Fresh off the heels of our Fifth Season of The EcoSend Podcast, we’re delighted to announce that the Sixth Season is already under way!
We’ve been blessed with so many fantastic guests this past season, and the lessons we’ve learned from their stories and experiences have been beneficial in two ways.
1️⃣ First, seeing these thought-leaders and change-makers out there creating innovative solutions to the serious challenges we face from Climate Change, has been nothing short of inspirational.
So many of our guests set fantastic examples to follow, and they show just how much can be accomplished with a bit of determination and creativity.
Looking at the facts around Climate Change, it’s all too easy to get depressed in the face of the enormity of the challenge.
But seeing others out there making everyday positive change, fills us with hope that things aren’t so lost after all. And that positive change is indeed not just possible, but happening!
2️⃣ Second, with so many talented entrepreneurs, founders, and marketers freely offering their advice and lessons, we’ve heard so much pragmatic and actionable advice. We’ve been busy incorporating into our mission and platform here at EcoSend, but we’re also keen to help spread this knowledge as far and wide as possible.
We know there are so many budding change-makers out there who just need a bit of direction. And these tips and lessons from those who have gone before provide exactly that.
So, to make sure you don't miss out on any of the lessons from our guests on Season Five, and to get you excited to tune in for Season Six, here’s a quick recap of the key takeaways from our recent guests 🙌
S5E1 'The Carbon Footprint of Marketing', with Richard Boon 👣
To kick-off Season 5, we welcomed Richard Boon from Webmart - a true veteran of the budding-field of Digital Sustainability.
From a serendipitous 'Dragon's Den' pitch at the age of eighteen, to an apprenticeship, to his current position as Board Advisor, Richard has been in the thick of climate-conscious Marketing and Agency for over 18 years!
Many sectors, particularly Logistics and Operations, have been stepping up their efforts in tackling their carbon footprint. But why, Richard asks, is Marketing still lagging so far behind in addressing its own footprint?
Join us for Richard's fascinating session with James, where they talked about:
🗺️ Webmart's journey to BCorp status.
🧮 How to accurately calculate your digital carbon footprint.
🙅♂️ The common misconceptions about the climate impact of digital activity.
📣 The importance of agencies being public about their carbon footprint, to help spread awareness.
🌳 Purchasing 164 acres of Scottish forest for re-wilding.
🙏 Richard's optimism for the future.
S5E2 'From Purpose to Profit', with Erin Andrea Craske 🤩
With 20 years experience in Strategy, and 16 years in Leadership, Erin Andrea Craske brings a wealth of knowledge to help businesses move from purpose to profit.
With her tried-and-tested strategies, Erin helps purpose-driven businesses to succeed, keep employees engaged, and secure long-term prosperity.
Erin sat down with James to share her many insights, including:
🤝 How to combine purpose & profit.
🀀 The influence of Eastern Philosophy in her work.
🎯 How to move from addressing symptoms to root-causes.
😓 Tips for avoiding employee disengagement and burnout.
🌐 Seeing your business as a holistic organism.
👶 Erin's hope for the next generation.
This episode was both inspiring and jam-packed with practical tips. A must-see for anyone running or considering setting up a purpose-driven business. Erin really is an expert in guiding you on the path to long-term, sustainable success.
S5E3 'Donation Match-Making for Charities & Businesses', with Cathy Benwell 🎁
This was a wonderful and heartening episode, showing us the power which creative thinking can bring to the social sector.
Founder of 'A Good Thing', Cathy's mission is to provide an exchange-economy between the third sector and private enterprise.
Since its inception, 'A Good Thing' has saved charities over £600,000, and they are projected to double that this year!
As the founder of such a brilliant, win-win platform, we were delighted to sit down with Cathy to talk about:
🐰 Donation stories about Easter Eggs, theatre sets, shaving kids, and even bricks for a kitchen!
🦸♀️ How 'A Good Thing' saves charities from unnecessary costs.
💝 Cathy's decision to run a freemium model.
🤝 The different reasons why businesses choose to partner with 'A Good Thing'.
💥The power of local, social impact.
S5E4 'To B or not to B', with Tim Jones aka The BCorp Bloke 🅱️
Tim was a wonderful guest to invite to the podcast. Full of passion and humour, this was both an entertaining and motivating episode!
Since quitting his job in the Medical Devices Industry after a "subconscious wake-up call", Tim has dedicated himself to assisting companies with navigating BCorp's assessments, and achieving the coveted 'BCorp' status.
Here at EcoSend we've been on our own journey to BCorp status, submitting our application at the end of June. So we were delighted to welcome Tim to share his many insights, including:
👩🏫 How Changemakers should present the business-case for BCorp application.
📈 How BCorp status will become table stakes for businesses in the near future.
🎓 A brief history on surnames and Quaker businesses!
👣 Tim's journey from Medical Device sales to starting his own business.
💬 The importance of telling your authentic story.
S5E5 'Raise the Floor, and Smash the Ceiling!', with Tam Hussey 👊
We loved Tam's summary quote; "It's not because people don't want to make Sustainable choices, it's that they don't know where to start".
That quote really hits the nail on the head with where we're at as a culture, in relation to awareness of Digital Sustainability. But luckily we have such dedicated people as Tam, working hard to change that for the better.
Tam is such an expert in the field of Digital Sustainability, we felt really privileged to have her join us and dive into her insights on:
🧪 The importance of targeting users' 'First Behaviour Change'.
👨👩👧 How Tam's "Eco-warrior" upbringing influenced her career-path.
🏢 Changes when moving from the corporate world to starting her own business.
🌱 Integrating Sustainability into organisations' core processes.
📱 Building a future where Digital is part of the solution, not the problem.
S5E6 'You don't need to run a marathon; just get off the couch!', with Matt & Chrissie from olson 👟
This was a delightful episode showing how positive change can blossom overtime, from our home, to our clients, to our community. We loved Matt & Chrissie's 'small-win' philosophy, and demonstrable record of bringing about positive change.
The episode was chock-full of actionable, pragmatic advice, and even a slideshow to boot! We're sure you'll love this episode, as Matt & Chrissie shared their insights on subjects ranging from:
👨👩👧 How parenthood created a sense of urgency around tackling climate-change.
🌐 Digital Sustainability as a misunderstood, inter-connected system.
🚀 Matt & Chrissie's 'Bucked of 4 Quick Wins' for taking action today!
9️⃣9️⃣ Reach the 99% of 'small' businesses across the UK
🍻 Running 'People Planet Pints' events
S5E7 'Sustainability is a Mechanism for Growth, not a Tick-Box!', with Helen Neal 🚀
Strategy insights from a business thought-leader like Helen Neal are invaluable, and we were delighted Helen was so open in sharing her stories and suggestions.
Moving beyond seeing Sustainability as a tick-box exercise on a spreadsheet, Helen champions Sustainability as a key mechanism for growth. And an asset which all companies, small or large, for profit or NGO, can leverage to move forward through an uncertain future.
We were grateful to have Helen join us for episode 7 of our fifth season, as she sat down with James to discuss:
✈️ Virgin Atlantic's first Biofuels flight.
📊 How small businesses can pitch to win big clients.
🇺🇸 Working at Climate Week in New York.
💪 The rise of 'Holistic Capitalism', driven by Consumer Demand.
☺️Moving from competition to collaboration.
S5E8 'Surfers Against Sewage and Alliances Against Drilling', with Will Kinchin 🏄♂️
In this deeply human episode, Will opened our eyes to the challenge the UK's coastline and marine life face from pollution and drilling. His stories were at the same time melancholic and uplifting.
Melancholic to learn of the extent of challenges our coastline faces, many of which have only recently started to become public knowledge. But uplifting to know there are many organisations out there, as well as heroes like Will, who are championing the good-fight to save our waters!
In this special episode Will sat down with James to talk about:
🌊 How his years at Falmouth University sparked a love for Britain's coastline.
😔 Challenges in communicating the plight of rural ecosystems to people living in urban areas.
🫨 How to navigate choosing climate-conscious suppliers.
✍️ Offering expertise to charities, rather than just donating.
🔊The consequences of ongoing 'seismic blasting' on marine life.
S5E9 'Human-centred Podcasting & Ethical Marketing', with Chrysa Sto 💚
For nearly six years Chrysa has consulted and helped purpose-driven Marketers and Changemakers grow their businesses through podcasting. All without any recourse to 'old-school' Marketing pressure tactics.
Chrysa is a true pioneer in the field of ethical Marketing and human-centred podcasting. We're so grateful for leaders like Chrysa, leading the movement away from traditional pressure-tactics, to a style of Marketing which puts people and planet first.
We were thrilled to have her on the show and share her wisdom, covering topics such as:
👣 Chrysa's transition from Freelancer to full-time Business Owner.
📈 3 top tips for growing your Podcast audience.
🫂 The crossover between Human-centred Marketing and Sustainability.
🤝 How Podcasts nurture business relationships.
🔮 Chrysa's predictions for the future of Podcasting.
S5E10 'Weddings and Sustainability, the perfect match?' with Michelle Miles 💒
It's amazing to see thought-leaders like Michelle driving huge change across an entire industry, and this made for a wonderful final guest-episode of the season.
Michelle chatted to James all about:
👰♀️ The potential positive impact of changing the wedding industry, with 300,000 weddings per year in the UK alone!
💭 Changing social trends and attitudes towards marriage.
🤝 The post-pandemic industry shift from competition to collaboration.
Michelle also shared her top-tips for a climate-conscious wedding, including:
✅ A venue powered by renewable energy.
✅ Choosing no-waste caterers.
✅ Fair working hours for staff.
✅ Offering guests travel options by rail or coach where possible.
✅ Using locally sourced flowers and seasonal food.
S5E11 'Wrapping-up Season Five', with James & Chris 💝5️⃣
As per our tradition, we rounded off Season Five with a special wrap-up episode, where I put James in the hot seat to grill him on the lessons he’s learned from the past season of running both the podcast and EcoSend.
Topics we discussed include:
💭 Is it better to change from within or make a clean break?
🌊 Why does it take so long for climate campaigns to reach public attention?
💪 How to stay motivated during difficult periods.
⚖️ How to balance purpose and profit.
⏱️ What has changed from Series One to now?
👤 James's favourite guest of the season.
Wow! Looking back serves as a great reminder of how great the past season was, and how lucky we are to welcome so many fantastic guests.
And we can’t wait to get started with Season Six!
Keep an eye out for our first episode with the one and only Yuval Ackerman from Ethical Emails, going live Wednesday 18th September at 9am!
If you have any questions about the Podcast, guests you’d like to see us interview, or even to suggest yourself for an episode, please get in touch with us at hello@ecosend.io
Thanks for reading! 🙌