SowGood To GrowGood

John Kane Gonzales
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SowGood to GrowGood is where changemakers, social entrepreneurs, and mission-driven leaders get real about what it actually takes to build sustainable systems for change. Each 30–60 minute conversation dives into the human stories, bottlenecks, and breakthrough ideas behind organizations tackling our most pressing challenges—from climate action and community development to social justice and regenerative systems. ​ Hosted by systems innovator John Kane Gonzales, the show goes beyond polished PR to explore the practical mechanics of scaling impact without selling out your mission. Guests share what sparked their work, how they navigate funding, operations, and team dynamics, and the concrete decisions that helped them grow from early experiments to solutions that truly scale. ​ Drawing on frameworks like the Five Stages of Organizational Growth, SowGood to GrowGood helps listeners see where they are in their own journey, anticipate what's ahead, and discover actionable strategies they can use right away. Each episode is designed to plant seeds—insights, connections, and examples—that compound over time into movements, organizations, and systems that transform communities.

Episodes

  1. 23H AGO

    How DonorsChoose Helps Government Get Teachers Supplies in 2 Weeks

    Teachers in affluent schools spend $600 of their own money every year on classroom supplies. In high-poverty schools, teachers spend double that. Something's fundamentally broken in how we fund education—and Jessica Thorne spent 14 years learning exactly where those cracks are. After working across school districts, state legislatures, and education policy, she joined DonorsChoose as Vice President of Government Partnerships. The platform has channeled $1.8 billion to teachers over 25 years, and now Jessica's working to make it permanent government infrastructure—embedding DonorsChoose into state education budgets in Utah, Hawaii, Nevada, and Delaware, proving that mission-driven organizations can become essential, not optional.   "Teachers are the future of this country and they are taking care of our children every day and they bear this massive responsibility. I think the least we can do is let them kind of guide the way." - Jessica Thorne   🚀 Key Takeaways: Transparency builds trust faster than polish: DonorsChoose shows every item, every price, every donor—making the platform trustworthy enough for government partnerships worth millions. Speed and accuracy matter more than scale: Getting supplies to teachers in 2 weeks versus 18 months made DonorsChoose irreplaceable to states managing COVID relief funds. Grassroots beats top-down every time: Letting teachers define their own needs creates better outcomes than one-size-fits-all government programs dictating what classrooms should have. Government partnerships require proof, not promises: Utah, Hawaii, Nevada, and Delaware built DonorsChoose into permanent state budgets because the platform delivered measurable, fast results. Fighting for funding never stops, even at $150M: Success doesn't end the hustle—donor attention shifts, priorities change, and mission-driven organizations must constantly innovate to sustain impact.   ⏳ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Jessica Thorne and DonorsChoose 01:36 How personal school experiences shaped her mission 05:18 What equity means in education and why it matters 09:12 Breaking into government funding and policy work 15:34 Moving from schools to policy and legislation 19:37 How DonorsChoose works and why teachers trust it 24:42 Why DonorsChoose exists when government could do this work 27:28 Government partnerships during COVID-19 crisis 33:24 Building trust through transparency and operational excellence 46:25 Reaching 90% of US schools and raising $150M annually 55:32 Using platform data to inform state education policy 1:02:26 Lessons on grassroots funding versus top-down mandates   🔗 Connect with Jessica Thorne Website: https://www.donorschoose.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-thorne   🔗Resources Mentioned Support a teacher or get funded: Visit https://www.donorschoose.org to get involved DonorsChoose on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/donorschoose/    🎙️ About SowGood to GrowGood: Hosted by John Kane Gonzales, entrepreneur and innovator. We explore how change-makers and innovators are building sustainable systems for a better future, turning ideas into scalable impact.

    1h 8m

  2. JAN 27

    Why Venture Capitalists Don't Invest in Social Enterprises

    Social entrepreneurs spend years building solutions that could transform communities, only to hear the same answer from venture capitalists: no. The frustration is real. The question is constant. Why don't VCs invest in social enterprises? Dr. Luis Martinez has a unique answer because he's lived on both sides. As director of Trinity University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, he helped launch 65+ student ventures that raised $60 million in external funding. Now, as Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory, he works with one of Texas's most active early-stage investors managing 750+ portfolio companies including eight unicorns. In this episode, host John Kane Gonzales gets Luis to pull back the curtain on the hard realities of venture capital, why impact alone isn't enough, and what it actually takes to build a social enterprise that can scale.   "Being a startup founder is impossibly hard. Being a startup founder that is also driven by social impact? Congratulations, you're on advanced mode." - Dr. Luis Martinez   🚀 Key Takeaways: VCs Aren't Giving You Money, They're Investing for Returns: Venture capitalists promise their investors superior returns (10-20x) in 7-10 years—impact alone isn't enough, it has to come with velocity and scale in a compressed timeline. Social Impact VCs Exist, But They're Rare: There are funds with social enterprise as their thesis, but performance hasn't always matched traditional VC returns, and some investors handle impact through philanthropy instead of expecting investment returns. The Three Levels of Fit: Problem-solution fit (does your solution work?), value proposition-customer fit (will someone pay for it?), and product-market fit (can it scale?)—most social entrepreneurs get stuck at level two. You May Not Be the Founder Who Scales It: The team that takes a company from 0 to 10 is often not the team that takes it from 10 to 100—knowing whether you want to be king or rich is critical. Stop Planning, Start Building: Go build a real business with real customers and real revenue before seeking VC funding—if you can't convince people you know to invest, you'll never convince institutional investors.   ⏳ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Luis and Capital Factory 01:40 Luis's journey from organic chemist to VC 05:09 How Trinity launched 65+ student ventures with $60 million raised 08:01 The four components of startup success: idea, capital, mentors, talent 13:01 Why social entrepreneurship flourished in the 2010s 15:07 The nonlinear path from science to entrepreneurship 18:31 English majors launching tech companies at Trinity 21:05 Creating value vs capturing value in entrepreneurship 23:36 The difference between Trinity and Capital Factory 28:44 Why VCs promise superior returns to their investors 32:26 What venture scale actually means: velocity matters 34:49 Why social impact VCs are less common 39:07 The competitive advantage question most founders miss 44:18 The three levels of fit every entrepreneur must master 46:21 What makes a business actually scalable 49:27 Do you want to be king or rich? You can't have both 52:16 Go build a real business first 54:04 What would flip VCs toward social enterprise investing 59:12 Five pieces of practical advice for social entrepreneurs 01:04:43 Where to find Luis   🔗 Connect with Luis Martinez Website: https://capitalfactory.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drluismartinez/  X: https://x.com/DrLuisEMartinez    🔗 Resources Mentioned Capital Factory Portfolio: 750+ companies, 8 of Texas's 20 unicorns https://capitalfactory.com/portfolio/    🎙️ About SowGood to GrowGood: Hosted by John Kane Gonzales, entrepreneur and innovator. We explore how change-makers and innovators are building sustainable systems for a better future, turning ideas into scalable impact.

    1h 6m

  3. JAN 27

    How to Start a Local Currency With a Notebook and Trust

    Chris Hewitt had a problem. Every time he tried to explain his local currency project, people's eyes would roll back in their heads. For six years, he watched potential members tune out the moment he started talking about money, economics, and alternative systems. In this episode, host John Kane Gonzales sits down with Chris, co-founder and executive director of Hudson Valley Current, a 12-year-old nonprofit local currency that's exchanged over 2 million "currents" across 400+ members. You'll hear how a sales coach taught him to stop explaining money and start talking about benefits, why he built a restaurant and magazine to make the currency actually work, and how he transformed from being 95% grant-dependent to generating 60% of revenue through diversified streams.   "We don't really understand exchange. We know that the dollar works to buy us things, to earn us money for our jobs, but we don't as a society understand money in a complex and deep way and how powerful we are with every dollar." - Chris Hewitt   🚀 Key Takeaways: Stop Explaining, Start Showing Benefits: A sales coach taught Chris to talk about four benefits—innovative, hyper-local, shifts narrative, saves money—instead of explaining economic theory. Extractive vs Regenerative Economics: The dollar extracts wealth and centralizes it in corporate headquarters, while local currencies regenerate communities by keeping money circulating locally. Build the Missing Infrastructure: When not enough businesses accepted currents, Chris built a restaurant and magazine that take 100% currents to prove the model works. Revenue Diversification Takes Time: Hudson Valley Current went from 95% grant-dependent to 60% diversified revenue over 12 years through eight different streams. Start With What You Have: You can start a local currency with a notebook tracking barters, then scale to software like Cyclos when ready.   ⏳ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Chris and Hudson Valley Current 01:49 The 2004 conference that sparked the idea 04:33 What is a local currency and how is it legal 06:05 Understanding exchange and how money really works 10:53 Why Chris built Tilda's Kitchen to fix the catch-22 13:52 Why supporting local economies matters 17:38 Regional specialization and the bio-regional economy vision 22:37 The triple bottom line: people, planet, profit 24:58 The sales coach who changed everything 27:09 Extractive economy vs regenerative economy 32:21 From revolutionary to evolutionary leadership 37:45 Revenue diversification: 95% grants to 60% earned income 41:54 Ratcheting your fundraising success 46:10 How mutual credit systems actually work 50:32 Building momentum with the first members 54:33 The marsh ecosystem metaphor for currency flow 59:40 Technology, people, and community building 01:05:29 Proving the model: 40% income in currents 01:12:27 Small gatherings drive currency movement 01:18:55 Why Chris is stepping down as executive director 01:21:22 Staying flexible while avoiding mission drift 01:25:55 It's just money—and it's justice money   🔗 Connect with Chris Hewitt Website: https://hudsonvalleycurrent.org  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hewitt-423a691b4/    🔗 Resources Mentioned Tilda's Kitchen & Market: 630 Broadway, Kingston, NY | https://tildaskitchenandmarket.com Midtown Lively (Publication): https://midtownlively.org 🎙️ About SowGood to GrowGood: Hosted by John Kane Gonzales, entrepreneur and innovator. We explore how change-makers and innovators are building sustainable systems for a better future, turning ideas into scalable impact.

    1h 29m

  4. JAN 27

    Once You See Fashion's Waste Problem, You Can't Unsee It

    Camille Tagle was living her dream—designing evening wear for luxury fashion brands, seeing her gowns on red carpets. Then one day, her boss looked at hundreds of fabric samples they'd ordered and said, "I'm not feeling it anymore. Start from scratch." That moment changed everything. In this episode, host John Kane Gonzales sits down with Camille, Co-Founder of FABSCRAP, to talk about what happens when you can't unsee the waste anymore. You'll hear how she walked away from fashion to build a solution that didn't exist, why thousands of volunteers showed up without her asking, and how she built a financially sustainable nonprofit where brands actually pay for the service.   "There was this need and I had these answers and I had these skills. And so it felt like, why would I not just jump right into this and try to do it sooner than later?" - Camille Tagle   🚀 Key Takeaways: The Hidden Waste Problem: Fashion's biggest waste happens during design—samples and full rolls thrown out before reaching stores—and most people have no idea. Community Powered, Not Grant Funded: FABSCRAP mobilized 11,000+ volunteers and generates 64% of revenue from brands paying for services, not donations. Brands Found Them: All 800+ brand partnerships came inbound—when the solution works, you don't have to convince anyone. The "Can't Unsee It" Moment: Watching her boss throw away hundreds of fabric samples became impossible to ignore and fuel to build something different. Naivety as an Asset: Being "young and naive" helped Camille start—knowing the complexity ahead might have stopped her.   ⏳ Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Camille and FABSCRAP 01:48 Camille's journey from fashion designer to textile waste pioneer 04:01 The moment she couldn't unsee the waste 05:14 Making the transition from luxury fashion to nonprofit 07:15 Meeting her co-founder Jessica 07:53 How family reacted to leaving fashion behind 09:07 Why she decided to start FABSCRAP now 12:05 Defining her purpose beyond design 14:43 What sample headers are in the fashion industry 15:34 The commercial textile waste problem no one sees 17:45 How FABSCRAP's fabric recycling service works 19:17 Why brands don't monetize their fabric waste 23:16 Getting fashion brands to sign up for recycling 25:44 The warehouse sorting and volunteer process 29:27 Building 11,000 volunteers without advertising 35:22 Scaling with just 15 employees 38:53 How 800+ brands found FABSCRAP organically 40:15 The revenue model: brands pay for services 44:12 Future plans for scaling FABSCRAP 46:38 What infrastructure FABSCRAP needs to grow 47:55 Challenges in the sustainability space 49:25 Advice for aspiring social entrepreneurs   🔗 Connect with Camille Tagle Website: https://fabscrap.org  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-diane-tagle-017b00a/    🔗 Resources Mentioned Volunteer or Shop Fabric: Visit http://fabscrap.org to get involved FABSCRAP on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fabscrap    🎙️ About SowGood to GrowGood: Hosted by John Kane Gonzales, entrepreneur and innovator. We explore how change-makers and innovators are building sustainable systems for a better future, turning ideas into scalable impact.

    52 min

  5. JAN 15

    Start Here: Why Building for Impact Is Hard

    SowGood to GrowGood spotlights solutions that already work—but most people don't know they exist. Hosted by John "Kane" Gonzales, this show features founders and operators building alternatives to systems that don't want to change. From water recycling tech to waste-to-energy systems to circular fashion models, we talk to the builders actively rewiring how things work. Building for impact is hard. You're not just filling a gap—you're introducing better patterns into systems running on old habits, old incentives, and old stories. When people don't see real alternatives, they keep doing what they've always done. This show makes those alternatives visible so they can become the new normal. Each episode unpacks how founders make it work in the real world: what inspired their work, how they built sustainable operations, and the practical lessons they've learned along the way. Whether you're scaling a social enterprise, launching a climate company, or seeking inspiration from fellow changemakers, this show is for builders who want to see how others are actually doing it. New episodes drop twice a month, every Tuesday.   Connect with us: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/109572334/admin/dashboard/   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SowGoodToGrowGood   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sowgoodtogrowgood/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583516732751   Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sowgoodtogrowgood?lang=en

    3 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

SowGood to GrowGood is where changemakers, social entrepreneurs, and mission-driven leaders get real about what it actually takes to build sustainable systems for change. Each 30–60 minute conversation dives into the human stories, bottlenecks, and breakthrough ideas behind organizations tackling our most pressing challenges—from climate action and community development to social justice and regenerative systems. ​ Hosted by systems innovator John Kane Gonzales, the show goes beyond polished PR to explore the practical mechanics of scaling impact without selling out your mission. Guests share what sparked their work, how they navigate funding, operations, and team dynamics, and the concrete decisions that helped them grow from early experiments to solutions that truly scale. ​ Drawing on frameworks like the Five Stages of Organizational Growth, SowGood to GrowGood helps listeners see where they are in their own journey, anticipate what's ahead, and discover actionable strategies they can use right away. Each episode is designed to plant seeds—insights, connections, and examples—that compound over time into movements, organizations, and systems that transform communities.

Information

  • Creator
    John Kane Gonzales
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    SowGood To GrowGood