The Betterment

Carli Davis is a young leader who leads the agricultural global revolution starting in New Zealand. A friend and overall great person, she can explain the core concepts of environmental change and sustainability to a baby and a Ph.D. student with the same will. Imagine the amount of value she can bring in a half-hour podcast. She is currently a Business Analyst for Calm the Farm, a company that "accelerates the global transition to regenerative agriculture." More than that, they find solutions for farmers to achieve better results and enjoy the benefits of RegenAg. In this episode, Carli talks about the concepts of fast fashion, circular economies, and how sustainable changes are not the only path to global environmental change.  As if that wasn't enough, she gives us some (golden) podcast and books recommendations that have packed my learning calendar for the next couple of weeks. Hope you enjoy it!

You might be surprised to see we don't have a guest this time. But don't be alarmed. Victor's story is so powerful I could do it justice without him being here. Victor Hill is an example of perseverance. Having been born in a tough situation, he was able to take advantage of the few opportunities life gave him. As if winning a few national mathematics competitions wasn't enough, he received multiple scholarships to the best schools in Brazil and abroad, far away from his small city of just over 20,000 people. But that's not even half of the story. Today, he serves as the Chairman of the Board at the organization he founded - Associação Cactus, a non-profit organization that promotes educational opportunities for 6th through 9th-grade students from public schools in Brazil while also adding value to their communities. The organization is currently present in three states (Ceará, Pernambuco, and São Paulo) and benefits more than 1,200 students by offering free classes that seek to maximize their academic-personal development. In this episode, I tried to do Victor's mission justice by sharing some of the amazing work they have done over just a few years. With less than 40 US dollars, you can keep 40 Brazilian students in class for an extra month. If you are not based in Brazil, I hope you can also support, but please take this message to apply to your community. Let me know what you thought of this episode by using #bettermentxmas on social, and help Brazilian students find better opportunities through Cactus here. 

Dr. Tracy Weeden's episode will be one of the most concise and clearest that you will listen to in this podcast. And also extremely relevant. Tracy is another educator I am bringing to continue our learning conversation, and she is extremely passionate about the work she does. She is the CEO & President of Neuhaus Education Center, an organization that helps people of all ages reach literacy levels and live in search of fuller lives. Not only that, they provide resources to teachers and educators across the country and to families that need to bridge the literacy divide. In this episode, Tracy talks about the currency that literacy has become, the widening digital gap in the United States, and the power that accents have. If it sounds like a lot of information, wait until you hear her connect a ham-cutting story and the need for change in education. I can't wait for you to listen to this one. Please enjoy!

Allen Kupetz became an entrepreneur when he was born. Or at least it seems like it. He is not only a Rollins College MBA professor, but he is also the COO of a consulting agency which primes small brands to optimize their Amazon sales. Based in Florida, he is the founder and VP of two venture funds: Venvelo, a business accelerator focused on early-stage Florida startups, and Anauj, a marijuana consumer goods venture fund. In this episode, Allen breaks down some of the biggest issues first-time entrepreneurs face and speaks about the great opportunity in the marijuana industry after the 2020 elections. And he still has so much more to give. Enjoy this one!

Billy Quach is someone I met online through the reach of his own posts. He painted a picture of what it was like getting his first job after applying to hundreds of other companies. His willingness to ‘eat dirt’ for his first career years is what really caught my attention. Today, he is one of the few who can call themselves a Creative Director. He heads all creative for Let It Fly Media, a production company in Kansas City, while also creating amazing content for the NFL. He is probably one of the youngest people ever to film the Super Bowl, and to share all of his success, he started his own podcast, called GET THE SHOT. Definitely worth a listen, so go check it out. If you ever wondered what it’s like to work for the NFL or are just curious about a content producer's view, give this one a listen.

Rodrigo Tognini is a 24-year-old CEO who heads a technological revolution in the financial services industry for SMEs. A natural entrepreneur, Rodrigo and his team at Conta Simples have recently been chosen as one of few to integrate the Y Combinator accelerator program, and have since grown beyond their previous 2021 targets. We chatted about entrepreneur culture, looking at the customer journey as a whole, and a lot more. This is a valuable conversation for those who don’t know how to start their business.

Tammy Clementi has been a passionate educator her entire life. From teaching Coloradan fifth-graders to interviewing death-row inmates, her life should be a book. And it would sell out. Having been in the educational system for over 20 years, she is also known for giving many keynotes throughout the US and shaping leaders from the youngest kids to the already greats. Besides an extremely renowned professor, she was once a bodybuilder, a marathon runner, and apparently makes a unique plate of spaghetti and meatballs—that and a little more in this week's episode.

Rodrigo lived in a few places around the world and has a wide range of experiences he can share with us. He started his career as an Energy Trader, and today he serves as the COO of an energy-saving startup that is revolutionizing the industry in Brazil.  In this conversation, he shares the ins and outs of his startup Clarke Energia and the challenges he has faced as a founder.

Kristen Fuller worked most of her life in the US education space, including her time as a teacher for 12 years. She is currently a project consultant for Scholastic, the same company that published children’s classics like Captain Underpants, Goosebumps, and Harry Potter. Kristen is an amazing educator, but she’s also one of the best conversationalists I’ve ever had the pleasure to speak to. In this episode,  we break down her experiences as an educator and talk about the good and bad of the US educational system, while also looking at ways to improve it. Thanks for listening! Hope you enjoy it.