Entries by Caroline Halter

15: Patagonia’s Rick Ridgeway: On A Mission to Save Our Home Planet

February 22, 2022 in /by

Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California with a mission to save our home planet. It was founded in 1976 by Yvon Chouinard and was the first B-Corporation in the state. Rick was Vice President of Environmental Initiatives and Special Media Projects for Patagonia for 15 years during which he founded the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. In addition to his accomplishments at Patagonia, Rick is recognized as one of the world’s foremost mountaineers. Along with Yvon and another friend, they were the first Americans to summit K2. He has done other significant climbs and explorations on all continents. In this conversation, Rick discusses why and how Patagonia is fulfilling their mission to save our home planet. He also talks about how Patagonia walks the walk when it comes to sustainability and how it measures its financial performance with the overall health of the planet.

14: Unilever’s Jostein Solheim: Leading the Way in Diversity and Sustainability

February 14, 2022 in /by

Unilever is a purpose-led global company that owns over four hundred brands we use every day. Its purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace by empowering consumers to make responsible choices. In this episode, I have a great conversation with Unilever’s CEO of Health & Wellness, Jostein Solheim, about the new division he is leading for Unilever and his re-radicalizing of Ben & Jerry’s, the activist ice-cream brand he led for 8 years.

13: AppHarvest’s Jonatah Webb: Growing The Future

February 8, 2022 in /by

AppHarvest is a high-tech controlled-environment agriculture company based in Morehead, Kentucky. AppHarvest is a B-Corp and is on a mission is to combine conventional agriculture techniques with today’s technology that will yield more crops with a fraction of the resources. Jonathan Webb is the Founder & CEO of AppHarvest. When he decided to build AppHarvest, he brought it to his hometown of Eastern Kentucky. In this episode, Jonathan shares why he decided to bring this project to his home state. He also shares why we need to act now on creating sustainable agriculture, and why this is the future of food.

12: Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Michel Doukeris: Planning For A Future With More Cheers

January 31, 2022 in /by

Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world’s largest beer brewer by both volume and revenue, whose portfolio includes more than 400 beer brands sold in over 150 countries. Under the leadership of its new CEO, Michel Doukeris, the industry-leading enterprise is revitalizing its brand with a new purpose and sustainability goals to drive future growth and impact. In this episode, I speak with Michel about his leadership philosophy and his ambitious 100-year plan. This roadmap hinges on the company’s commitment to “Dream Big To Create A Future With More Cheers” and Michel shares his advice for business leaders and entrepreneurs about how to navigate an ever-changing and challenging future.

11: Eddie Bauer’s Kristen Elliott: Sustainability as a Long Term Investment

November 29, 2021 in /by

Eddie Bauer recently celebrated 100 years in business, and the iconic outdoor brand is laser focused on making the outdoors accessible to everyone. It’s a mission that really speaks to me, because I believe that reconnecting to the natural world will help us repurpose business to restore the planet. In this episode I got the opportunity to speak with Eddie Bauer’s Vice President of Marketing, Kristen Elliot, about the many ways Eddie Bauer is executing this mission, from their new outdoor gear rental program, to reaching out to marginalized communities. Kristen also shared her advice for starting the sustainability journey, which can seem daunting at first, and I so appreciated her perspective on viewing sustainability as a long term investment in brand equity.

10: John Hardy CEO Kareem Gahed: How Vertical Integration Enables Transparency

November 22, 2021 in /by

John Hardy is an ethical jewelry brand whose production facilities are based in Bali. In fact, they’re the biggest employer on the island. In this episode of Lead With We, I spoke with their CEO, Kareem Gahed, about how John Hardy employs local Balinese artisans to hand craft their pieces and build communities and a culture of humanity and courage. We dig into the details of what ethical production truly means in the jewelry business and how the company’s vertical business model enables greater transparency. Plus, Kareem shares how he hopes to level up the entire industry by setting an example and encouraging others to take a stand on today’s pressing social and environmental issues.

23: The Ultimate Guidebook for Brain Injury Survivors, Caregivers and Professionals (Pt. 1)

November 18, 2021 in /by

This is the first of a two part episode about a groundbreaking new book called Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Survivors and Families. BIAWA Board Member Richard Adler, who authored the book, joins Deborah along with Brandon Blake and Sabrina Bonaparte, who contributed their perspectives as a survivor and caregiver, to discuss how it can serve as an invaluable resource for those navigating the difficulties of brain injury. Richard, Brandon and Sabrina discuss how they worked together to create this comprehensive, step-by-step guidebook and their hopes for getting it into the hands of as many people as possible.

9: PepsiCo’s Maddy Kulkarni: Educating The Next Generation of Business Leaders

November 16, 2021 in /by

As PepsiCo’s Global Marketing Director of Sustainability & Purpose, Maddy Kulkarni has been an integral part of charting a new course for one of the world’s largest enterprises. And now she’s passing on that knowledge to younger generations as a professor at the University of Texas. She even created her own textbook! In this episode Maddy and I chatted about the importance of educating the next generation of business leaders on how to blend purpose and profit, the case studies she uses from PepsiCo, and some of the exciting details of pep+ (pep Positive), a strategic end-to-end transformation of PepsiCo that will drive growth by restoring the planet and inspiring positive behavior change.

8: We First’s Simon Mainwaring: The Meaning of ‘Lead With We’

November 8, 2021 in /by

My new book, Lead With We, is officially out in stores and online, so in this episode we’re turning the tables and I’m in the hot seat for a change. In this episode Goal 17 CEO Greg Mollner, who has been our partner on this podcast from the beginning, interviews me about how my personal and professional journey led me to rethink business as usual and create the new business paradigm I lay out in the book to better serve humanity and the planet. Greg and I chatted about the collaborative strategies that every business leader can and should adopt to help solve today’s escalating challenges and unlock extraordinary growth.

7: Dr. Mark Goulston: What The World Needs From Today’s Leaders

November 1, 2021 in /by

Dr. Mark Goulston has had a fascinating career as a psychiatrist, from helping those contemplating suicide to assisting the FBI with hostage negotiation, and now coaching the world’s top executives at companies like IBM and Goldman Sachs to become better leaders through his company Michaelangelo Mindset. Oh, and did I mention he’s written nine books? In this episode I spoke with Mark about the type of leader the world needs now and in the future and some of the techniques he uses to draw out leadership qualities like humility and empathy. We also chatted about how business leaders can persevere through the relentless challenges of the pandemic by taking care of their own mental health and the power of women’s leadership.