Defy Convention

Lisa Hrabluk Is an award-winning writer, purpose-led entrepreneur, and a high-level strategist who helps communities, governments and organizations navigate complex issues.She does this via her Navigating Deep Change™ methodology. It's a process that she drew from her three decades of on-the-ground investigative reporting and analysis of contentious public topics, like the natural resources, indigenous self-determination, climate change, and economic equity.

She is also a leader in the North American B Corp movement and cofounder of WeTheChange, which is the B Corp women. She's also a journalist for over three decades and has written for Time, CBC, the Globe, the Mail, the National Post, and the New Brunswick Telegraph. She's the author of the best-selling New Brunswick Underwater: The 2018 Saint John River Flood about historic flood levels along the St.John river. 

Emily and Lisa discuss Lisa's methodology of Navigating Deep Change and how it can be used to defy the current conventions of journalism and capitalism.

Alisa Herr was previously the founding chief technology officer of a media nonprofit and an award-winning web developer at a design agency. She has an MS in library science from UNC Chapel Hill, and a BS in psychology from Appalachian State University where she graduated summa cum laude. Alisa lives on the Raleigh Durham line with her husband, two sons, and cat and she was most recently recognized by the North Carolina Business Council with the 2020 leadership and business Sustainability Award.

Polina Pinchevsky is co-founder and creative director of RoundPeg Benefit. It's a creative agency that works with purpose-driven organizations to help amplify their message, deepen their customer relationships, and build connections through brand advocacy campaigns. She blends precise strategic thinking with spontaneous hands-on design and everything she does, whether that's creating new artwork for a campaign, or taking in-house creative departments to the next level of creativity, productivity, and performance, no small tasks for Polina. She's also a proud founding member for B Local Mid Atlantic group.

Together and with Russ Stoddard, they created Unit Co., a product designed for organizations that are required to produce an annual impact report or for those who are simply looking to better engage their community in the good they create each year.

From social enterprises in Haiti to nonprofits in Chicago, Craig Mattson has been researching, writing, and podcasting about business activism ever since a student raised her hand in a tiny rhetoric class in 2007 to ask me if he had ever heard of Product (RED). He hadn't, but that student's inquiry launched a decade-plus of inquiry. Craig teaches and researches at a small, faith-based liberal arts campus (Trinity Christian College), and does whatever he can to introduce my students to social entrepreneurship as a mode of civic engagement.

Craig is also the author of the books, Why Spiritual Capital Matters and Rethinking Communication in Social Business.

Emily and Craig discuss Craig's research, his books, and how spirituality, trauma, and capitalism all contribute to how social entrepreneurs develop. 

B. Pagels-Minor loves product development and improving the processes of developing successful products. B has worked with small and large technology companies with more than a hundred thousand people to increase product adoption, improve product experience, and design and evolve. B is also a thought leader on product and culture development within technology companies, which is what we need dearly. They are passionate about creating a culture of accountability and sustainable processes that allow teams to just do the work well. And that is exactly what we need, especially in technology.

In this episode, B and Emily discuss working to show others the humanity in ourselves and marginalized groups, the power of saying no, and curiosity guiding us through challenging times.

After working for 25 years as a screenwriter in Europe — where people have a very different relationship to food — Jennifer returned to the US and founded Out of the Box Collective in 2010, with the goal of inspiring people to get back into their kitchens with amazing ingredients, and back around the table with their loved ones creating lasting memories and building their health at the same time. In 2019 she rebranded Out of the Box Collective as Narrative Food.

As a woman business owner, Jennifer is an active member of the B Corp Women CEO's group, working on political advocacy, and she is an original signatory to bethechange.net declaration. She is also very proud to be a member of the Female Founders Collective.

In this episode, Emily and Jennifer discuss reinventing themselves and their business during the 2008 and 2020 recessions.

Lauren Sivak is currently the managing director of 2nd Story and has previously worked at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, About Face Theatre, Walkabout Theater, and Core Theatre. A proud resident of Albany Park, Lauren is the board vice president of education for the North River Commission. She is the LSC community rep for Albany Park Multicultural Academy. Lauren is also a founding member and current chair of the Friends of Roosevelt High School.

This episode is about first-person true stories, which Lauren Sivak believes is the key difference for effective DEI training. Lauren and Emily also discuss modeling pay equity in theatres and small businesses.

Carolina Miranda is the founder and CEO of Cultivating Capital. It's a certified California Green Business and B Corp since 2012. She specializes in helping companies align their businesses with their values by implementing best practices for social and environmental responsibility. She's a B Corp consultant and has helped businesses to achieve B Corp certification, get re-certified. She serves on the executive committee for the B Corp women CEOs, WeTheChange (WeTheChange.net) movement.

Emily and Carolina discuss the commitment behind the 'B' in the circle with a line underneath displayed on companies' products or sites. And, what does the future look like now that it's here, and how might B Corps and business owners mitigate the worst environmental effects?

Avery Belyeu is an educator, nonprofit director, and religious leader whose experience spans higher ed, civil rights, and public health. She is an in-demand speaker on the topics of sexual orientation and gender identity and has trained professionals across the legal, higher education, and corporate sectors regarding the creation of affirming and welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ people. Ms. Belyeu serves as the regional director for the South Central region of Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV. She is a graduate of Appalachian State University and Brite Divinity School, where she earned a Master's in Divinity. Avery identifies as a spiritual and a religious wanderer, and a Jew by choice.

Is it trailblazing or survival mode? In this episode, Emily and Avery discuss Avery's experience coming from a conventional, religious childhood raised under the denomination of Jehovah's Witness. She came out as trans-queer later in life while working next to Trump-appointed officials during her transition.

In this bonus episode, LimeRed partners Emily and Demetrio discuss work/life balance and boundaries and compare their B.C. (before coronavirus) work balance to an evolved awareness with boundaries post-pandemic.

Demetrio Cardona-Maguigad is LimeRed's strategic design director. He is a passionate creator and producer with a focus on cultural diversity, social justice, and community development. Demetrio also coaches startups and entrepreneurs, advocating for human-centered design approaches toward problem-solving and business success.