Deep Purpose

Today on Deep Purpose, we’re excited to share an episode from The Founder Mindset with Reza Satchu, the new podcast from Harvard Business School Foundry. Hosted by entrepreneur and Harvard Business School senior lecturer Reza Satchu, The Founder Mindset features in-depth conversations with founders, investors, and leaders about the mindset, judgment, and decisions that shape extraordinary careers and companies. On this episode, Reza sits down with Tim Ferriss — entrepreneur, investor, bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, and host of The Tim Ferriss Show — to discuss experimentation, calibrated risk-taking, and the importance of learning faster than the competition. Tim reflects on how fear-setting helped shape his decision-making, why he views most opportunities as experiments rather than permanent commitments, and how curiosity, unconventional thinking, and continuous learning have guided his career across investing, writing, podcasting, and entrepreneurship. The conversation also explores optionality, commitment, personal impact, and why founders must learn to trust both their judgment and their willingness to act under uncertainty. Listen to more episodes of The Founder Mindset with Reza Satchu and follow the podcast here: https://play.megaphone.fm/2gwuyq_gsiihi5s9mey3ka

Today, we are sharing the first episode of the new podcast Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators. Recently called a “best podcast of the week” by The Guardian, Dealcraft is hosted by my HBS colleague, Jim Sebenius, who is a renowned negotiation expert and author. The show features interviews with the world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats (like Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman) on their most challenging negotiations. And each episode, Jim shares fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. In this specific episode of Dealcraft, you’ll hear how music industry super-lawyer John Branca was able to negotiate for Michael Jackson’s ownership of his master recordings… an almost unprecedented feat at the time. To listen to other episodes, follow Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators here: https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=DeepPurpose

Research has repeatedly shown that we are hard-wired to worry. Whether we worry about our own survival, our family and friends, or our future, it can seem like we spend much of our lives fixated on what could go wrong. In this episode, Helena Foulkes discusses how taking courage can be as simple as asking what could go right – a philosophy that has taken her from the helm of CVS Pharmacy and Hudson’s Bay Company to the campaign trail for governorship of Rhode Island.

Despite the decades of progress women have made in the workplace, they remain underrepresented in leadership positions at companies across the globe. Leena Nair, CEO of Chanel, is working to change that. Reflecting on her journey from rural India to London, Leena discusses how she developed the confidence necessary to usher Chanel into the future – one led by (many more) women.

As a veteran leader in the healthcare sector, José (Joe) E. Almeida, Chairman, President & CEO of Baxter, has made a lot of tough decisions. He led the successful turnaround of the Illinois-based multinational by calling on leadership lessons he gained from his family in Brazil. Almeida says courage is not the absence of fear, but the determination to press on when times are difficult.

During the 2000s, Anne Mulcahy was faced with the seemingly unsurmountable challenge of saving Xerox, rising to the position of CEO after her predecessor had been unsuccessful. In this retrospective, Mulcahy discusses the leadership lessons she learned, the role she believes CEOs should play in today’s society, and how she’s defining her life post-Xerox.

James Mwangi made a courageous decision to leave a comfortable, big-city banking job to rescue Equity Building Society, a local financial institution on which Kenyan farmers and villagers depended. Under his leadership, the struggling firm transformed into a multi-national conglomerate (Equity Group Holdings) that now serves millions of customers across six African countries. Mwangi explains how he found the fortitude to fight for the financial futures of everyday people.

As the Chief Financial & Growth Officer of the Levi Strauss & Co. clothing brand, Harmit Singh makes tough decisions by sticking to a clear set of values that are well-aligned with the company’s larger purpose. He is inspired, in part, by Levi Strauss himself, who started selling his now-iconic jeans during the California Gold Rush and committed some of his first profits to a local orphanage. With this inspiration in mind, Singh reflects on how taking risks throughout his career has made him a more courageous, future-oriented leader.

Great business leaders are problem solvers. That’s what sparked Susan Tynan (Harvard Business School MBA 2003) to found Framebridge, a custom framing company. When Tynan couldn’t find a reasonably priced place to frame her beloved posters, she launched a business, which took off after years of hard work – and hard decisions. Tynan reflects on her learning journey, discussing how she managed the risks of entrepreneurship while aiming to make a lasting impact.

Paul Polman is the legendary former CEO of Unilever and a global leader in combating climate change and promoting corporate responsibility. Reflecting on his career during and after Unilever, Polman explains how a company can achieve robust financial performance while playing an active role in solving the most pressing challenges facing society today.

In this bonus Deep Purpose release, we are sharing an episode of the HBS podcast Climate Rising with host Professor Mike Toffel. In this episode, Daniel Pacthod, Senior Partner and global co-leader of McKinsey Sustainability, shares how the company works with its clients to address climate risk and find opportunities through its pillars of net-zero strategy, green business building, decarbonization transformation, net-zero financial institutions, and sustainable investing. He also offers advice for those interested in careers in business and climate change.

Like many winning businesses, DBS (formerly known as The Development Bank of Singapore) is obsessed with the customer experience. CEO Piyush Gupta says DBS’ mission to be the best bank in the world pays huge dividends for employees, investors, and communities. He tells Professor Gulati that effective leadership in the digital age requires collaboration and trust. Gupta says performance and purpose go hand in hand, helping build companies that will last.

Temasek Holdings is an investment firm owned by the Government of Singapore with a diverse, global portfolio. It owns energy companies and a major airline. It’s also committed to a green future, which generates unique challenges for the firm. CEO Dilhan Pillay says the Temasek’s ongoing “purpose journey” helps it meet those challenges, delivering real financial performance while navigating the tricky tides of current events.