Be Social Change Marcos Salazar & Jenn Lishansky

How can businesses be a force for good while still making a profit? B Corps are leading the way in redefining success in business. B Corps are organizations that are certified by B Lab for meeting high standards of social and environmental impact, transparency, and accountability. We spoke with Jorge Fontanez, CEO of B Lab U.S. and Canada, about the growing B Corp movement and how we all can get involved.  
Jorge provides insights into B Lab's innovative approach to harnessing business as a catalyst for positive change. We discuss how B Corps are community-driven, with volunteer-led chapters creating local ecosystems. Jorge highlights the importance of education, storytelling, and collective action in shifting business culture. He shares B Lab's commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, recognizing more work ahead to engage marginalized communities.  
Jorge also reflects on his career and explains the nuances of partnering with multinational corporations on the sustainability journey while maintaining high standards. He offers advice on finding purpose-driven work, whether starting your own socially-conscious business or changing organizations from within. 
What You'll Learn:
- The B Corp certification process and how it drives better business practices
- Examples of how B Corps create positive community and environmental impact 
- How B Lab helps scale purpose-driven companies through local networks
- Tips for evaluating your values to find fulfilling work or build an impactful organization
- Why transparency, accountability, and trust-building are key to benefitting all stakeholders
- How people of all backgrounds can get involved with the growing B Corp movement
- Why collaboration across sectors is critical to addressing systemic challenges
Join us for an inspirational look inside the B Corp movement empowering people to use business as a force for good. Discover how you can get involved or incorporate these lessons into your own career and leadership.

How can we provide equitable transit access to underserved communities? Su Sanni, CEO and Co-Founder of Dollaride, is tackling this challenge by modernizing commuter van networks through his social startup. In this episode, Su talks about innovating at the intersection of mobility and social impact, lessons for social entrepreneurs, and how to design long-lasting solutions.  
Su shares his origin story, growing up reliant on informal dollar van services in transit deserts of NYC. He later discovered family members were drivers, inspiring his entrepreneurial journey to improve the industry. Dollaride empowers drivers by providing software, financing, electric vehicles, and infrastructure to scale up operations.
We explore Su's philosophy on customer research and "failing forward" through constant iteration. He offers advice on skills like resourcefulness and adaptability that enable entrepreneurial success. Su also stresses the importance of work-life balance, having evolved from sleepovers at the office to more sustainable habits. 
What You'll Learn:
- How transportation deserts impact people and the solutions available to people currently
- Methods for deep customer research when developing new solutions  
- Su's lessons from evolving as a founder over 10+ years of startups
- The value of complementary partnerships that compensate for our weaknesses
- How entrepreneurs can find balance and avoid burnout
- Why impact-driven businesses need long-term sustainable models

Can unconditional cash transfers help end extreme poverty? In this episode, we speak with Tyler Hall, Director of Communications at GiveDirectly, about how giving cash directly to those in need is transforming lives. 
GiveDirectly has an innovative model of providing cash grants with no strings attached to people living on less than $1.90 per day. Recipients can use the money to buy food, pay for housing, cover school fees, invest in businesses, and more. To date, GiveDirectly has delivered over $300 million to more than a million people across Africa and Latin America. 
Tyler explains how GiveDirectly uses mobile payments and data analytics to identify recipients, deliver funds, and track results. He shares what makes their approach different from traditional charity programs. We discuss research on the multiplier effects of cash aid and how it empowers agency and dignity. 
Tyler also opens up about his career journey from comedy TV production into nonprofit communications. He reflects on finding purpose in work and offers advice on making career transitions between sectors. He also shares creativity hacks for professionals working in communications, marketing, and other creative fields. 
What You’ll Learn:

1️⃣ How direct cash aid differs from other forms of development assistance
2️⃣ The philosophy behind GiveDirectly's unconditional approach 
3️⃣ Why Tyler sought more purpose-driven work beyond entertainment
4️⃣ How to manage a global nonprofit team in ways that add value and rewards 
5️⃣ Tips for finding fulfillment and switching sectors in your career
6️⃣ How to create time for creativity amidst busy schedules


Join us for an eye-opening look at how cash aid is reducing inequality and providing opportunity. Learn how GiveDirectly’s model is challenging traditional charity. Discover why purpose-driven work matters with Tyler Hall.

Could the clothing in our closets be secretly harming our health? In this compelling episode, our guest Alden Wicker, author of 'To Die For: How Toxic Fashion is Making Us Sick and How We Can Fight Back', unveils the shocking reality of the harmful chemicals used in the fashion industry and their link to various health problems, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and fertility issues. We also discuss the importance of being informed about our clothing, including its origins and manufacturing process, to create a more sustainable and ethical fashion industry.
Alden also shares her career journey as founder of EcoCult, a leading sustainable style website, and offers career tips on balancing freelancing, leveraging networking, and accelerating serendipity through curiosity and connection. 
What You’ll Learn:
Hidden health hazards in everyday clothing and home textilesHow the fashion industry promotes toxicity through misleading marketingWays to reduce your exposure through informed shopping habitsThe importance of ingredient transparency and chemical regulationsHow Alden built her career as an independent writer and expert on sustainable fashionNetworking and developing authentic professional relationshipsBalancing productivity, passion, and overall well-being as a freelancer
About Be Social Change:
Be Social Change is a social impact community providing you with expert professional development, curated networking, and strategic coaching to help you grow a successful social impact career. 
Access free social impact career resources and network with like-minded people at https://www.besocialchange.com
Connect with us on LinkedIn:
Marcos SalazarJenn Lishansky
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps us support more people — just like you — in building successful social impact careers. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let us know what you enjoyed most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast.
Guest Bio:
Alden Wicker is an award-winning independent journalist and author of To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick — and How We Can Fight Back (Putnam). She splits her time between managing her internationally recognized website EcoCult.com and contributing to publications like The New York Times, Vox, Wired, The Cut, and more. She’s made expert appearances on the BBC, Al Jazeera, NPR, CBC, and MSNBC, and has been cited by The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Complex, and Nylon as a leading voice in the movement.

Celia Moreno is a Social Impact Lead at Lyft, one of a few major tech companies with a social and environmental mission. Celia offers an inside look into how major corporations integrate social impact into their core product. 
She shares her journey into the world of social impact, her role in managing Lyft's transportation access programs, the importance of advocacy, and her experiences with technology in her role. 
The conversation delves into the importance of being a 'jack of all trades' - or a generalist - with strong communication skills, and building relationships within an organization. Celia also candidly discusses her personal growth journey, the struggles she faced, and the inspiring human stories that fuel her work.
What You Will Learn:
1️⃣ A unique approach to integrating social impact into core products.
2️⃣ How advocacy plays an essential role within major corporations.
3️⃣ The diverse set of skills that are instrumental in shaping a career in social impact.
4️⃣ The use of technology in driving social impact and policy integration.
5️⃣ The power of networking and building relationships across the organization.
6️⃣ The significance of creativity, understanding the social impact landscape, and self-compassion in achieving success.
7️⃣ Practical career advice for anyone looking to develop a career in social impact.
About Be Social Change:
Be Social Change is a social impact community providing you with expert professional development, curated networking, and strategic coaching to help you grow a successful social impact career. 
Access free social impact career resources and network with like-minded people at https://www.besocialchange.com

Reading news headlines, it is clear that there is no lack of urgent needs to create social change across the world. However, so many people feel stuck, lost, or unsure of how to make a difference in the issues they care about.
Regardless of where you work, there is a certain set of skills and mindsets that are absolutely crucial to becoming a changemaker. 
Our incredible guest, Alex Budak, has studied exactly how to become a changemaker throughout his career and has authored a book on the topic, as well as teaches a course on it at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. He offers inspiring examples and valuable insights to both people currently working in the social impact sector as well as those who want to change the status quo.
What You’ll Learn:
 The three essential pillars of becoming a changemaker: mindset, leadership, and a readiness for action.  The importance of questioning norms and inspiring others to step forward towards change.  The impact of community support on career growth and how 'microleadership' can create waves.  How to embrace failure and venture into new territories with confidence.  The role of personal mission in navigating a social impact career.
About Be Social Change:
Be Social Change is a social impact community providing you with expert professional development, curated networking, and strategic coaching to help you grow a successful social impact career. 

Access free social impact career resources and network with like-minded people at https://www.besocialchange.com

Connect with us on LinkedIn:
Marcos SalazarJenn Lishansky

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
Please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps us support more people — just like you — in building successful social impact careers. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let us know what you enjoyed most about the episode! Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast.

Guest Bio:
Alex Budak is a UC Berkeley faculty member, social entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He helps people from all walks of life become changemakers and create impact anywhere.
At UC Berkeley, Budak teaches his wildly-popular course “Becoming a Changemaker,” directs the Berkeley Haas Global Access Program, and teaches and leads Berkeley Executive Education programs.
His book, Becoming a Changemaker (Hachette, 2022), has been endorsed by Nobel Prize winners, Olympic athletes, and most meaningful of all—his former students who are using these ideas to change the world.
A social entrepreneur at heart, Budak co-founded StartSomeGood, which has helped more than 1,200 changemakers in 50 countries raise millions of dollars to launch and scale new change initiatives.
A graduate of UCLA and Georgetown University, Budak has given lectures and keynotes...