What does housing instability do to a child? To a family? To a community? Alexandria Lafci knows firsthand — and she's spent her entire career trying to answer those questions through action.

Alexandria is the Managing Partner of Home Team Ventures, an early-stage venture fund investing in construction technology. Before Home Team, she co-founded New Story, a nonprofit that built thousands of homes across Haiti, El Salvador, Mexico, and Bolivia — and partnered with ICON to print the first-ever 3D printed community of homes. New Story went through Y Combinator in 2015. Alexandria is a Kauffman Fellow.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up in Section 8 housing and what that experience shaped
• Teaching sixth grade in Southeast DC and watching housing instability derail her students in real time
• How her mother's death became the unexpected turning point in her career path
• The accidental social entrepreneur meetup in Atlanta where New Story was born
• What Y Combinator actually teaches founders — and the story of the architects that reset her bar forever
• Why she walked away from the nonprofit she loved to start a venture fund
• The origin of Icon and how New Story funded the world's first 3D printed homes
• What makes construction technology a genuinely compelling investment thesis
• The burden and opportunity of being an emerging manager in a non-obvious space
• What it would mean to bring construction costs down by 20%

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Alexandria Lafsey and her mission to build impactful housing solutions

02:15 - Growing up in Section 8 housing and how it shaped her social impact convictions

03:16 - Teach for America experience in Southeast DC and observing student homelessness

04:00 - The personal and systemic importance of affordable housing solutions

05:16 - Post-Teach path: from law school aspirations to founding News Story

06:03 - Personal tragedy and assuming caregiving responsibilities—impact on her career focus

07:26 - Lessons learned from McMaster Carr and company culture building

08:50 - The importance of culture in social impact organizations and News Story's values

09:36 - Purposeful work and integrating purpose with profit in social entrepreneurship

10:11 - Community work and the importance of resources for people close to the issues

11:02 - The serendipitous night that led to founding News Story

12:05 - The Haiti earthquake and the motivation to create scalable housing models

14:08 - Early stage funding, YC experience, and rapid community impact

15:16 - How News Story's model evolved to scale impact through land, credit, and finance

16:48 - Impact of transparency, stories, and participatory design on donor engagement

18:36 - The challenge of scalability in housing and innovating through land and collateral

20:22 - The influence of Y Combinator: access to networks and the peer community

21:44 - The importance of high standards, ambition, and the pursuit of alpha in venture investing

24:52 - The transition from nonprofit to venture capital: motivation and vision

26:16 - The potential of construction technology to solve housing affordability at scale

27:33 - How technology, like Icon, accelerates progress in building faster, cheaper, more sustainable homes

30:20 - Building a portfolio of startups in construction tech and their societal impact

33:28 - How Alexandria's emerging fund is carving a dedicated space in construction and impact investing

36:04 - Overcoming education barriers and the importance of positioning in an underserved yet vital industry

39:15 - Alexandria's entrepreneurial spirit rooted in audacity and vision from childhood

41:16 - Reflecting on her early dreams and the role of mentorship and self-belief

42:19 - Legacy ambitions: what Alexandria hopes Home Team Ventures will be known for

44:15 - The fundamental belief that housing is a human right and societal foundation

46:03 - Addressing societal normalization of homelessness and systemic inequities

47:12 - The importance of incremental progress and a community of changemakers

48:15 - Closing thoughts: building a better world through purpose-driven work

Resources & Links:

• Home Team Ventures: https://hometeam.vc
• New Story: https://newstorycharity.org
• ICON (3D printed homes): https://iconbuild.com
• Y Combinator: https://ycombinator.com
• Kauffman Fellows: https://kauffmanfellows.org

Connect with Alexandria:

• LinkedIn: [Alexandria Lafci on LinkedIn]
• Home Team Ventures on LinkedIn and Twitter/X

Connect with Ebony:

• Benevolent Advisors: [website]
• LinkedIn: [Ebony Brown LinkedIn]
• Instagram: @ebonybrown / @principlesofbenevolence
• Subscribe to SEEDs Newsletter: [link]

When we think about philanthropy, most of us picture mega-donors, foundation galas, and the Giving Pledge. But Hali Lee has spent her career arguing that the future of giving was never in those rooms. It's been in the kitchen tables, the susu circles, the ge meetings — communities of regular people pooling their time, talent, and money to take care of each other and their neighborhoods.

In this episode, Hali shares the story of how her grandmother's generosity after surviving two wars shaped her understanding of giving, how she built one of the country's most enduring giving circles from a group of ten girlfriends, and why she believes collective giving is both a solution to the loneliness crisis and a form of civic engagement we desperately need right now.

Whether you're a first-time donor, a family office allocator, or just someone wondering what you can actually do — this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• Hali Lee shares her family's history of resilience and generosity rooted in Korean history and culture.
• The origin and evolution of the Asian Women's Giving Circle over 20 years.
• How informal community support systems, like susus and tandas, mirror modern giving circles.
• Strategies for starting and sustaining a giving circle, including financial transparency and flexible participation.
• The importance of loose ties and neighborly acts in building community and combating loneliness.
• Critical insights into big philanthropy ('Big Phil') and its structural limitations.
• The findings from research on affluent donors of color and how their giving approaches differ.
• Resources and practical tools for creating and managing giving circles, including Philanthropy Together's Launchpad and Grapevine platform.
• The role of volunteer pro bono services and shared talents in supporting funded organizations.
• The historical role of neighbors in social justice and civic engagement, connecting past resilience with current community building.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Principles of Benevolence and the power of purpose-driven wealth

01:16 - Hali Lee's background and journey in philanthropy

03:20 - Family history and lessons from Korean history and culture

06:49 - Mirroring traditional Asian giving practices in contemporary circles

09:56 - Personal stories of informal community sharing and mutual aid

10:03 - The origins of the Asian Women's Giving Circle

12:30 - Reflection on strategic giving and personal philanthropy planning

14:31 - How to start a giving circle: tips and resources

16:19 - Sharing financial transparency practices in circles

19:59 - Flexibility and inclusivity in giving circle participation

22:22 - The essential pillars of launching a successful giving circle

25:43 - Platforms and tools: Grapevine and Philanthropy Together

26:53 - Volunteering and pro bono services as resources

27:31 - The decline of traditional collective participation and its impacts

29:28 - Building civic engagement and community through small acts of neighborliness

34:34 - Why loose ties matter and how they strengthen community bonds

41:27 - The connection between being a good neighbor and a good citizen

42:07 - The critique of 'Big Phil'—philanthropy driven by mega-billionaires

47:11 - Insights from the Donors of Color Network and its surprising findings

50:22 - Research on affluent donors of color and their giving behaviors

51:28 - Closing thoughts and resources for listeners interested in starting or growing giving circles

Resources & Links:

• The Big We by Hali Lee
• Philanthropy Together — Free Launchpad Course for Starting a Giving Circle
• Grapevine — Free Platform for Giving Circles
• Freedom School for Philanthropy
• Donors of Color Network Research Report
• Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam
• Just Giving by Rob Reich
• Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas

Connect with Hali Lee:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Radiant Strategies

Additional Notes:

This episode underscores the importance of community-based philanthropy, encouraging listeners to consider how small, intentional actions and collective efforts can lead to meaningful societal change, rooted in cultural legacy and neighborly care.

In this episode of Principles of Benevolence, Ebony sits down with Cameron Carter, CEO and Co-Founder of Rosarium Health, to talk about the overlooked connection between housing and healthcare. Cameron spent a decade inside value-based care at DaVita, Bright Health, Evolent Health, and Truven Health Analytics before a personal experience with his own grandmother and aunt in Compton, California led him to found Rosarium — a company helping people age safely in their own homes through accessible modifications.

They cover what value-based care actually means in practice, why supplemental health benefits go so underutilized, the size and shape of the aging-in-place opportunity, how Cameron builds trust with patients entering their most private spaces, and why he believes founders in regulated industries have a responsibility to read the actual policy rather than the headlines.

In this episode: Cameron's path from academic research on healthcare disparities through value-based care at scale, the family story that became the founding moment for Rosarium, the $800 billion home remodeling market and why it's shifting from aesthetic to accessibility, how health plans calculate ROI on a home modification, what it's like building trust as a first-time Black founder, and Cameron's vision for what aging in place could look like over the next decade.

Main Topics Covered:

• Cameron Carter's personal journey into elder care and home modifications
• The role of value-based care in improving health outcomes outside traditional settings
• Market insights: the $800 billion remodeling industry shifting toward healthcare needs
• The importance of accessible home modifications for aging populations
• Strategies to educate payers, providers, and families on health tech innovations
• Policy impacts: tailwinds and headwinds shaping the elder care ecosystem
• Building trust and partnerships with contractors, clinicians, and communities
• Practical steps for families and individuals to start planning for aging in place
• The future of aging with dignity, inclusivity, and technological advancements

Timestamps:

00:00 - Principles of Benevolence: Building impactful, purpose-driven companies

00:45 - Introduction of Cameron Carter and Rosarium Health's mission

01:13 - Cameron's background in healthcare disparities and community-based research

02:20 - Journey through value-based care and its influence on elder care

02:39 - The intersection of healthcare and the built environment

03:47 - Cameron's experience with health benefits and social determinants

04:43 - How value-based care shifts focus to outcomes beyond hospitals

05:39 - The influence of policy on health benefits utilization

06:34 - Challenges and opportunities in educating payers and patients

07:15 - Underutilization of available benefits and improving awareness

09:30 - Cameron's personal motivation for founding Rosarium from family needs

10:24 - Market size, growth, and aging-in-place opportunities

11:17 - The shift from aesthetic to healthcare-driven remodeling

12:02 - The infrastructure gap in home modifications for health

13:17 - Differentiating Rosarium from nonprofits and conventional providers

14:40 - Impact of home modifications on quality of life and healthcare costs

15:31 - ROI of installing accessible features and reducing hospital visits

17:01 - Navigating new benefit categories and payer education

18:09 - Trust-building through communication and community engagement

19:13 - How contractors and clinicians are integrated into the platform

20:36 - Language diversity and service accessibility

21:05 - Strategies to ensure trust in patient interactions

22:14 - Partnering with community-based organizations and physician engagement

23:09 - Clinical assessments and physician approval for modifications

26:11 - Essential modifications for aging in place

26:40 - Personalization of home assessments based on goals and environment

28:29 - Cameron's entrepreneurial journey and the influence of mentorship

30:43 - Reflecting on unexpected insights about housing and healthcare

32:41 - Policy trends and their influence on the aging in place market

34:13 - The role of experienced operators in policy navigation

36:11 - Advice for founders: continuous learning and policy literacy

37:27 - Vision for Rosarium and the future of inclusive aging solutions

38:46 - Broader societal and technological trends influencing elder care

41:52 - Early indicators for families to begin planning

43:09 - How to determine insurance coverage and connection points

45:02 - Property value implications of home modifications

47:20 - Final thoughts: aging with dignity, inclusivity, and innovation

Resources & Links:

• Rosarium Health
• Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
• Rebuilding Together
• UnitedHealth Group

Connect with Cameron Carter:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Principles of Benevolence:

Instagram: @principlesofbenevolence

LinkedIn: Principles of Benevolence

Website: principlesofbenevolence.com

What does it actually take to change who controls capital — and who benefits from it?

In this episode, Ebony sits down with Erin Harkless Moore, Managing Director of Investments at Pivotal, the group of organizations founded by Melinda French Gates to advance social progress for women and families. Erin leads Pivotal's fund and direct investment strategy, backing overlooked founders and next-generation fund managers in women's health, the care economy, and financial access.

Erin's path to one of the most influential investment seats in the country wasn't linear — it was intentional. From growing up in San Antonio with a deep sense of service, to cold-emailing HBS alumni from endowments and family offices, to writing her professional purpose on an index card, to landing a role she describes as "too good to be true" — this is a conversation about what happens when preparation meets clarity of vision.

They go deep on what it means to "reframe the bar, not lower it" in diligence, why women's sports is a contrarian bet worth taking, how Pivotal uses philanthropy, investment, and advocacy as a single system — and what Melinda French Gates' expanded women's health commitment means for the investment landscape right now.

In this episode:

• The "to whom much is given" values instilled in San Antonio that still drive her today
• Why Goldman Sachs was a phenomenal training ground — and why it wasn't enough
• The index card exercise that helped her crystallize her professional purpose
• How she cold-emailed her way into HBS alumni networks at endowments and family offices
• What Cambridge Associates taught her about contrarian investing and reframing the bar
• How Pivotal uses three levers — philanthropy, advocacy, and investment — simultaneously
• Why the care economy is a $648 billion opportunity hiding in plain sight
• The case for women's sports as an undervalued, mission-aligned investment
• What AI means for women's health and care — and why embedding diversity at the start matters
• What success looks like for the ecosystem, not just the portfolio

Main Topics:

• Erin's early influences and foundational values rooted in community service and faith
• The role of internal purpose and deliberate career planning (index card exercise)
• How Pivotal integrates philanthropy, policy, and investment to drive social change
• Reframing the investment bar while maintaining rigor in due diligence
• Strategies to support overlooked fund managers and diverse founders
• The growth of women's health investments, including midlife and menopause research
• Opportunities and challenges in women's sports and AI from an investment perspective
• Cross-sector collaboration in social impact initiatives
• Vision for a more inclusive, diverse ecosystem of entrepreneurs and investors

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introduction to principles of benevolence and shaping society through purpose-driven work (02:05) - Erin's childhood and core values influencing her career path (03:15) - Lessons from Goldman Sachs and the impact of early experiences (04:11) - How business school and Cambridge Associates shaped her investment philosophy (09:08) - Creating conditions for marginalized talent to access capital (09:27) - The power of internal clarity and strategic positioning for career growth (13:56) - Erin's journey to Pivotal and her vision for impact investing (14:18) - Pivotal's mission and its integrated approach to social change (16:01) - Evolution of Pivotal's investment thesis and strategies (19:01) - Maintaining rigorous due diligence with an impact lens (25:24) - Embracing risk and big swings in impact investments (29:12) - Development of Pivotal's direct investment strategy (33:37) - Advancing women's health and addressing key gaps (44:46) - Investing in women's sports and expanding impact areas (46:17) - The influence of diversity in AI development (48:09) - Envisioning success in building an inclusive ecosystem (49:29) - Closing thoughts and legacy for future generations

Resources & Links:

• Pivotal Ventures
• Monarch Collective — Women's Sports Fund
• Magnify Ventures — Care Economy Fund
• Millie — Midwifery-Centered Maternal Health
• Recast Capital — Emerging Manager Programming
• Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance
• Rising Families at Ohai.ai

Connect with Erin Harkless Moore:

• LinkedIn

Connect with Ebony Brown:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• principlesofbenevolence.com

What does it take to walk away from one of the most powerful roles in corporate America — not because something went wrong, but because something more important was calling?

Amy Weaver spent nearly twelve years at Salesforce, helping guide the company through a period of extraordinary growth as its market cap surpassed $300 billion. She made history as the first person in Fortune 500 history to go directly from Chief Legal Officer to Chief Financial Officer. Then she did something almost no one saw coming — she left to become CEO of Direct Relief, a humanitarian organization delivering over $2 billion in medical aid annually across 92 countries and all 50 states.

She accepted that offer the same week USAID was defunded.

This episode is about what it actually takes to pivot without starting over — to change lanes at the highest level of your career without losing the ground you've built. Amy talks about the conversation that changed everything, the philosophy that has guided every leap she's ever taken, and why kindness is one of the most underrated leadership weapons in any industry.

If you've ever been told you don't fit the traditional mold — this one is for you.

Key Topics Covered:

• Growing up in a family of lawyers and how a heightened sense of fairness shaped everything that followed
• The Hong Kong chapter — how a fellowship took her halfway around the world and taught her she could do anything
• The Cravath years — going on her knees every morning to pray she wouldn't commit malpractice, and what two years of that gave her
• The FaceTime call from Mark Benioff — and why "she's not on my list" became the beginning of an unprecedented career move
• Bret Taylor's reframe — "you're not qualified to be the traditional CFO, but that's not what I'm looking for"
• Why she almost said no — and what finally made her say yes
• Kindness is not weakness — the parking lot phone call that changed how she thinks about leadership forever
• Salesforce's 1-1-1 model — what it teaches every founder about building purpose into a company before you have anything to give
• Accepting the Direct Relief offer the same week USAID was defunded — and why chaos was the reason to lean in, not pull back
• What a 78-year-old organization that has never taken a dime of government funding can teach every leader about sustainability
• The AI gap in humanitarian work — why she's worried and what she's doing about it
• Year one at Direct Relief — what listening taught her that no spreadsheet ever could
• Why "you can't be what you can't see" is her least favorite saying — and what she believes instead

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to purpose and benevolence in leadership

00:36 - Amy Weaver's childhood ambitions and family influence

01:10 - Early career at Salesforce and leadership during rapid growth

02:07 - Transition from law to Silicon Valley and risk-taking mindset

04:48 - Lessons from Cravath and international experiences in Hong Kong

06:37 - Embracing risk and the power of leaps of faith

10:48 - Moving from legal to CFO at Salesforce - an unprecedented shift

11:09 - The story behind Amy's surprise CFO nomination

13:04 - Overcoming self-doubt with strategic mentorship and thinking creatively

16:38 - Leadership through kindness vs. loud or aggressive styles

18:18 - Breaking stereotypes: kindness as strength in leadership

24:15 - Embedding benevolence in corporate culture with Salesforce's 1:1:1 program

27:15 - Amy's decision to lead Direct Relief during upheaval in global aid

28:17 - The impact of recent U.S. government funding cuts on nonprofits

30:57 - Scaling strategies: from Silicon Valley to humanitarian aid

32:44 - The importance of cross-sector mobility and skill transfer

34:56 - Integrating cutting-edge technology and AI into humanitarian work

37:10 - Lessons from one year at Direct Relief about listening and impact-driven leadership

42:34 - The significance of representation and role models for future leaders

44:35 - Final words on seizing opportunities and leaping in faith

Resources & Links:

• Direct Relief
• Direct Relief Hope Ahead Newsletter
• Salesforce 1-1-1 Model
• Principles of Benevolence

Connect with Amy Weaver:

• LinkedIn

What if the most powerful wealth-building tool in the Black community has been hiding in plain sight for 120 years?

Ryan L. Smith grew up on the South Side of Chicago where he felt safe inside his home but couldn't walk a block in any direction without encountering disinvestment, lack of opportunity, and gun violence. He watched friends whose lives took a very different path and made a decision early: the most scalable way to change things is through business.

That conviction took him from Howard University to Morgan Stanley, through private equity and venture capital in Silicon Valley, to becoming Director of Investments at Magic Johnson Enterprises — where he helped execute one of the most storied acquisition strategies in Black business history. That journey led him somewhere he never anticipated: insurance.

Today Ryan serves as Executive Vice President and Board Director of Atlanta Life Insurance Company, founded in 1905 by Alonzo Herndon — a man born into slavery who became the first Black millionaire in the South — and one of the oldest and most consequential Black-owned institutions in America.

This episode is about a 120-year blueprint that never went out of style. The wealth-building tools the wealthy have always used. And why the Black community has been sleeping on all of it.

Key Topics Covered:

• Growing up on the South Side of Chicago and deciding business was the most scalable solution to systemic disinvestment
• How Carla Harris changed everything with one breakfast and one piece of advice about earrings
• How Ryan created an opportunity at Magic Johnson Enterprises that had no job posting — and why recommending against the first deal was the move that built trust
• The story of Alonzo Herndon: from slavery to three barber shops he couldn't walk through the front door of, to the first Black millionaire in the South, to founding Atlanta Life in 1905
• Why the Friday fish fry became GoFundMe — and why 119 years later we're still having the same conversation
• Life insurance as a wealth-building Swiss army knife: how Disney, McDonald's, and Stanford were all funded by life insurance in their early days
• The Rockefeller family's secret weapon for dynastic wealth preservation — and why everyone can access the same tool
• What it actually takes to evaluate a business for acquisition — and which industries AI is making more valuable, not less
• Why 97% of Black-owned businesses are sole proprietorships and what's actually blocking the scale-up

Timestamps:

• [00:45] Growing up on the South Side — safety inside, perils outside
• [03:17] Why philanthropy felt good but not scalable — and the decision to go through business
• [06:15] The career arc: Howard, Morgan Stanley, IMB Partners, Bronze Investments, Stanford
• [07:09] Meeting Carla Harris in an elevator and what she told him that changed everything
• [12:11] How Ryan created an opportunity at Magic Johnson Enterprises with no job posting
• [17:04] The Magic Johnson investing thesis — inner cities as overlooked markets with unmet demand
• [19:16] How insurance became the unexpected vehicle for everything he'd been trying to do
• [21:21] The Alonzo Herndon story — from slavery to the first Black millionaire in the South
• [26:16] Why this story isn't taught at Howard — and why that's a disservice
• [28:10] Insurance as a social good — how Atlanta Life thinks about the wellness tripod
• [31:42] The Friday fish fry to GoFundMe problem — and why the Black community is sleeping on life insurance
• [35:37] How to make money as a life insurance agent — the $25 billion opportunity most people overlook
• [36:08] Entrepreneurship through acquisition — how to evaluate a business and what questions to ask
• [39:50] What's actually blocking Black-owned businesses from scaling
• [45:37] What keeps him going — and what winning actually looks like

Resources & Links:

• Atlanta Life Insurance Company
• Atlanta Life Insurance Company: Guardian of Black Economic Dignity — the book Ryan referenced, by Alexa Benson Henderson
• Magic Johnson Enterprises
• Bronze Investments
• Kapor Capital
• IMB Development Corporation
• Restoring Our Character — Ryan's nonprofit co-founded at Howard
• Herndon Home Museum — Alonzo Herndon's historic Atlanta home
• Principles of Benevolence

Connect with Ryan L. Smith:

• LinkedIn
• Atlanta Life Insurance on LinkedIn

What does it actually take to close the wealth gap?

Shelley Stewart III didn't set out to become one of the most important thinkers on economic mobility in America. He almost went to law school. Then an SEO internship landed him on a trading floor at JP Morgan, and everything changed.

Today he's a Senior Partner at McKinsey, a member of the firm's global leadership team, and the founder and chair of the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility — a think tank built on a simple but radical premise: expanding economic opportunity isn't charity, it's strategy.

In this conversation we get into all of it — the Great Ownership Transfer, affordable housing, rural America, AI and the workforce, and why Shelley believes the people most responsible for closing these gaps aren't waiting to be told.

Key Topics Covered:

• From Wall Street to McKinsey — and the career philosophy of building option value without a fixed destination
• How a side research project became the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility
• The Great Ownership Transfer: what happens to $5 trillion in small business value as baby boomers retire — and who gets left out
• Why only 28% of that value would flow to women, Black, and Latino individuals under current patterns — and what closing that gap could unlock
• Affordable housing: the $3 private capital multiplier and what it means for family offices and impact investors
• Rural America and Latino economic mobility — the data most investors aren't looking at
• AI adoption inside enterprises: what leaders are actually doing versus what the headlines say
• Why Shelley believes McKinsey's highest and best use is staying out of principal investing — and what that means for the firms doing impact investing instead
• Advice for early-career professionals who want to build something meaningful from inside a large institution

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Principles of Benevolence and Shelly Stewart III

00:45 - Shelley's career path from Wall Street to McKinsey

01:12 - The founding of the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility

02:21 - Impact of economic mobility research on policy and industry

03:31 - Shelley's transition to leadership in social impact initiatives

05:07 - Career strategies: navigating without a fixed endpoint

07:16 - The role of research and thought leadership in broad impact

08:50 - Addressing disparities in rural America and Latino communities

10:42 - The importance of collaborative approaches to systemic issues

12:31 - Impact of research on influence and global forums

15:36 - The significance of entrepreneurial ownership transfer

16:31 - Unlocking wealth through family-owned business succession

17:48 - The model of employee ownership and its challenges

20:36 - Closing disparities in health care, housing, and opportunity

23:03 - Fostering the market for business transfers and ownership

24:19 - Trends in wealth transfer, search funds, and next-generation buying

25:51 - The impact of AI and technology on business and workforce

27:29 - Addressing technological displacement and shared ownership models

28:16 - The deployment of AI in enterprise and change management

32:36 - Corporate experimentation and leadership in AI adoption

36:26 - Internal innovations at McKinsey leveraging AI tools

39:32 - Outcomes-based pricing and client engagement models

41:06 - Advice for aspiring intrapreneurs and impact-driven careers

42:26 - Legacy and lasting contributions in social impact

43:26 - Final thoughts and closing remarks

Resources & Links:

• McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility
• The Great Ownership Transfer | McKinsey Institute For Economic Mobility
• Shelly Stewart III - LinkedIn
• McKinsey & Company

Connect with Shelly Stewart III:

• LinkedIn

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From Incarceration to Liberation: Jonathan Alvarez & the Business of Transformation

Jonathan Alvarez went into prison at 17 with a 10th grade education. He came home at 30 with a bachelor's degree from Bard College — earned behind bars through the Bard Prison Initiative — and a vision for something he couldn't yet name. Eight years later, he leads 914 United, a nonprofit serving over 8,000 people across Westchester County with an 8% recidivism rate, against a national average of 44 to 66%.

But this episode isn't just about redemption. It's about what it takes to build something real — with integrity, intentionality, and the discipline to say no to a $250,000 grant because the infrastructure wasn't ready. Jonathan runs 914 United like a founder, not a charity. And that distinction is everything.

In this conversation, we go deep on the internal work that has to happen before anyone walks out of a facility, the real cost of leading a mission-driven organization, and why the most qualified person to solve a problem is usually the one who lived it.

Key Topics Covered:

• What it felt like to be reborn at 30 after 13 years incarcerated — mentally ready, emotionally still 17
• The 14th Street breakdown: what hitting rock bottom taught him about vulnerability and purpose
• Why he chose to own his incarceration as currency rather than hide it
• How 914 United grew from a male support group in a park to a million-dollar movement
• The funding trap: why letting money drive your mission is the fastest way to lose your identity
• What "ceiling time" means — and why reentry starts long before release day
• The real cost of this work: outgrown friendships, emotional taxation, and learning to retreat
• 8% recidivism — what the data says and what it actually looks like on the ground

Timestamps:

• [00:36] Purpose of the podcast
• [01:04] Jonathan's journey from incarceration to nonprofit founder
• [02:21] Mindset and emotional state at reentry
• [04:40] The 2019 mental health breakdown and what it taught him
• [05:02] Embracing vulnerability and asking for help
• [06:07] Owning incarceration as identity and currency
• [07:10] The Bard Prison Initiative and the power of education behind bars
• [09:11] Vulnerability as a leadership strength
• [10:17] Overview of 914 United's mission and programs
• [11:07] The moment the movement became bigger than him
• [13:38] Turning down a $250K grant — and why intentionality beats opportunity
• [15:50] Ethical considerations in prison tech and exploitative practices
• [16:45] The broken business model of nonprofits — and how to play by your own rules
• [20:52] Ceiling time: the internal work that has to happen before release day
• [23:10] The personal cost of mission-driven leadership
• [26:28] Behavior change, confidence, and what transformation actually looks like
• [27:28] The 8% recidivism rate and what it means
• [29:03] Final reflections

Relevant Links:

• 914 United
• Bard Prison Initiative
• Principles of Benevolence
• Jonathan Alvarez on LinkedIn
• 914 United on Instagram

In this episode, Ebony Brown sits down with Brittany Bentley, co-founder and creative director of Parker Clay — Ethiopia's largest exporter of finished leather goods and a company whose mission is to end prostitution in Ethiopia. Brittany's story different from every other impact brand you've heard because she'll tell you straight that impact alone doesn't sell. Excellence does. The mission gets people to stay. The product has to get them in the door first.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why trade gives women something charity never could
• The real driver of sales: quality and price first, mission second — and why that sequence matters
• What it actually takes to build a complex business in Ethiopia as an outsider
• How Parker Clay respects employee dignity by telling stories of growth, not hardship

Timestamps:

• [0:11] Brittany's personal journey from Ethiopia adoption to building Parker Clay
• [0:46] The origin story: how a transformational trip to Ethiopia sparked the mission
• [6:10] The decision to build a sustainable, impact-driven for-profit enterprise
• [8:06] The significance of creating jobs versus relying on aid and charity
• [17:36] The importance of telling stories of growth rather than hardship to respect employee dignity
• [19:11] How Parker Clay supports its workforce: free meals, daycare, financial literacy, and legal services
• [27:46] Challenges in navigating logistics and business setup in Ethiopia as an outsider
• [32:58] The impact of owning manufacturing in Ethiopia for quality and impact control
• [34:04] Channels for growth: word of mouth, B2B partnerships, and impact measurement
• [36:39] The secret to enduring success: quality products, impact focus, and strong brand identity
• [38:09] Recognition: the U.S. Department of State's Corporate Excellence Award
• [39:55] Building a business and a marriage as husband-and-wife co-founders and parents of five
• [42:56] The future vision: ending prostitution through skill-building, community, and systemic change

Resources & Links:

• Parker Clay Website
• Parker Clay Instagram
• B Corporation
• Ellilta International
• Leather Institute of Ethiopia
• Warby Parker

Connect with Brittany Bentley:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Explore how spiritual principles can shape impactful investments and business practices. Jenna Nicholas, president of Light Post Capital, shares her journey of integrating faith, purpose, and systemic change into the world of impact investing. This episode offers practical insights on shifting capital towards overlooked communities, creating systemic change, and leading with benevolence.

Key Topics:

• The influence of Jenna's Baha'i faith and cultural background on her approach to impact investing
• The HEAL framework: Hope, Empathy, Abundance, Legacy in business and investing
• Lessons from Wayne Silbey on embedding social responsibility into organizations
• The power of storytelling and community engagement in creating systemic change
• Strategies for moving institutional capital from fossil fuels to impact funds
• How to embed purpose and spiritual principles into early-stage investment decisions
• The importance of proximity and experiential learning in overcoming systemic biases
• Practical steps for integrating ethical frameworks into AI, healthcare, and climate tech
• Building lasting accountability through ongoing exposure and community dialogue
• The significance of legacy, intergenerational thinking, and personal purpose in decision-making

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Principles of Benevolence and Jenna's impact journey 02:11 - Reflecting on the influence of Jenna's grandmother and personal inspirations 04:37 - How Jenna's multicultural background and faith shape her worldview 06:43 - Deep connection to Bahá'í principles: unity, diversity, and social justice 08:45 - Lessons from impact pioneer Wayne Silbey on transformational leadership 11:36 - The impact experience: fostering racial and economic equity through immersive learning 13:56 - Outcomes of community-engaged investment approaches in real-world settings 17:21 - From guilt to accountability: sustaining systemic change through repetition 18:51 - Coordinating impact capital: lessons from uniting 170 foundations and $50B 21:26 - Addressing misaligned incentives in institutional investing and ideological shifts 23:00 - Integrating values in early-stage company evaluation and entrepreneurial support 24:50 - Introducing the HEAL framework: Hope, Empathy, Abundance, Legacy 26:14 - Cultivating hope and joy as daily practices for resilience 27:16 - Empathy in healthcare: the power of imagining loved ones in care interactions 28:38 - The concept of Enough and long-term intergenerational legacy 29:38 - Exploring a future where spiritual principles are normalized in businesses 30:11 - Personal journeys through loss and resilience shaping impactful leadership 32:29 - Addressing skepticism around empathy in high-stakes leadership 33:32 - How to incorporate purpose into new ventures and everyday business practices 35:45 - Reflective questions for embodying purpose and legacy in daily decisions 36:44 - The impact of rapid AI development, ethical frameworks, and impact of AI in healthcare 40:20 - Influences: books, podcasts, and spiritual sources shaping Jenna's journey 41:41 - Envisioning a future where spirituality and business merge for societal good 42:34 - Closing thoughts on deepening conversations and collective impact

Resources & Links:

• The Enlightened Bottom Line by Jenna Nicholas
• Light Post Capital
• The Impact Experience
• Wayne Silbey and Calvert Impact Funds

Connect with Jenna Nicholas:

• LinkedIn
• Jenna's personal website