
LEAD WITH WE, with host Simon Mainwaring, is the podcast that reveals how brands survive in a crisis, thrive in a fast-changing market, and accelerate growth in a challenging future.
Discover how the world’s top companies and entrepreneurs are driving growth and impact that employees and customers now demand. What worked, what didn’t and what you need to do to get everyone to build your business.
Whether you’re a start-up, high growth company or large corporation, you’ll learn how to build your reputation, increase employee productivity, and inspire customers to promote your brand. Engaging, entertaining and actionable, this is your chance to listen in and learn a lot about how business does well and does good.
SIMON MAINWARING
Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, global keynote speaker, and bestselling author. He is best known as the author of We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World and the Founder and CEO of We First, a strategic consultancy that works with brands to define their business strategy, company culture, and brand communications.
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Season 5

A Sea Change for Industry-Wide Sustainability Goals: Adam Brennan, Group Director, Sustainability at Thai Union Group
Not every industry is contributing equally to the climate crisis we face. But all can share an equal responsibility in crafting a better tomorrow. One company that is making big strides to transform its industry– and encouraging others to join them– is Thai Union Group, a global seafood leader with ambitious growth goals and a dedication to scalable green policies and innovation. In this episode, Group Director of Sustainability Adam Brennan discusses concrete actions that are being taken to better protect our oceans and the food sources they make possible. And how together we can transform the seafood industry to ensure a sustainable future for its workers, the industry, and our future.

Purpose-Driven Business by the Numbers: Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet
By now, almost everyone has realized that business is responsible for creating many of the challenges we face today, but also that business is uniquely positioned to solve them. The question is– How can business make a meaningful difference, but also in a sustained manner? How can you ensure the integrity of those actions and the impact they create? And how do you make sure that you do it in a way that is not only accelerated, but also scales to meet the challenges we face with equal force? Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement, inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions through annual membership and everyday actions. In this episode, she shares how companies can build their reputations, strengthen their culture, and drive sales by supporting the future of our planet– and how you can become part of a fast growing movement of companies that together are a force multiplier for positive impact.

The Role of Business in “Conscious Capitalism”: Dr. Raj Sisodia, Author & distinguished professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey
Rethinking and re-engineering business is a constantly evolving process. Companies have been talking about and acting on the concept of business transformation for many years, but many have yet to achieve the full benefits. Dr. Raj Sisodia is Co-Founder of the global phenomenon “Conscious Capitalism”– an economic and political philosophy that believes businesses should operate ethically while they pursue profits. In this “Point of View” episode, he reveals what that process looks like, what progress we’re making, and how we can move even faster to generate the key critical business impact we need.

Fashioning a Better Future: Stacey Boyd, Founder & CEO of Olivela
It’s hard to live in today’s world without seeing the tension between lives of luxury and so many people going without even basic human needs. It provokes questions of what is fair, right, and conscionable– and the role of business in creating this problem. It would be naive to assume that this tension could be simply resolved. But what if one could serve the other, so that luxury items provide for the basic needs of others creating a halo effect for the things people want and critical support for those going without. Stacey Boyd is the Founder & CEO of Olivela, an online luxury retail platform with a philanthropic business model that makes giving back part of every transaction. In this episode, she explains how what consumers want for themselves can drive impact at scale for others, and how today’s top luxury brands are showing up to answer new stakeholder expectations and drive business success through positive impact.

BEST OF: We First’s Simon Mainwaring: The Meaning of ‘Lead With We’
In this Best Of episode, we put Simon in the hot seat for a change. Goal 17 CEO Greg Mollner interviews Simon about how his personal and professional journey led him to rethink business as usual and create the new business paradigm he lays out in his book “Lead With We” to better serve humanity and the planet. Greg and Simon chatted about the collaborative strategies that every business leader can and should adopt to help solve today’s escalating challenges and unlock extraordinary growth.

Elevating Imperfection in Business Leadership: Charles Conn, Author
In today’s business climate, authenticity and purpose take center stage. Few companies have so wholeheartedly embraced this concept – and set new standards for business responsibility in the process – as Patagonia. As one of the world’s leading environmentally-friendly clothing brands committed to teaching and training the next generation of environmental activists, the company is deeply committed to using business to activate solutions to the climate crisis. In this episode, Board Chair Charles Conn tells us how to find balance between being uncompromising in terms of your principles – while also not allowing perfection to get in the way of progress. He’ll explain why businesses should adopt an “imperfectionist” mindset to deliver on the promise of improving lives and nurturing our planet– while building thriving companies in the process.

The Science of Scalable Sustainability Solutions: Catherine Roggero-Lovisi, CEO of Modern Meadow
Whether you’re on the front lines of the corporate world or behind the scenes in a lab, companies and organizations of all sizes have a role to play during a time of challenges and transition for business. For companies like Modern Meadow– that means solving for the most pressing enterprise challenges with new, innovative and sustainable solutions– and bringing them to market through expansive and meaningful partnerships. In this episode, Chief Executive Officer Catherine Roggero-Lovisi tells us how “biofabrication” can create materials and ingredients to transform industries and better serve the planet, and how biotechnology more broadly will unlock enormous marketplace opportunities through rapidly evolving and widely applicable innovation.

The Business of Healing Trauma: Dr. James Gordon – Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine
The challenge of addressing and healing trauma is no longer just contained to the medical world. Perhaps more so than ever before, we can now see the effects of trauma in every aspect of our daily lives. For businesses and the people who lead them, there is now a greater responsibility to step forward and help employees live more full and productive lives, by providing tools to help cope with obstacles big and small. Dr. James Gordon is a psychiatrist and director of the nonprofit Center for Mind-Body Medicine, as well as director of mind-body studies at Georgetown Medical School and Georgetown University, and world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression, anxiety, and psychological trauma. In this episode, he shares how each of us can emotionally navigate these very traumatic times and share that with our employees and across our companies so that businesses at large can foster healthy cultures and best serve our companies by best serving our people.

Leveling the Playing Field: Ilze Melngailis – Senior Director for Global Partnerships at United Nations Foundation
Uniting all nations on Earth around a common cause is a daunting task– and with a hotly-debated issue like the global climate emergency, it can lead to questions about the best path forward for all people. Ilze Melngailis is Senior Director for Global Partnerships at the United Nations Foundation, an independent charitable organization created to work closely with the United Nations to drive global progress and tackle urgent problems. In this episode, she reveals the progress business is making to address those pressing challenges – and how we can work together in new ways to accelerate and scale those efforts to course-correct our future.

“Ecopreneurship” At Scale: Tim Christophersen – Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce
A passion for nature-based solutions is what drives Tim Christophersen– Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce, an industry-leading cloud-based software company providing software and applications for customer relationship management across companies of all sizes around the world. In this episode, he shares how to leverage new strategies and tools to track and control your carbon footprint to better serve your business and our future. And how we as companies across the private sector and with public sector partners, can address the climate emergency at ever increasing scale to meet the moment and realize a brighter future for all.

“Philanthro-activism” for the Planet: Justin Winters – Co-Founder & Executive Director of One Earth
Imagine an online marketplace that puts you in the driver’s seat of real worldwide change– allowing you to take direct control and make an impact on the causes you care about most– simply with the click of a mouse. That’s what Co-Founder & Executive Director Justin Winters and her team are building at One Earth, a global organization working to galvanize science, advocacy, and philanthropy to drive collective action on climate change. In this episode, she shares how science has revealed a solution to the climate crisis and how each of us can take action to course correct our future in our own lifetimes.

Wearing Your Brand Values: Gavin Thompson, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at Canada Goose
Sometimes the best way to stay true to your brand values is, counter-intuitively, to make some changes. That’s why one company is forging ahead on a mission to keep the planet cool– while keeping the people on it warm. Gavin Thompson is the Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at Canada Goose, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of extreme weather outerwear dedicated to purpose-driven innovation and values-driven, sustainable growth. In this episode, he shares how to level up your sustainability credentials in ways that build brand reputation, trust, and sales, and how to engage suppliers, employees, and consumers to inspire your whole industry to raise its game.

A Sea Change for Industry-Wide Sustainability Goals: Adam Brennan, Group Director, Sustainability at Thai Union Group
Not every industry is contributing equally to the climate crisis we face. But all can share an equal responsibility in crafting a better tomorrow. One company that is making big strides to transform its industry– and encouraging others to join them– is Thai Union Group, a global seafood leader with ambitious growth goals and a dedication to scalable green policies and innovation. In this episode, Group Director of Sustainability Adam Brennan discusses concrete actions that are being taken to better protect our oceans and the food sources they make possible. And how together we can transform the seafood industry to ensure a sustainable future for its workers, the industry, and our future.

Purpose-Driven Business by the Numbers: Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet
By now, almost everyone has realized that business is responsible for creating many of the challenges we face today, but also that business is uniquely positioned to solve them. The question is– How can business make a meaningful difference, but also in a sustained manner? How can you ensure the integrity of those actions and the impact they create? And how do you make sure that you do it in a way that is not only accelerated, but also scales to meet the challenges we face with equal force? Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement, inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental nonprofit solutions through annual membership and everyday actions. In this episode, she shares how companies can build their reputations, strengthen their culture, and drive sales by supporting the future of our planet– and how you can become part of a fast growing movement of companies that together are a force multiplier for positive impact.

The Role of Business in “Conscious Capitalism”: Dr. Raj Sisodia, Author & distinguished professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey
Rethinking and re-engineering business is a constantly evolving process. Companies have been talking about and acting on the concept of business transformation for many years, but many have yet to achieve the full benefits. Dr. Raj Sisodia is Co-Founder of the global phenomenon “Conscious Capitalism”– an economic and political philosophy that believes businesses should operate ethically while they pursue profits. In this “Point of View” episode, he reveals what that process looks like, what progress we’re making, and how we can move even faster to generate the key critical business impact we need.

Fashioning a Better Future: Stacey Boyd, Founder & CEO of Olivela
It’s hard to live in today’s world without seeing the tension between lives of luxury and so many people going without even basic human needs. It provokes questions of what is fair, right, and conscionable– and the role of business in creating this problem. It would be naive to assume that this tension could be simply resolved. But what if one could serve the other, so that luxury items provide for the basic needs of others creating a halo effect for the things people want and critical support for those going without. Stacey Boyd is the Founder & CEO of Olivela, an online luxury retail platform with a philanthropic business model that makes giving back part of every transaction. In this episode, she explains how what consumers want for themselves can drive impact at scale for others, and how today’s top luxury brands are showing up to answer new stakeholder expectations and drive business success through positive impact.

BEST OF: We First’s Simon Mainwaring: The Meaning of ‘Lead With We’
In this Best Of episode, we put Simon in the hot seat for a change. Goal 17 CEO Greg Mollner interviews Simon about how his personal and professional journey led him to rethink business as usual and create the new business paradigm he lays out in his book “Lead With We” to better serve humanity and the planet. Greg and Simon chatted about the collaborative strategies that every business leader can and should adopt to help solve today’s escalating challenges and unlock extraordinary growth.

Elevating Imperfection in Business Leadership: Charles Conn, Author
In today’s business climate, authenticity and purpose take center stage. Few companies have so wholeheartedly embraced this concept – and set new standards for business responsibility in the process – as Patagonia. As one of the world’s leading environmentally-friendly clothing brands committed to teaching and training the next generation of environmental activists, the company is deeply committed to using business to activate solutions to the climate crisis. In this episode, Board Chair Charles Conn tells us how to find balance between being uncompromising in terms of your principles – while also not allowing perfection to get in the way of progress. He’ll explain why businesses should adopt an “imperfectionist” mindset to deliver on the promise of improving lives and nurturing our planet– while building thriving companies in the process.

The Science of Scalable Sustainability Solutions: Catherine Roggero-Lovisi, CEO of Modern Meadow
Whether you’re on the front lines of the corporate world or behind the scenes in a lab, companies and organizations of all sizes have a role to play during a time of challenges and transition for business. For companies like Modern Meadow– that means solving for the most pressing enterprise challenges with new, innovative and sustainable solutions– and bringing them to market through expansive and meaningful partnerships. In this episode, Chief Executive Officer Catherine Roggero-Lovisi tells us how “biofabrication” can create materials and ingredients to transform industries and better serve the planet, and how biotechnology more broadly will unlock enormous marketplace opportunities through rapidly evolving and widely applicable innovation.

The Business of Healing Trauma: Dr. James Gordon – Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine
The challenge of addressing and healing trauma is no longer just contained to the medical world. Perhaps more so than ever before, we can now see the effects of trauma in every aspect of our daily lives. For businesses and the people who lead them, there is now a greater responsibility to step forward and help employees live more full and productive lives, by providing tools to help cope with obstacles big and small. Dr. James Gordon is a psychiatrist and director of the nonprofit Center for Mind-Body Medicine, as well as director of mind-body studies at Georgetown Medical School and Georgetown University, and world-renowned expert in using mind-body medicine to heal depression, anxiety, and psychological trauma. In this episode, he shares how each of us can emotionally navigate these very traumatic times and share that with our employees and across our companies so that businesses at large can foster healthy cultures and best serve our companies by best serving our people.

Leveling the Playing Field: Ilze Melngailis – Senior Director for Global Partnerships at United Nations Foundation
Uniting all nations on Earth around a common cause is a daunting task– and with a hotly-debated issue like the global climate emergency, it can lead to questions about the best path forward for all people. Ilze Melngailis is Senior Director for Global Partnerships at the United Nations Foundation, an independent charitable organization created to work closely with the United Nations to drive global progress and tackle urgent problems. In this episode, she reveals the progress business is making to address those pressing challenges – and how we can work together in new ways to accelerate and scale those efforts to course-correct our future.

“Ecopreneurship” At Scale: Tim Christophersen – Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce
A passion for nature-based solutions is what drives Tim Christophersen– Vice President of Climate Action at Salesforce, an industry-leading cloud-based software company providing software and applications for customer relationship management across companies of all sizes around the world. In this episode, he shares how to leverage new strategies and tools to track and control your carbon footprint to better serve your business and our future. And how we as companies across the private sector and with public sector partners, can address the climate emergency at ever increasing scale to meet the moment and realize a brighter future for all.

“Philanthro-activism” for the Planet: Justin Winters – Co-Founder & Executive Director of One Earth
Imagine an online marketplace that puts you in the driver’s seat of real worldwide change– allowing you to take direct control and make an impact on the causes you care about most– simply with the click of a mouse. That’s what Co-Founder & Executive Director Justin Winters and her team are building at One Earth, a global organization working to galvanize science, advocacy, and philanthropy to drive collective action on climate change. In this episode, she shares how science has revealed a solution to the climate crisis and how each of us can take action to course correct our future in our own lifetimes.

Wearing Your Brand Values: Gavin Thompson, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at Canada Goose
Sometimes the best way to stay true to your brand values is, counter-intuitively, to make some changes. That’s why one company is forging ahead on a mission to keep the planet cool– while keeping the people on it warm. Gavin Thompson is the Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at Canada Goose, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of extreme weather outerwear dedicated to purpose-driven innovation and values-driven, sustainable growth. In this episode, he shares how to level up your sustainability credentials in ways that build brand reputation, trust, and sales, and how to engage suppliers, employees, and consumers to inspire your whole industry to raise its game.