On Social Impact
21 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -A podcast devoted to the incredible work of social impact, not for profit and community enterprises.
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Episodes
A conversation with Ada Swierszcz - Good Foot Delivery, Toronto
December 20, 2020 12:00 - 15 minutes - 36 MBThis is a repost of a conversation which took place in July 2019 Imagine you work in Toronto, and need to move a package across the city - who are you going to call? Imagine if there was a business that had their social impact front and centre. Which made a difference to people's lives and which was competitively priced. Well, imagine no more! Check out this fabulous conversation with Ada from Good Foot Delivery to find out who you should be using to send your next package across th...
A conversation with Ryan Fukanaga, Free Geek Toronto
December 19, 2020 18:00 - 20 minutes - 46.2 MBThis is a repost of a discussion that took place in June 2019. Does every piece of technology have its day? Perhaps - but it shouldn't have to! Free Geek Toronto are part of an international coalition of Free Geeks, who are breathing new life into unwanted technology. Not only are they making a positive environmental impact by diverting this tech from landfill, but they're making a huge social impact as well. How? Listen in to their story with Executive Director Ryan Fukunaga to find ou...
A conversation with Hanna & Morva, CommuniHelp
December 18, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 64.5 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally published in May 2019 Meet Hanna & Morva - fierce founders of CommuniHelp and leaders of a team who are on a mission to change the world of volunteering. I'm really excited by what they're building. Not only because it's so scaleable, but because it's helping to meet a huge number of personal and social needs in one slickly designed package. In a great conversation, we touch on: - The founders' personal stories - What makes CommuniHelp different...
A conversation with Abby Stec, Elephant Thoughts
December 17, 2020 15:00 - 21 minutes - 50 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally shared in December 2018 Elephant Thoughts is not an obvious name for an education company but, after hearing how it came about, I think you'll agree that it's absolutely perfect. Elephant Thoughts describe themselves as 'Education for a changing world', and the projects that they are involved in are varied, vital, and very exciting. Listen in on this great conversation as Abby & I discuss Elephant Thoughts' history, the power of creating community ...
A conversation with Barry Martin, Hypenotic
December 16, 2020 15:00 - 29 minutes - 68.7 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally released in October 2018 Imagine running an agency which specialises in helping social impact entrepreneurs achieve more. Then imagine being a B Corp and holding yourself up to the highest exemplar standards in the social impact space. This is Hypenotic and I was privileged to get founder Barry Martin on the podcast for a chat about the company, about the opportunities and challenges in today's social impact space in Ontario and the value of exter...
A conversation with Marc Soberano, Building Up
December 15, 2020 15:00 - 26 minutes - 37.5 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally published September 2018 Building Up is a fantastic social impact business which exists to help individuals with barriers to employment to get into apprenticeships and careers in the construction trades. I've been fortunate to be connected to Marc Soberano (Founder & Executive Director) through social media for some time, so it was a real privilege to interview, discovering more about Building Up and the difference they're making throughout Toronto...
A conversation with Lawrence Alvarez, Toronto Tool Library
December 14, 2020 15:00 - 56 minutes - 75.1 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally shared in August 2018 Lawrence Alvarez is one of the co-founders of Toronto Tool Library - a business whose name really doesn't cover half of the amazing stuff they offer. In this podcast. Lawrence talks about the growth of the Tool Library, the very real change it has been set up to make in the world, and the reason why tool libraries need to exist in the first place. We also ponder the question - "how many hammers does the world actually need?" ...
A conversation with Andre Vashist, Verge Capital
December 13, 2020 18:00 - 44 minutes - 61.8 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally shared in August 2018 Andre Vashist is the Director, Social Enterprise and Social Finance at VERGE Capital. Iv VERGE Capital's own words, they catalyze "an ecosystem of impact investing that redirects wealth to help tackle our region’s most challenging social and environmental issues." Andre describes VERGE Capital as a social finance intermediary, matching investors and capital with the social impact projects which need support. In this wonderfu...
A conversation with Jodi Lastman, Park People
December 12, 2020 18:00 - 33 minutes - 46.8 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally recorded in July 2018 Park People are a Canada-wide NGO which uses the power of parks to improve the quality of life in cities across Canada. Jodi Lastman, Park People's Manager, Communications, Skypes into the podcast to talk about the organization's work, community mobilization and why parks are a "neat gateway drug" for all sorts of really, really good things. On the way through, we namecheck Jane Jacobs, Shawn Micallef and Jutta Mason (links b...
A conversation with Peter Deitz
December 11, 2020 18:00 - 38 minutes - 54.7 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally shared in June 2018 Peter Deitz has been drawn to startups and involved in internet culture since the age of 13. For the last 10 years, he has worked almost exclusively on entrepreneurial projects that he founded or co-founded—all of which have had a social purpose. Peter joins ON Social Impact to talk about his life's work, as well as the growth of GrantBook and UnWrapIt. There's some fantastic advice to help entrepreneurs focus, be successful and...
A conversation with Brendon & Scott, Southridge Jam Company
December 10, 2020 18:00 - 32 minutes - 44 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally published in June 2018 The demands placed on homeless shelters is steadily increasing in the Niagara, Ontario region. Southridge Jam Company are taking an entrepreneurial approach to tackling an evidenced social need, and transforming lives at the same time. Brendon and Scott from Southridge Jam Company join the podcast to share their stories and share some key insights into the reality of running a social impact business in Ontario. Don't forget...
A conversation with Michael Braithwaite, Raising the Roof
December 09, 2020 18:00 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally recorded in May 2018 Can you imagine being homeless - or faced with the very real threat of having nowhere to lay your head tonight? This is something which affects 235,000 Canadians every year. Now imagine if you're a young person trying to stay on top of school as well. Can you put yourself in their shoes? Raising The Roof are an inspirational social impact business tackling homelessness from a huge number of angles - simultaneously. From testi...
A conversation with Steven Bourne, Ripple Farms
December 08, 2020 19:00 - 48 minutes - 69.1 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally recorded in May 2018 Pioneering a no-waste food production system in Toronto, Ripple Farms are doing something a little 'out of the ordinary' get to food to your plate. I jumped on a Hangout with CEO and co-founder Steven Bourne to find out more, and get his take on what it's like being a social impact business in Ontario right now. Have a listen, then make sure that you carry on the conversation: Web - https://ripplelearning.thinkific.com Musi...
A conversation with Rafik Riad, Buy Good Feel Good
December 07, 2020 18:00 - 32 minutes - 30.4 MBThis is a repost of an episode from April 2018 How do you make a change in your habits or your purchasing decisions? The first step has to be to know what's out there, what the options are, right? In this episode, I chat to Rafik Riad, founder of Buy Good Feel Good - an amazing expo and platform which is helping social impact businesses across the world find new customers and discover new scale. If you'd like the money in your wallet to do some good in the world - and buy the stuff you re...
A conversation with Tim Nash, Good Investing
December 06, 2020 19:00 - 50 minutes - 71.8 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally recorded in April 2018. Can you make a profit AND invest your money in a sustainable, socially impactful way? "Giant Nerd" Tim Nash thinks that you can - and is on a mission to help one million Canadians use their investments to change the world for the better. Listen in to this great conversation for more about Tim's mission, why he believes that we need to shake ourselves out of status quo bias and how to avoid putting a cricket in your vegan in...
A conversation with Nurjahan Begum, Progoti
December 05, 2020 18:00 - 35 minutes - 27.9 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally shared in April 2018 Where do you stand on 'fast fashion'? We are ever more used to our clothes becoming disposable commodities - but as prices get pushed downwards, someone, somewhere loses out, right? Nurjahan Begum is on a mission - using her social impact business, Progoti, to dramatically change the lives of the Bangladeshi workers who craft clothes for brands the world over. Listen into her story - and don't forget to follow along: Website:...
A Conversation with Kyle Shantz, Centre for Social Innovation
December 04, 2020 18:00 - 31 minutes - 30.5 MBThis is a repost of an episode that was originally shared in March 2018 Kyle Shantz is the Marketing Manager for the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto. In this episode, I learn more about CSI and what it offers to Ontario's Social Impact sector; find out about moving from symptoms to systems thinking; and talk about what social impact leaders can do to get ahead over the next year or more. If you want to continue the conversation with Kyle, you can find him on: Twitter - twitter.co...
A conversation with Richie Bloomfield, Urban Roots London
December 03, 2020 19:00 - 36 minutes - 34.9 MBThis is a repost of an episode originally released in March 2018 Based in London, Ontario, Urban Roots London are a start-up social enterprise tackling food insecurity, food deserts and the way that we produce our food. Co-founder Richie Bloomfield jumped onto the podcast to share the journey so far, what the team have learned and what you can do to get in on the food revolution... Don't forget to carry on the conversation: Website: https://www.urbanrootslondon.ca/ Twitter: https://www...
A conversation with Tom Megginson
December 02, 2020 19:00 - 43 minutes - 42.6 MBThis is a repost of a conversation originally shared in February 2018. Since the podcast, Tom has launched his own practice - That's A Good Story: https://thatsagoodstory.com Tom Megginson is the Creative Director of Acart Communications in Ottawa, an agency which carries out a huge amount of social good work. In this conversation, I get the chance to ask Tom about some of the trends which social impact businesses can use to get their messages across, how to build a great agency/client re...
A conversation with Preston Aitken, Hire Up Youth
December 01, 2020 19:00 - 30 minutes - 29.7 MBThis is a repost of an episode from January 2018 Hire Up Youth is a Toronto-based social impact business tackling youth homelessness through employment. CEO Preston Aitken joined the podcast to introduce his company, talk about where AI might take them and share some of the lessons learned on the journey to today. If you want to find out more about what Hire Up Youth can offer you - check out their website https://www.gohireup.ca Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - www.silvermansound.com
ON Social Impact - introducing the repost series
November 22, 2020 14:34 - 2 minutes - 2.1 MBAcross December, I will be reposting the amazing social impact conversations from the first series (and a bit) of ON Social Impact. Find out a but more about what's going on in this quick reintroduction to the awesome world of social impact business chat!