Catch The Upswing

Why Trying To Change The World Can Break You | Bonnie Chiu & Tara Sabre Collier

Why do so many people trying to create positive change end up exhausted? And why do so many workplaces and “inclusive” spaces still make people feel unseen, unsupported, or forced to hide parts of themselves? In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Bonnie Chiu and Tara Sabre Collier about burnout, invisible labor, identity, caregiving, ambition, and the emotional cost of trying to change broken systems while still protecting your own humanity. Together, they explore leadership, parenthood, capitalism, belonging, impact investing, language, power, and what it really means to build a more inclusive world. Bonnie Chiu is the founder and CEO of TSIC, a global social impact advisory firm focused on diversity, inclusion, and systems change in finance and entrepreneurship. Tara Sabre Collier is an impact investor, entrepreneur, and advisor working across inclusive finance, economic development, and emerging markets. This is a conversation about exhaustion, purpose, identity, modern work, and the tension between caring deeply about the world… without losing yourself in the process. 🎙️ In this episode, we explore: * Why so many purpose-driven people feel emotionally exhausted * The invisible labor of caregiving, parenthood, and emotional responsibility * Whether people can truly bring their “full selves” to work * Why some “inclusive” spaces still exclude people in practice * How capitalism shapes burnout, mental health, and belonging * Why impact investing can still reproduce inequality * How language shapes power, identity, and inclusion * The emotional cost of trying to “do it all” * Whether meaningful systems change is actually possible * Practices that help people stay grounded while doing difficult work 🔗 Check out Bonnie Chiu’s work: TSIC: https://tsic.global/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniesychiu/ 🔗 Check out Tara Sabre Collier’s work: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarasabre/ 🔗 Additional resources: 2X Global: https://www.2xglobal.org/ Pathway Fund: https://pathwayfund.co.uk/ ⏱️ Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 00:55 Meet Bonnie Chiu & Tara Sabre Collier 01:18 “Which Parts Of Your Reality Are We Not Making Space To See?” 02:21 The Invisible Labor Of Caregiving 04:59 Can We Really Bring Our Full Selves To Work? 06:08 Faith, Identity & The Parts Of Ourselves We Hide 09:09 When “Inclusive” Spaces Don’t Feel Inclusive 11:04 Why Capitalism Wasn’t Built For Mental Health 13:03 How Loss Shaped Tara’s Path Into Impact Investing 16:36 How Bonnie Found Purpose Through Entrepreneurship 24:05 The Inclusion Conference That Rejected A Mother & Baby 27:27 Why Risk Stops Real Inclusion 31:27 Are We Thinking About Development All Wrong? 35:31 How Language Shapes Power & Belonging 40:39 Why “Global Majority” Matters 44:03 The Hidden Power Of Words 46:36 Why So Many Purpose-Driven People Feel Exhausted 49:18 “You’re Confronting Capitalism & Patriarchy” 50:29 Change The System — Or Build Something New? 55:07 The Hidden Cost Of Trying To Do It All 57:21 How To Avoid Burnout While Still Caring Deeply 59:13 Protecting Your Mind In An Overwhelming World 01:01:08 What Keeps Us Grounded Through Difficult Times 01:02:14 Final Reflections + Hope, Community & Recharge 📺 Watch more episodes: Catch The Upswing is a long-form video podcast about how people build meaningful lives, lead through uncertainty, and shape the future in a changing world. Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, investors, and extraordinary people navigating ambition, resilience, technology, purpose, and what it means to be human. 🔗 Follow & connect: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing #Leadership #Burnout #MentalHealth #Entrepreneurship #ImpactInvesting #SystemsChange #PurposeDriven #WomenInBusiness #Capitalism #CatchTheUpswing

What Nobody Tells You About Creating Change | Laura Coryton & Rachael Crook

Why do some people spend years fighting for change — long before anyone notices the result? And what does it actually take to keep going when people dismiss your ideas, systems resist change, and success feels impossibly far away? In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Laura Coryton and Rachael Crook — two women who turned frustration, setbacks, and difficult personal experiences into movements and businesses that created real-world impact. Laura Coryton led the campaign to end tampon tax in the UK and helped change legislation across Europe. Rachael Crook built a technology platform helping solve critical shortages in the care sector after witnessing firsthand how difficult it can befor families to navigate care systems. Together, they explore resilience, campaigning, entrepreneurship, empathy, criticism, leadership, and the “hard years” nobody sees behind meaningful change. This is aconversation about staying in the arena, building through uncertainty, and continuing even when progress feels invisible. 🎙️ In this episode, we explore: * The absurd policies that exposed sexism in the tax system * How Laura Coryton helped end tampon tax in the UK * Why meaningful change almost never happens quickly * The emotional reality of entrepreneurship and leadership * What caregiving taught Rachael Crook about resilience and empathy * Why criticism from the sidelines matters less than staying “in the arena” * The hidden emotional cost of trying to create change * Why empathy is one of the most underrated leadership skills * How to keep going when your first ideas fail * The mindset shifts that help people persist through difficult years 🔗 Check out Laura Coryton’s work:Website: https://lauracoryton.com/ [https://lauracoryton.com/] Sex Ed Matters: https://sexedmatters.co.uk/ [https://sexedmatters.co.uk/] 🔗 Check out Rachael Crook’s work:Lifted: https://www.lifted-talent.com/ [https://www.lifted-talent.com/] 🔗 Additional resources: Obama Foundation Leaders Program: https://www.obama.org/programs/leaders/ [https://www.obama.org/programs/leaders/] Care Economy Knowledge Hub (Kore Global): https://www.the-care-economy-knowledge-hub.org/ [https://www.the-care-economy-knowledge-hub.org/] ⏱️ Chapters: 00:00 Trailer 04:19 Episode Starts: Meet Laura Coryton & Rachael Crook 06:54 “Who Is Making These Decisions?” 11:41 Watching Someone You Love Disappear 15:03 “There Was Nothing To Help Us” 20:05 The People Holding Society Together 22:01 How Laura Changed UK & European Law 27:36 “Nobody Sees The Hard Years” 31:18 The Moment Rachael Nearly Quit 35:09 Why Most People Never Start 40:45 The Leadership Skill Nobody Talks About 46:05 The Exercise That Changed How She Lives 50:12 “We Are Making Money And Changing Lives” 56:34 “Be More Ambitious” 01:01:05 Life Belongs To People In The Arena 01:08:42 Rapid Fire Round 01:13:26 “Getting Punched Is Part Of It”   📺 Watch more episodes: Catch The Upswing is a business podcast exploring howpeople build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world. Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy. 🔗 Follow & connect: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing [https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing] Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing [https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing] TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing [https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing] #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #WomenInBusiness #CareEconomy #Activism #Resilience #SystemsChange #CareerGrowth #CatchTheUpswing

Why The Wrong People Become Leaders | Marijn Wiersma

Why do we keep promoting the wrong people into leadership In this follow-on episode of Catch The Upswing, we continue the conversation with Marijn Wiersma — this time shaped by questions from our global community. After our first episode, which focused on her book SOS: A Navigation Guide for Women at Work, we invited listeners from around the world to share the questions they’re grappling with in their own workplaces. From London to Nairobi to Dubai and beyond, this episode brings those voices into the conversation — exploring the realities of leadership, culture, and systems from the ground up. Together, we go beyond the book to unpack what leaders and teams are navigating in practice today. In this episode, we explore: * the most overlooked toxic leadership behavior — and why it persists * how we confuse confidence with competence * how insecurity in leadership turns toxic — and why it gets rewarded * what it really takes to create more inclusive workplaces * how emotions are judged differently in leadership * how to navigate resilience, burnout, and long-term change This is a conversation shaped by real questions — and grounded in the lived experiences behind them. 🔗 Check out Marijn’s work: SOS: A Navigation Guide for Women at Work https://soswomenatwork.org/ [https://soswomenatwork.org/] (also available on Amazon and bookstores worldwide) Marijn Wiersma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marijnwiersma/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marijnwiersma/]   🔖 Chapters 00:00 Trailer 01:43 Welcome back — audience questions from around the world 02:16 The most overlooked toxic leadership trait 04:19 Why we confuse confidence with competence 06:45 The hard truth about keeping top female talent 09:32 Emotion, credibility, and the double standard at work 12:48 Why empathy is non-negotiable in leadership 15:42 Authenticity at work — and the courage to keep the coat on 20:02 Resilience, burnout, and why pushing through isn’t the answer 27:14 Systems change, hope, and the case for outrage + optimism 29:54 How to build real allies at work 32:14 The one thing leaders should do tomorrow morning 33:42 How to make unconscious bias conscious 34:35 What Marijn hopes her book will change 📺 Watch more episodes: Catch The Upswing is a business podcast exploring how people build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world. Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy. Mentioned in this episode Christiana Figueres — former UN climate chief and architect of the Paris Agreement. Watch the full episode with Christiana Figueres on Catch The Upswing: https://youtu.be/GrFJvCvEUp4?si=RV5DwoCmLITTeoIl [https://youtu.be/GrFJvCvEUp4?si=RV5DwoCmLITTeoIl]   🔗 Follow & connect: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing [https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing] Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing [https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing] TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing [https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing]   🎥 B-roll credits: Some of the visual material used in the trailer of this episode is courtesy of 2X Global. Original footage supplied by C+A Media, commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). #Leadership #WomenInBusiness #CareerGrowth #Mindset #GenderEquality #FutureOfWork #CatchTheUpswing

Why Great Founders Get Rejected | The Hidden Bias in Venture Capital

Why do great founders still get rejected — even when they have strong ideas, traction, and experience? In this solo episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza unpacks one of the most persistent — and least visible — dynamics in venture capital: The hidden patterns that shape who gets funded, who gets overlooked, and why. Because what looks like a funding gap on the surface often starts much earlier: in the questions being asked, the assumptions investors make, and the signals they respond to without even realizing it. 🎯 In this episode: * Why strong founders still struggle to raise capital * How small differences in pitch conversations shape major outcomes * The hidden patterns behind many investment decisions * Why this is not just a pipeline problem * What changes when capital flows differently * And why better investment decisions are also a massive economic opportunity Some of these dynamics are subtle. Some are systemic. All of them shape the future of innovation. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Introduction — The question behind the funding gap 00:33 The reality: 2% of venture capital 01:30 This is not a performance problem 02:05 Why the gap persists 02:45 Two founders, two different questions 03:45 How bias shapes investment decisions 05:20 It’s not a talent problem — it’s capital allocation 06:00 What changes when women invest 07:25 The economic case for investing in women 08:15 What’s at stake: markets, growth, and innovation 09:20 The real opportunity   🎙️ Catch The Upswing explores ideas that spark resilience,opportunity, and inclusive growth — through conversations with investors, founders, and leaders shaping what comes next. If this episode resonates: → Share it with someone building or investing → Subscribe for more conversations on capital, entrepreneurship, and systems change #venturecapital #investing #entrepreneurship #innovation #leadership

Who Writes the Checks Shapes What Gets Built | Marla Shapiro

What happens when the people writing the checks start to change? In this episode of Catch the Upswing, Jessica Espinoza sits down with Marla Shapiro, Managing Partner of Hermesa, for a candid conversation about angel investing, founders, power, and the real mechanics of capital. This is a conversation about what gender-lens investing actually means in practice — not as a slogan, but as a question of who gets funded, who becomes an investor, and how that shapes the future of business. Marla shares why so many women are still underrepresented not only as founders, but also as investors… why access to capital matters more than endless advice… what first-time angel investors need to know… and what founders often misunderstand about fundraising, networks, and how investors really make decisions. They also talk about the businesses that get overlooked, the discipline required to build a serious angel portfolio, and why long-term change depends not only on opportunity, but on ownership, wealth creation, and who gets to sit at the table. If you are a founder, investor, operator, or simply curious about how capital really works behind the scenes, this episode is packed with practical insight. Disclaimer: This podcast is for informationalpurposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Always do your own research and consult a qualified financial professional before making financial or investment decisions. 🎙️ In this episode, we explore: * what gender-lens investing actually means * why it matters who writes the checks * how women are becoming angel investors for the first time * why women are often over-mentored and under-funded * what founders should understand about fundraising and warm introductions * how investors think about exits, returns, and long-term value * why capital allocation shapes what gets built * what it takes to change power dynamics in early-stage investing 🔗 Follow Marla’s work: HERmesa https://hermesa.co.uk/ [https://hermesa.co.uk/] Marla Shapiro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlagshapiro/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlagshapiro/] 🔗 Referenced in this episode: Research on women angel investors suggests that women investing in women-only groups tend to make more investments than those in mixed groups — highlighting the role of access, confidence, and peer dynamics in shaping participation: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342818236 [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342818236]   ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Trailer 00:47 Who Gets to Write the Checks 02:15 Why Angel Investing Still Looks the Same 04:12 How to Become an Angel Investor 07:57 “Women Are Over-Mentored and Under-Funded” 10:30 What Gender-Lens Investing Actually Means 13:06 Inside Finance: What It’s Really Like 18:26 The Challenge of Building Something New 21:47 The Kinds of Businesses HERmesa Backs 27:34 What Founders Actually Need from Investors 31:56 AI, Deep Tech, and What Investors Are Watching 36:11 The Biggest Risk Marla Took 44:36 Changing the Narrative Through Capital 49:34 Fundraising Realities & Founder Advice   📺 Watch more episodes: Catch The Upswing is a business podcast exploring how people build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world. Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy. 🔗 Follow & connect: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing [https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing] Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing [https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing] TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing [https://tiktok.com/@catchtheupswing] #investing #venturecapital #angelinvesting #founders#entrepreneurship #leadership #innovation