Better Good with Scott M. Curran

Kiva CEO Vishal Ghotge on Closing the Opportunity Gap

There are at least 1.4 billion people on this planet with no connection to the financial system, and no way to turn a good idea into a livelihood. Not because they lack talent, drive, or ambition, but because the system simply wasn't built to include them. This massive divide between talent and opportunity is what today's guest is building a bridge across. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/ [https://www.scottmcurran.com/]) is joined by Vishal Ghotge, CEO of Kiva, for a conversation about financial inclusion, microfinance, and what happens when you bet on people the traditional banking system ignores. Kiva has delivered nearly $2.5 billion in loans to over 5 million entrepreneurs in 80 countries, often just $25 at a time,  with a 96% repayment rate. Vishal explains how the platform connects everyday lenders with women entrepreneurs, refugees, small business owners in the US, and communities on the front lines of climate change. He traces his own path from Mumbai to Silicon Valley to leading one of the most innovative organizations in global development, and makes a powerful case that talent is universal but opportunity is not. And that closing that gap is one of the most important investments any of us can make. This episode explores themes of financial inclusion, women's empowerment, and refugee entrepreneurship. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Vishal Ghotge Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran -  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtMFBX4d6y8] CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction * 00:04:22 Early Memories of Doing Good * 00:06:16 Growing Up with Inequality in Mumbai * 00:08:32 From Mumbai to Microsoft * 00:10:49 Groupon and Helping the Little Guy * 00:15:31 PayScale, Remitly, and Finding Personal Connection * 00:18:49 The Kiva Model and Financial Inclusion * 00:27:29 The Power of Transparency and Connection * 00:32:02 Four Strategic Verticals: Refugees, Women, Climate, and US * 00:44:30 Stories of Dignity and Transformation * 00:48:08 Hope in Humanity and Career Advice * 00:55:59 Take Action and What's Next at Kiva -  Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.

Penny Abeywardena on What Real Power Looks Like

Most people think power always looks the same—loud, demanding, aggressive, and increasingly in your face. But actually, not always. Penny Abeywardena has spent her life mastering another kind of power: soft power. Something we can all use to help change the world if we become more familiar with it, and better at using it in our lives and in our work. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/ [https://www.scottmcurran.com/]) is joined by Penny Abeywardena—former Commissioner for International Affairs for New York City, Clinton Foundation leader, and founder of Soft Power Strategies—for a conversation about influence, leadership, and how to create change when you don't have the title, the budget, or the permission to demand it. Penny traces her path from surviving domestic violence as a child in Los Angeles to becoming effectively the Secretary of State for the most diplomatically complex city in the world. She explains how she built a coalition of 350 local governments around the sustainable development goals when Washington walked away from the climate table, and how she secured half a million pieces of PPE directly from the UN's own stockpile when New York was told it was on its own during COVID. She makes the case that in a moment when too many people are choosing to check out, soft power is more urgent than ever. This episode explores themes of soft power, leadership, diplomacy, women's empowerment, and vulnerability. Guest: Penny Abeywardena Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios -  Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://linktr.ee/scottmcurran [https://www.scottmcurran.com/] -  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtMFBX4d6y8] CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction * 00:05:26 Early Memories of Doing Good * 00:07:35 From Human Rights Watch to Finding Her Path * 00:10:00 Building Skills Behind the Scenes * 00:12:43 Joining the Clinton Global Initiative * 00:14:44 Becoming NYC Commissioner for International Affairs * 00:19:20 Reimagining Diplomacy in New York City * 00:22:18 The Voluntary Local Review and Climate Leadership * 00:25:41 COVID Crisis and the Power of Relationships * 00:29:53 Launching Soft Power Strategies * 00:37:01 Storytelling and Vulnerability as Strategy * 00:44:13 Practical Soft Power for Everyone -  Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.

Alex Amouyel on Changing the World with Salad Dressing

What if a bottle of salad dressing could change the world? In 1982, Paul Newman—movie star, race car driver, and American icon—bottled a homemade salad dressing with a friend, put his face on the label, and made one simple decision: every cent of profit would go to charity. Forever. Newman's Own has now generated more than 600 million dollars for charitable causes—and the "Newman's Own exception," an act of Congress that followed, made it possible for other foundations to fully own mission-driven businesses that give their profits away. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/ [https://www.scottmcurran.com/]) is joined by Alex Amouyel (https://www.yourimpactlife.com/about), President and CEO of the Newman's Own Foundation, for a conversation about purpose-driven business, child hunger in America, and one of the most revolutionary models in philanthropy. Alex explains how a for-profit food company fully owned by a charitable foundation gives 100% of its profits away—and why Newman had to fight Congress just to make it legal. She unpacks the foundation's work on child nutrition, school meals, and indigenous food justice at a time when one in five American children live in food-insecure households. And she introduces 100% for Purpose, a movement inspired by Newman's Own and Patagonia to help the next generation of businesses put their profits toward good causes. This episode explores themes of philanthropy, corporate responsibility, and food justice. Guest: Alex Amouyel Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios - CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction * 00:04:06 Early Memories of Doing Good * 00:05:30 From BCG to Save the Children * 00:08:02 Restructuring a Global NGO * 00:10:15 The Clinton Global Initiative Years * 00:12:17 MIT Solve and Opening Innovation * 00:22:09 Paul Newman's Legacy and the Hole in the Wall Gang * 00:26:32 Nourishing Children Who Face Adversity * 00:28:08 The Newman's Own Exception and Tax Law * 00:36:59 100% For Purpose Movement - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.

Nishant Roy on Social Impact Through Business

"Chief Impact Officer" wasn't a job twenty years ago. But a decade ago, it became one of the fastest-growing roles in business. Today, it's complicated because the idea that companies should “do good” has been dragged into the culture wars. So what does it look like when a company actually takes that responsibility seriously and builds purpose into its operations? On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/ [https://www.scottmcurran.com/]) is joined by Nishant Roy, Chief Impact Officer of Chobani, for a candid conversation about purpose-driven business, corporate responsibility, and what it really means when a company says profit and purpose can coexist. Nishant traces his path from his immigrant family's roots and service in the U.S. Air Force—including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq—through Goldman Sachs, USAID, and a fateful LinkedIn message that led him to Chobani's founder, Hamdi Ulukaya. He explains how Chobani went from an SBA loan and a shuttered factory in upstate New York to the number one yogurt brand in America, and why how a company makes its products matters as much as what's on the shelf. From cutting sugar across an entire food category, to hiring refugees in rural New York, to building a sustainable supply chain that pays farmers for imperfect fruit, Nishant makes the case that corporate impact isn't marketing—it's operations. This episode explores themes of purpose-driven leadership, career reinvention, food systems, refugee inclusion, and why the work of doing good doesn't stop just because the acronyms change. - Guest: Nishant Roy Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios -  Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran [https://www.scottmcurran.com/] -  [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtMFBX4d6y8] CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction * 00:04:46 Early Memories of Doing Good * 00:08:41 From the Air Force to Wall Street * 00:11:57 Government Service and Global Development * 00:13:52 The LinkedIn Message That Changed Everything * 00:17:50 Making Career Pivots with Purpose * 00:28:54 The Chobani Story and Food Revolution * 00:34:10 Supply Chain Innovation for Impact * 00:40:55 Building a Melting Pot Workforce * 00:47:47 Proof That Profit and Purpose Go Together -  Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.

Mayor David Holt of Oklahoma City on Leadership in Divided Times

What does it look like when a politician actually does their job? Not the culture warring. Not cable news. Not pitting you against your neighbor to score political points. But the actual work of public service: showing up every day for all the people you serve, bridging divides instead of deepening them, and measuring success by outcomes, not optics. Almost sounds quaint, doesn't it? We're living through a moment when the question of what real civic leadership is feels harder to answer than it should. So we're going to Oklahoma City to find out. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/ [https://www.scottmcurran.com/]) is joined by Mayor David Holt of Oklahoma City (https://www.okc.gov/Government/Elected-Officials/Mayor [https://www.okc.gov/Government/Elected-Officials/Mayor])—who is also the 83rd President of the United States Conference of Mayors—for a refreshing conversation about public service, civic leadership, and bridging political divides in one of America's most dynamic cities. David traces his path from a service-oriented Oklahoma family to working in Washington, D.C., and back home to lead what he calls a purple city in a deep red state. He breaks down how Oklahoma City went from economic depression and post-bombing devastation to becoming America's 20th largest city—a story built on pragmatic, nonpartisan leadership and a civic model that keeps winning voter approval by margins most politicians can only dream of. He explains why the 70% of Americans in the middle can still find common ground and get things done when the system lets them, and why mayors may be the most important class of leaders in the country right now. This episode explores themes of bridging divides, nonpartisan governance, civic investment, community building, pluralism, and what it means to lead by the power of your example rather than the example of your power. Guest: Mayor David Holt Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios -  Check out our Podcast: https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran [https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran/] - CHAPTERS * 00:00:00 Introduction * 00:03:26 Early Memories of Doing Good * 00:08:40 From Capitol Hill to the White House * 00:13:25 Returning Home and Finding Purpose in City Hall * 00:23:18 The Oklahoma City Turnaround Story * 00:26:53 Building Consensus Through Pragmatic Leadership * 00:28:37 The Power of Non-Partisan Elections * 00:33:23 Leading a Purple City in a Red State * 00:37:48 The Role of Mayors in National Politics * 00:50:00 The Oklahoma City Bombing and Lessons on Unity * 00:54:23 The Oklahoma City Declaration -  Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.