Grow Good

Anne Oudersluys
  • 4.7 (15)
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Grow Good tells the story of purpose-driven leaders who grow their businesses while staying true to mission and values. Hosted by growth and brand strategist Anne Oudersluys, each episode features candid conversations with CEOs and founders about real decisions they make and how they operate across strategy, product, marketing, people, and scale. This show provides practical, thoughtful insight for leaders who want to grow with intention.

  1. 2d ago

    How the Purpose Pledge is Raising the Bar for Business| Cameron Stearns, CEO/CFO of Mountain Rose Herb and Les Szabo, Chief Strategy & Impact Officer and Board Chair of the Purpose Pledge

    Episode Summary What does it take to turn company values into measurable commitments, and hold yourself accountable for meeting them? In this second episode recorded live at Ripple Fest, Anne Oudersluys speaks with Les Szabo of Dr. Bronner’s and The Purpose Pledge, and Cameron Stearns, CEO of Mountain Rose Herbs, about turning purpose-led business practices into actual commitments that advance progress. Les explains why The Purpose Pledge established ten commitment areas, including executive compensation, living wages, supply chain integrity, and climate action, and how companies navigate the inevitable trade-offs between them.  Cameron shares what those commitments have looked like in practice for Mountain Rose Herbs, as a founding member of the Purpose Pledge. From investing in higher-cost domestic organic farming before customer demand was proven to building on Mountain Rose Herbs’ zero-waste achievements, Cameron discusses some of the challenges and opportunities she has experienced. Together, the conversations reveal how clear standards, shared learning, and external accountability can help companies make difficult decisions and accelerate progress without compromising long-term relationships. Key Insights Why Dr. Bronner’s chose not to recertify as a B Corp, and how The Purpose Pledge developed a different model built around ten measurable commitments.How The Purpose Pledge’s 25:1 executive-to-median-employee compensation limit challenges conventional pay structures, and why one company chose not to participate.Why executive pay limits and family living wages are separate but interconnected commitments.How Dr. Bronner’s reallocates resources among employees, philanthropy, farmers, and other relationships rather than trying to maximize every priority simultaneously.Why The Purpose Pledge pairs standards with practical support, including confidential wage benchmarking and implementation roadmaps.How Mountain Rose Herbs moved from organic certification to platinum-level zero-waste practices—and the labor and employee education required to sustain them.Why Cameron identified domestic organic farming as the company's next major investment, despite higher costs and underdeveloped supply chains.How Mountain Rose Herbs expanded a farm contract to nearly $1 million annually while investing ahead of proven customer demand.What a shortage of imported chamomile revealed about domestic sourcing, customer willingness to pay, and supply chain resilience.Why Mountain Rose Herbs maintains both imported and domestic options rather than immediately replacing lower-cost products.How The Purpose Pledge helps Mountain Rose Herbs tackle difficult challenges, including measuring carbon impacts across a complex product portfolio.Why public commitments, three-year priorities, annual goals, and peer accountability are accelerating work that might otherwise take years.Timestamps 00:00 Introduction: The Purpose Pledge and Ripple Fest 02:15 Why Dr. Bronner’s moved beyond B Corp certification 04:15 Defining ten measurable commitments 09:00 Executive compensation limits and living wages 15:45 Practical support and shared accountability 18:20 Managing trade-offs across company relationships 27:45 Mountain Rose Herbs: Raising the bar on sustainability 32:00 The operational demands of zero waste 35:45 Building domestic organic supply chains 40:30 Balancing sourcing costs with customer value 44:00 Farm contracts, customer demand, and supply chain resilience 48:45 Turning long-term goals into annual accountability Resources & Links Connect with Les Szabo: Les Szabo The Purpose PledgeDr. Bronner’sConnect with Cameron Stearns:  Cameron Stearns Mountain Rose HerbsConnect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact: Core Impact StrategyAnne OudersluysCore Impact Newsletter

  2. Oct 14

    Can You Afford To Do Things Differently? | Keith Bearden, CEO of Alter Eco and Maddie Hamann, Co-Founder of PACHA

    EPISODE SUMMARY Recorded live at Ripple Fest, this episode features two leaders rethinking the conventions of the natural products industry. Keith Bearden, CEO of Alter Eco Foods, explains how the chocolate company balances premium product quality and environmental commitments with the economics of a national consumer brand. From eliminating ineffective promotions to restructuring logistics, he shows how operational discipline can create room for investments in farmers, regenerative agriculture, and lower-impact packaging. Long-standing relationships with cacao cooperatives also helped protect Alter Eco from the worst of a historic cocoa price spike. Maddie Hamann, co-founder of PACHA, shares the challenges of scaling a slow, labor-intensive buckwheat bread-making process and explains why the company is reconsidering its home-compostable packaging. She also discusses the personal work of leading when the day-to-day responsibilities don’t always feel like a natural calling. Together, these conversations explore how leaders can preserve their core commitments while adapting to commercial realities. KEY INSIGHTS Why Alter Eco prioritizes taste first—and uses product quality to earn consumers’ attention before communicating its sustainability credentials.How a seven-person team manages a national consumer brand through automation, detailed trade-spend management, and disciplined expense control.Why Alter Eco moved its logistics operation to Columbus, Ohio, cutting carbon emissions by 30% and saving more than $1 million.How the company evaluates packaging against product shelf life, ingredient integrity, price constraints, and environmental impact.Why eliminating a 79-cent truffle promotion that failed to increase sales protected hundreds of thousands of dollars.How two decades of relationships with cacao cooperatives helped Alter Eco secure beans at pre-negotiated prices during a major cocoa price spike—and what happened when demand exceeded its forecast.Why PACHA built its own manufacturing facility when the specialized, time-intensive sprouting and fermentation process proved difficult to outsource economically.How hand-slicing bread samples helped PACHA secure a Whole Foods contract before the company could afford the right industrial equipment.Why home-compostable packaging may not be the best environmental choice when consumer behavior and composting infrastructure cannot support it—and why PACHA is considering post-consumer recycled plastic instead.How Maddie Hamann uses written beliefs about her customers, company, and role to challenge unhelpful assumptions and stay effective in work that doesn’t always feel like her calling.TIMESTAMPS 00:27 – Leading From the Edge at Ripple Fest01:34– Keith Bearden: Building Alter Eco Around Sustainability 02:36 – Alter Eco’s Three Founding Principles 04:22 – Prioritizing Investments Within Price Constraints 06:50 – Why Taste Comes First 11:04 – How Lean Operations Fund Environmental Commitments 12:25 – The Logistics Decision That Cut Emissions and Costs 13:43 – Eliminating Promotions That Don’t Drive Sales 15:59 – Cocoa Prices, Supply Risk, and Farmer Relationships21:37 – The Business Value of Long-Term Farmer Relationships24:26 – Maddie Hamann: Scaling Pacha's Unconventional Product 25:25 – Pacha’s Unconventional Bread-Making Process 27:40 – Winning a Retail Contract Before Having the Right Equipment 30:53 – Rethinking Home-Compostable Packaging 35:55 – Leading When the Work Isn’t Your Calling 38:56 – The Written Beliefs That Help Maddie Keep Moving RESOURCES & LINKS Connect with Keith Bearden Keith BeardenAlter Eco Foods Connect with Maddie Hamann Maddie Hamann PACHAConnect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact: Core Impact StrategyAnne OudersluysCore Impact Newsletter

  3. Sep 30

    How Brands Can Build A Credible Climate Strategy: Austin Whitman, CEO of The Climate Change Project

    EPISODE SUMMARY What does it take for brands to make real progress on climate action? Austin Whitman, co-founder and CEO of The Climate Change Project, explains how The Climate Label helps companies move from climate promises to measurable action. He shares the four-part framework behind the certification (measure, plan, fund, and amplify), and why funding climate work needs to be treated as an operating decision rather than simply a communications exercise. The conversation also gets into the harder business questions: how much carbon measurement is actually necessary, when to prioritize internal decarbonization versus outside climate projects, and how to maintain a certification standard when companies want an easier path. Austin explains why The Climate Label has changed its model, how it is adapting to a tougher political and business environment, and why specificity is one of the best defenses against greenwashing. He also shares a useful operating principle for values-led companies: decide what is non-negotiable before the market forces the question. KEY INSIGHTS The shift from climate promises to actually putting a dollar value on a company's emissionsThe four-part climate action framework: measure, plan, fund, and amplifyWhy reporting emissions is only the starting point, not climate action itselfHow companies can focus on their biggest sources of emissions instead of getting stuck measuring every detailThe principle of making the easy things easy while keeping meaningful accountability hardWhy The Climate Label refused to certify a single product line when doing so could mislead consumers about the broader brandThe tension between proving ROI and investing in climate work because it strengthens the business over the long termWhy The Climate Label shifted from a carbon-neutrality model to a dollar-per-ton climate funding modelHow an on-ramp of high-quality external climate projects can eventually lead companies toward deeper internal decarbonizationWhy Austin focuses on annual impact milestones rather than treating a distant 10- or 20-year goal as the primary measure of successWhy specificity is an antidote to greenwashing, and what credible climate claims actually look likeHow defining what is non-negotiable helps companies protect their values when market conditions changeTIMESTAMPS 03:00 – From climate policy to building a business movement05:00 – Why willingness to pay changed the equation09:00 – The four pillars: measure, plan, fund, amplify13:00 – Make the easy things easy18:00 – When protecting the standard means saying no23:00 – The complicated case for climate ROI27:00 – Moving beyond the carbon-neutrality model32:00 – Creating an on-ramp for companies37:00 – Adapting climate strategy to a changed market44:00 – Measuring progress one year at a time47:00 – Why specificity is the antidote to greenwashing50:00 – Defining what is non-negotiable RESOURCES & LINKS Connect with Austin Whitman: Austin Whitman The Climate Change Project / Climate LabelConnect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact: Core Impact Strategy WebsiteAnne Oudersluys - LinkedIn ProfileCore Impact Newsletter - Subscribe for monthly insights on purpose-drive branding and marketing strategy

  4. Sep 16

    Governance, Growth, and Who Gets Control: Heather Terry, Founder and CEO of GoodSAM Foods

    Who gets a seat at the table? Heather shares how one of the most consequential growth decisions a founder can make happens before the growth itself: deciding how the company will be governed. After experiencing the consequences of taking misaligned capital with her first company, Heather built Good Sam as a public benefit corporation, using its governance structure to protect the company’s mission and narrow the pool of investors she is willing to work with. Heather and Anne also explore how GoodSAM uses data to find product-market fit, why the company is willing to walk away from certain growth opportunities, and what happens when a regenerative supply chain has a natural limit. From Brazil nuts to CEO compensation, Heather keeps returning to one deceptively difficult question: What’s enough? For founders, it’s a question about growth, capital, control, and the kind of company they actually want to build. KEY INSIGHTS Why Heather considers governance a mechanism for protecting the business, not legal housekeepingWhat went wrong when Heather took misaligned capital for her first companyWhy becoming a public benefit corporation changed who Good Sam could—and could not—take money fromHow founders can stop treating every investor conversation as an opportunity they have to pursueWhy board composition and governance principles can make strategic pivots less chaoticWhy Heather considers governance and financials the two areas a CEO must understand completelyHow GoodSAM used customer and market data to identify white space in nuts and coffeeWhy GoodSAM tests products against both consumer demand and its sourcing principlesWhat Brazil nuts taught GoodSAM about the limits of growth and the dangers of extractionHow the company responds when a product line fails and farmers lose a buyerWhy GoodSAM built a cacao testing lab in Colombia after discovering high cadmium levels in its supplyWhy Heather believes regenerative agriculture shouldn't have to function as a marketing claim to be worth doing TIMESTAMPS 01:44 – Heather’s path from acting to entrepreneurship04:59 – What acting teaches entrepreneurs about communication08:30 – What governance actually means10:50 – The cost of taking misaligned capital12:33 – Why GoodSAM became a public benefit corporation16:31 – Using governance to guide boards, pivots, and hiring19:49 – GoodSAM’s business model and regenerative supply chains22:29 – Using data to find product-market fit27:37 – The relationship between traction, customers, and capital28:50 – When a product’s growth may have a natural ceiling33:31 – Defining a realistic growth path40:39 – Heather’s advice: protect your values in the boardroomRESOURCES & LINKSConnect with Heather and GoodSAM Foods: Heather TerryGoodSAM Foods Connect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact: Core Impact Strategy Anne Oudersluys Core Impact Newsletter

  5. Sep 2

    From Activities to Outcomes: A New Approach to Non-Profit Impact : Johnmark Oudersluys, CEO of CityLink Center

    EPISODE SUMMARY Johnmark Oudersluys, executive director of Cincinnati's CityLink Center, joins Anne to unpack a different approach to economic mobility: instead of adding more programs, CityLink redesigned how people access and move through the existing system. The organization brings services together under one roof, assigns each client a navigator, and uses data to understand which interventions actually improve outcomes. Johnmark explains how CityLink developed the Client Progression Index to measure progress across multiple areas of a person's life, why the nonprofit sector needs stronger data standards, and how CityLink is testing a funding model that pays partners based on clients' wage gains. He also shares what companies can do beyond traditional philanthropy, including building sustained relationships with nonprofit partners and addressing the needs of their own entry-level workforce. As CityLink expands its model to other cities, Johnmark discusses the tension between creating infrastructure for scale and preserving the flexibility that made the model effective in the first place. KEY INSIGHTS Why CityLink concluded Cincinnati was “program rich but systems poor” — and designed around the navigation problem instead of adding another standalone serviceHow co-location, a dedicated navigator, and a single intake process eliminate geographic, knowledge, and qualification barriersWhy being truly client-centered is harder in nonprofits than in business — and how CityLink protects client agency despite competing stakeholder demandsThe gap between what employers say they need and the unstated skills and habits they actually expect from entry-level workersHow CityLink uses employer demand to identify and quickly build industry-specific training programs through partnershipsWhy labor force participation can reveal a different economic problem than unemployment rates aloneHow CityLink moved from measuring activities like classes completed to measuring longitudinal outcomes and human progressWhy standardized data matters: without common definitions, funders can't reliably compare nonprofit performance or identify what's workingHow CityLink's experimental funding model pays partner organizations 15% of clients' wage gains, shifting funding toward outcomes rather than promisesWhat CityLink learned the hard way about giving organizations more funding flexibility: autonomy requires operational support, change management, and continuous improvementWhy corporate partnerships can be more valuable when companies contribute sustained relationships, expertise, and talent development rather than one-time checksThe central scaling tension: build enough infrastructure to grow without creating bureaucracy that eliminates the flexibility and local responsiveness that made the model workTIMESTAMPS 00:03 – The myth of individual responsibility and poverty00:06 – Why Cincinnati was “program rich but systems poor”00:08 – The maze people face navigating social services00:10 – CityLink's co-location and navigator model00:12 – Putting the client at the center of the process00:14 – The gap between employer expectations and workforce skills00:18 – Building training around actual employer demand00:22 – Why CityLink measures outcomes, not just activities00:25 – Building the Client Progression Index00:29 – The “optimal sequence of services”00:31 – Rethinking how nonprofits are funded00:39 – What companies can do beyond traditional CSR00:48 – The tension between scaling nationally and staying grounded00:52 – Scaling infrastructure without losing the “secret sauce”5) RESOURCES & LINKS Connect with Johnmark and CityLink Center: Johnmark Oudersluys CityLink Center City Collective Connect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact: Core Impact StrategyAnne OudersluysCore Impact Newsletter

  6. Aug 19

    How SIMPLi Grows More Nutritious Food: Matt Cohen, Co-Founder of SIMPLi

    SIMPLi began with one quinoa product sourced from Peru and has grown into a business spanning roughly 70 products, food service and retail, and supply chains across 13 countries. Matt Cohen, co-founder of SIMPLi, joins Anne Oudersluys to unpack how a food company can scale while protecting the farmers and the product that's at the core of it's mission  The conversation gets into the operating decisions behind that growth: why SIMPLi owns more of its supply chain, how it evaluates new products from both the farmer and consumer perspectives, and why crop rotation actually influences its product portfolio. Matt explains how the company approaches premium pricing without pushing the cost back onto farmers. He also reframes the familiar growth-versus-mission tension: the real question is whether a decision strengthens or weakens the mission. KEY INSIGHTS Why SIMPLi chose to own its supply chain — and how that creates greater control over product quality and transparencyHow a COVID-era pivot from food service accelerated SIMPLi's path into retail without abandoning its original channelWhy SIMPLi narrowed its portfolio around beans, grains, and oils — partly because those categories support crop rotationThe two-sided product innovation model: start with consumer demand, but also look at what farmers need to grow regenerativelyHow creating markets for secondary and tertiary crops can make regenerative farming more economically viable for farmersWhy SIMPLi sees regenerative organic certification as an operational guardrail, not simply a marketing claimHow the company protects farmer economics while finding efficiencies in processing, packaging, and other parts of the supply chain to manage consumer pricingWhy premium pricing has a ceiling — and how SIMPLi thinks about reaching more consumers without reducing what it pays farmersMatt’s shift from asking “mission or growth?” to asking whether a growth decision strengthens or weakens the missionHow SIMPLi's Regenerative Pathway Program gives the company a framework for helping farming communities move toward organic and regenerative organic certificationWhy flavor matters as much as sustainability claims when convincing consumers to pay a premium for better agricultural practicesWhy Matt believes a strong mission should function as a decision-making filter and set guardrails for how a company grows TIMESTAMPS 02:20 – From corporate finance to food entrepreneurship 05:31 – SIMPLi’s three operating pillars 07:21 – From one quinoa SKU to retail 10:40 – De-commoditizing commodity categories 14:00 – Why supply-chain ownership matters 17:41 – Letting customer demand shape expansion 20:51 – Innovating from the farm and the consumer 23:21 – Scaling a global supply chain 26:50 – Why regenerative organic certification 30:41 – Proving premium value through flavor 32:40 – Protecting farmer economics while managing price 36:21 – Does growth strengthen or weaken the mission? RESOURCES & LINKS Learn more about SIMPLi:  Matt CohenSIMPLi Connect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact: Core Impact StrategyAnne OudersluysCore Impact Newsletter

  7. Aug 5

    Growing Big, Reluctantly: Lessons from Hog Island Oyster Co. | John Finger, Founder and CEO of Hog Island Oyster Company

    John Finger, co-founder and CEO of Hog Island Oyster Company, never set out to build one of America's best-known oyster businesses. He simply wanted to grow exceptional oysters. More than 40 years later, his company spans multiple farms, restaurants, a hatchery, wholesale distribution, and direct-to-consumer sales—but every stage of growth has been guided by one question: Does this make us stronger? In this conversation, John shares why he deliberately slowed growth to protect culture, how refusing to compromise on quality built long-term brand trust, and why investments like vertical integration and selective breeding are strategic insurance, not profit centers. It's a practical case study in building a resilient company where values aren't marketing claims but operational decisions. What You'll Learn Why Hog Island evaluates growth based on strength rather than sizeThe hidden risks of growing faster than your people and systems can supportHow saying "no" to selling lower-quality products strengthened the brandWhy scarcity can become a competitive advantage when driven by qualityThe branding decision that helped Hog Island stand apart from commodity producersHow vertical integration became a resilience strategy instead of a growth strategyWhy John considers his hatchery an insurance policy rather than a revenue centerHow sustainability influences sourcing decisions—even when it limits menu optionsThe importance of codifying company values before scalingWhy long-term supplier relationships create stronger businesses than aggressive negotiationsHow storytelling helps customers understand—and value—the decisions behind the productTimestamps 00:00 – Introducing Hog Island Oyster Company and "reluctant growth" 04:00 – From a five-acre oyster farm to a national brand 07:40 – Creating a framework for deciding which growth opportunities to pursue 10:20 – Why refusing to sell lower-quality oysters built customer trust 12:30 – Building a premium brand without traditional marketing 17:30 – Vertical integration as a long-term resilience strategy 23:00 – Protecting company culture while growing the business 26:20 – "We don't grow to be bigger. We grow to be stronger." 29:20 – Navigating the real tradeoffs between profitability and sustainability 33:20 – Creating sourcing standards that reflect company values 39:20 – Why storytelling strengthens brand value 44:45 – John's advice for founders balancing growth with their values Resources & Links Learn More about Hog Island Oyster Co: Hog Island Oyster CompanyJohn Finger Connect with Anne Oudersluys and Core Impact: Core Impact StrategyAnne Oudersluys Core Impact Strategy Newsletter

  8. Jul 22

    MadTree's Long Play: Building for Decades, Not Quarters: Rhiannon Howeler, Madtree CEO and Brady Duncan, Madtree Co-Founder

    EPISODE SUMMARY Brady Duncan, co-founder of MadTree Brewing, and newly appointed CEO Rhiannon Hoeweler unpack how the company evolved from a local craft brewery into a broader hospitality platform with restaurants, family-focused experiences, and a canned cocktail brand. At the center of the conversation is a question many growth-stage companies face: how do you scale without diluting what made the business meaningful in the first place? Brady and Rhiannon explain how MadTree uses long-term goals to guide decisions, why they became more disciplined about what they say no to, and how purpose became embedded into the company’s operating systems — from hiring and incentives to capital allocation and expansion strategy. They also discuss the operational realities behind sustainability initiatives, the risks they took entering hospitality, and why they believe stability matters more than growth for growth’s sake. KEY INSIGHTS Why MadTree shifted from a distribution-first brewery model into hospitality and destination spacesHow 10-year goals became a decision-making filter for growth, hiring, and investmentThe operational tradeoffs behind protecting sustainability initiatives during cash constraintsWhy the company narrowed its community impact focus instead of supporting every causeHow MadTree uses incentives and accountability systems to reinforce company values internallyThe decision to retract geographically and “win locally” before expanding againWhy opening a standalone restaurant felt strategically risky — but aligned with the long-term visionHow partnerships became a core growth lever across community impact and business developmentThe difference between “purpose as messaging” and purpose embedded into operational systemsWhat Brady learned from waiting too long to formalize the company’s vision and purposeWhy the company now prioritizes operational stability and efficiency alongside revenue growthHow MadTree thinks about expansion differently now that it can replicate existing concepts instead of reinventing each new locationTIMESTAMPS 00:00 – MadTree’s evolution beyond craft beer02:02 – Why MadTree hired its first CEO from impact leadership04:40 – The original vision behind MadTree07:15 – How the company rethought hospitality and customer experience09:05 – Connecting people to nature and each other14:10 – Balancing profitability with sustainability commitments16:30 – Protecting composting despite financial pressure18:00 – Why MadTree became more disciplined about saying no22:00 – Using 10-year goals to guide decisions25:05 – Major inflection points in MadTree’s growth28:45 – Launching Sway and expanding beyond beer31:35 – How MadTree evaluates new growth opportunities34:40 – Embedding purpose into hiring, incentives, and operations38:30 – Advice for founders building purpose-driven companies RESOURCES & LINKS MadTree BrewingMadTree LinkedInSway CocktailsAlcove by MadTreeCore Impact StrategyAnne Oudersluys LinkedIn Core Impact Newsletter Email Anne - anne@coreimpactstrategy.com

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4.7
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About

Grow Good tells the story of purpose-driven leaders who grow their businesses while staying true to mission and values. Hosted by growth and brand strategist Anne Oudersluys, each episode features candid conversations with CEOs and founders about real decisions they make and how they operate across strategy, product, marketing, people, and scale. This show provides practical, thoughtful insight for leaders who want to grow with intention.

Information

  • Creator
    Anne Oudersluys
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Core Impact
  • Show Website
    Grow Good

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