The ROI of Why
by Andrew Tuzson
Seeking to uncover the correlation between purpose and business, The ROI of Why explores all things impact related within different markets and sectors. Every week, Graham and Andrew investigate the growing shift that is placing people over profits. The two connect with business owners, entrepreneurs, and influential members of organizations to better understand what drives their business models to place a heavy emphasis on doing good within their communities, their markets, and the world.
Episodes
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ROI of Why S02E03 - 12 Habits of Authentic Leaders
In this week's episode of ROI of Why, Graham and Drew link up with JD Messinger to discuss the 12 Habits of Authentic Leaders. Jonathan D. (JD) Messinger is a corporate visionary, #1 best-selling author, inspirational speaker, and personal advisor. He began life as a fireman and went on to become...
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S02E02 - Small Giants Making a Huge Impact
On this week's episode of the ROI of Why, Graham and Andrew link up with Hamsa Daher of Small Giants to discuss the massive impact they have made within the purpose driven landscape. The Small Giants Community is a designated L3C organization, a hybrid between a for-profit and a nonprofit entity...
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S02E01 - The Fellow Travelers
Graham and Drew kick off season two with a bang. They discuss silver linings, business as a force for good, and the concept of fellow travelers.
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S01E41 - Reflecting on a Season of Purpose
For the last episode of season one of The ROI of Why, we’re celebrating all the good we’ve discovered in our business community by looking back on our favorite conversations on this show. We’ll share the moments that inspired and enlightened us—and how we can apply these lessons to the unique…
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S01E40 - How GivingTuesday is Supporting Nonprofits’ Missions Throughout the Pandemic
As everyday life shifts into a strange new normal, we’ve seen several nonprofits wonder how their fundraising fits in. These are tough times for everyone, but nonprofits can’t just pause their mission—those they serve still need them. GivingTuesday, the organization that usually facilitates...
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S01E39 - How to Build a Purpose That Actually Resonates With Your Team
Electronic Contracting Company has provided custom designed electronic solutions to clients across the Midwest for over 60 years. Part of the reason they’ve survived for so long is willingness to adapt without compromising their service or vision. Matt Thorne, the executive vice president of...
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S01E38 - How Compelling Core Values Can Help Any Organization
Allo is a fiber optic internet, phone and cable provider powered by hundreds of team members based across Nebraska and Colorado. Allo’s core values—be honest, exceptional, local and hassle-free—are not only a reminder of what Allo stands for, they drive how the company acts and grows. Our guest...
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S01E37 - How Launch Leadership is Building the Next Generation of Purpose-Driven Leaders
Today at the round table of purpose and impact, we are joined by Randy Hawthorne and Graham Pansing Brooks to talk all things Launch Leadership. Randy, the executive director of Launch, has been involved in the organization for years and watched it grow from a student council organization to a...
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S01E36 - How Companies are Bringing Hope Through Crisis With Graham Pansing Brooks
In such a strange time as this, it’s not strange for individuals and organizations to feel a bit lost. And that’s okay—we’re all in this difficult time together. Luckily, there are a lot of amazing people and companies working hard to support their communities right now. Today, we would like to...
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S01E35 - How Businesses Can Build With a Legacy Mindset with Graham Pansing Brooks
Graham Pansing Brooks joins us on the podcast once again this week with a treasure trove of knowledge from the Stagen Reunion—a conference for businesses who plan for the long, long game. Companies move quickly these days, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in planning through generations…
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S01E34 - Social Media Storytelling Minisode 4: Social Media Advertising
Every day, your audiences are bombarded by endless content on the endless scroll of social media. It’s not hard to understand why people can feel social media fatigue—and why they cope by tuning out the majority of what they see. To cut through that endless scroll and really connect with someone...
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S01E33 - Social Media Storytelling Minisode 3: Closing the Deal
As we discussed in the first installment of this miniseries, social media has so many awesome capabilities beyond just asking your audience to buy your goods and services. Selling shouldn’t always be your top priority on social—but eventually you gotta turn that devoted follower into a devoted...
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S01E32 - Social Media Storytelling Minisode 2: Engagement
There are several competing philosophies about what social media engagement is and how to measure it. Tracking a number of likes, shares or comments is a valuable piece of engagement, but it’s part of something even bigger. The storytelling capabilities of social media open up a whole world of...
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S01E31- Social Media Storytelling Minisode 1: Value-Driven Content
Over the next four weeks, we’re taking a dive into the wild world of social media strategy with a focus on powerful storytelling. Purposeful brands have purposeful stories to share, and those stories can create invaluable connections with an invested audience. Week 1 is all about value-driven...
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S01E30 - How Genuine Storytelling Can Shape Our Social Media Interactions
All of us—individuals, brands, nonprofits, movements—have a story. But as we’ve learned from the great Joseph Campbell (check out Myths & Monsters on Netflix), we are all really telling the same amazing story of humanity. All we need to find is what we want to add to the story. This week, we...
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S01E29 - Building Business Strategies for the Long Game in the 2020s
In business and life right now, there seems to be a need for speed and immediacy. Each task needs to get done ASAP so you can move to the next one ASAP. While moving quickly can be an essential skill, we want to talk about the value of planning, vision and tenacity for the 2020s. This week, we...
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S01E28 - Leveraging Social Media to Tell (Not Sell) the Impact Story
People don’t like to be sold to. On the other hand, people love to learn and become empowered to make their own decisions, especially purchases. Too many brands overlook the opportunity of aiding consumers in their journey to discovery and prefer to sell, sell, sell. Something as simple as a...
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S01E27 - How to Rethink and Re-Energize Your Communication
The meetings grind and distraction-ridden environments we’ve created for ourselves can lead to bad tendencies, hollow statements and communication breakdowns. But if we retrain to be more mindful, intentional and vulnerable, we can see work in a whole new light. There’s power in listening—not…
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S01E26 - Shifting Perspectives on Balance, Efficiency and Work Schedules
In order to change the culture of work to better fit modern families, we need start by changing our perspectives on how work should be conducted. We can then discover and solves the subtle inefficiencies that keep us tied to work. Decades ago, it was predicted that technology would help us attain…
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S01E25 - Can we Adapt the Entrepreneurial Spirit to Face Challenges of the Future?
Our chat with Jessica Charlsen last week inspired us to reflect on the modern work landscape, and we just had to spend another episode sharing our thoughts. Chasing career dreams is more possible than ever, but a side effect of this thriving entrepreneur landscape is a romanticization of…
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S01E24 - How Job Sharing Can Bring Fulfillment With Jessica Charlsen
This ultra-connected world means working parents are only a text away from everyone who needs them, but it also poses challenges in the pursuit of a healthy work/life balance. Jessica Charlsen, cofounder of Job Share Connect, is passionate about helping women re-enter the workforce after having...
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S01E23 - What are 2020 Business Trends that Support Purpose?
As a new decade approaches, new business technologies and strategies are emerging at a faster rate than ever. All of them are meant to make businesses better and more efficient in unique ways, but the sheer amount of choice can be overwhelming. Today, Angie and Andrew look forward to 2020 with an...
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S01E22 - Giving Without Gimmicks
How can we genuinely commit to goodness beyond the holidays? The holidays are the primary time each year when giving back is at the forefront of most people’s and organization’s minds. The warm kindness of the holiday season naturally lends itself to helping others, but that generosity shouldn’t…
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S01E21 - How 1% For The Planet Activates the Power of Conscious Consumption
This week, with the holiday giving season in full swing, we’re taking a deep dive into a movement we really love: 1% For The Planet. 1% For The Planet is not only an organization that encourages businesses give 1 percent of their profit to environmental causes, it is a jumping-off point for...
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S01E20 - Why Purpose-Driven Business is Taking Over and Why it Matters
Eighty percent of millennials think businesses should be committed to bringing positive change to society. Being a purpose-driven business is no longer just a nice thing to say, it’s expected by consumers. So what does that mean for employers, job seekers and the entire workforce? Today, Angie…
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S01E019 - What Does It Mean to Live with Purpose?
Today, Andrew and Angie break down organizational purpose, individual purpose and how they work together to crystallize a company’s goals. Purpose is each organization’s true differentiator, and clear purpose allows leadership to create an environment where everyone’s unique abilities work toward...
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S01E18 - Making Big Impacts in Big Industries with Amy Infante
Amy Infante is the CEO and owner of GitGo, a lead-generation company for the hotel and hospitality industry. She recently returned to her hometown of Wisner, Nebraska, and set up GitGo’s headquarters in the town of 1,200 people. As GitGo has grown, Amy has shifted the company’s focus to better...
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S01E17 - Living and working to Do More Good
This week, we’re reflecting on moments from the 2019 Do More Good Conference that inspired, shocked, amazed and reminded us how businesses of all industries are taking little steps every day to do good. Join us as we unpack the most goosebump-inducing moments of the conference and discover the…
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S01E16 - How Every Business Can Do More Good with Graham Pansing Brooks
This week, we dive into the world of the Do More Good movement with native Lincolnite Graham Pansing Brooks. Graham’s career has taken him around the country and inspired him to return to the middle of everywhere to spark a spirit of giving in Nebraska’s businesses. Listen in to learn how Graham...
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S01E15 - The Future of Sustainability and Stewardship With Ken McCarty
“Any progress is good progress. Just get started.” Ken McCarty and his three brothers are dairy farmers at McCarty Farms in Kansas, Nebraska and Ohio. They are committed to sustainability and define it as creating an ecosystem that can support their business into the future and creating business...
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S01E14 - Energizing Brands to Ignite Connections with Lance Koenig
“If it’s meaningful and you’ve got something to say, DO IT.” Lance Koenig, SVP of global strategy at The Martin Agency, is always cooking up new ways for brands to say something that means something. He develops marketing strategy for iconic brands like Oreo and isn’t afraid to take some risks…
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S01E13 - The Summit of Servant Leadership with Tony Goins
Tony Goins, director of economic development at the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and founder of Capital Cigar Lounge, believes everything can be a chance to learn and serve others. So when an opportunity appeared to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the charity Waterboys, Tony didn’t...
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S01E12 - Intention and Capacity to Lead with Rand Stagen
Becoming a great leader isn’t just a statement one can make. Rand Stagen formed the Stagen Leadership Academy to develop leaders that leaves people not only inspired but pairs them with a leadership coach and provides tools to generate true transformation. Beyond the Academy, Stagen joined...
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S01E11 - Storytelling with Purpose with John Rood
How does a timeless brand like Disney stand out in today’s oversaturation of kids’ content? We sat down with John Rood, SVP of Marketing at Disney Channels Worldwide, to find out. By owning its niche market, Disney has mastered storytelling with a higher purpose. Its staff of high achievers knows...
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S01E10 - Finding Your Voice to Create Change with Kevin Hancock
Established in 1848, Hancock Lumber Company is a sixth-generation, family-owned business operating a land company, sawmill division, a network of retail lumber yards, home design showrooms and a truss manufacturing facility. In 2010, CEO Kevin Hancock started losing his voice and was soon…
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S01E09 - Going All In with Brandon and Tammy Day
Having a corporate giveback program isn’t just for B2C companies. Daycos is a family-run business that provides revenue-based services to transportation and moving companies. Through the vision of the organization’s founders and leadership, Brandon and Tammy Day, Daycos made the decision to…
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S01E08 - Leading with Empathy with Jamie Peer
Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Peer is a former Professor of Military Science for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. While in her role, she took civilian college students and prepared them for officer positions in the U.S. Army. Then and now, Jamie’s goal is to develop leaders who guide with dignity…
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S01E07 - Being a B Corporation with Jay Coen Gilbert
We are honored to have Jay Coen Gilbert, one of the three co-founders of the Certified B Corporation movement and B Labs, on the podcast. B Labs assesses companies’ social and environmental performance and holds them publicly accountable to stakeholders beyond shareholders alone through impact on...
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S01E06 - The Articulation of Impact and Purpose with Ed O'Boyle
This week's episode of The ROI of Why explores the energy and passion that fuels purpose. Angie and Andrew are joined by Ed O'Boyle to discuss his views around driving change within the walls of an organization and the markets they serve. Ed serves as Gallup’s global practice leader. He oversees...
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S01E05 - The Miles and Distance of Blindness with Physicians Thrive
Roughly 1.3 billion people are affected by visual impairment and approximately 80% of blindness is curable. This powerful statistic gripped the founders of Physicians Thrive and compelled them to not only dedicate resources towards helping the blind see, but led them to develop a mobile app that...
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S01E04 - A Case Study for Impact with Spreetail
Spreetail is a fast-growing ecommerce organization that has placed purpose and impact at the forefront of their why. A percentage of every transaction is donated to a nonprofit or charitable organization of the customer’s choosing—a business model that has allowed Spreetail to shift the…
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S01E03 - Moments That Matter with Michelle Kinder
The first of many conversations from the Do More Good Conference, this week’s episode of the ROI of Why explores purpose, impact and culture from the perspective of Michelle Kinder. Michelle is a speaker, writer, consultant, coach and the former executive director of Momentous Institute. She has...
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S01E02 - The Do More Good Movement with Jay Wilkinson
A fresh perspective is permeating the business world. The much-needed trajectory shift is focused on organizations discovering their purpose to maximize the impact on their staff, clients, communities and our planet. In the for-profit free market, this concept may sound like a new undertaking…
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S01E01 - The Why Behind the ROI of Why
The ROI of Why seeks to discover the motivation and implementation tactics used by businesses across the globe to drive their impact and purpose. In this week’s episode, Angie and Andrew discuss their backgrounds and the inspiration for launching the show. The two set the stage for the future of...
About this show
Seeking to uncover the correlation between purpose and business, The ROI of Why explores all things impact related within different markets and sectors. Every week, Graham and Andrew investigate the growing shift that is placing people over profits. The two connect with business owners, entrepreneurs, and influential members of organizations to better understand what drives their business models to place a heavy emphasis on doing good within their communities, their markets, and the world.
Hosted by
Andrew Tuzson
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