Purpose 360 with Carol Cone

Changemakers from One Young World Series

Host Carol Cone speaks with two inspiring changemakers: Annie Lu, co-founder of H2Ok Innovations, and Rebecca Daniel, founder of The Marine Diaries. Annie discusses how her company uses AI and sensor technology to make manufacturing more sustainable by optimizing processes and reducing waste, water, and energy consumption. Rebecca highlights critical issues like climate change and overfishing and discusses how The Marine Diaries connects people with ocean science through storytelling and immersive experiences. Together, they offer valuable insights into the intersection of technology, environmental sustainability, and youth-driven solutions.

This episode is part of our multi-episode series featuring some of the world’s most influential changemakers who attended the 2024 One Young World Summit, a global forum that brings together young leaders from 190+ countries to accelerate social impact.

Resources + Links:

• Annie Lu’s LinkedIn
• Rebecca Daniel’s LinkedIn
• One Young World

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

Changemakers from One Young World Series

Host Carol Cone speaks with three inspiring young leaders—Abideen Olasupo, Lillian Olivia Orero, and Gitanjali Rao—about their impactful work in harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence for social innovation. Abideen, co-founder of FactCheckAfrica, talks about combating misinformation in Nigeria through community engagement and fact-checking. Lillian, a gender and technology lawyer and founder, discusses her work with SafeOnline Women Kenya addressing online safety for women and girls. Gitanjali, an MIT student and innovator, shares her efforts in empowering students globally through innovation workshops. The conversation highlights the role of AI in advancing their missions and the importance of collaboration and empathy in driving positive social change.

This episode is part of our multi-episode series featuring some of the world’s most influential changemakers who attended the 2024 One Young World Summit, a global forum that brings together young leaders from 190+ countries to accelerate social impact.

Resources + Links:

• Abideen Olasupo’s LinkedIn
• Lilian Olivia Orero’s LinkedIn
• Gitanjali Rao’s LinkedIn
• One Young World

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

Changemakers from One Young World Series

In this debut episode, the first in an exclusive series from the One Young World Summit, Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and co-author of Net Positive, joins host Carol Cone to discuss the urgent need for courageous leadership in today’s world. Paul shares insights on how businesses must adopt regenerative, restorative practices to address climate change and inequality, and how young leaders are key to driving this transformation. He also explores how companies can move beyond corporate social responsibility to embrace a "net positive" approach, where they give back more than they take.

This episode is part of our multi-episode series featuring some of the world’s most influential changemakers who attended the 2024 One Young World Summit, a global forum that brings together young leaders from 190+ countries to accelerate social impact.

Resources + Links:

• Paul Polman’s LinkedIn
• Net Positive
• “Stakeholder Capitalism Still Makes Business Sense” (Harvard Business Review)
• One Young World

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

In 2004, the PNC Foundation was faced with a challenge: it had focused grantmaking on meeting the unique needs of the communities in the company’s 12 markets. While this enabled custom solutions to local challenges, the PNC Foundation struggled to clearly articulate the impact its philanthropy was driving.

Recognizing the need to align grantmaking with one cause, the PNC Foundation first turned to employees for input. Overwhelmingly, employees expressed a passion for early childhood education. This led to the launch of PNC Grow Up Great, a $500 million, multi-year, bilingual initiative aimed at preparing children from birth to age five for success in school and life. Fast forward to today, Grow Up Great is celebrating its 20th anniversary, having positively impacted more than 10 million children through grants and educational programs across the U.S.

We invited Sally McCrady, Chair and President of the PNC Foundation, to share how Grow Up Great has sustained lasting impact over two decades. She highlighted the program’s strategic direction, driven by strong leadership engagement, active employee volunteerism, and a commitment to asking, “Is this going to help children?” By staying true to this mission and fostering a culture of service, Grow Up Great has become a powerful force for early childhood education, inspiring long-term success both within PNC and in the communities it serves.

Listen for insights on:

• Managing a philanthropic initiative so it remains relevant and impactful
• Working alongside and supporting partners in growing their capabilities and offerings
• Engaging employees through skills-based volunteerism 

Resources + Links:

• Sally McCrady’s LinkedIn
• Grow Up Great
• Grow Up Great Advisory Council and Partners
• Donors Choose

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

Aflac is proving that a well-crafted philanthropic initiative can thrive by continuously adapting to the evolving needs of those it serves. Launched in 2018 as part of Aflac’s Childhood Cancer Campaign, My Special Aflac Duck® is a soft and cuddly companion that was designed to support children undergoing cancer treatment by helping them prepare for medical procedures, express their emotions, and engage in distraction therapy. Created with input from child life specialists and psychologists, My Special Aflac Duck® offers a range of interactive features—from medical play accessories to calming Soundscapes—all aimed at making a child’s journey through treatment more manageable.

Aflac’s commitment to My Special Aflac Duck® has not waned since the initiative’s launch. Instead, Aflac has continued to distribute the medical companion to pediatric cancer patients (at no cost to them) and has evolved it to support children with sickle cell disease, another population facing long, difficult treatments.

We invited two Aflac executives who worked on the duck’s development to speak to the program’s success and evolution: Jon Sullivan, Director of Corporate Communications, and Buffy Swinehart, Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility. They share insights on how companies can sustain and grow their social impact efforts and remain true to their mission while making a real difference.

Listen for insights on:

• How to pitch philanthropic opportunities to a CEO
• Developing a public and philanthropic initiative that can stand up to scrutiny in public relations
• The importance of grounding philanthropic initiatives in data and research

Resources + Links:

• Jon Sullivan’s LinkedIn
• Buffy Swinehart’s LinkedIn
• My Special Aflac Duck®
• This robot duck eases children through cancer treatments
• Parents and Caregivers Report a Reduction in Anxiety and Distress in Young Cancer Patients Using the My Special Aflac Duck®

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

Sixty percent of the global population handwashes their clothing in rivers, streams, and buckets. While living and volunteering in a remote village in India, Nav Sawhney witnessed firsthand the immense burden this chore placed on women like his neighbor Divya. Determined to find a solution, Nav returned to the UK, founded The Washing Machine Project (TWMP), and created the manual "Divya" washing machine. However, TWMP faced challenges scaling its impact to reach more people who desperately needed it.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Whirlpool Foundation had developed a similar off-grid manual washing machine, recognizing that this same laborious task deepens social inequities and stunts personal advancement. With the vast resources of Whirlpool engineers, the Foundation was well-equipped to produce these machines yet struggled to find an effective distribution method.

The subsequent, serendipitous collaboration between TWMP and the Whirlpool Foundation is yielding incredible impact at scale. We invited Nav Sawhney, Founder of TWMP, and Deb O'Connor, Managing Director of the Whirlpool Foundation, to speak about the origin of their "one plus one equals three" relationship, their human-centric approach to Whirlpool employee engagement, and the significant “unlock” their work together will have on women and girls worldwide, including Nav’s friend Divya and her family.

Listen for insights on:

• The “Washing Divide” and its impact on inhibiting economic growth and social inequality
• Introducing employees to a social issue and inviting them to be part of the solution
• Balancing empathy and action when working directly with beneficiaries

Resources + Links:

• Deb O’Connor’s LinkedIn
• Nav Sawhney’s LinkedIn
• Sustainable Brands: How Whirlpool, Washing Machine Project Are Bridging ‘the Global Washing Divide’
• Meet the Divya Washing Machine

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

Every day, we make small decisions to lead more sustainable lives. These choices reflect a growing awareness of the impact humans have on the planet. Yet when it comes to banking, many overlook the influence our choice of financial institution can have on the environment and in our communities. Where we choose to save and invest our money can align with—or work against—our personal values. This is where Walden Mutual Bank comes in, offering an opportunity to make a more conscious and positive impact through everyday financial choices.

Walden Mutual Bank is driven by a mission to support the sustainable growth of local communities. The bank offers consumer savings accounts, grow local accounts, and CDs which fund loans for local sustainable food, farm, and community businesses across New England and New York, enabling customers to contribute to a healthier, more resilient regional economy.

We invited Charley Cummings, Founder and CEO of Walden Mutual Bank, to share his insights on building a reputable banking institution in a mutual structure and how it has successfully funded underrepresented borrowers—all while supporting a sustainable regional economy.

Listen for insights on:

• How traditional business can implement a mutual structure
• How this funding approach enables businesses with distinct ecological priorities to secure specialized loans
• Serving underrepresented businesses and borrowers

Resources + Links:

• Charley Cummings’ LinkedIn
• Walden Mutual Bank
• Understanding What “Mutual” Means
• Partner Story: A.R.C. Shellfish Hatchery
• Partner Story: Carl King, Vermont Natural Beef and Kingston Place

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

In 2026—two years from now—the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday, making it the perfect time to show America some love by sprucing up neighborhoods across the country. Since 1953, the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful has been inspiring and working alongside people nationwide to beautify their communities.

Keep America Beautiful is inviting everyone to join the Greatest American Cleanup. In addition to calling upon individuals, families, clubs, and community groups, Keep America Beautiful is rallying 25,000 local governments and leaders across the country to commit to a declaration of independence from litter, calling on everyone to plant trees, clean up litter, and improve recycling practices. Importantly, this effort transcends party lines, bringing people together in a time of political divisiveness to pursue a common goal.

We invited Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, to introduce the Greatest American Cleanup and share how the organization will inspire people to contribute to a cleaner, greener, and more beautiful country.

Listen for insights on:

• How you can get involved in the Greatest American Cleanup
• Maintaining relevance and impact as a nonprofit for 70+ years
• Positioning and leading an organization that transcends partisan divides

Resources + Links:

• Jennifer Lawson’s LinkedIn
• The Greatest American Cleanup
• MLK Community Improvement
• Keep America Beautiful’s Do Beautiful Things Podcast

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a reevaluation of many aspects of society, and the sports industry was no exception. Deemed "non-essential," professional sports and recreational activities ground to a halt — in one instance, in the middle of a professional game. This classification served as a wake-up call: if sports wanted to remain relevant, it would need to evolve and adapt.

We invited Neill Duffy, Chief Executive & Founder at 17 Sport, the world’s first sports impact company operating at the intersection of sport, business, and purpose, to discuss this necessary evolution and how industry leaders have driven progress. Neill highlights the transformative potential of the sports industry, noting examples of how athletes, sporting goods companies, and events like the Olympics and Paralympics are driving social and environmental progress. From breaking barriers for underrepresented groups to incorporating sustainable practices at major events, the industry is showing that it can be a catalyst for positive change.

Listen for insights on:

• Progress and impact from the International Olympic Committee’s Agenda 2020+5
• Sustainability planning ahead of the Paris Olympics
• The evolution of storytelling in sports activation
• Specific examples of sporting events and companies embracing social and environmental strategies

Resources + Links:

• Neill Duffy’s LinkedIn
• Legacy Sport: How to Win at the Business of Sport in the Age of Social Good
• Allianz MoveNow
• Athletes for Good
• The Ocean Race: Racing with Purpose
• Adidas Breaking Barriers

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360

Countries around the world are anticipating the start of the Paris Olympics, a celebration of the unifying power of sports.

For many, an introduction to sports begins at a young age. From participating in a sport to watching games with family, sports plays a pivotal role in shaping youth, teaching invaluable life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and resilience and encouraging healthy lifestyles through active play. But unfortunately, children are dropping out of sports at alarming rates. Not only does this impact their lifelong health, but it influences whether children will grow up to become sports fans.

We invited Kevin Martinez, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at ESPN, to highlight programs central to ESPN’s mission to serve sport fans anytime, anywhere. Kevin discusses several of ESPN’s programs, including Don't Retire, Kid; Foundation V; and ESPN’s partnership with Special Olympics, and highlights ESPN’s aim to support and nurture both athletes and fans, reinforcing the idea that sports are for everyone.

Listen for insights on:

• The business and community value of investing in sports
• Business areas that corporate citizenship professionals need to be aware of to expand their impact and make the business case for social impact
• Maintaining connections and communication with other corporate citizenship professionals to drive greater overall impact

Resources + Links:

• Kevin Martinez’s LinkedIn
• ESPN x Special Olympics
• V Foundation
• The Emperor of All Maladies
• Don’t Retire, Kid

• (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360