Explore every episode of the podcast Behind the Impact

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Aimee Gilbreath, President of PetSmart Charities, shares what she's learned about rebuilding an impact strategy, influencing without authority, and creating stronger integration between impact and the business. From transforming PetSmart Charities' strategy to spending years helping the American Red Cross integrate pets into disaster response, Aimee offers a practical look at what it takes to create meaningful change inside complex organizations.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Jean Shia, Managing Director of the Autodesk Foundation, shares how the foundation approaches corporate philanthropy and impact investing, including building trust with partners, measuring impact with intention, connecting philanthropy to the business, and using catalytic capital to help promising solutions scale.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Angie Ruddell, Social Impact Manager at Lockheed Martin, shares lessons from her journey from the nonprofit sector to corporate social impact, including how practitioners can build influence across the organization, connect their work to business priorities, communicate impact more effectively, and develop the curiosity and entrepreneurial mindset needed to navigate an evolving field.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Sirene Abou-Chakra draws on her experience at Google, the City of Detroit, Dataminr, and Airbnb to unpack what it takes to build a durable corporate impact function -- from aligning impact directly with business goals and earning internal buy-in to building the human skills practitioners will need in an AI-powered world.

In episode 63 of Behind the Impact, Miles Anderson, Head of MaintainX.org, shares how he turned an unexpected opportunity in sales into a career building corporate impact functions, and what he's learned about earning executive buy-in, connecting impact to business outcomes, and building programs that companies continue to invest in.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Hilary Meyer, Chief Impact & Athlete Engagement Officer at Athletes Unlimited, shares how the professional sports organization puts athletes at the center of its impact strategy, embeds social impact into the business, and connects community engagement and philanthropy to long-term growth.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Carlos Cuyas, Social Impact Lead at o9 Solutions, shares what it takes to build a corporate impact function from scratch, why strategy must be rooted in company purpose, and how practitioners can create more durable impact by earning trust, aligning with the business, and thinking like strategic operators.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Leela Stake, Senior Partner and Global Responsible Business Lead at FleishmanHillard, shares why the future of corporate impact belongs to leaders who can align strategy with business value, communicate their work effectively, and adapt to an increasingly complex landscape.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Jonathan Perri, Director of Global Social Impact at Ripple, shares how Ripple is using blockchain and digital payments to accelerate humanitarian aid, expand financial inclusion, and embed social impact into its core business. Learn how innovative partnerships, cross-functional collaboration, and business alignment are helping Ripple create measurable impact while strengthening its financial technology platform.

In this episode, Christy Duncan Anderson, Executive Director of the Albertsons Companies Foundation, shares how a life-changing experience in the Peace Corps shaped her approach to corporate philanthropy and why collective action is the key to solving complex social challenges. She discusses building the Nourishing Neighbors platform, aligning impact with business strategy, and the leadership lessons she's learned from nearly two decades leading one of the nation's largest corporate foundations.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Tiana Austel, Sr. Manager of Employee Engagement at the eBay Foundation, shares how employee engagement can become a powerful driver of leadership development, community building, and business value. From breaking into corporate social impact to building eBay’s global Changemakers program, Tiana offers practical insights on creating durable impact programs, empowering employee leaders, and future-proofing the profession.

In this episode, Christoph Gorder, Executive Director of Airbnb.org, shares how organizations can turn their unique strengths into lasting social impact. From disaster response and nonprofit leadership to storytelling and executive buy-in, Christoph offers practical lessons on building partnerships that endure and creating change that scales.

In this episode, Rawan Odeh, Social Impact Partnerships Team Lead at the monday.com Foundation, shares her journey from grassroots advocacy to building global social impact programs inside a leading tech company. She breaks down how the monday.com Foundation is rethinking philanthropy through direct programming, partnerships, and initiatives like Tech School that prepare students for the future of work.

Abbey Carlton, VP of Social Impact at LinkedIn, shares how corporate social impact can move from a support function to a driver of business value. She breaks down how impact teams can influence product, hiring, and strategy while building durable internal buy-in. This episode offers a clear look at how the role is evolving and where practitioners can have the greatest impact.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Darlene Goins, Head of Philanthropy and Community Impact at Wells Fargo, shares how corporate philanthropy can evolve from a standalone function into a strategic driver of business value. Drawing on her background in engineering and business leadership, she explains how to operate impact work with a business mindset by aligning investments to company priorities, building cross functional partnerships, and using data to guide decisions. The conversation explores practical ways practitioners can strengthen their business acumen, design programs that deliver both community outcomes and business results, and position their work as essential to organizational success.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Meghan St. John, Social Impact Manager at Stanley 1913, unpacks her path from nonprofit partnerships to shaping impact from inside a global brand. She reveals how Stanley 1913 turns its people, products, and capital into a true business driver by embedding impact directly into what the company makes and how it shows up. 

In this episode, Liz Minné, Head of Global Sustainability Strategy at Interface, shares how sustainability is scaled inside a global manufacturer, from leveraging data and influencing supply chains to driving carbon negative innovation without offsets. Hear practical insights on integrating sustainability into core business functions, collaborating with suppliers, and proving that impact and commercial performance can go hand in hand.

Tai Wingfield of Unity breaks down how to embed social impact into core business strategy, communicate value to executives, and turn responsible business into a driver of long-term growth.

In this episode, Taylor Amerman, Director of Global Social Impact at CDW, discusses how she leverages her accounting background and a trust-based philanthropy model to integrate social impact directly into core business strategy. She shares insights on empowering employees through grassroots volunteering and the importance of becoming a versatile business leader to drive sustainable corporate citizenship.

Julie Lata, Director of Social Impact at Pure Storage, joins the show to share her path into corporate social impact and what it looks like to lead the function at Pure Storage as a team of one. She offers grounded, practitioner-level insight on building focused impact strategies, navigating executive engagement, and aligning community impact with real business priorities inside a global tech company.

In this episode, Robyn King shares her journey from corporate law to leading social impact at Canva and explains how the company embeds impact into its core business strategy. She offers practical insights on building scalable, product-led impact programs inside a fast-growing global company.

Former Director of Social Impact, Josh Penny, joins the show to discuss his journey through the evolving world of corporate social impact, lessons learned throughout his career, and the future of the field.

Peloton’s Head of Social Impact, Alia McCants, shares how she built Peloton’s impact function from the ground up by aligning business purpose, brand, and product to advance equitable access to fitness and mental health while driving measurable health outcomes at scale.

Chess Jakobs, Head of Social Impact, Sustainability, and Communities at Culture Amp, joins the show to unpack his career journey, how Culture Amp embeds impact into the employee experience, and his perspective on where corporate impact is headed.

Twilio’s Chief Social Impact Officer, Erin Reilly, joins Behind the Impact to discuss how the company built a social impact function that drives business value and generates revenue. She also shares her career journey and lessons for practitioners working to sustain and scale their impact work.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, 1Community's VP of Impact, Rachel E. Cooke, joins the show to discuss how the company integrates impact storytelling into their films, the future of corporate impact, and more.

HubSpot's Social Impact Lead, Kaiya Salemy, joins Behind the Impact to discuss her career journey, HubSpot's approach to social impact, and more.

In this episode of Behind the Impact, Northwestern Mutual's Chief Sustainability & Impact Officer, Grady Crosby, joins the show.

Veena Harbaugh, Sr. Director of Impact & Governance at Sendle, joins the show to unpack what impact looks like inside a growing logistics company. She shares how Sendle is reimagining the shipping industry—from sustainability challenges to unexpected opportunities—and what it takes to lead with purpose in a complex, emissions-heavy sector.

Brian Tippens, Cisco’s SVP, Chief Social Impact & Inclusion Officer, joins Behind the Impact for a powerful conversation on why it’s essential for practitioners to link impact to business value.

Kim Koeman, the Global Director of Impact at Steelcase, joins the show to share her journey into corporate social impact and how Steelcase is using its people, products, and capital for good.

Maggie Hureau, Head of Social Impact at Mammoth Brands (formerly Harry’s Inc.), joins the show to share her journey into corporate social impact and how the largest CPG company built in the last 20 years leverages its people, products, and capital for good.

Nike’s former Public Policy & Social Impact Operations Director, Dina Stults, joins the show to reflect on her 20-year career in impact at the sportswear giant.

UserTesting's Chief of Staff to the Chief People Officer and Head of ESG, Corey Hatcher, joins the show to discuss her unique journey into corporate social impact and how the company leverages its people, products, and capital for good.

Paige Rodgers, Director of the Equinix Foundation & Equinix Community Impact, joins the show to share how she got into corporate impact, the theory of change, and the importance of integrating social impact, ESG, and other impact functions into a company’s DNA.

Allie Ottoboni, President of the eBay Foundation, joins the show to share insights into the foundation's approach to corporate philanthropy, what it was like to take the reins during a pandemic, and the lessons she has learned along the way.

Kyndryl's VP of Social Impact, Pam Hacker, joins the show to discuss the unique way she broke into the social impact profession, how Kyndryl is making a difference, and the lessons she has learned along the way.

Greg Ho, President of Spring Mountain Capital and head of the firm's Social Impact Group, joins the show to discuss how investors can leverage capital for good.

Cotopaxi's VP of Impact and Sustainability, Annie Agle, joins the show to pull back the curtain on how the company uses its people, products, and capital for good.

Chime's Head of Corporate Social Impact, Kira Traore, joins the show to pull back the curtain on how the company uses its people, products, and capital for good.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Head of Global Social Impact Manager, Fred Tan, joins the show to discuss how one of the most well-known brands on the planet creates impact on a global scale.

Fiverr's Social Impact Manager, Michelle Baltrusitis, joins the show to talk about how one of the top marketplaces for freelancers and entrepreneurs approaches social impact.

GitLab's Sr. Director of ESG, Stacy Cline, joins the show to talk about the company's approach to ESG and how its building out its impact programs.

Okta's Sr. Manager of Social Impact, Victor Cordon, joins the show to talk about the company's latest efforts to drive meaningful impact in the world.

Visible's Head of Social Impact, Sarah Glickstein, joins the show to talk about how the all-digital wireless carrier uses its people, product, and capital to make a difference.

OutSystems' Community Growth and Social Impact Team Lead, Snezana Djurisic, joins the show to talk about how the company uses its people, product, and capital to make a difference.

Shopify's Head of Social Impact, Brittney Oberfeld, joins the show to talk about how one of the top commerce platforms in the world uses its people, product, and capital to make a difference.

Linsey Morrison, Eventbrite's VP of Impact, joins the show to talk about how the company is using its people, product, and capital to reduce social isolation in young people.

Admas Kanyagia, DigitalOcean's VP of Social Impact, joins the show to talk about how the company taps into its thriving developer community to make an impact and so much more.

Chinelo Nwosu, Tumblr's Head of Social Impact, joins the show to talk about how the social network and micro-blogging platform approaches social impact with a user base of millions.