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Defy Convention

Defy Convention

By LimeRed Studio

Conversations with fellow risk-takers, rule-breakers, challengers, and dreamers, to lift each other up and build a path to a better world together.
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S2:E8 Spirituality in Social Entrepreneurship with Craig Mattson

Defy ConventionMar 25, 2022

00:00
37:26
S2:E10 Navigating Deep Change with Lisa Hrabluk

S2:E10 Navigating Deep Change with Lisa Hrabluk

Lisa Hrabluk Is an award-winning writer, purpose-led entrepreneur, and a high-level strategist who helps communities, governments and organizations navigate complex issues.She does this via her Navigating Deep Change™ methodology. It's a process that she drew from her three decades of on-the-ground investigative reporting and analysis of contentious public topics, like the natural resources, indigenous self-determination, climate change, and economic equity.

She is also a leader in the North American B Corp movement and cofounder of WeTheChange, which is the B Corp women. She's also a journalist for over three decades and has written for Time, CBC, the Globe, the Mail, the National Post, and the New Brunswick Telegraph. She's the author of the best-selling New Brunswick Underwater: The 2018 Saint John River Flood about historic flood levels along the St.John river. 

Emily and Lisa discuss Lisa's methodology of Navigating Deep Change and how it can be used to defy the current conventions of journalism and capitalism.

Apr 22, 202243:14
S2:E9 Support for Small Social Impact Businesses with Alisa Herr & Polina Pinchevsky

S2:E9 Support for Small Social Impact Businesses with Alisa Herr & Polina Pinchevsky

Alisa Herr was previously the founding chief technology officer of a media nonprofit and an award-winning web developer at a design agency. She has an MS in library science from UNC Chapel Hill, and a BS in psychology from Appalachian State University where she graduated summa cum laude. Alisa lives on the Raleigh Durham line with her husband, two sons, and cat and she was most recently recognized by the North Carolina Business Council with the 2020 leadership and business Sustainability Award.

Polina Pinchevsky is co-founder and creative director of RoundPeg Benefit. It's a creative agency that works with purpose-driven organizations to help amplify their message, deepen their customer relationships, and build connections through brand advocacy campaigns. She blends precise strategic thinking with spontaneous hands-on design and everything she does, whether that's creating new artwork for a campaign, or taking in-house creative departments to the next level of creativity, productivity, and performance, no small tasks for Polina. She's also a proud founding member for B Local Mid Atlantic group.

Together and with Russ Stoddard, they created Unit Co., a product designed for organizations that are required to produce an annual impact report or for those who are simply looking to better engage their community in the good they create each year.

Apr 08, 202235:14
S2:E8 Spirituality in Social Entrepreneurship with Craig Mattson

S2:E8 Spirituality in Social Entrepreneurship with Craig Mattson

From social enterprises in Haiti to nonprofits in Chicago, Craig Mattson has been researching, writing, and podcasting about business activism ever since a student raised her hand in a tiny rhetoric class in 2007 to ask me if he had ever heard of Product (RED). He hadn't, but that student's inquiry launched a decade-plus of inquiry. Craig teaches and researches at a small, faith-based liberal arts campus (Trinity Christian College), and does whatever he can to introduce my students to social entrepreneurship as a mode of civic engagement.

Craig is also the author of the books, Why Spiritual Capital Matters and Rethinking Communication in Social Business.

Emily and Craig discuss Craig's research, his books, and how spirituality, trauma, and capitalism all contribute to how social entrepreneurs develop. 

Mar 25, 202237:26
S2:E7 Be Curious & Find Your Superpower with B. Pagels-Minor

S2:E7 Be Curious & Find Your Superpower with B. Pagels-Minor

B. Pagels-Minor loves product development and improving the processes of developing successful products. B has worked with small and large technology companies with more than a hundred thousand people to increase product adoption, improve product experience, and design and evolve. B is also a thought leader on product and culture development within technology companies, which is what we need dearly. They are passionate about creating a culture of accountability and sustainable processes that allow teams to just do the work well. And that is exactly what we need, especially in technology.


In this episode, B and Emily discuss working to show others the humanity in ourselves and marginalized groups, the power of saying no, and curiosity guiding us through challenging times.

Mar 11, 202233:36
S2:E6 Reinventing Yourself or Your Business in a Recession with Jennifer Piette

S2:E6 Reinventing Yourself or Your Business in a Recession with Jennifer Piette

After working for 25 years as a screenwriter in Europe — where people have a very different relationship to food — Jennifer returned to the US and founded Out of the Box Collective in 2010, with the goal of inspiring people to get back into their kitchens with amazing ingredients, and back around the table with their loved ones creating lasting memories and building their health at the same time. In 2019 she rebranded Out of the Box Collective as Narrative Food.

As a woman business owner, Jennifer is an active member of the B Corp Women CEO's group, working on political advocacy, and she is an original signatory to bethechange.net declaration. She is also very proud to be a member of the Female Founders Collective.

In this episode, Emily and Jennifer discuss reinventing themselves and their business during the 2008 and 2020 recessions.

Feb 25, 202236:39
S2:E5 Effective DEI Storytelling & Actor Pay Equity with Lauren Sivak

S2:E5 Effective DEI Storytelling & Actor Pay Equity with Lauren Sivak

Lauren Sivak is currently the managing director of 2nd Story and has previously worked at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, About Face Theatre, Walkabout Theater, and Core Theatre. A proud resident of Albany Park, Lauren is the board vice president of education for the North River Commission. She is the LSC community rep for Albany Park Multicultural Academy. Lauren is also a founding member and current chair of the Friends of Roosevelt High School.

This episode is about first-person true stories, which Lauren Sivak believes is the key difference for effective DEI training. Lauren and Emily also discuss modeling pay equity in theatres and small businesses.

Feb 11, 202235:50
S2:E4 The Significance of B Corps & We Just Need More of Them with Carolina Miranda

S2:E4 The Significance of B Corps & We Just Need More of Them with Carolina Miranda

Carolina Miranda is the founder and CEO of Cultivating Capital. It's a certified California Green Business and B Corp since 2012. She specializes in helping companies align their businesses with their values by implementing best practices for social and environmental responsibility. She's a B Corp consultant and has helped businesses to achieve B Corp certification, get re-certified. She serves on the executive committee for the B Corp women CEOs, WeTheChange (WeTheChange.net) movement.

Emily and Carolina discuss the commitment behind the 'B' in the circle with a line underneath displayed on companies' products or sites. And, what does the future look like now that it's here, and how might B Corps and business owners mitigate the worst environmental effects?

Jan 28, 202234:52
S2:E3 Conscious Fashion Business Leaders & Consumers in a Capitalist Society with Laura Hall
Jan 21, 202234:48
S2:E2 Artist Advocacy & Representation with Nate “Suave” Cameron

S2:E2 Artist Advocacy & Representation with Nate “Suave” Cameron

This is Nate Cameron. Music has always been synonymous with community for New Orleans native Nathaniel “Suave” Cameron, Jr. From honing his vocal talents amongst church family as an eight-year-old choir member to earning his place in a historic brotherhood, connecting lotted of musicians like John Batiste, Trombone Shorty, and Terence Blanchard as a section leader of the St. Augustine Marching 100.

In partnership with his wife, Crystal Sims-Cameron, Nate, co-founded Them People Productions, an organization that provides artist support services and produces Black artist-centric events designed to strengthen community ties and promote cultural healing. As the director of Ropeadope Record’s new Artist Advocacy Group, he empowers modern music makers to connect with talent brokers and venues worldwide so they can build and maintain a fan-based community across the globe.

On this episode of DEFY Convention, Emily and Nate discuss Nate's advocacy for Black artists and the initiatives he's created to support artists and his home community of New Orleans.

Links discussed:

Them People Productions

Ropeadope

necameronjr.com

glblwrmng

Jan 14, 202239:13
S2:E1 When Being Your True Self is a Personal and Professional Risk with Avery Belyeu

S2:E1 When Being Your True Self is a Personal and Professional Risk with Avery Belyeu

Avery Belyeu is an educator, nonprofit director, and religious leader whose experience spans higher ed, civil rights, and public health. She is an in-demand speaker on the topics of sexual orientation and gender identity and has trained professionals across the legal, higher education, and corporate sectors regarding the creation of affirming and welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ people. Ms. Belyeu serves as the regional director for the South Central region of Lambda Legal, a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV. She is a graduate of Appalachian State University and Brite Divinity School, where she earned a Master's in Divinity. Avery identifies as a spiritual and a religious wanderer, and a Jew by choice.

Is it trailblazing or survival mode? In this episode, Emily and Avery discuss Avery's experience coming from a conventional, religious childhood raised under the denomination of Jehovah's Witness. She came out as trans-queer later in life while working next to Trump-appointed officials during her transition.

Jan 06, 202228:29
Bonus Episode: Balance & Boundaries in a Post-Pandemic Work Place with Demetrio Cardona-Maguigad

Bonus Episode: Balance & Boundaries in a Post-Pandemic Work Place with Demetrio Cardona-Maguigad

In this bonus episode, LimeRed partners Emily and Demetrio discuss work/life balance and boundaries and compare their B.C. (before coronavirus) work balance to an evolved awareness with boundaries post-pandemic.

Demetrio Cardona-Maguigad is LimeRed's strategic design director. He is a passionate creator and producer with a focus on cultural diversity, social justice, and community development. Demetrio also coaches startups and entrepreneurs, advocating for human-centered design approaches toward problem-solving and business success.

Aug 18, 202143:36
Episode 08: Sex Education & Feminist Sex Shops with Searah Deysach

Episode 08: Sex Education & Feminist Sex Shops with Searah Deysach

Having founded Chicago’s first feminist sex shop in 2001, Early to Bed, Searah Deysach has made it her mission to defy the convention around sex and dismantle the anxiety, misinformation, and shame around sexual health, pleasure, and interest. Knowing that many people were uncomfortable in “traditional” adult stores, her vision from day one has been to create a safe, welcoming place where women (and people of all genders and sexual orientations) could shop for quality sex toys with freedom and empowerment.

Jul 19, 202134:07
Episode 07: Values Alignment, Business for Good, and Work-Life Balance with Cory Ames

Episode 07: Values Alignment, Business for Good, and Work-Life Balance with Cory Ames

Cory Ames and his wife, Annie, founded Grow Ensemble with a mission to make sustainable business and living the norm. In this episode of the Defy Convention Podcast, we talked to Cory about what it means to use business as a force for good, what can happen when our work aligns with our values, and how to separate life and work.

Jul 19, 202128:31
Episode 06: Purpose-Driven Womxn & Boundaries in Business with Meghan French Dunbar

Episode 06: Purpose-Driven Womxn & Boundaries in Business with Meghan French Dunbar

Meghan French Dunbar’s purpose is to help business leaders build a life they love. After co-founding and leading Conscious Company Media, the US’s premier source of information on conscious business—as well as founding the World-Changing Women’s Summit, the largest conference in the country for purpose-driven womxn—Meghan has become an expert on what it takes to align our work and our lives with authentic purpose. We spoke to Meghan about setting boundaries and breaking down barriers of capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy as purpose-driven womxn in business.
Jul 19, 202125:34
Episode 05: Cultural Arts as Therapy & Walking the Talk with Peter Vega

Episode 05: Cultural Arts as Therapy & Walking the Talk with Peter Vega

For Executive Director of the Chicago Cultural Alliance Peter Vega, the value of the arts is not in a piece of work that someone has deemed worth a million dollars; it is in using material culture to educate people about the past and shape the future for the better.

In this episode of the Defy Convention Podcast, we speak to Peter about defying convention in the museum sector, his mission to teach, educate, and tell stories differently, how the Chicago Cultural Alliance “walks the walk” when it comes to supporting and connecting the community-driven work of over 40 cultural heritage centers in Chicago, and how the cultural arts are their own kind of therapy—helping us have more challenging and courageous conversations.

Jul 19, 202120:02
Episode 04: Journalism through the Black, Lesbian, Feminist Lens with Karen Hawkins

Episode 04: Journalism through the Black, Lesbian, Feminist Lens with Karen Hawkins

Karen Hawkins founded Rebellious Magazine for Women with a mission to give opportunities to those whose points of view differed from the conventional straight-white-male lens through which mainstream media is shared. In this episode of the Defy Convention podcast, we speak to Karen about what it means to be a disruptor in today’s white-male-dominated media industry, how to set boundaries to preserve our mental health as leaders, why “objectivity” in media is bullshit, and how storytelling through an authentic and inclusive lens has the power to “lower the wall between the writer and the reader.”

Jul 15, 202122:22
Episode 03: “Strong” Leadership, Social Justice Theater, and Unplugging with Free Street’s Karla Estela

Episode 03: “Strong” Leadership, Social Justice Theater, and Unplugging with Free Street’s Karla Estela

For 51 years, Free Street has been creating original, joyful, and thought-provoking theater by, for, about, with, and in Chicago’s diverse communities. In this episode of the Defy Convention Podcast, we speak with Executive Director of Free Street Theater, Karla Estela, about the power of authentic and inclusive storytelling in amplifying social justice, how she is redefining what it means to be a “strong leader” in the midst of a pandemic, and the importance of remembering to pause, reflect and reconnect with what is real.

Jul 15, 202131:13
Episode 02: Disrupting Hollywood & Living Our Values with Denise Barreto

Episode 02: Disrupting Hollywood & Living Our Values with Denise Barreto

Whether she’s disrupting Hollywood as Producer and Co-Founder of Serqet Productions and Media or reshaping the business landscape as Partner at Relationships Matter Now, entrepreneur, author, and TEDx speaker Denise Barreto wakes up every day to ensure that America lives up to her promise—to everyone.

In this episode of the Defy Convention Podcast, we speak with Denise about the roots of systemic racism and its relationship to Hollywood, her dedication to telling diverse stories that would otherwise not be told, and how to amplify our impact by living our values.

Jul 15, 202125:02
Episode 01: Intuitive Leaderships & Embracing the Edge with Lisa Arie

Episode 01: Intuitive Leaderships & Embracing the Edge with Lisa Arie

What does it mean to live our truth? For our debut episode of the Defy Convention Podcast, we spoke with Lisa Arie, Co-Founder and CEO of award-winning experiential discovery center Vista Caballo.

For Lisa, transformation begins with understanding how we are wired and learning to trade false narratives for innate wisdom so that we can come to know ourselves on the deepest, truest level. Together, we discuss how to tap into our intuition in order to lead with authenticity outside of our comfort zone while cultivating clarity and fulfillment in our work.

Jul 15, 202127:08