Episode 19: Daryn Dodson

Episode 19: Daryn Dodson

Daryn Dodson is the Founder and Managing Partner of Illumen Capital, an investment firm, where he serves a broader mission of transforming the investment ecosystem by addressing bias while creating economic value. His 18 years of investing experience and groundbreaking research with Stanford SPARQ, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, empowers investors to recognize and overcome biases that limit both performance and potential. Guided by a deep commitment to develop others, he serves as a Lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he teaches MBA students. This dedication to nurturing talent and collective growth extended through his five-year service on the Stanford Graduate School of Business Management Board. Daryn also serves as Audit Committee Chair on Ben & Jerry's Board of Directors, where he focuses on stewardship and impact in 30+ countries.

Episode 18: Jullien Gordon

Jullien Gordon’s purpose is to make the righteous rich and he is on a mission to create the wealthiest family in the world by helping 100,000 people achieve $1 million in net worth. He is a full-time accredited investor, real estate educator and developer. As the leader of The Multifamily Movement, he has helped over 800 people acquire over $300 million dollars worth of multifamily real estate and achieve what he calls “rent and mortgage freedom.” In less than 8 years, Jullien built a personal real estate portfolio of 15 multifamily homes with 40 apartments in Brooklyn, Oakland, Baton Rouge, Atlanta, and New Orleans in addition to being a lead investor in several Black-owned real estate funds. Jullien is also a 6-time author, 5-time TED speaker, and has been featured on MSNBC, Forbes, and INC. His book Rich And Righteous: Spiritual Secrets To Mastermind Money, Manifestation, & Your Mind has helped thousands build their abundance mindset.  Jullien earned his MBA and Masters in Education from Stanford University and his BA from UCLA in 3 years. He is originally from Oakland, California and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. You can follow him on Instagram at @JullienGordon or his website at www.GetFreeNow.com.

Episode 17: Miriam Rivera

Miriam Rivera is co-founder and managing director of Ulu Ventures, a top seed-stage venture fund in Silicon Valley focused on information technology startups. She is dedicated to increasing diversity in both the entrepreneurial and investment communities. Ulu’s entrepreneurs are quite diverse by industry standards including approximately 30 percent women CEOs, 30 percent minority CEOs, and 10 percent minority co-founders. Prior to Ulu Ventures, Rivera was vice president/deputy general counsel at Google, which she joined in 2001 as the second attorney where she helped build and lead an award-winning global legal department. Rivera is also the co-founder, former co-president, and on the board of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs. She is a Kauffman Fellow in venture capital and worked for Ariba as counsel after having co-founded angel and then venture-backed Outcome Software.  Previously, Rivera worked as a strategy consultant for Accenture and as an associate at the law firm of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison. A first-generation college student and scholarship recipient, Rivera graduated from Stanford University, where she earned AB, AM, and JD/MBA degrees. Her commitment to promoting education to low-income families and to her alma mater is extensive. She has helped raise $250 million for need-based undergraduate scholarships and endowed a scholarship fund for low-income or undocumented students at Stanford. She currently serves on Stanford’s Lead Council and the Stanford Law School Venture Fund. Rivera previously served on Stanford’s Board of Trustees, the Office of Technology Licensing Advisory Board, the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School, and the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She has been honored with the Stanford Medal, awarded to fewer than one percent of Stanford alumni. Rivera also serves on the Investment Committee of Acumen Fund America, an impact investment fund serving the needs of low-income Americans.

Episode 16: Elizabeth Garlow

Elizabeth Garlow is a fellow in New America's New Practice Lab, where she works at the intersection of impact investing, public policy, and systems change to support more just and life-affirming economies. Prior to joining New America, she led impact investing for Lumina Foundation, investing in early-stage ventures focused on designing equitable education and work pathways. She also served as a policy advisor with the Obama Administration's Community Solutions Task Force, where she managed the President’s Promise Zones initiative. Originally from Detroit, Elizabeth co-founded and led Michigan Corps, launching the nation’s first statewide Social Entrepreneurship Challenge. She has served as a nonresident fellow with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, where she helped launch a major research initiative focused on place-based strategies for human capital and economic development in small- and mid-sized U.S. cities. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology for her contributions to the Economy of Communion and Economy of Francesco initiatives to build a new moral economy. Elizabeth is deeply interested in the intersection of emerging schools of economic thought, complexity, theology, spirituality, and contemplative studies. She co-designed the “Livable Future Investing” workshop, which now has several hundred alumni, and built a network of faith-based investors supporting Pope Francis’ Economy of Francesco movement. She draws inspiration from her roles as mother, caregiver, and community member, seeing care and belonging as central to shaping new ways of being and knowing for these times. She is a graduate of Kalamazoo College and holds an MPA from Princeton University.

Episode 15: Vian Sharif

Dr Vian Sharif brings two decades of experience in financial services, specialising in the intersection of nature, finance, and technology. She is the founder & President of NatureAlpha, an advanced AI-first fintech platform delivering science-based environmental risk insights, informing financial decisions across c.$3 trillion in assets under management.  As Head of Sustainability at FNZ Group, which oversees $1.7 trillion in assets, she leads the development of sustainable investment solutions, working to integrate values-based risk indicators for retail investors. Her work supports the evolution of investment strategies that align financial markets with environmental sustainability.  She is an ambassador for HM King Charles’s Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) and co-developed the Nature AI Fellowship to advance research and innovation in nature-aligned investment.  Beyond finance, Vian has advised on global nature-related initiatives, serving as a member of the UK Government Business Advisory Group to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), contributing to the TNFD Technical Experts Scoping Group, and supporting HM Government’s Defra’s preparations for IPBES 2026. In 2025 she was recognised with a Fin-Earth Award for Natural Capital & Biodiversity.  She holds a PhD in Environmental Behaviour Change and has conducted research for the Oxford Martin School within the UK Government’s Defra. Her contributions extend to industry bodies such as the Taskforce for Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), she is a member of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), the Technical Advisory Group for the Climate Financial Risk Forum which advises the Bank of England on climate & nature-related resilience strategies, and a trustee of the Tairona Heritage Trust, supporting the voice and preservation of the sacred lands of the Kogi people of Colombia.