Better Good with Scott M. Curran cover art

Better Good with Scott M. Curran

Better Good with Scott M. Curran

Written by: Scott M. Curran
Listen for free

About this listen

 Discover how the best do good—and how you can too. Scott M. Curran sits down with the innovators reimagining how the world does good—bringing you conversations you won’t hear anywhere else: candid stories, proven strategies, and actionable insights listeners can use in their lives, careers, and missions. Dive inside the playbook of the world’s top social impact leaders—so anyone can learn to do more good, better. Economics Entrepreneurship Management & Leadership Small Business & Entrepreneurship
Episodes
  • Penny Abeywardena on What Real Power Looks Like

    Penny Abeywardena on What Real Power Looks Like
    Apr 29 2026
    Most people think power always looks the same—loud, demanding, aggressive, and increasingly in your face. But actually, not always. Penny Abeywardena has spent her life mastering another kind of power: soft power. Something we can all use to help change the world if we become more familiar with it, and better at using it in our lives and in our work. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Penny Abeywardena—former Commissioner for International Affairs for New York City, Clinton Foundation leader, and founder of Soft Power Strategies—for a conversation about influence, leadership, and how to create change when you don't have the title, the budget, or the permission to demand it. Penny traces her path from surviving domestic violence as a child in Los Angeles to becoming effectively the Secretary of State for the most diplomatically complex city in the world. She explains how she built a coalition of 350 local governments around the sustainable development goals when Washington walked away from the climate table, and how she secured half a million pieces of PPE directly from the UN's own stockpile when New York was told it was on its own during COVID. She makes the case that in a moment when too many people are choosing to check out, soft power is more urgent than ever. This episode explores themes of soft power, leadership, diplomacy, women's empowerment, and vulnerability. Guest: Penny Abeywardena Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios - Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://linktr.ee/scottmcurran - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:26 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:07:35 From Human Rights Watch to Finding Her Path 00:10:00 Building Skills Behind the Scenes 00:12:43 Joining the Clinton Global Initiative 00:14:44 Becoming NYC Commissioner for International Affairs 00:19:20 Reimagining Diplomacy in New York City 00:22:18 The Voluntary Local Review and Climate Leadership 00:25:41 COVID Crisis and the Power of Relationships 00:29:53 Launching Soft Power Strategies 00:37:01 Storytelling and Vulnerability as Strategy 00:44:13 Practical Soft Power for Everyone - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Alex Amouyel on Changing the World with Salad Dressing

    Alex Amouyel on Changing the World with Salad Dressing
    Apr 15 2026
    What if a bottle of salad dressing could change the world? In 1982, Paul Newman—movie star, race car driver, and American icon—bottled a homemade salad dressing with a friend, put his face on the label, and made one simple decision: every cent of profit would go to charity. Forever. Newman's Own has now generated more than 600 million dollars for charitable causes—and the "Newman's Own exception," an act of Congress that followed, made it possible for other foundations to fully own mission-driven businesses that give their profits away. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Alex Amouyel (https://www.yourimpactlife.com/about), President and CEO of the Newman's Own Foundation, for a conversation about purpose-driven business, child hunger in America, and one of the most revolutionary models in philanthropy. Alex explains how a for-profit food company fully owned by a charitable foundation gives 100% of its profits away—and why Newman had to fight Congress just to make it legal. She unpacks the foundation's work on child nutrition, school meals, and indigenous food justice at a time when one in five American children live in food-insecure households. And she introduces 100% for Purpose, a movement inspired by Newman's Own and Patagonia to help the next generation of businesses put their profits toward good causes. This episode explores themes of philanthropy, corporate responsibility, and food justice. Guest: Alex Amouyel Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:06 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:05:30 From BCG to Save the Children 00:08:02 Restructuring a Global NGO 00:10:15 The Clinton Global Initiative Years 00:12:17 MIT Solve and Opening Innovation 00:22:09 Paul Newman's Legacy and the Hole in the Wall Gang 00:26:32 Nourishing Children Who Face Adversity 00:28:08 The Newman's Own Exception and Tax Law 00:36:59 100% For Purpose Movement - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
    Show more Show less
    46 mins
  • Nishant Roy on Social Impact Through Business

    Nishant Roy on Social Impact Through Business
    Apr 1 2026
    "Chief Impact Officer" wasn't a job twenty years ago. But a decade ago, it became one of the fastest-growing roles in business. Today, it's complicated because the idea that companies should “do good” has been dragged into the culture wars. So what does it look like when a company actually takes that responsibility seriously and builds purpose into its operations? On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Nishant Roy, Chief Impact Officer of Chobani, for a candid conversation about purpose-driven business, corporate responsibility, and what it really means when a company says profit and purpose can coexist. Nishant traces his path from his immigrant family's roots and service in the U.S. Air Force—including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq—through Goldman Sachs, USAID, and a fateful LinkedIn message that led him to Chobani's founder, Hamdi Ulukaya. He explains how Chobani went from an SBA loan and a shuttered factory in upstate New York to the number one yogurt brand in America, and why how a company makes its products matters as much as what's on the shelf. From cutting sugar across an entire food category, to hiring refugees in rural New York, to building a sustainable supply chain that pays farmers for imperfect fruit, Nishant makes the case that corporate impact isn't marketing—it's operations. This episode explores themes of purpose-driven leadership, career reinvention, food systems, refugee inclusion, and why the work of doing good doesn't stop just because the acronyms change. - Guest: Nishant Roy Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios - Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:46 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:08:41 From the Air Force to Wall Street 00:11:57 Government Service and Global Development 00:13:52 The LinkedIn Message That Changed Everything 00:17:50 Making Career Pivots with Purpose 00:28:54 The Chobani Story and Food Revolution 00:34:10 Supply Chain Innovation for Impact 00:40:55 Building a Melting Pot Workforce 00:47:47 Proof That Profit and Purpose Go Together - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
    Show more Show less
    51 mins
No reviews yet