NEXT NORMAL: Re-imagining Capitalism for Our Future

In this riveting new episode of Next Normal, Amit and his guest, Carol Anne Hilton, explore the ways that an indigenous worldview can inform a re-imagined and re-designed economic system. Carol Anne is a recognized First Nations business leader and the founder of the Indigenomics Institute. In this conversation, she explains how indigenous people and global minorities have been excluded from shaping society’s dominant understanding of “money, meaning, and metrics.” Carol Anne describes how an indigenous perspective guides her five fundamental directives for a new economy, and she recounts a powerful fable – the tale of the Thunderbird and the two-headed serpent – to reveal a fresh way of seeing the most vexing challenges of our time.

For our first episode of 2021, Amit welcomes one of the leading corporate pioneers charting the path toward the “next normal” in our global economic system. Marcelo Behar is Vice President of Sustainability and Group Affairs for the Brazilian cosmetics giant, Natura & Co. In this episode, Marcelo recounts the early origins of Natura & Co.’s environmental focus, describes the company’s new “Commitment to Life” sustainability vision, and offers a basic blueprint for other global corporations seeking to make an impact. Decisive action and new approaches put Marcelo and his team right at the center of the “next normal” conversation.

In this compelling seventh episode, we explore an increasingly vital pathway toward our “next normal”: narrative change. Amit is joined by Holly Gordon, the Chief Impact Officer at Participant Media. Participant is the leading media company dedicated to creating entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social change, known for films like Spotlight, An Inconvenient Truth, and Judas and the Black Messiah. Holly discusses the way that journalism first opened her eyes to the idea that she could “tell stories to close gaps of understanding.” In this episode, she describes the “dandelion effect” of powerful storytelling and the way that new narratives can unlock a sense of purpose among would-be change-makers. “Great stories can transform people from someone who is in their seat to someone who is in the street,” she says.

In this newest edition of Next Normal, Hans Stegeman offers Amit captivating insight into his vision of a global economic system that centers the well-being of people and planet. As Chief Investment Strategist at Triodos Investment Management, Stegeman guards the central role of positive impact and sustainability in everything his firm does. In this conversation, he highlights his prediction about “the biggest investment conversation” in the coming years and reveals to Amit the specific areas where he sees the greatest global traction for re-imagined capitalism. Stegeman is convinced that an economic system better aligned with the natural world will also be a happier, healthier system for all people: “One part of a sustainable future is also a more relaxed society.”

In this tenth episode of Next Normal, Amit is joined by the guest most frequently recommended by other Next Normal guests, Ai-jen Poo. Ai-jen is the co-founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, a leading non-profit dedicated to bringing dignity to workers in the “care economy.” In this episode, Ai-jen reflects on experiences in her own life that inspire her work to ensure “every worker in care economy earns a living wage with real economic security and opportunity.” She discusses the “invisible economy” that has served as a lifeline during the pandemic and connects care workers’ challenges to obstacles faced by other largely unseen and under-appreciated workers globally. As we strive to re-imagine the future of our economic system, Ai-jen suggests that the world turn its attention to the “original gig economy workers”— domestic workers.