E89 — Jessica Thomas — The Power of the Redirect: From Toy Designer to Sustainability Trailblazer

In this episode, we explore what it means to truly use business as a force for good. We sit down with Jessica Yinka Thomas, a proud Fuqua alumna (MBA '04), the Director of the Business Sustainability Collaborative at NC State University's Poole College of Management, and a founding force behind the B Academics movement. Jessica shares her fascinating life of "redirects." She takes us through her early years growing up across Miami, Nigeria, and Senegal, and explains how her background in mechanical engineering led her to become one of the first product designers at the educational toy startup Leapfrog. We discuss her pivot from corporate toy design to studying social entrepreneurship at Duke, her double life as a novelist penning social justice thrillers, and her groundbreaking work integrating the B Corp framework into higher education to create applied learning opportunities for students worldwide. Key Takeaways from this Episode:Global Perspectives: How a childhood spent in West Africa profoundly shaped Jessica's approach to innovation and global economic development. The Leapfrog Ride: The thrilling—and exhausting—experience of designing interactive learning toys while helping grow an early-stage startup into the third-largest toy company in the U.S.. Embracing the "Redirect": Finding clarity after burnout through a six-month backpacking journey in Australia and reading The Artist's Way. Championing B Corps: The creation of the pioneering NC State B Corp Clinic and the scaling of B Academics into an independent global network of over 2,500 members. The Team Fuqua Ethos: The power of collective action, lifting others up, and remaining honest about your core values as you build a career. Listen now to discover how to harness your own life's redirects and leverage business to drive positive change!