Sex, Soap, & Alcohol

Brands On A Mission - Myriam Sidibe

Sex, Soap & Alcohol is a podcast about the everyday industries that quietly shape our lives and the bold ideas that can transform them into engines of dignity and impact. Hosted by Prof. Myriam Sidibé, public health scholar, marketing expert, and TED speaker, the show explores how business models can shift systems, unlock scale, and deliver change. Each theme is an entry point into deeper conversations: Sex explores gender equity, reproductive rights, consent, and how safe spaces and smart communication can transform futures.Soap uncovers the role of hygiene in dignity, public health, neglected diseases, and the untold power of brands in advancing wellbeing.Alcohol tackles toxic masculinity, gender-based violence, social norms, and the fine line between marketing responsibility and harm. Episodes are shaped by five lenses: purpose, partnership, power, profit, and dignity. Together, they reveal how unlikely collaborations, from boardrooms to barbershops, can reframe what it means to do good business. Born from a TED Talk that sparked global curiosity, Sex, Soap & Alcohol centers voices from the Global South and beyond, highlighting stories of radical collaboration, cultural nuance, and business-as-unusual approaches to systemic change. This is a show for the doers and decision makers who believe frameworks alone won’t save us, but bold business models might. It is for leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and policymakers ready to see that profit and purpose are not opposites; they are multipliers. Real stories. Real systems. Real change.

Episodes

  1. Oct 21

    What Does It Cost to Stay on Mission?

    What does it really cost a founder to keep mission at the heart of the company, and what does it give back? Recorded on location at the Stanford Seed Transformation Network Kenya retreat in Naivasha, this special episode of Sex, Soap & Alcohol takes the podcast into the wild. Professor Myriam Sidibé sits down with two fellow podcast hosts who spend their working lives around founders. Darius Teter is Executive Director of Stanford Seed and host of Grit & Growth. Mike Macharia is the founder of Seven Seas Technologies, a serial entrepreneur and host of Founders Battlefield. Mike sets out the external and internal pressures that test a founder’s commitments, from investors chasing numbers to the star employee who quietly works against the mission. Darius explains why Stanford Seed cares more about the problem a company solves than the label it carries, why some founders need to fire their biggest customers, and why the clearest return on a real mission shows up in the people who stay. Myriam reflects on becoming a “chief mission officer” and on refusing to say things that are not true. They close with two tests every founder can apply. If your company grew 100X, would anyone other than you and your co-owners care? And when you hand it on, are you leaving the next generation a business or a liability? Sex, Soap & Alcohol is brought to you by Brands on a Mission, helping organisations and brands achieve social impact and business growth through purpose. Find out more at brandsonamission.com

  2. Aug 19

    Can Storytelling Change Behaviour? The Business Case for Shuga

    What happens when storytelling moves beyond awareness and actually changes behaviour? For 15 years, Shuga has helped young people navigate conversations around sex, HIV, gender-based violence, stigma, shame and choice through stories designed to entertain first, and educate without preaching.  But its impact is not only cultural. A World Bank evaluation of Shuga found that young people exposed to the programme were more likely to test for HIV, less likely to contract chlamydia and reported reductions in gender-based violence. A subsequent cost-benefit analysis estimated that every $1 invested could generate as much as $150 in benefits. In this episode of Sex, Soap & Alcohol, Professor Myriam Sidibé speaks with Wame Jallow, Executive Director of Shuga Global, and Victor Orozco, Senior Economist at the World Bank, about what Shuga can teach us about trust, behaviour change and the value of storytelling. Together, they explore why seeing yourself in a story can influence behaviour, why health services and commodities still need demand generation, why storytelling remains vulnerable when development budgets are cut, and what new partnerships between governments, donors, researchers, media and the private sector could make possible. At the centre of the conversation is a bigger question: If a story can earn enough trust to change what people do, why are we still treating storytelling as the soft option? In this episode How Shuga became a trusted youth brandWhy character identification and immersion matterWhat randomized controlled trials can tell us about entertainment and behaviour changeHow the estimated $150 return for every $1 invested was calculatedWhy awareness is not enough without actionWhy services and commodities still depend on trust and demandWhat funding cuts mean for social and behaviour change How public, philanthropic and private-sector partners could finance this work differentlyWhy authentic storytelling requires creative riskWhy sometimes you have to let the writers have their “sex and rock and roll”Sex, Soap & Alcohol is brought to you by Brands on a Mission, helping organisations and brands achieve social impact and business growth through purpose

  3. Mar 26

    Behno: On a mission to change manufacturing in fashion

    In this episode of the 'Sex Soap and Alcohol' podcast, host Professor Myriam Sidibé sits down with Shivam Punjya, Founder of the ethical luxury brand Behno. They discuss the transformative journey Shivam undertook to create a sustainable and ethical fashion supply chain in response to the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse. By focusing on values like worker dignity, transparency, and women's rights, Behno has successfully merged purpose with profit. Shivam shares insights from his work in India, including initiatives in worker health and women's empowerment, and delves into the unique challenges and successes of revolutionizing an industry steeped in exploitation. The conversation provides a masterclass in ethical leadership and sustainable business practices.

  4. Mar 19

    AB InBev Smart Drinking: On a mission to drive moderation

    In this episode of 'Sex, Soap, and Alcohol,' host Myriam Sidibé engages with Catalina Garcia Gomez, Global Director of Corporate Affairs at AB InBev, to discuss the company's revolutionary $1 billion commitment toward promoting responsible drinking. Catalina shares insights on the company's implementation of its Global Smart Drinking Goals over the past decade. These goals include investments in social norms marketing, expanding low and no-alcohol beer portfolios, testing evidence-based initiatives, and implementing guidance labels. The discussion delves into internal and external challenges, partnerships with public health experts, and the transformative impact of these initiatives on consumer behavior and the company's growth model. Catalina emphasizes the integration of smart drinking into AB InBev's core operations, ensuring sustainability and reinforcing that profit and purpose can mutually thrive.

  5. Feb 10

    Global Handwashing Day: On a mission to create a movement

    In this episode of the Sex, Soap and Alcohol podcast, host Professor Myriam Sidibé reflects on the inception and global impact of Global Handwashing Day, a movement that began over 15 years ago at Unilever with a simple bar of soap. The podcast features Marianne Yarrow, a PR expert who helped launch the campaign, and Janet Mbugua, one of the first ambassadors. They discuss the challenges and successes of creating a global awareness day, the importance of advocacy, and how to sustain such movements. The conversation covers their personal experiences, the branding versus authenticity debate, and tips on creating and maintaining meaningful advocacy campaigns.   00:00 The Birth of Global Handwashing Day   00:52 Reflecting on the Journey: From PhD to Global Movement   01:39 Early Challenges and Breakthroughs   03:25 Building a Coalition: The Role of Brands and Partnerships   07:20 The First Global Handwashing Day: A Milestone Achievement   11:56 Embedding the Campaign into Culture and Business Strategy   13:47 Comparing Global Handwashing Day to Other International Days   17:14 Personal Reflections: Becoming an Ambassador   23:48 Maintaining Authenticity in Advocacy   25:47 The Impact of COVID-19 on Handwashing Awareness   26:40 Secrets to Sustaining Advocacy and Creating Movements   36:29 Golden Rules for Creating Effective Advocacy Days

  6. 12/03/2025

    Tony’s Chocolonely: On a Mission To End Exploitation In Cocoa

    Professor Myriam Sidibé, Founder of Brands and a Mission, sits down with Pascal Baltussen, Chief of Impact & Operations at Tony’s Chocolonely, to explore how a small act of journalism evolved into a global movement aiming to make all chocolate 100% exploitation-free.   They discuss Tony’s origin story, the five sourcing principles that guide their ethical practices, and their commitment to ensuring a sustainable and fair supply chain.  Highlighting the importance of coalition-building and impact-driven business models, Pascal shares insights on balancing commercial success with social responsibility.   This episode emphasizes actionable steps for achieving systemic change and justice in the cocoa industry.

  7. Season 1 Trailer

    Sex, Soap & Alcohol Teaser

    Welcome to Sex, Soap & Alcohol, a podcast that dares you to unleash your inner Chief Mission Officer. Hosted by Prof. Myriam Sidibé, public health scholar, TED speaker, and founder of Brands on a Mission, this show explores how business can be a force for dignity, equity, and real impact. In this teaser, we invite you to see how bold business models, courageous partnerships, and strategic innovation can transform trillion dollar industries from menstrual health to toxic masculinity into engines of lasting change. From boardrooms to barbershops, the stories you will hear prove that profit and purpose are not opposites they are multipliers. This is a call to philanthropists, funders, social innovators, and every business owner to step into your power, act boldly, and join our mission to impact #TheNextBillion. Unleash your inner Chief Mission Officer and help create systems that deliver dignity and impact at scale. Real stories. Real systems. Real change.

  • 1 Trailer
    6 Episodes

Trailer

About

Sex, Soap & Alcohol is a podcast about the everyday industries that quietly shape our lives and the bold ideas that can transform them into engines of dignity and impact. Hosted by Prof. Myriam Sidibé, public health scholar, marketing expert, and TED speaker, the show explores how business models can shift systems, unlock scale, and deliver change. Each theme is an entry point into deeper conversations: Sex explores gender equity, reproductive rights, consent, and how safe spaces and smart communication can transform futures.Soap uncovers the role of hygiene in dignity, public health, neglected diseases, and the untold power of brands in advancing wellbeing.Alcohol tackles toxic masculinity, gender-based violence, social norms, and the fine line between marketing responsibility and harm. Episodes are shaped by five lenses: purpose, partnership, power, profit, and dignity. Together, they reveal how unlikely collaborations, from boardrooms to barbershops, can reframe what it means to do good business. Born from a TED Talk that sparked global curiosity, Sex, Soap & Alcohol centers voices from the Global South and beyond, highlighting stories of radical collaboration, cultural nuance, and business-as-unusual approaches to systemic change. This is a show for the doers and decision makers who believe frameworks alone won’t save us, but bold business models might. It is for leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, and policymakers ready to see that profit and purpose are not opposites; they are multipliers. Real stories. Real systems. Real change.

Information

  • Creator
    Brands On A Mission - Myriam Sidibe
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sex, Soap, & Alcohol
  • Show Website
    Sex, Soap, & Alcohol