Better Good with Scott M. Curran

Disasters happen. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, pandemics. There's little we can do about them. But what happens after the headlines fade and after the cameras leave is something we do have control over. The hardest part of a disaster isn't always the disaster itself. It's the weeks, months, and years of recovery and rebuilding that make the biggest difference. And most of the help, it turns out, doesn't help in all the ways it should. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Ann Lee, co-founder and CEO of CORE, for a conversation about disaster recovery, humanitarian response, and what it actually takes to rebuild communities the right way. CORE began in the rubble of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, when Ann met co-founder Sean Penn and built a new model for crisis response rooted in local leadership, demand-driven relief, and long-term commitment. Ann traces her path from surviving domestic violence as a child in Los Angeles, to witnessing 9/11 in New York, to clearing rubble in Port-au-Prince with heavy equipment days after the earthquake. She explains how CORE scaled from a single displacement camp in Haiti to operating on five continents—responding to hurricanes, the war in Ukraine, COVID-19, and the 2025 Los Angeles fires—and why the organizations that parachute in with outside solutions often do more harm than good. This episode explores themes of disaster recovery, community-first development, humanitarian leadership, and climate resilience. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Ann Lee Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios - Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:09 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:07:49 From 9/11 to Foreign Service Dreams 00:10:25 Living in Haiti Before the Earthquake 00:12:22 The Haiti Earthquake and Early Response 00:19:17 Meeting Sean Penn and Founding Core 00:29:31 The Core Model and Relief to Recovery 00:34:13 COVID-19 and Scaling Health Response 00:45:22 Community-First Approach and Local Empowerment 00:53:49 The Future of Humanitarian Work - 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.

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/) 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 - 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.

"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/) 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 - 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.

Menstrual equity. There’s a good chance you’ve never really thought about what that means. But you should. Because it affects women, men, families, workplaces, and entire economies. If talking about menstruation feels uncomfortable, good. Growth usually starts there. Let’s start with some simple facts: Half the world’s population is women. Every single one of us was born from a woman. And every one of those births began with a missed period. Menstruation isn’t a niche issue. It’s biology. It’s economics. It’s education. It’s dignity. It’s opportunity. This week we celebrate International Women’s day, which is also an opportunity—to talk about women’s health, cultural stigmas, economic growth, and human dignity. On this episode of Better Good, Scott M. Curran is joined by Megha Desai, the President of the Desai Foundation, for a perspective-shifting conversation about menstrual equity. She talks about her family’s attitudes toward menstruation as she was growing up, and what this taught her about the challenges women face. She explains what period poverty is, why menstrual equity is important for every society, and the impact of over-regulating women’s bodies. She traces her swerving career that took her from branding and social impact, showing how they connect. This episode explores themes of equality, women’s rights, politics, and storytelling. Guest: Megha Desai Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: linktr.ee/scottmcurran Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:35 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:05:18 International Exposure and Perspective 00:07:24 From Advertising to Nonprofit Leadership 00:10:21 Taking Over the Desai Foundation 00:13:28 The Mission: Health, Livelihood, and Menstrual Equity 00:15:33 Why Women's Work Matters for GDP 00:17:06 Getting Comfortable with Periods 00:22:58 Menstrual Equity in America 00:27:45 Changing Hearts and Minds 00:31:51 The Vision for Menstrual Equity 00:35:29 Measuring Success and Building Partnerships 00:43:34 A Rallying Cry for Change 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.

When the world’s on fire, who shows up? Nonprofits. Yet few people know exactly how deeply embedded they are in daily life. They make our communities the special places they are, from animal rescues to food banks, schools to places of worship. But how can they survive, much less thrive, especially when the world around us is so chaotic and adversarial? There is perhaps no better person to answer this question than Joan Garry (https://joangarry.com/). On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Nonprofit Leadership Lab (https://nonprofitleadershiplab.com/) founder Joan Garry for a candid and insightful conversation about why some organizations succeed, so many fail, and how all leaders and nonprofits can enjoy more success. Joan reconstructs her delightfully twisty career arc from working at MTV in the early 1980s to leading GLAAD in the late 1990s, to later realizing that her highest and best purpose was helping other nonprofit leaders succeed. She shares how she fell into activism by simply wanting to protect her young family from laws that weren’t inclusive of them, and how her membership-based business grew out of a decision to devote herself more fully to her family. She breaks down the common pitfalls that hold leaders from accomplishing their worthiest goals, and reveals hidden secrets to nonprofit success (hint: better board relations and better marketing!). This episode explores themes of leadership, purpose, scarcity, legacy, growth, and transformation. Guest: Joan Garry Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Chapters: Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:53 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:05:46 From MTV to Don King 00:08:12 Taking the Leap to GLAAD 00:09:58 Turning Around a Failing Organization 00:13:19 Why Nonprofits Are Messy 00:14:54 Building the Nonprofit Leadership Lab 00:18:45 The Biggest Challenges Nonprofits Face 00:21:00 The Vision for Scaling Impact 00:32:51 Advice for Nonprofit Leaders and Board Members 00:47:40 Legacy and Making Your Mark Check out our Podcast: https:// (https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran) 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.

Host Scott M. Curran takes listeners inside the playbook of the world’s top social impact leaders—so anyone can learn to do more good, better. As CEO of Beyond Advisers, a consultancy advising world-leading foundations, brands, and changemakers, Scott has spent more than two decades guiding transformative initiatives tackling humanity's hardest challenges. He previously served as General Counsel of the Clinton Foundation and teaches one of the nation’s first law school courses on Social Impact Law. On this podcast, he sits down with the innovators reimagining how the world does good—bringing you conversations you won’t hear anywhere else: candid stories, proven strategies, and actionable insights listeners can use in their lives, careers, and missions.