Podcast

Bayo Akomolafe: The Consequences of Anthropocentrism

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Today we host a deeply inspiring and perspective-shifting chat with the one and only Bayo Akomolafe. Bayo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, and is a father, son, brother, life partner, author, poet, teacher, public intellectual, international speaker, post-humanist thinker, and so much more. He is also the visionary founder of the Emergence Network and the host of the online course We Will Dance with Mountains.

Our guest is committed to rethinking how we engage with crisis and agency and exploring new ways to conceive of what it means to be human. Tuning in, listeners will get a hearty, digestible taste of Bayo's work and philosophy, and where his inspiration for a better, less anthropocentric world stems from.

In our conversation, we talk about the inherent tendencies of an individualized and human-centered worldview, the links between shadows and fears, and how embracing a less binary conception of good and bad can unleash their transformative power. We also touch on what fatherhood means to Bayo and his experience of intergenerational effects in tension with agency and determination. Join us to hear it all from this wonderful guest. 

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Key Points From This Episode:

  • Bayo's story of growing up; early years in Lagos, and his journey to a different understanding of his life. 

  • Unpacking Bayo's use of the terms 'crystal-centrism' and 'posthumanism.’

  • The enlightenment-era roots of the way humans engage with the world and crisis.

  • Escaping dangerous kinds of individualized thinking.

  • Bayo's excitement about the book he is currently writing.

  • Teaching and learning in new ways; Bayo introduces how he thinks about the idea of a 'next economy.’  

  • Bayo talks about fear, fatherhood, and intergenerational effects. 

  • Some thoughts on misconceptions about recycling, and the failure of our solution-mindset. 

  • How to get involved and engage with the work that Bayo is doing!

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Tweetables:

“The things that I talk about are secreted by my attempts to be a father to my daughter, and attempts to meet my son.” — @BayoAkomolafe

“Humans are not all that, we are not going to solve our way out of this crisis.” — @BayoAkomolafe

“The way we think about the crisis is often the crisis.” — @BayoAkomolafe

“These days I'm thinking about the ways that the human is supported and perpetuated by post-human or monstrous arrangement.” — @BayoAkomolafe

“It is very humbling to revisit the human, not as this magisterial decree of independence but as something that is quite organic and creaturely and fragile.” — @BayoAkomolafe

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Bayo Akomolafe — https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/

These Wilds Beyond Our Fences — https://www.powells.com/book/-9781623171667/1-0

We Will Tell Our Own Story — https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780982532768

The Emergence Network — http://www.emergencenetwork.org/

We Will Dance with Mountains — https://course.bayoakomolafe.net/

Bayo Akomolafe on Twitter — https://twitter.com/bayoakomolafe

The Problem with Jon Stewart — https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_problem_with_jon_stewart 

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 8,000+ subscribers and get our free 60-point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast. 

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It really helps expose these ideas to new listeners: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy

Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Jesse Brown: Rethinking Local Storytelling

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

The media landscape is changing, and there are fewer and fewer resources going toward telling local stories. Today’s guest, however, believes that there is so much to explore and honor in our own backyards. In this episode, Shawn Berry speaks with Jesse Brown, a serial founder and entrepreneur with over 20 years of media production and storytelling experience. Jesse believes deeply in the power of place and brings a comprehensive set of skills to the table, from content creation to advertising, sales, and event production.

Jesse loves to connect people and organizations in ways that help everyone realize their goals, and he is currently channeling that passion into local streaming platform, HUDSY, which features stories made in the Hudson Valley, about the Hudson Valley, and is challenging the usual tech playbook with its egalitarian business model. HUDSY is a non-traditional business, cooperatively owned and delivered by a small group of locals who are dedicated to protecting and celebrating the Hudson Valley’s talent, diversity, and culture. HUDSY empowers its members by providing a path to ownership and by keeping funds in the local economy.

Tuning in, you’ll learn how Jesse is leading the way forward in local storytelling, cooperatives, and next economy development in the Hudson Valley, New York, as well as how HUDSY is providing skill building and direct access to capital for filmmakers to bring local stories to life, plus so much more!

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Key Points From This Episode:

  • What led Jesse to start his first business at the intersection of localism and storytelling.

  • The inspiration behind HUDSY: honoring the stories that already exist while building a platform to create new narratives.

  • How HUDSY builds upon the cultural legacies of regional magazines.

  • The valuable role that local storytelling can play in stimulating local economies.

  • Understanding how HUDSY is founded on the principles of platform cooperativism.

  • Original creative content that viewers can look forward to seeing on the HUDSY App.

  • How HUDSY provides skills and direct access to capital for the next generation of filmmakers.

  • What Jesse has learned about the power of collectivity from some of his greatest challenges.

  • Who has influenced Jesse to build new systems and models in the ‘niche platform world’.

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Tweetables:

“[HUDSY builds] upon the cultural legacies of other magazines that have represented regions before and [takes] it into video streaming. [It takes] it into the innovation of equity and thought around creatives and artists in the fact that it’s also structured as a cooperative.” — Jesse Brown

“I don’t know if we all realize that, by shifting our attention to more local models, there’s real value there. That value can create a regenerative form of income that can continue to spur local economies.” — Jesse Brown

“This is such a competitive word, but [we want to see] some ‘big wins’ in the co-op space because, if we see those, it could give us more energy and more excitement and continue to usher more people into this space.” — Jesse Brown

“We’re super excited to help give the skills and the resources to the next generation of filmmakers—and it only helps us, because our platform will be better because of it.” — Jesse Brown

“There’s no shortage of capital in the world. We need to start putting capital into places and investing in people who are really committed to making a difference, not just creating more wealth for a small group of people.” — Jesse Brown

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jesse Brown on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-brown-5ab8b214/

Jesse Brown on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/digi_ranch/

HUDSY — https://hudsy.tv/

HUDSY Community Content Fund — https://hudsy.tv/grants/

Good Work Institute — https://goodworkinstitute.org/

Trebor Scholz — https://www.newschool.edu/public-engagement/faculty/trebor-scholz/

Platform Cooperativism Consortium — https://platform.coop/

Means TV — https://means.tv/

kweliTV — https://www.kweli.tv/

Revry — https://www.revry.tv/

BRIC — https://www.bricartsmedia.org/

DCTV — https://dctv.org/

Start.coop — https://www.start.coop/

Zebras Unite Co-Op — https://zebrasunite.coop/

Bloc by Block News — https://blocbyblocknews.com/

Wild Earth — https://wildearth.org/

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7500+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Taylor Paul: From Life Sentence to Life Purpose

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

In 1994, Paul Taylor (now known as Taylor Paul) was given a life sentence plus 26 years, of which he served 23 consecutive years before being granted parole in 2017. While on the inside, Taylor facilitated the state-mandated Cognitive Community Reentry Programs for the Virginia Department of Corrections for over five years. He ultimately went on to create his own program, called SANITY: Standing Against Negative Influences Towards Youth, and Co-founded the RVA League for Safer Streets, an unconventional basketball team that specifically targets and engages high-crime areas in Richmond, Virginia. 

Their motto, “No workshop, no jump shot,” lets players know that workshops on conflict resolution, problem-solving, and critical thinking are mandatory before even dribbling the ball. Taylor is also a sought-after motivational speaker, one of the equity advisors for the White Men for Racial Justice (WMRJ) group, and a passionate advocate for restorative justice, unitive justice, and criminal justice reform.

In today’s episode, Taylor shares the paradigm shift that occurred for him while he was in prison that forced him to reconsider how he was utilizing his innate capacity as a leader, embrace the Islamic concept of taqwa or ‘piety’, and focus on cultivating joy to prevent future generations from making the same mistakes he did. We also gain some insight into why he now goes by Taylor Paul, his mission to ‘restore humanity’ in people, and how you can help Taylor build the next economy by suspending judgment and remaining open-minded, so make sure to tune in today!

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Key Points From This Episode:

  • How Taylor came to rethink the innate leadership skills that originally landed him in prison.

  • The Islamic concept of taqwa and how it informs his approach to restorative justice.

  • How he cultivates joy to prevent future generations from making the same mistakes he did.

  • Why he chose to forsake his given name, Paul Taylor, and now goes by Taylor Paul.

  • Discover how the RVA League for Safer Streets seeks to eradicate some of the social ills that Taylor says he “once helped to create.”

  • His refusal to be defined by his crime and his mission to ‘restore humanity’ in people.

  • Consistently balancing building individual relationships with creating systemic change.

  • What the appointment of Governor Youngkin signals for Virginia’s criminal justice system.

  • The importance of addressing the mental health needs of the community.

  • How you can help Taylor build the next economy: be mindful and suspend judgment of those who are reentering your communities.

---

Tweetables:

“[By] giving that perspective from urban communities to help [the White Men for Racial Justice group] understand the sights, sounds of urban communities, I’m also learning that there are some people in this world that don’t mind using their privilege to turn the ship around.” — Taylor Paul

“The best leader is the person that keeps himself below the people that he is leading.” — Taylor Paul

“When I leave this world, I don’t want people to say, ‘He was a gangster.’ I want them to say, ‘He loved God, he cared about his family, he cared about his community, and he gave more than he received.’” — Taylor Paul

“Unconventional behavior calls for unconventional strategy.” — Taylor Paul

“The answer to your [problems] may come from a person that may be incarcerated. I want you to be mindful and suspend judgment for those that are coming home and give them some opportunities.” — Taylor Paul

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Taylor Paul on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-taylor-12abb5163/

Taylor Paul on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/taylor.paul.3538

Taylor Paul Email — 921taylorp@gmail.com

RVA League for Safer Streets — https://www.facebook.com/Rva-League-for-Safer-Streets-2026434890912601/

Community 50/50 — https://community5050.com/

 ---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 8,000+ subscribers and get our free 60-point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life. 

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast.

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It really helps expose these ideas to new listeners: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy

Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Imani Black: Changing the Future of Aquaculture

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Imani Black’s family has been involved in aquaculture in the Chesapeake Bay area since the 1800s. Imani always knew she wanted to be involved in environmental restoration and conservation, and after doing an oyster aquaculture training program she knew that this was the field she would work in for the rest of her life.

By 2050 it is expected that all seafood in the United States will be provided by aquaculturists. Although aquaculture is essential for food security, consumers have very little knowledge about this type of farming. There is also a lack of diversity and inclusion in the aquaculture space. Imani is on a mission to change all of this.

In 2020 Imani founded a nonprofit, Minorities in Aquaculture, to transform the industry. In today’s episode, she shares the progress that they have made so far and the exciting plans that they have for the future!

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Key Points From This Episode:

  • Imani’s educational background, and the life-changing experience that guided her into the aquaculture space.

  • Characteristics that make Chesapeake Bay a very special place.

  • What Imani’s 6 years as an oyster farmer consisted of.

  • Motivation behind the founding of Minorities in Aquaculture (MIA).

  • Exciting plans that Imani has for the future of MIA.

  • The vital role that aquaculture plays in food security.

  • Imani’s thoughts on how to enhance people’s knowledge around aquaculture.

  • Some of the initiatives that MIA is in the process of launching.

  • Barriers that have prevented women from thriving in the aquaculture industry.

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Tweetables:

“We have a mix of really good heritage and really good cultures around [Chesapeake Bay].” — @ImaniBlackMIA

“There was not a lot of solidarity among the aquaculture community when it came to diversity and inclusion and Black Lives Matter.” — @ImaniBlackMIA

“About 75% of the seafood that is imported into the United States comes from global aquaculture. That’s bringing in over $16.8 billion into the United States. It’s a huge industry already, and by probably 2050 aquaculture will be the only way for us to get seafood.” — @ImaniBlackMIA

“When it comes to the food security of our future, aquaculture is going to be the center point of that. People need to know where their seafood is coming from, how it’s being processed, how it’s being harvested, how it’s being handled.” — @ImaniBlackMIA

“We have to start exposing people and educating people and encouraging people to want to care about aquaculture, to want to care about our seafood resource.” — @ImaniBlackMIA

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Imani Black on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/imani-black-aa9ab1114/

Minorities in Aquaculture — https://www.mianpo.org/

Minorities in Aquaculture on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/mia_npo/?hl=en

Minorities in Aquaculture on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/MinoritiesInAquaculture/

Minorities in Aquaculture on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/minorities-in-aquaculture-1a27361b8/

Minorities in Aquaculture on Twitter —https://mobile.twitter.com/mia_npo

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 8,000+ subscribers and get our free 60-point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life. 

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast.

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It really helps expose these ideas to new listeners: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy

Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Iris Brilliant: Rethinking Wealth and Community

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Our society has an unhealthy addiction to needless wealth accumulation. This is a big contributing factor to the broken state of our world; economically, socially and environmentally. However, there are reasons to be hopeful, and in today’s episode, anticapitalist money coach, Iris Brilliant, shares why.

Having grown up very privileged, and with a strong conscience, Iris couldn’t bear the thought of investing her money in corporations that act in a manner she wholeheartedly disagrees with. The realization that this was what was expected of her caused her to think deeply about how we can transform our financial systems. Iris’s work is based on the premise that the high levels of isolation and segregation that our societal structures maintain is the reason for our desire to accumulate unnecessary amounts of money; money gives us a false sense of security, which we should be getting from our community.

In today’s episode, Iris shares information about some of the organizations that operate in alignment with her values, steps that she has taken to enhance her sense of security without accumulating wealth, and how you can make a valuable contribution to changing the world for the better, whether you are a high net worth individual or not!

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Key Points From This Episode:

  • How Iris’s relationship with money has evolved over the course of her life.

  • Economic transformation that she hopes to achieve through her work as an anticapitalist money coach.

  • Examples of actions that give Iris hope.

  • Why so many are addicted to needless wealth accumulation and how we can change this. 

  • Organizations that are taking actions that align with Iris’ values.

  • Examples of how you can contribute to turning the tides of society towards justice.

  • Why American politics and the IPCC report cause Iris concern. 

  • Decisions Iris has made that have enhanced her feelings of safety and security. 

  • The book that Iris plans to write and the training program that she is currently enrolled in.

  • Iris’s call to action for listeners.

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Tweetables:

“Our broken economy not only is failing poor and working class and middle class communities but, on a spiritual level, it is also failing rich people.” — Iris Brilliant

“What I find hopeful is the moments when I get to see clients connect the dots between their own redistribution and their own realignment of investment with something that will feel deeply fulfilling and meaningful for them.” — Iris Brilliant

“If it wasn’t for isolation and segregation, I just don’t believe that we as humans would want to accumulate endless wealth.” — Iris Brilliant

“We’re living in a crumbling and scary stage of late-stage capitalism and climate chaos and destruction. We really can't rely on the old paradigms around finance anymore.” — Iris Brilliant

“As we redistribute wealth and as we include more people in the group of people that we care about, we will be creating more safety for ourselves.” — Iris Brilliant

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Iris Brilliant Website — https://www.irisbrilliant.com/

Iris Brilliant on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/iris-brilliant-017237a3/

Iris Brilliant on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/iris.brilliant.coaching/

‘How to Create Safety and Security Without Accumulating Wealth’ — https://www.irisbrilliant.com/how-to-create-safety-and-security-without-accumulating-wealth

Resource Generation — https://resourcegeneration.org/

The Next Egg — www.thenextegg.org

Revalue — https://www.revalueinvesting.com/

YourStake — https://www.yourstake.org/

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 8,000+ subscribers and get our free 60-point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life. 

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast.

If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It really helps expose these ideas to new listeners: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy

Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Jakada Imani: How to Run Equitable, Sustainable, and Results-Driven Organizations

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

The Management Center (TMC) offers tools and training programs for managers and their teams, and what sets them apart is not just the quality of their courses but their prioritization of building racial equity within organizations, rather than just helping them produce better quantitative results. 

Today’s guest, spiritually rooted coach and trainer Jakada Imani, has spent his entire adult life helping Black people break free from the barriers which prevent them from reaching their full potential. His personal experience of being mentored in the social justice movement in his youth has driven his desire to help others in the same way. Jakada is currently the CEO of The Management Center.

In this conversation, Jakada explains what TMC's offerings consist of (most of which I can personally vouch for because I have attended them myself), how they are changing mindsets around management, and his plans for growing the organization so they are able to positively impact more people. He also delves into what he is seeing take place in social justice movements around the world, and why, in the destabilizing time we find ourselves in, he has hope for a different kind of future.   

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Key Points From This Episode:

  • Jakada’s entry into the social justice world, and how the mentorship that he received in this space informed the trajectory of his life and career.

  • The mission of The Management Center (TMC), and an overview of the work that they do.

  • Management is a skill on its own, and oftentimes a mindset shift is required when people transition from doing the work on the ground to managing people who are doing that work. 

  • Some of the most popular tools and programs offered by TMC.

  • How TMC prioritizes racial equity in their programs. 

  • An overview of TMC's approach to combating traditional preferences, traditions, and requirements.  

  • Jakada explains the danger of relying on a gut feel to make a decision, using a real-world example to highlight this point.

  • Transformation that has taken place in social justice movements over the past few years.

  • Where Jakada finds hope during the destabilizing time we find ourselves in.

  • Jakada’s self-care practices, and plans that he has for the future of TMC.

---

Tweetables:

“I’ve been about trying to help Black folks get free for my entire adult life.” — @jakada_imani

“If we can get folks to think about the role of management as a competency and a skillset in and of itself, that is an ‘aha,’ and folks just get better [at it].” — @jakada_imani

“Growing our services to be able to help more folks is the stuff that gets me excited.” — @jakada_imani

“It is a profoundly destabilizing time, and that means the world is in play. It’s a loose ball; it is not settling and it’s not set.” — @jakada_imani

“The main question is effort; are we going to try harder? Are we going to try harder? And then to seek those moments and to give it all in those moments will be important.” — @jakada_imani

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jakada Imani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakada/

The Management Center: https://www.managementcenter.org/ 

Greenpeace USA: https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/ 

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7500+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Pamela Boyce Simms: Self-Transformation for Social Change

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Today’s guest believes that environmental resilience-building at its best reflects the layered interconnectedness of nature, taking place not only at local, regional, and national levels but also through perpetual self-transformation, which she views as the engine of authentic social change.

Meet Pamela Boyce Simms, an evolutionary culture designer who works with international Quaker, Buddhist, and African Diaspora Earthcare networks to build social transformation movements from the inside out. Her intersecting focus on self-care sovereignty through plant medicine extends from grassroots work with local partners throughout the African Diaspora to convening a Quaker-led Earthcare Coalition of environmental organizations at the United Nations. Through her work, she helps individuals, leaders, and organizations map leverage points where they can make tactical interventions that decentralize authority and enhance universal agency, create self-care resilience solutions, and operationalize strategies to shift critical discourse.

In today’s episode, Pamela offers some insight into her focus on Community Supported Enlightenment (CSE) and internal environmental resilience-building, shares some practical applications for the herbal medicines she creates with Singularity Botanicals and the African Diaspora Coalition Plant Medicine Project, and highlights the critical role that perpetual self-transformation plays when it comes to creating effective and long-lasting social change. Make sure not to miss this conversation!

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Insight into Pamela’s career trajectory and how it led her to the work she does today.

  • Her focus on the intersections of spirituality, herbalism, linguistics, and neuroscience.

  • Attacking symptoms via allopathic medicine versus unified systems change via herbalism.

  • Practical applications for the herbal medicines that Singularity Botanicals creates.

  • The ways that Pamela empowers distressed communities to take control of their own health.

  • How the network she operates in is sociocratically organized to resemble the mycelium.

  • The important role that perpetual self-transformation plays in authentic social change.

  • Facilitating the development of new neural pathways using contemplative practice.

  • How Pamela receives guidance from nature and her intuition, not her intellect.

  • Find out how you can support Pamela’s work by facilitating conversation.

---

Tweetables:

“Environmental resilience-building and social change from the inside out; it’s not just acting upon the environment. It goes in cyclical, multifaceted patterns.” — @transitionMidAt

“We are whole. We are one. We are unified. We are love. Love equals unity equals low entropy equals coming together equals oneness. If we approach things in a fragmented, piecemeal way, we are doing a disservice to the oneness that we are.” — @transitionMidAt

“The sociocratic exoskeleton, the scaffolding that holds this entire network of people together is one piece, [but our] model is nature, biomimicry, and that kind of interconnected, cross-species communication that we see [working so well] in nature.” — @transitionMidAt

“What I do and I invite communities we work with [to do] is zoom out, first metacognitive, then metaconscious. Learn how to work [your] neurobiology so it serves you, so you [can start to peel off] your woundedness and your baggage, and then play the interstices like mycelium.” — @transitionMidAt

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Pamela Boyce Simms on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelaboycesimms/

Pamela Boyce Simms on Twitter: https://twitter.com/transitionmidat

Pamela Boyce Simms on Medium: https://medium.com/@pbs9

Mid-Atlantic Transition Hub (MATH): http://midatlantictransition.org/

African Diaspora Earthcare Coalition: https://www.facebook.com/UNDecade.for.People.of.African.Descent.Earthcare

Singularity Botanicals: https://singularitybotanicals.net/

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7500+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Robin DiAngelo: Nice Racism

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Today, we are joined by Dr. Robin DiAngelo, an Affiliate Associate Professor of Education at the University of Washington, who has numerous publications and books to her name, all centered around social and racial justice. By coining the term “white fragility” in an academic article in 2011, she has widely influenced the global dialogue on race. Her book, White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and remained there for three years! Our conversation today focuses on the themes she presents in her most recent book, Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm. 

With over 20 years of experience as a consultant and educator on issues of racial and social justice, Dr. DiAngelo continues to question the notions and actions (or inactions) of progressive white people. In this episode, we cover call-out culture, clean power versus dirty power, and white shame, as well as some of the harmful ways in which white people aim to absolve their guilt. 

Dr. DiAngelo makes the important distinction between an adversary and a problematic ally and points out the difference between shame and humility. Tune in to discover where white progressives are failing their intentions and what steps we need to take to move towards a truly anti-racist society.

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • What Nice Racism is about and how it differs from White Fragility.

  • How white progressives unconsciously perpetuate racism.

  • Call-out culture and the distinction between an adversary and a problematic ally.

  • How to frame “power” in the context of race and how white people can show up with clean power, as opposed to dirty power.

  • The unhelpful paralysis that accompanies the shame of whiteness.

  • How white people are born into racism and are conditioned not to grieve their lack of authentic relationships with BIPOC.  

  • The critical distinction between shame and humility. 

  • Why Dr. DiAngelo doesn’t buy into white people returning to their ‘ethnic roots’ as a substantial healing tool if used in isolation.

  • What Dr. DiAngelo wishes white people asked and understood.

  • The details of Dr. DiAngelo’s upcoming webinars.

---

Tweetables:

“Progressive white people actually cause the most daily harm across race.” — Robin DiAngelo

“A problematic ally is somebody who means well, who is trying, who basically has a handle on the concept [of systemic racism], but fell into it.” — Robin DiAngelo

“If you understand systemic racism, you understand that none of us can be outside of it.” — Robin DiAngelo

“Silence from a position of power is a power move.” — Robin DiAngelo

“The antidote to shame and guilt is action.” — Robin DiAngelo

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Robin DiAngelo — https://www.robindiangelo.com/

White Fragility — https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780807047415

Nice Racism — https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780807074121

‘The Poetics of Position’ — https://www.robindiangelo.com/product/the-poetics-of-position/

Nice Racism: Webinar Series — https://www.robindiangelo.com/product/nice-racism-webinar-series/

Professor Loretta J. Ross — https://lorettajross.com/

‘I’m a Black Feminist. I think Call-Out Culture is Toxic’ — https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/17/opinion/sunday/cancel-culture-call-out.html

‘What if Instead of Calling People Out, We Called Them In?’ — https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/19/style/loretta-ross-smith-college-cancel-culture.html

Adrienne Maree Brown — https://adriennemareebrown.net/

John McWhorter— https://www.nytimes.com/by/john-mcwhorter

Leticia Nieto on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/leticia-nieto-79a75380/

Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment — https://beyondinclusionbeyondempowerment.com/

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7500+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Nwamaka Agbo: Redistributing Wealth and Power

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Nwamaka Agbo is the creator of the Restorative Economics framework. Restorative Economics focuses on supporting projects that build resilient, self-determined communities rooted in shared prosperity, and a commitment to racial justice, equality, and liberation.

For many years, Nwamaka worked as a consultant, but in 2020 she transitioned to her current role as the CEO of the Kataly Foundation and the Managing Director of the Restorative Economies Fund. The Kataly Foundation redistributes assets to communities of color. Their intention isn't to only build wealth, but also power and they go a few steps further than most traditional funds by providing their grantee's feedback, coaching, and other valuable resources which will ultimately end up eliminating the need for the Kataly Foundation to exist at all. 

In today’s episode, Nwamaka explains why the Kataly Foundation is the most transformative organization she has ever worked for. She shares some of the biggest lessons she has learned since she became the CEO, and provides inspiration for building a better world.

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • The restorative economic framework that underpins and guides the work that Nwamaka does.

  • Nwamaka explains the mission of the Kataly Foundation, of which she is the leader, and what makes their approach unique. 

  • Some of the biggest lessons that Nwamaka has learned since transitioning from consultant to CEO.

  • Details about the work that is being done within some of the programs that are run by the Kataly Foundation.

  • How Nwamaka navigates one of the biggest challenges that she faces as CEO: saying no to applicants looking for funding.

  • The Kataly Foundation’s approach to redistributing power (alongside redistributing wealth).

  • What collective decision-making looks like at the Kataly Foundation. 

  • Intentionality that underpins the Kataly Foundation’s strategy with regard to redistributing wealth.

  • How we can build the “collective we” that is so needed in society right now. 

---

Tweetables:

“Our mission at the Kataly Foundation is to redistribute our assets in a way that we build the political, economic, and cultural power of black, indigenous, and all communities of color.” — @AmakaAgbo

“Our grantees are some of the most inspiring, committed, dedicated community leaders across the country.” — @AmakaAgbo

“We don’t know what it means to lead, what it means to have to make hard decisions until we are the ones that have put ourselves in those situations where we have to make those decisions, and we have to be willing to be responsible and accountable for the decisions that we make.” — @AmakaAgbo

“We are living in a moment where we need the doers and the builders.” — @AmakaAgbo

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Nwamaka Agbo — https://www.nwamakaagbo.com/

Nwamaka Agbo on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/nwamaka-agbo/ 

Nwamaka Agbo on Twitter — https://twitter.com/amakaagbo 

Kataly Foundation — https://www.katalyfoundation.org/ 

Restorative Economies Fund — https://www.katalyfoundation.org/#programs  

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Resmaa Menakem: Dance, Joy, Ancestry, and the Quaking of America

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Today’s guest is a leading voice in the conversation of racialized trauma. Resmaa Menakem is a therapist, trauma specialist, and the founder of Justice Leadership Solutions. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. His forthcoming book, The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating Our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning was released on April 12th, 2022.

In our eye-opening conversation with Resmaa, we find out what made rapper Nipsey Hussle one of the most profound philosophers of his time and how Resmaa is learning to cultivate joy in the face of white supremacy. He explains the functions of the vagus nerve and the psoas muscle and how natural primordial movement has been constricted by the standardization of the white body. White body supremacy is still rearing its ugly head whichever way you look. 

Tune in to hear about the value of movement exploration, ancestral connections, and communal knowledge, and get up to speed with what it means to be anti-racist in the world today.

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Why Resmaa Menakem considers Nipsey Hussle to be a philosopher.

  • Why Resmaa believes people need to break away from structures and do what they love.

  • The thwarting concept of white supremacy and how Resmaa cultivates joy in defiance of it.

  • How natural primordial movement has been constricted by the standardization of the white body and why it’s important to explore movement in trauma therapy.

  • The value of communal knowledge over individual knowledge. 

  • The structures that bypass spring-loaded energy to maintain white comfort.

  • The futility of land acknowledgment conversations, and what ritual means to Resmaa. 

  • The importance of ancestral connections and the disconnect in white culture.

  • How white body supremacy reared its head amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

  • The structural racism on both the left and right, and the purpose of The Quaking of America.  

---

Tweetables:

“In Black culture, we have a lot of knowledge that white supremacy says is invalid.” — @ResmaaMenakem

“When I see black bodies on the come-up, it fills me with so much joy because it is literally the energy of creation busting through concrete.” — @ResmaaMenakem

“Do what you love because eventually, the world will catch up.” — @ResmaaMenakem

“We are a part of creation, not apart from creation.” — @ResmaaMenakem

“There’s no such thing as ‘not racist’. Either you’re doing everything you can to usher in a living embodied anti-racist culture, or you’re complicit by saying [and] doing nothing.” — @ResmaaMenakem

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Resmaa Menakem — https://www.resmaa.com/

Resmaa Menakem on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/resmaamenakem/

Resmaa Menakem on Twitter — https://twitter.com/ResmaaMenakem

Resmaa Menakem on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/resmaamenakem

The Quaking of America — https://www.sourcebooksellersonline.com/the-quaking-of-america-an-embodied-guide-to-naviga.html

My Grandmother’s Hands — https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781942094470

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Michael Newton: The Repeating Structures of Empire

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Today we are very lucky to welcome Dr. Michael Newton to the show to talk about the history of Gaelic culture and coloniality in Scotland. Michael has a Ph.D. in Celtic studies from the University of Edinburgh and was previously an Assistant Professor in the Celtic Studies Department at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. His extensive writing and authority on Gaelic history and culture have also been used as references for TV shows, such as Outlander. 

Our guest established the Hidden Glen Folk School in order to provide more opportunities for meaningful contact with Scottish history, and he and the school currently offer an array of courses and seminars that are well worth checking out. Dr. Newton shares with us how his upbringing in the States led to his particular area of research and associated projects.

In our discussion, we talk about how these studies inform and can be applied to, conversations about social justice in the present context. We also get into the idea of how oppression often leads to more oppression, and the common structures that lead to cultural domination. Listeners can expect to come away with some great insight into the often-overlooked roots of Scotch-Irish identity in the US, what the mask of whiteness actually covers, and how we might be able to start dismantling dangerous systems. 

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Dr. Newton's personal background and the roots of his passion for the work he does today. 

  • The legacy of colonial occupation in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. 

  • Clarification of the terminology used regarding 'Celtic' and 'Gaelic'. 

  • English propaganda about how to deal with Celtic 'barbarians'.

  • The repeating structures of empire that have led to colonialism and domination.  

  • Tracing the significant events in the emergence of feudalism in Scottish history.

  • Dr. Newton's talks about ideas of Scotch-Irish identity and ethnicity in the US. 

  • How the chain of colonially is created through coopting social capital.

  • Looking behind the mask of whiteness; the history of assimilation and its costs.

  • Practices around ancestry and naming in Scottish Gaelic tradition. 

---

Tweetables:

“When you go to Scotland or Ireland, and you start to live in the community, you realize this is not a sovereign, self-reliant, fully functioning society, that this is a society under duress. It is under occupation.” — Michael Newton

“There are certain structural features of empire that reoccur, that replay themselves.” — Michael Newton

“There is no label written on your DNA. DNA and ethnicity are completely different.” — Michael Newton

“People in North America in particular, carry such strong impressions about race that they don't see these other forms of identity very easily.” — Michael Newton

“Oppression is a very good conditioning for becoming an oppressor. That is the story.” — Michael Newton

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Michael Newton — https://independent.academia.edu/MichaelNewton/CurriculumVitae

Hidden Glen Folk School — https://www.hiddenglenfolk.org/

University of Edinburgh — https://www.ed.ac.uk/

St. Francis Xavier University — https://www.stfx.ca/

Outlander — https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/outlander

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Shari Davis: The Participatory Budgeting Project

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

In contrast to traditional national or local elections, participatory budgeting votes reduce barriers. In this framework, people that live, work, or play in an area are eligible to engage in deciding how funds are spent in that space. This is revolutionary in terms of access, community building, how decisions are informed, and how a community can show up in relationship to the outcomes of those decisions.

Today's guest is Shari Davis, Co-Executive Director at Participatory Budgeting Project, a nonprofit organization that empowers people to decide together how to spend public money, primarily in the US and Canada. Our conversation with Shari starts with her journey into the work that she does with Participatory Budgeting Project and its beginnings in the culture of community responsibility found in martial arts. We discuss what participatory budgeting is and how it works toward making decision-making for budgeting more democratic and equitable by involving communities in the process of design, proposal development, and ideation.

In today’s show, we also discuss what true participatory democracy means and the work it involves as far as recognizing injustices and putting the perspectives of the community first. Shari talks about how worthwhile the hard work that it takes is because of how much of a better system for decision-making it enables. She gets into the history of participatory budgeting and shares many examples of how it is being implemented on a large scale in the US in the present. We also cover the sociocratic framework that the Participatory Budgeting Project operates within, the work being done by Democracy Beyond Elections, and hear Shari’s thoughts on how to start practicing participatory democracy in your organization or collective today.

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Lessons about creating systems of change from Shari’s background in martial arts.

  • What participatory budgeting is and why it is so powerful for driving change.

  • The process of participatory budgeting and how it includes the needs of the community in decisions.

  • The need to acknowledge the injustices faced by community members while including them in decision making.

  • Concrete examples of projects that involved participatory budgeting processes. 

  • Why the hard work of participatory decision-making is difficult but well worth the struggle.

  • Setting up people in government to make good decisions by implementing participatory policymaking.

  • How people can get involved in participatory budgeting.

  • An explanation of the work being done by the Democracy Beyond Elections coalition.

  • The Sociocratic framework that The Participatory Budgeting Project works within.

---

Tweetables:

“In that tradition of martial arts that I grew up in there was so much community responsibility. There was so much that you were supposed to think about or honor in shared space together and that was my foundation of thinking about public service.” — @Shari_Davis1

“Participatory budgeting is a framework or practice in making decisions together about public dollars, a process where community comes together to decide how public money is spent.” — @Shari_Davis1

“You can’t answer questions about what the community really needs unless they are involved in the design, the proposal development, the ideation, the decisions, and then evaluating that process, and that is what participatory budgeting offers.” — @Shari_Davis1

“In the United States alone, we’ve seen something like 300 million dollars be decided on by over 400 000 community members and that is an example of collective decision making, being able to mobilize funds in that way.” — @Shari_Davis1

“I don’t think we have scratched the surface of what participatory democracy allows in terms of innovation. I think we have a pretty good picture of what closed-door democracy allows. If we build capacity towards something else a much more vibrant relationship between us and the decisions we make in government can emerge.” — @Shari_Davis1

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Shari Davis on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/shari-davis/

Shari Davis on Twitter — https://twitter.com/Shari_Davis1

The Participatory Budgeting Project — https://www.participatorybudgeting.org/

Democracy Beyond Elections — https://www.democracybeyondelections.org/

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Kanyon CoyoteWoman Sayers-Roods: Decolonizing & Reindigenizing Our Relationships (Rebroadcast)

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Kanyon Sayers-Roods is Costanoan Ohlone-Mutsun and Chumash; she also goes by her given Native name, “Coyote Woman”. She is proud of her heritage and her native name (though it comes with its own back story), and is very active in the Native Community.

She is an Artist, Poet, Published Author, Activist, Student and Teacher. The daughter of Ann-Marie Sayers, she was raised in Indian Canyon, trust land of her family, which currently is one of the few spaces in Central California available for the Indigenous community for ceremony.

Kanyon’s art has been featured at the De Young Museum, The Somarts Gallery, Gathering Tribes, Snag Magazine, and numerous Powwows and Indigenous Gatherings. She is a recent graduate of the Art Institute of California, Sunnyvale, obtaining her Associate and Bachelor of Science degrees in Web Design and Interactive Media. She is motivated to learn, teach, start conversations around decolonization and reinidgenization, permaculture and to continue doing what she loves, Art.

---

Interview Highlights:

  • Kanyon CoyoteWoman speaks to her experience as an ancestor in training and as an indigenous entrepreneur

  • The importance of establishing authentic relationship through asking, listening, respecting, humility, & permission

  • Why we should be shifting policy to authentically understand & respect local indigenous cultures

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

George Goehl: Building a Bigger "We"

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Building powerful state-level organizations aligned around a long-term agenda for racial, economic, climate, and gender justice starts with one thing: individual communities. Identifying, recruiting, and developing skills that help others act and become leaders themselves builds a community’s ability to control the forces that affect it, and large-scale change is possible when organizing is coordinated across many communities at the same time.

George Goehl is a community organizer, activist, and the outgoing Executive Director of People’s Action, a national network of state and local grassroots power-building organizations united in their fight for justice. George is a leader in transforming the field of community organizing to increase relevance to emerging social movements, building electoral power in states, and winning structural change that shifts the balance of power to working class families. His efforts have helped to craft city, state, and federal campaigns on issues that range from outlawing predatory lending and advancing immigration reform to multiracial organizing in rural communities and defining co-governing.

In today’s episode, we discuss the power of some basic fundamental principles that inform George’s strategies to build a bigger ‘we’, including starting where people are at, learning to suspend judgement, and engaging those who don’t agree with you. Tuning in, you’ll learn how People’s Action seeks to create social cohesion between disparate groups, build trust in rural communities, and reconcile restrictive legislation with progressive ideals, plus so much more! We hope you’ll join us for this inspiring conversation.

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • How George first learned to organize in a soup kitchen in Southern Indiana.

  • Some fundamentals that inform the strategies he employs to empower the working class.

  • The value of stepping out of your comfort zone and engaging those who disagree with you.

  • Opportunities for bridging and social cohesion between disparate groups.

  • The importance of being present to build trust and help people make meaning of changing sociopolitical conditions.

  • The key to building member-driven organizations versus staff-driven ones.

  • How People’s Action fosters pride without promoting ‘white pride’ in low income communities.

  • The process of “getting real” to reconcile restrictive legislation with progressive ideals.

  • What’s next for George as he steps down as Executive Director of People’s Action.

  • How you can help George build the next economy by coming along for the ride!

---

Tweetables:

“At the end of the day, the primary challenge is that both low income and working class people don’t have the power they need to move the ideas that they have about what would make their lives better.” — @GeorgeGoehl

“Learning to start where the other person is at, to understand the human needs behind whatever the other person is experiencing or feeling can transform all the relationships in your life; it just happens to be really powerful for organizing.” — @GeorgeGoehl

“Every time we’re not present to help [people] make meaning, somebody else is. We’ve already retreated from so many parts of the country and have forfeited hearts and minds to some very hateful forces.” — @GeorgeGoehl

“[We have to] understand the conditions that we’re operating in, really understand America, and figure out what shifts we have to make to be able to build a big enough, sustainable majority to move ideas into reality [and] protect them.” — @GeorgeGoehl

“For us to become [an] America that has reckoned with our contradictions and repaired the harms, we need majorities. This can’t be a project only some of us are in.” — @GeorgeGoehl

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

People’s Action — https://peoplesaction.org/

People’s Action Institute — https://peoplesaction.org/institute/

George Goehl on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-goehl-18a02a9/

George Goehl on Twitter — https://twitter.com/georgegoehl

To See Each Other Podcast — https://peoplesaction.org/to-see-each-other/

The Next Move Podcast — https://peoplesaction.org/nextmove/

The Fundamentals of Organizing — https://georgegoehl.substack.com/

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Dan Miller: Building Equitable Food Systems

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

America (and the world at large) is in the midst of a major catastrophe. Natural ecosystems are collapsing and the people who have the power to reverse the damage that is being caused are unable to access the capital they need to do so. That’s where Steward comes in. 

Dan Miller, the Founder and CEO of Steward, came to the realization that the traditional lending model used in the agricultural space favors large-scale producers of a limited scope of products, which is why he decided to design a private lending platform that provides regenerative farmers, fishers, ranchers, and producers with the resources they need to sustain and expand their enterprises.

In today’s episode, Dan shares the journey that culminated in the founding of Steward, and how he plans to use this innovative platform to build a future wherein our food systems are equitable, economically viable, and ecologically restorative.

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Where Dan’s interest in agriculture originated and the journey that led him to found Steward.  

  • Problems that farmers are faced with in terms of accessing capital.

  • How Steward loans are structured and the flexibility that they provide to their borrowers.

  • An exciting example of a project funded by revenue based financing.

  • Why Steward doesn’t take any spread and the model they have chosen to use instead.

  • What Dan has done from a regulatory point of view to make Steward work. 

  • How subscribers interface with the Steward platform. 

  • The way Steward is responding to historically excluded farmers. 

  • Dan explains how Steward is funded.

  • The vision that Dan has for the future of regenerative agriculture. 

---

Tweetables:

“What I think is missing in agriculture is flexibility and customization. Our goal is to be designed around the needs of the farmer.” — @GoSteward

“Government policy defines the entire market. Government policy in America, historically and primarily now, is focused on large commodity production of a few products, so if you're outside of that system, there is very little capital available.” — @GoSteward

“Most businesses can’t raise any financing; banks won’t lend to them. With Steward’s model of financing, the broader issue is access to capital for small business. Our focus on regenerative agriculture is really just a subset of small business.” — @GoSteward

“Just like our own software raises financing from broad pools of people, we’re doing the same thing for our company.” — @GoSteward

“It has to work in terms of economics; the people paying for the food at a price that can cover labor costs make it worth it for the farmers and the owners. It also has to broaden access to that type of food.” — @GoSteward

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Steward — https://gosteward.com/ 

Steward on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/GoSteward/ 

Steward on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/steward/ 

Steward on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/company/go-steward/ 

Dan Miller on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-miller-0a41357/

Dan Miller on Twitter — https://twitter.com/GoSteward

Fundrise — https://fundrise.com/ 

---
LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Tameka Peoples: Seed 2 Shirt

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.


The cotton industry has a long, fraught history in the United States, and it continues to have very damaging human and environmental impacts to this day. Tameka Peoples, founder of Seed 2 Shirt is on a mission to change the relationship we have with cotton and the people who farm it. 

Seed 2 Shirt is the first black woman-owned, ethically produced, eco-friendly, blank t-shirt company. Not only are they bringing you high quality products which are produced in an environmentally friendly way, but they also ensure that the people who produce the shirts are being supported and enriched through every purchase of a Seed 2 Shirt product! 

Join us today for an education on the textile which helped turn the United States into what it is today, and hear how you can support a just and sustainable clothing brand! 

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Tameka shares the founding story of Seed 2 Shirt. 

  • How Seed 2 Shirt enriches the communities of cotton farmers who they source their materials from. 

  • Characteristics that differentiate Seed 2 Shirt from other organ cotton t-shirt companies.

  • The eye-opening lessons Tameka has learned through her journey with Seed 2 Shirt. 

  • A brief overview of the history of the cotton industry in the United States. 

  • Goals that Tameka has for the future of Seed 2 Shirt. 

  • Tameka shares some of the challenges that Tameka and her team are facing. 

  • How climate change is affecting the farmers who Seed 2 Shirt works with.

  • Ways that you can support Seed 2 Shirt. 

---

Tweetables:

“We provide the black community from cotton seed to cotton shirt.” — Tameka Peoples, @Seed2Shirt

“We are probably one of the 1% of companies that produces our entire value chain in Africa.” — Tameka Peoples, @Seed2Shirt

“We go beyond just giving you a very quality, organic t-shirt that you know is serving the planet well. We’re also servicing and supporting the people who helped to produce that shirt. That’s our market differentiator.” — Tameka Peoples, @Seed2Shirt

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Seed 2 Shirt — https://seed2shirt.com/ 

Seed 2 Shirt on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/Seed2Shirt 

Seed 2 Shirt on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/seed2shirt/ 

Seed 2 Shirt on Twitter — https://twitter.com/seed2shirt 

Tameka Peoples on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/tameka-peoples-3824a510/ 

---
LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Saru Jayaraman: Fighting for One Fair Wage

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

The sub-minimum wage for tipped workers hasn’t gone up in 30 years. This is a direct result of the undue influence of corporations over our democracy. Saru Jayaraman joins us on the show today to discuss how she is pushing back against these injustices. Saru is an academic at UC Berkeley and the President at One Fair Wage, a national organization working to raise wages for service workers nationwide.

Our conversation with Saru begins with a history of the restaurant industry and the origins of the payment system it adopted which saw newly-freed slaves living entirely on tips. She talks about how this practice has remained largely unchanged and the role that the National Restaurant Association has played in this. Saru speaks about how restaurant chains often lie about the fact that they are not able to pay workers what they deserve, and how this unfair payment system is connected to the mistreatment and sexual harassment of women.

This conversation is not without its silver lining though and Saru weighs in on some of the factors that are pushing the needle forward. We hear about the blow the pandemic struck to the restaurant industry and how this has caused workers to quit in record numbers, which in turn is forcing restaurants to offer better compensation. Saru speaks about the legislative changes happening in many states, the movement of High Road restaurants that are setting an example by treating their workers fairly, and the approach taken by One Fair Wage to put a stop to sub-minimum wage practices across the US.

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • How Saru’s campaign to end sub-minimum wages in the US began

  • The history of minimum wages and the reasons they haven’t gone up in the restaurant industry.

  • The lie that it is impossible to pay workers more when there is data to prove that it is actually profitable to do so.

  • Harassment that women have to endure while working in the restaurant industry.

  • How the pandemic has threatened the restaurant industry, and how the industry has responded.

  • The need for fair minimum wages to become policy.

  • Resources for restaurants that want to change the status quo.

  • The factors which keep Saru motivated to continue this work.

  • States who are taking legislative action, activist movements in other industries, and what gives Saru hope.

  • What you can do to help Saru grow her mission.

---

Tweetables:

  • “This is not just about 13 million workers in the restaurant industry. This goes to the core of our democracy and our economy and our identity as a country.” — @SaruJayaraman

  • “The top reason workers don’t want to work in restaurants is because the pay doesn’t work anymore. They can’t afford to work in restaurants anymore. That has resulted in the silver lining, where workers are finally standing up for themselves for the first time in 150 years.” — @SaruJayaraman

  • “I know a lot of people would come back to their beloved profession if they were paid as the professionals that they are.” — @SaruJayaraman

  • “These are unnatural suppressed wages from an unnaturally imbalanced system where you have corporate trade lobbies overriding our democracy.” — @SaruJayaraman

  • “I see change on the horizon. I see restaurants raising wages.” — @SaruJayaraman

  • “It is not radical to raise the wage to $15 or $18. It is truly radical to suppress the wage so much that the overall minimum wage has not gone up in a decade and the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers hasn’t gone up in 30 years. That is radical.” — @SaruJayaraman

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Saru Jayaraman — https://gspp.berkeley.edu/faculty-and-impact/faculty/saru-jayaraman

Saru Jayaraman on Twitter — https://twitter.com/sarujayaraman

One Fair Wage — https://onefairwage.site/

One Fair Wage — https://www.powells.com/book/waging-change-doing-right-by-americas-lowest-wage-workers-9781620975336

Behind the Kitchen Door — https://www.powells.com/book/behind-the-kitchen-door-9780801451720

Forked — https://www.powells.com/book/forked-9780199380473?partnerid=43963&p_tx

High Road Restaurants – https://www.highroadrestaurants.org/

---
LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Katrina Spade: Recompose Life

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

Conventional funerary practices are environmentally problematic. Each year, 2.7 million people die in the US, and most are buried in a conventional cemetery or cremated. Cremation burns fossil fuels and emits carbon dioxide and particulates into the atmosphere, while burial consumes valuable urban land, pollutes the soil, and contributes to climate change through the resource-intensive manufacture and transport of caskets, headstones, and grave liners. Today’s guest knew there had to be a better way.

Katrina Spade is the Founder and CEO of Recompose, a Public Benefit Corporation powered by people who believe in changing the current death care paradigm and approaching this work with energy, tenacity, and joy. Katrina has been an entrepreneur and a designer since 2002, focused on human-centered ecological solutions. While earning her Masters of Architecture, Katrina invented a system to transform the dead into soil, which is now patent-pending. In 2014, she founded the 501c3 Urban Death Project to bring attention to the problem of a toxic, disempowering funeral industry and, in 2017, she founded Recompose, which specializes in human composting.

In this episode, Erin Axelrod, Partner at LIFT Economy and today’s guest host, speaks to Katrina about the urban equivalent of natural burial and how approaching death as a design challenge can help enable culturally sensitive conversations about a commonly distressing topic. We also touch on the legal challenges Katrina has run into while building her business and she shares her advice for entrepreneurs entering into the fundraising process and building a team, as well as how you can support Recompose by talking about it around the dinner table, plus so much more! We hope you’ll join us today for this fascinating conversation.

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • What sparked Katrina’s curiosity in human-centered ecological solutions and death care.

  • The environmental impact of conventional funerary practices versus ‘natural burial’.

  • Enabling culturally sensitive conversations about death by viewing it as a design challenge.

  • Find out how Katrina developed her system of transforming the dead into compost.

  • Insight into the composting process, from human remains to cubic yard of soil.

  • Some challenges Katrina has encountered while building Recompose, including legal ones.

  • Her advice for fundraising: get really clear on the type of investor you’re looking for.

  • The joy and inspiration Katrina has found in building a team and what the future of Recompose looks like.

  • How you can support Recompose in 2022 by becoming an evangelist for the idea.

  • How COVID has reminded us of our mortality and brought these conversations to the fore.

---

Tweetables:

“You’ve got, on the one hand, the manufacture and transport of graves and headstones and the upkeep of the cemetery and, on the other hand, you have the burning of fossil gas that is used to incinerate a body and the particulates and mercury and carbon that’s emitted.” — @KatrinaSpade

“Approaching [death] from a design challenge perspective makes it a little bit more approachable.” — @KatrinaSpade

“We believe in growing [our business] because we know that people want to be composted and we need to be there for them to do that, but we also don’t believe in growth at all costs.” — @KatrinaSpade

“Much like architecture, being an entrepreneur is a lot of figuring out what you don’t know. You can never be doing all of the work, nor should you, but you do need to have a good sense of what kind of skillsets, what kind of expertise you need to find.” — @KatrinaSpade

“We’re part of this grand cycle. It can bring comfort to see that part of our small, human lifespan and what part we play in the larger cycles and where our atoms and molecules might go next. To me, that’s exciting or gives me at least a little bit of comfort.” — @KatrinaSpade

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Recompose — https://recompose.life/

Katrina Spade on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-spade-37047439/

Katrina Spade on Twitter — https://twitter.com/katrinaspade

Katrina Spade on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/katrinaspade/

‘When I die, recompose me’ TED Talk — https://www.ted.com/talks/katrina_spade_when_i_die_recompose_me

Erin Axelrod on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinaxelrod

Caitlin Doughty: Let's Visit the Human Composting Facility! — https://youtu.be/_LJSEZ_pl3Y

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Arianna Taboada: Parental Leave as an Issue of Social Justice, Human Rights, and Economic Equity

Subscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.

How do you design parental leave in a way that works for you, your family, and your business without sacrificing entrepreneurial success? Today’s guest is a parental leave consultant who provides expecting business owners with a step-by-step blueprint for planning their parental leave while ensuring that their small business runs smoothly and successfully in their absence.

Arianna Taboada is the Founder of The Expecting Entrepreneur, a consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs design parental leave plans that fit their business models and personal needs. Arianna speaks and writes about parental leave and respectful maternity care as an issue of social justice, human rights, and economic equity. She is also the author of a book by the same name, The Expecting Entrepreneur: A Guide to Parental Leave Planning for Self Employed Business Owners.

In this episode of Next Economy Now, guest host, Fabiola Santiago, speaks with Arianna about rethinking family leave in the US, which is the only industrialized country that doesn’t have a national paid parental leave program, and Arianna shares three key strategies that can help business owners plan their parental leave, drive change, and create opportunity. We also touch on ways of reshaping our relationship with mental health and grief, and Ariana shares her perspective on building the next economy, which centers around sharing resources and building community. Tune in today!

---

Key Points From This Episode:

  • Insight into Arianna’s background and how she came to be a parental leave consultant.

  • What the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles you to and why it’s exclusionary.

  • How to rethink family leave in the US and build businesses that drive change.

  • Three concrete strategies that can assist business owners in planning parental leave.

  • The power of business operations, financial planning, and building solid support systems.

  • Reshaping our relationship with mental health as we make major life transitions like becoming a parent or starting a business.

  • What the Indigenous midwifery concept of ‘la pequeña muerte’ taught Arianna about grief.

  • Arianna’s perspective on building the next economy: the power of sharing resources.

  • What is bringing her joy right now, including shifting how she thinks about impact.

---

Tweetables:

“The US is the only industrialized country that does not have a national paid [parental] leave program, and that is in spite of pretty strong public support across the political spectrum, across families of all types, and [across] businesses of all types.” — @Ariannataboada

“Life transitions, like pregnancy, like becoming a parent, like starting a business, are key drivers for change and windows for opportunity. In a similar way, if we want to do business differently, we need to build infrastructure and community around that.” — @Ariannataboada

“What are the places and communities where a resource like [my book] would make sense to offer up? I’m curious about what places, whether it’s entrepreneurship groups or parenting groups, could use [my] book and share it.” — @Ariannataboada

---

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Arianna Taboada — https://www.Ariannataboada.com/

Arianna Taboada on Twitter — https://twitter.com/Ariannataboada

Arianna Taboada on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/Ariannataboada/

Arianna Taboada on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/Ariannataboada/

The Expecting Entrepreneur — https://www.theexpectingentrepreneur.com/

The Expecting Entrepreneur — https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780578933443

---

---

LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

---

Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

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Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
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Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/

Agrarian Trust: Changing the Way We Think About Farmland and Food Systems

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For too long, the personal property model, instituted by white settlers, has dominated the agricultural space. This has resulted in an unjust, inequitable system within which less than 2% of farmland is owned by people of color. The Agrarian Trust is on a mission to change this through “transitioning farmland from a commoditized market place into a community-centered commons.”

The Agrarian Commons model which they have developed focuses on the human connection to soil and food, and the Agrarian Trust itself looks at bringing together knowledge and resources to support local communities in creating new ways of holding and working with land. 

In today’s episode, Ian McSweeney, the director of the Agrarian Trust, and his colleague, Eliza Spellman Taylor, join us to share the journey that this growing organization has been on for the past few years, what the future holds for them, and how we can all be a part of changing our food system for the better. 

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Key Points From This Episode:

  • How the Agrarian Trust came into being, and the three-part mission which forms the foundation of this organization.

  • An explanation of the relationship between the Agrarian Commons and the Agrarian Trust. 

  • The intention behind the creation of the Agrarian Commons model.

  • Examples of the Agrarian Commons model in action.

  • Statistics which highlight the unjustness of the agricultural system. 

  • The transition period we are currently in the midst of with regard to land ownership. 

  • What the future looks like for the Agrarian Commons and the Agrarian Trust.

  • How the Agrarian Commons model benefits food growers, food consumers, and the planet as a whole.

  • Ways that you can support the work being done by the Agrarian Trust. 

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Tweetables:

“Agrarian Commons is inherently about communities, land, people, farmers, and how all of those move and support a healthy system.” — Eliza Spellman Taylor

“We had the intention of trying to create a model, the Agrarian Commons, that has some shared values and structure and similarities, and also is unique to place.” — Ian McSweeney

“Less than 2% of farmland is owned by people of color, and over 70% of farmers and farmworkers are people of color. It’s so grossly unjust.” — Ian McSweeney

“A lot of communities are really interested in not mimicking the white settler personal property model that we’ve had in this country since its beginning, but instead creating a new way of decommodifying land and holding land in community.” — Eliza Spellman Taylor

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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ian McSweeney — https://agrariantrust.org/team-members/1637/

Eliza Spellman Taylor — https://agrariantrust.org/team-members/eliza-spellman-taylor/

Agrarian Trust — https://agrariantrust.org/

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LIFT Economy Newsletter

Join 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter

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Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 300+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

---

Show Notes + Other Links

For detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting: https://bit.ly/nexteconomynow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Music by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/