A practical look at democratic governance, decision-making, and why workplace democracy is a core skill for the Next Economy.
The Transformative Power of Restorative Justice (w/ Malachi Scott)
Restorative justice is about creating the conditions for healing for everyone affected by harm. Few people understand that more personally than Malachi Scott, whose life was transformed by restorative justice while he was incarcerated.
Why Shared Ownership Matters in the Next Economy
How shared ownership, worker ownership, cooperatives, and community ownership can shift wealth, power, and accountability in mission-driven enterprise.
What Would Business Look Like If It Met Basic Needs First?
A business that meets basic needs first begins with the question: Does this good or service help people and communities meet real needs in ways that do not undermine the ability of others or future generations to meet theirs? In the Next Economy, this means prioritizing food, water, shelter, health, energy, transportation, education, care, culture, and other foundations of collective well-being above manufactured demand or profit maximization.
Why this is Radical
In the business-as-usual economy, many enterprises are not designed around meeting needs. They are designed around market opportunity, shareholder return, consumer desire, convenience, or growth. That means enormous creative energy is spent selling products that are unnecessary, while many people still lack access to food, clean water, safe housing, healthcare, transportation, and meaningful work.
Starting with basic needs reverses the logic. It asks entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to begin with life, not with the market. What do people need to live well? Who is being left out? Who has been most extracted from? What would it take to meet that need in a way that also regenerates ecosystems and builds community wealth?
Needs are Contextual
There is no perfectly objective list that applies the same way everywhere. Needs are shaped by place, culture, history, ecology, and power. That is why Next Economy work must be grounded in relationships. Communities closest to the harm should help define what is needed. A food enterprise, for example, should not only ask whether it sells food. It should ask whether the food is nourishing, culturally appropriate, accessible, ecologically responsible, and connected to food sovereignty. In some contexts, it might even ask the provocative question whether food should be bought and sold at all, but of course in our current reality as we transition to the next economy, in most cases the farmers will require sales of food to sustain their work and livelihoods.
The Access Question
A just transition cannot be built only through expensive products for a narrow market segment. If a regenerative good or service is only available to wealthy consumers, it may be a step, but it is not enough. Need-oriented enterprise asks how access can be designed into the model itself: through sliding scale pricing, cooperative ownership, public or philanthropic support, local supply webs, shared infrastructure, community financing, or creative partnerships.
Questions for Builders
If you are designing a new project, begin with these questions:
What basic need does this enterprise help meet?
Who currently lacks access to that need?
Does the enterprise increase equitable access or deepen inequality?
What harms or externalities could be produced along the way?
How could the model be redesigned to support people, place, and future generations?
Learn More With The Next Economy MBA
The Next Economy MBA uses principles like this as design tools for enterprise creation. Download the Course Outline and FAQ to see how participants apply these ideas to their own organizations and projects.
Building Stronger Communities Through Restorative Justice (w/ David Yusem)
How can we create communities where conflict becomes an opportunity for healing instead of punishment? Today, David Yusem joins us to explore the transformative potential of restorative justice.
Why Traditional MBA Programs Can Feel Outdated for Sustainable Business Leaders
Why many purpose-driven leaders are looking beyond traditional MBA programs and toward practical, community-based business education rooted in regeneration and justice.
What Is the Next Economy?
A clear definition of the Next Economy and how it differs from business as usual, sustainability, ESG, and social enterprise.
Who Will Benefit from AI? Why Ownership and Governance Matter
AI companies promise that automation will eliminate rote and repetitive tasks, free people’s time, and improve our quality of life. But technology alone will not determine whether those promises are realized.
The more important questions are: Who owns the businesses deploying AI? Who participates in decisions about how it is introduced? And who receives the value it creates?
What Is the Next Economy MBA?
A plain-language introduction to the Next Economy MBA, an alternative business educational experience for people building a regenerative, equitable, and locally self-reliant economy.
Growing the Future of Regenerative Agriculture (w/ Wendy Johnson)
Next Economy Now is a weekly social impact podcast sharing stories & dialogue from the front lines of the new economy. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or wherever you find your podcasts.
How do you bridge the worlds of regenerative and commodity agriculture? Wendy Johnson, land steward, farmer, and owner of Jóia Food and Fiber Farm, joins Erin Axelrod to share her experience farming in northern Iowa while working across both regenerative and conventional agricultural systems. Drawing on her background in fashion, farming, and agricultural advocacy, Wendy reflects on how her journey reshaped her understanding of food, fiber, and the role agriculture can play in creating a more resilient future.
The conversation explores Wendy's transition back to her family farm, how regenerative grazing, perennial crops, and diversified farming support healthier ecosystems, and why food and fiber deserve equal attention in conversations about sustainability. Wendy also discusses the financial, policy, and infrastructure barriers that make regenerative farming difficult to scale, while explaining how partnerships and conservation programs can help support the transition to regenerative agriculture.
Along the way, Wendy offers an honest perspective on transitioning conventional farmland, the promise of perennial grains and regional supply chains, and why advocacy is essential for the future of agriculture. Discover how regenerative farming can reconnect people with the land and help cultivate healthier communities for generations to come.
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What You’ll Learn:
Discover how Wendy's journey from fashion to farming reshaped her understanding of food and fiber. [0:01:37]
Explore what a day at Jóia Food and Fiber Farm reveals about regenerative agriculture. [0:09:49]
Understand how funding, policy, and partnerships are shaping the future of regenerative agriculture. [0:15:33]
Learn what's needed to transition conventional farms to regenerative agriculture at scale. [0:23:52]
Discover why farmers, funders, consumers, and advocates all play a role in transforming agriculture. [0:33:00]
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Memorable Quotations:
“All around us is corn, and we're this little green island, 130 acres of regeneration.” — Wendy Johnson [0:11:29]
“We are 100% perennial, so that means we don't have a lot of annual crops like corn or soybeans.” — Wendy Johnson [0:12:49]
“The pillars of capital and infrastructure and policy and markets; all those things really need to fall in place for the type of agriculture that we're doing.” — Wendy Johnson [0:28:09]
“We are a part of an agricultural system, whether we think we are or we aren't. Every single one of us on planet Earth is.” — Wendy Johnson [0:33:28]
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Wendy Johnson – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-johnson-27b9777/
Jóia Food & Fiber Farm – Website: https://www.joiafoodfarm.com/
Fibershed – Website: https://fibershed.org/
Mad Agriculture – Website: https://madagriculture.org/
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) – Website: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
Explore More from LIFT Economy:
Subscribe to Next Economy Now wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-economy-now-for-the-benefit-of-all-life/id1074584017
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36p6xgHCr8BY9jZyIaQPYB
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Stay connected with the LIFT Economy team for more conversations and resources on building an economy that works for all life:
Newsletter: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter
Next Economy MBA: https://lifteconomy.com/mba
Building Community Sufficiency at Melliodora (w/ Su Dennett)
Next Economy Now is a weekly social impact podcast sharing stories & dialogue from the front lines of the new economy. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or wherever you find your podcasts.
What would change if we treated the household as a living economy, not just a place to rest between workdays? Su Dennett, permaculture elder and local food pioneer, joins Erin Axelrod to explore how daily life can foster resilience, care, and cultural change. Su lives at Melliodora, the internationally recognized permaculture demonstration site in Central Victoria, Australia, with her partner, permaculture co-originator David Holmgren.
In their conversation, Su discusses what it was like growing up with a self-sufficiency mindset, living in food-conscious cultures in Greece and Italy, and eventually helping shape life at Melliodora. She shares how tending goats, growing food, preparing meals, managing household systems, and building exchange-based relationships have informed her understanding of what it means to live well outside systematic norms.
They explore the difference between self-sufficiency and community sufficiency, and how local food networks and direct relationships with growers can help people rely less on fragile systems. Su also talks about raising children close to the land, reclaiming domestic work from the monetary economy, building health through daily routines, and learning to set boundaries in a community.
Tune in to challenge your ideas about household economics, interdependence, parenting, and the simple yet necessary act of getting back in the dirt.
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What You’ll Learn:
Learn how Su’s early life shaped her connection to food, land, and self-sufficiency. [0:02:08]
Explore how Melliodora’s household economy works through food, animals, and exchange-based living. [0:08:15]
Discover how Su attracted people to Melliodora and introduced them to shared permaculture living. [0:13:50]
Hear Su’s views on retirement and preventative health care, and why she thinks individual agency can drive systemic transformation. [0:17:33]
Unpack Su’s philosophy around parenting, resilience, nature, and learning through daily immersion. [0:30:28]
Understand how she approaches task prioritisation, delegation, boundaries, conflict, and emotional learning in a shared community. [0:45:23]
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Memorable Quotations:
“When you live and work together a lot in a partnership, then you need to have separate domains.” — Su Dennett [0:08:16]
“You don’t need to be self-sufficient, you need to be community efficient.” — Su Dennett [0:11:00]
“Living out of the cities, I think, is such a luxury. And living close to the dirt where you do get your immune boost.” — Su Dennett [0:24:23]
“That’s in general, in life, you don’t rely on anything that you do for yourself. Everything has to be given out to a professional.” — Su Dennett [0:26:28]
“The systemic transformation must always come after the individual transformation.” — Su Dennett [0:27:17]
“We’ve got to take things back into the non-monetary economy.” — Su Dennett [0:39:35]
“Enjoy [the] journey and make sure you’re out in the dirt.” — Su Dennett [0:55:48]
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Su Dennett – Website: https://holmgren.com.au/about-holmgren-permaculture-design/
Melliodora – Website: https://melliodora.com/
RetroSuburbia – Book Link: https://retrosuburbia.com/book/
Artist as Family – Website: https://artistasfamily.is/
If Women Counted: A New Feminist Economics – Book Link: https://www.marilynwaring.com/publications/if-women-counted.asp
Radical Homemakers – Book Link: https://www.abebooks.com/9780979439117/Radical-Homemakers-Reclaiming-Domesticity-Consumer-0979439116/plp
Explore More from LIFT Economy:
Subscribe to Next Economy Now wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-economy-now-for-the-benefit-of-all-life/id1074584017
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36p6xgHCr8BY9jZyIaQPYB
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Stay connected with the LIFT Economy team for more conversations and resources on building an economy that works for all life:
Newsletter: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter
Next Economy MBA: https://lifteconomy.com/mba
One Precious Life, One Sustainable Economy (w/Dror Yaron)
Next Economy Now is a weekly social impact podcast sharing stories & dialogue from the front lines of the new economy. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or wherever you find your podcasts.
What if there were a way you could make a difference in the world and be successful financially? Today on Next Economy Now, we welcome Dror Yaron, a purpose-driven life and leadership coach who helps overwhelmed business leaders by rebuilding and reenergizing his community, while also facilitating conversations about humanizing business and practical ethics. Dror shares his career journey from the Israeli military to ethics coach and tells us why, for him, his focus has always been on ‘the people’ and supporting their ‘precious lives’.
This conversation explores Dror’s vision for an ecosystem of leaders committed to building a sustainable world through business. We reflect on Social Venture Network’s mission and initiatives committed to sustainability and touch on how Dror supports his clients in reclaiming their joy and sense of purpose in order to thrive both personally and professionally. He shares his thoughts on the role of ethics in technology and the power of prioritizing the thriving of life and human happiness.
Dror also delves into why he believes that business leaders can make good money and do a lot of good in the world before discussing some of the biggest ethics issues he is tackling. Listen in for a fascinating discussion about the power of finding joy in work, the importance of prioritizing sustainability, and how leaders can live good lives and make a difference at the same time.
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What You’ll Learn:
Discover what Social Venture Network does, its evolution, and the role Dror plays in it. [0:10:50]
Learn about Social Venture Network’s Peer Circles initiative and new groups they’re starting. [0:15:38]
Explore the ecosystem Dror is trying to build in the world of purpose-driven business. [0:19:30]
Understand how our guest is helping leaders reclaim their joy and purpose. [0:23:09]
Unpack Dror’s opinion on the role of ethics in technology in the future. [0:25:57]
Examine some of the ethical issues at the forefront of Dror’s mind and how he is confronting them. [0:29:20]
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Memorable Quotations:
“I want to help people succeed [in] a purpose-driven business.” — Dror Yaron [0:18:27]
“I hold space, and I give permission. That’s my job as a coach.” — Dror Yaron [0:19:40]
“[Business] is there to make a living. It is also there to solve problems for people, which a lot of us forget.” — Dror Yaron [0:25:45]
“You can do good in the world and make a lot of money.” — Dror Yaron [0:28:56]
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Dror Yaron – Website: https://ethics.coach/
Dror Yaron – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/droryaron/
Dror Yaron – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dror04/
Ethics MVP Framework for startups cohorts: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10Atv_ZWx1ui0rOUIpBUUjyiJOYln8czX/view
Zebras Unite: https://zebrasunite.coop/
Opportunity Collaboration: https://ocimpact.com/
Social Ventures Institute: https://www.socialventuresfoundation.org/institute
Socia Venture Network: https://www.svn.org/
SVN Global Gathering: https://www.svngathering.org/
Explore More from LIFT Economy:
Subscribe to Next Economy Now wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-economy-now-for-the-benefit-of-all-life/id1074584017
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36p6xgHCr8BY9jZyIaQPYB
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Stay connected with the LIFT Economy team for more conversations and resources on building an economy that works for all life:
Newsletter: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter
Next Economy MBA: https://lifteconomy.com/mba
Celebrating World Localization Day (w/ Helena Norberg-Hodge)
One of the most important steps to improving our global economy is to work towards stronger systems of localization. Helena Norberg-Hodge, linguist, author, director, founder of Local Futures, and leader of the New Economy Movement, joins us to explore her work as an activist trying to change the global economy through greater localization.
Creating Place-Based Systems Change (w/Matt Biggar)
How can communities reconnect with place while shifting away from extractive systems? Matt Biggar, researcher, consultant, and author of Connected to Place, joins Kevin Bayuk to explore how place-based systems change can help regenerate nature, strengthen communities, and build more resilient local economies. Drawing on his background in education, sustainability, and transportation research, Matt reflects on the experiences that shaped his thinking and the frameworks he now uses to understand systemic change.
Can Next Economy Companies Become Incorruptible? (w/ Eric Ries)
Most companies don’t set out to abandon their mission, but they are often pulled off course by the systems they operate within. In this episode, Eric Ries, creator of The Lean Startup Method and founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange, joins Ryan Honeyman to examine how financial and governance structures shape company behavior over time. Eric is the author of multiple titles, including the New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup, and his new book, Incorruptible. Eric brings a systems-level perspective to what it takes to build for the long term, informed by years of working with companies at every stage of growth.
Building a Functional Society Through Restorative Justice (w/ Gerald Partridge)
Next Economy Now is a weekly social impact podcast sharing stories & dialogue from the front lines of the new economy. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or wherever you find your podcasts.
Can you imagine the kind of healing and reconciliation that could be possible in society if Restorative Justice were used as an alternative to traditional criminal justice? Gerald Partridge joins us today to explore the power and value of Restorative Justice in building a civilized society. Gerald is a retired career prosecutor who has used Restorative Justice throughout his career to solve sensitive and complex criminal cases. Justice has always been important to Gerald, and when he discovered Restorative Justice, he knew it was the best way forward for society.
In this conversation, Phoenix and Gerald discuss the “bad fruit” being produced by the traditional criminal justice system, how Restorative Justice fills the gaps that system creates, exactly how the process works, why victims want to participate in this process, the benefits of reconciliation, and more. Gerald goes on to break down the three questions that make up a Restorative Justice conference before discussing how listeners can learn more about Restorative Justice and what we can do to support this reformative system.
Finally, our guest shares some real-life instances where Restorative Justice has transformed lives. If you want to hear all this and learn how Restorative Justice changes the “us versus them” narrative into a sense of unity among people, be sure to press play now.
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What You’ll Learn:
Discover the issues Restorative Justice addresses that traditional criminal justice ignores. [0:05:35]
Learn how the Restorative Justice system works, step-by-step, and why victims of crime participate. [0:12:46]
Explore the three questions that make up the Restorative Justice conference. [0:33:59]
Hear about how you can get involved in supporting the Restorative Justice system. [0:40:19]
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Memorable Quotations:
“If you’re going to build a civilization and a society, Restorative Justice really should be the cornerstone.” — Gerald Partridge [0:05:05]
“The criminal justice system is, ‘Nail them, jail them. You do the crime, you do the time, you get what you deserve,’ and Restorative Justice does it better.” — Gerald Partridge [0:11:09]
“When you give people the opportunity to be human beings, sometimes, they really are.” — Gerald Partridge [0:30:07]
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Sign up for Gerald Partridge’s Webinar – One Giant Leap for Criminal Justice Reform: https://one-giant-leap-for-criminal-justice.mailchimpsites.com/
Gerald Partridge – Email Address: [email protected]
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Explore More from LIFT Economy:
Phoenix Soleil – Website: https://www.phoenixsoleil.com/
Phoenix Soleil – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phoenix-soleil-68b4431/
Subscribe to Next Economy Now wherever you get your podcasts:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-economy-now-for-the-benefit-of-all-life/id1074584017
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36p6xgHCr8BY9jZyIaQPYB
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/Lifteconomy
Stay connected with the LIFT Economy team for more conversations and resources on building an economy that works for all life:
Newsletter: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter
Next Economy MBA: https://lifteconomy.com/mba
Building a More Sustainable Textile Industry (w/ Brianna Kilcullen)
Rethinking everyday products and how they’re made can open the door to transforming entire systems. In this conversation, Brianna Kilcullen, founder of Anact, a sustainable towel brand, joins host Erin Axelrod to explore how natural materials and supply chain innovation can move the textile industry toward a more regenerative future. Drawing on her experience in global apparel supply chains, Brianna shares what led her to build a brand rooted in circular design, transparency, and activism.
Rebuilding Healthcare for the Benefit of All (w/ Dave Chase)
What if the real reason healthcare keeps getting more expensive isn’t doctors or patients, but a benefits system that is designed to reward overspending instead of better health outcomes? In this episode, healthcare entrepreneur Dave Chase, founder of Health Rosetta, joins host Kevin Bayuk to unpack what is wrong with U.S. healthcare and what needs to change to realign the system towards better outcomes.
Rethinking Waste in a Circular Economy (w/Tom Szaky)
What if waste isn’t an inevitable byproduct of modern life, but a design flaw we can solve? In this conversation, Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, joins host Kevin Bayuk to explore how businesses can rethink waste and build systems that move us toward a circular economy. More than two decades ago, Tom founded TerraCycle with a mission focused on Eliminating the Idea of Waste®, growing the company from an early vermicompost venture into a global platform that recycles some of the world’s hardest-to-process materials.
Degrowth, Disaster Justice, and Building a Post-Growth Society with Feroz Khan
What if perpetual economic growth is part of the problem, not the solution? Feroz Khan explores how degrowth and disaster justice could guide a more sustainable and equitable future.