Archives: Episodes

Henrik Mannesson is the general manager for Grid Infrastructure at Texas Instruments. He works alongside his team to help customers solve design challenges in smart meters, solar energy, EV charging and grid automation with the goal of making the grid greener, smarter and more resilient. Henrik holds a Master of Science in electrical engineering and Bachelor of Science in business administration from Lund University, Sweden.

Marti Skold-Jordan is Manager of the Tractor Supply Foundation and Community Relations at Tractor Supply Company.  She leads the Foundation, working to maximize the impact of charitable giving and community partnerships through the Foundation’s mission: to support vibrant rural communities for all by investing in the future of ‘Life Out Here’ through today’s youth and being a good neighbor in the communities we call home. In 2022, the Foundation gave $15 million to charitable causes through direct giving, sponsorships, fundraisers and more.

Parag Khanna is a leading global strategy advisor, world traveler, and bestselling author. He is Founder & CEO of Climate Alpha, an AI-powered analytics platform that future-proofs global investments, and Founder & Managing Partner of FutureMap, a data and scenario based strategic advisory firm.

Parag’s latest book is MOVE: Where People Are Going for a Better Future (2021), which was preceded by The Future is Asian: Commerce, Conflict & Culture in the 21st Century (2019). He is author of a trilogy of books on the future of world order beginning with The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order (2008), followed by How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance (2011), and concluding with Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization (2016).

He is also the author of Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State (2017) and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012).

Darleen Santore, better known as “Coach Dar,” is an author, Licensed and Board-Certified Occupational Therapist, sought-after motivational speaker, plus leadership and mental skills coach to professional athletes, CEOs and business leaders around the world.

Best known for her mental strength conditioning work with athletes in the NBA, MLB, PGA and NHL, she most recently worked as the mental conditioning and life coach for the Phoenix Suns. She was awarded the Most Inspiring Woman from WNBA and her #Rise-The-Bar approach shapeshifts mediocre attitudes into champion mindsets, reigniting the commitment to personal excellence and athletic stardom.

She can also now add Best Selling Author to list of accomplishments, as her latest book, “The Art of Bouncing Back: Find Your Flow to Thrive at Work and in Life – Anytime You’re off your Game” hit shelves last year.

Sarah Brown is Chair of Theirworld and Executive Chair of the Global Business Coalition for Education.

Since she founded Theirworld in 2002, its campaigns, advocacy and ground-breaking programs have been rooted in the belief that every child deserves the best start in life, a safe place to learn and skills for the future.

Mary Jane Melendez stewards General Mills’ sustainability and philanthropy efforts and is responsible for advancing collaboration and integration across the organization to achieve company-wide Global Impact commitments.

As the leader of HP’s Sustainable IT Professional Services, Mary Curtiss is responsible for forming new alliances with customers and partners to drive down the impact of technology on the environment. While at HP, Mary has had a broad range of responsibilities within the umbrella of climate action. She was responsible for creating HP’s first category of Circularity services: building the business for extending the lives of our products in new and innovative go-to-market strategies. She was also Global Head of Energy and Sustainability for HP’s corporate real estate. In this role, Mary was responsible for developing and driving HP’s strategy for all matters related to sustainability in the global real estate portfolio. Through her work, HP has established a goal of 100% renewable electricity as well as a 60% reduction on carbon emissions and zero waste in our operations by 2025.

Jeffrey Whitford is the Vice President of Sustainability & Social Business Innovation for MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a $11 billion global science and technology company committed to enhancing the human experience through curiosity and sustainability.

Shardé Marchewski serves as Wayfair’s Head of Supplier Diversity and is focused on ensuring the company’s commercial strategy is inclusive of underrepresented groups. At present, she is focused on increasing Wayfair’s assortment of products from Black designers and makers while also establishing the company’s roadmap for supplier diversity. She has been at Wayfair for over four years and grew her career at the company within Category Management for Wayfair Canada. As a member and former co-leader of WayBlack, Wayfair’s Black Employee Resource Group, Shardé received the company’s Annual Award in 2021 for being a “Community Builder.”

Supplier Call to Action: If you’re a Black maker or designer and are interested in selling on Wayfair, visit https://www.aboutwayfair.com/celebrate-black-makers to reach out Customer Call to Action: Support Black-owned home brands by shopping here: https://www.wayfair.com/celebrate-black-makers~b582.html?rtype=7&redir=black+owned

Vanessa Barboni Hallik is the Founder and CEO of Another Tomorrow. She is also an investor in early-stage companies and currently serves on the Boards of the Accountability Counsel and the Carr Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School.