Next Economy Now: For the Benefit of All Life

Most companies don’t set out to abandon their mission, but they are often pulled off course by the systems they operate within. In this episode, Eric Ries, creator of The Lean Startup Method and founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, joins Ryan Honeyman to examine how financial and governance structures shape company behavior over time. Eric is the author of multiple titles, including the New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup, and his new book, Incorruptible. Eric brings a systems-leve...

Rethinking everyday products and how they’re made can open the door to transforming entire systems. In this conversation, Brianna Kilcullen, founder of Anact, a sustainable towel brand, joins host Erin Axelrod to explore how natural materials and supply chain innovation can move the textile industry toward a more regenerative future. Drawing on her experience in global apparel supply chains, Brianna shares what led her to build a brand rooted in circular design, transparency, and activism. Fo...

What if waste isn’t an inevitable byproduct of modern life, but a design flaw we can solve? In this conversation, Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, joins host Kevin Bayuk to explore how businesses can rethink waste and build systems that move us toward a circular economy. More than two decades ago, Tom founded TerraCycle with a mission focused on Eliminating the Idea of Waste®, growing the company from an early vermicompost venture into a global platform that recycles some of the worl...

What would it take for banks to move away from capital extraction and toward climate resilience, racial justice, and community wealth? Francis Janes, Senior Director of Industry Relations and Partnerships at Beneficial State Foundation, joins host Erin Axelrod to explore how banking can become a lever for social and environmental justice. Drawing on his work with banks and trade associations, Francis shares how mission-driven standards, corporate social responsibility, and stakeholder approac...

Zainab Salbi joins Next Economy Now to share her remarkable journey from founding Women for Women International to launching Daughters for Earth, a movement uplifting women-led climate solutions across the globe. She discusses the moral crisis of war, the urgency of biodiversity protection, and the unique contributions women bring to climate restoration. This episode explores the Hummingbird Effect and how each of us can play a meaningful role in healing our planet. View the show notes: https...

In this episode of Next Economy Now, Erin Axelrod speaks with Fabiola Santiago, founder and executive director of Mi Oaxaca, about what Indigenous worldviews can teach us about belonging, reciprocity, and everyday consumption. Drawing from her experience as a diasporic Zapotec woman from Oaxaca and a public health researcher, Fabiola explores the hidden systems behind mezcal, food, and tourism, and how extraction and cultural appropriation shape communities and ecosystems. The conversation in...

What if accountability led to healing instead of more harm? In this conversation, restorative justice practitioner Tatiana Chaterji shares how her work in prisons, schools, and communities is helping people move beyond punishment toward real repair. She reflects on her own experience as a survivor, the power of truthful dialogue, and why accountability requires support rather than shame. This episode opens a clear-eyed look at what it takes to build safety and dignity in a society ready to mo...

Climate resilience is not only a matter of innovation but also of honoring what communities have practiced for centuries. In this episode, Julia Watson, designer, activist, and leading expert on Lo—TEK — a term that combines low-tech and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) — shares how traditional practices offer vital solutions for sustainable design and regenerative economics. View the blog post: https://lifteconomy.com/blog/building-climate-resilience-through-lo-tek-julia-watson Interes...

Freedom and fulfillment aren’t measured in square footage; they’re shaped by how we live and what we value. In this episode of Next Economy Now, we welcome Jewel Pearson, a tiny house expert, intentional living advocate, and longtime voice for representation in the tiny house movement. With over ten years of experience living in a tiny house, Jewel brings lived experience and deep expertise as a consultant, educator, and speaker. She challenges traditional ideas of housing and wealth building...

What if the solution to better housing, health, and happiness isn’t greater independence, but deeper interdependence? In this episode of Next Economy Now, sustainability educator and regenerative living advocate Cynthia Tina invites us to rethink how we live, highlighting what it means to live in alignment with shared values, and why intentional communities are emerging as a powerful response to today’s social and ecological challenges. For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/...

How do we equip people with the skills and support they need to build a regenerative, community-centered economy? In part two of our series on the hypotheses that guide our work at LIFT Economy, Kevin Bayuk and Ryan Honeyman explore the critical training and skills gaps facing entrepreneurs and organizations working to create economic systems rooted in community well-being, environmental regeneration, and the common good. For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/skills-gap...

Transitioning to shared ownership is one of the most powerful ways a business can align its values with its structure. In this episode of Next Economy Now, Jason Wiener, founder of the law and consulting firm Jason Wiener P.C. and co-founder of Colorado Cooperative Developers, joins Ryan Honeyman to unpack the legal, cultural, and financial considerations behind alternative ownership models, from worker cooperatives to purpose trusts. For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/...

Founders often invest decades of heart and soul into their endeavors, yet many lack a clear succession plan. In this conversation with John Abrams, author of From Founder to Future, we explore how founders can strategically pave the way for a more equitable future through the worker co-op model and how work can influence every area of life. For full show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/john-abrams/ Interested in creating a world that works for the benefit of all life? Join a ne...