Behind the 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.