bestsellers The Big Pivot and Green to Gold, as well as hundreds of articles for the Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, and other outlets. His perspective on business is rooted in my early career, with experience in consulting (BCG), media (Time Inc., Viacom), and dot-coms, and he has worked on Sustainability Advisory Boards and directly with multinationals such as HP, Ingersoll Rand, J&J, Kimberly-Clark, Marriott, PepsiCo, PwC, and Unilever. He also speaks to audiences around the world, offering an optimistic view, grounded in heard realities, on how to create value by making the world a better place.

Simon Mainwaring

Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and his upcoming book, Lead With We: The Business Revolution That Will Save Our Future; as the Founder and CEO of We First, an award-winning strategic consultancy that works with purpose-led companies to build their brand strategy, company culture, and impact storytelling; and as the author of the influential ‘Purpose At Work’ column in Forbes and host of the podcast, Lead With We.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV. 

Resources

Learn more about Andrew Winston at andrewwinston.com

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andrewwinston

For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

Simon’s new book, Lead With We, is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Google Books and Barnes & Noble. Check it out!

Business has the power to tackle the existential problems we face in today’s world, but first we must redirect market forces to support companies creating positive change. And that’s why I’m so excited to share my conversation with Wayne Suiter Matamoros, Managing Director of Product and Experience at Unreasonable Group, which runs a business accelerator called Unreasonable Impact focused on just that. Together with Barclays, Unreasonable Impact has helped scale green economy companies that are disrupting some of the most harmful industries out there, while also creating jobs. I got to chat with Wayne about how he and his team think about creating big change on short timelines, what it really means to take an “unreasonable” approach to today’s biggest challenges, how to repurpose capitalism, and so much more.

This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal 17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. You can also watch episodes on YouTube at WeFirstTV.

Wayne Suiter Matamoros

Wayne is an experienced Human Centric Design practitioner with over a decade of experience in physical and digital products, brand, corporate strategy and organizational design who joined Unreasonable Group in 2020. He dedicates both his professional and personal time to his unwavering belief in the power of design to drive positive impact.

Wayne is also an adjunct professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business and the Tandon School of Engineering, a board member for Dreamyard, a Bronx- based non-profit that builds pathways to equity and opportunity through the arts, and a mentor to young designers of color.

Wayne holds a BS from the University of California at San Diego and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business. He was born in Costa Rica, raised in San Diego and currently resides in the South Bronx with his wife Myra and their dachshund Santiago Javier (Santi).

Resources

Learn more about Unreasonable Group at unreasonablegroup.com 

Connect with Wayne on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/waynesuiter

For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

Simon’s new book, Lead With We, is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Google Books and Barnes & Noble. Check it out!