The Enlightened Bottom Line

Jenna Nicholas
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Join Jenna as she sits down with guests from across all industries to explore the intersection of spirituality, investing, and business. 

  1. Episode 17: Miriam Rivera

    OCT 18

    Episode 17: Miriam Rivera

    Miriam Rivera is co-founder and managing director of Ulu Ventures, a top seed-stage venture fund in Silicon Valley focused on information technology startups. She is dedicated to increasing diversity in both the entrepreneurial and investment communities. Ulu’s entrepreneurs are quite diverse by industry standards including approximately 30 percent women CEOs, 30 percent minority CEOs, and 10 percent minority co-founders. Prior to Ulu Ventures, Rivera was vice president/deputy general counsel at Google, which she joined in 2001 as the second attorney where she helped build and lead an award-winning global legal department. Rivera is also the co-founder, former co-president, and on the board of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs. She is a Kauffman Fellow in venture capital and worked for Ariba as counsel after having co-founded angel and then venture-backed Outcome Software.  Previously, Rivera worked as a strategy consultant for Accenture and as an associate at the law firm of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison. A first-generation college student and scholarship recipient, Rivera graduated from Stanford University, where she earned AB, AM, and JD/MBA degrees. Her commitment to promoting education to low-income families and to her alma mater is extensive. She has helped raise $250 million for need-based undergraduate scholarships and endowed a scholarship fund for low-income or undocumented students at Stanford. She currently serves on Stanford’s Lead Council and the Stanford Law School Venture Fund. Rivera previously served on Stanford’s Board of Trustees, the Office of Technology Licensing Advisory Board, the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School, and the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She has been honored with the Stanford Medal, awarded to fewer than one percent of Stanford alumni. Rivera also serves on the Investment Committee of Acumen Fund America, an impact investment fund serving the needs of low-income Americans.

    37 min
  2. Episode 16: Elizabeth Garlow

    SEP 10

    Episode 16: Elizabeth Garlow

    Elizabeth Garlow is a fellow in New America's New Practice Lab, where she works at the intersection of impact investing, public policy, and systems change to support more just and life-affirming economies. Prior to joining New America, she led impact investing for Lumina Foundation, investing in early-stage ventures focused on designing equitable education and work pathways. She also served as a policy advisor with the Obama Administration's Community Solutions Task Force, where she managed the President’s Promise Zones initiative. Originally from Detroit, Elizabeth co-founded and led Michigan Corps, launching the nation’s first statewide Social Entrepreneurship Challenge. She has served as a nonresident fellow with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, where she helped launch a major research initiative focused on place-based strategies for human capital and economic development in small- and mid-sized U.S. cities. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology for her contributions to the Economy of Communion and Economy of Francesco initiatives to build a new moral economy. Elizabeth is deeply interested in the intersection of emerging schools of economic thought, complexity, theology, spirituality, and contemplative studies. She co-designed the “Livable Future Investing” workshop, which now has several hundred alumni, and built a network of faith-based investors supporting Pope Francis’ Economy of Francesco movement. She draws inspiration from her roles as mother, caregiver, and community member, seeing care and belonging as central to shaping new ways of being and knowing for these times. She is a graduate of Kalamazoo College and holds an MPA from Princeton University.

    36 min
  3. Episode 15: Vian Sharif

    AUG 2

    Episode 15: Vian Sharif

    Dr Vian Sharif brings two decades of experience in financial services, specialising in the intersection of nature, finance, and technology. She is the founder & President of NatureAlpha, an advanced AI-first fintech platform delivering science-based environmental risk insights, informing financial decisions across c.$3 trillion in assets under management.  As Head of Sustainability at FNZ Group, which oversees $1.7 trillion in assets, she leads the development of sustainable investment solutions, working to integrate values-based risk indicators for retail investors. Her work supports the evolution of investment strategies that align financial markets with environmental sustainability.  She is an ambassador for HM King Charles’s Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) and co-developed the Nature AI Fellowship to advance research and innovation in nature-aligned investment.  Beyond finance, Vian has advised on global nature-related initiatives, serving as a member of the UK Government Business Advisory Group to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), contributing to the TNFD Technical Experts Scoping Group, and supporting HM Government’s Defra’s preparations for IPBES 2026. In 2025 she was recognised with a Fin-Earth Award for Natural Capital & Biodiversity.  She holds a PhD in Environmental Behaviour Change and has conducted research for the Oxford Martin School within the UK Government’s Defra. Her contributions extend to industry bodies such as the Taskforce for Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), she is a member of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), the Technical Advisory Group for the Climate Financial Risk Forum which advises the Bank of England on climate & nature-related resilience strategies, and a trustee of the Tairona Heritage Trust, supporting the voice and preservation of the sacred lands of the Kogi people of Colombia.

    26 min
  4. Episode 14: Julian MacQueen

    JUL 3

    Episode 14: Julian MacQueen

    Julian MacQueen is the Founder and Chairman of Innisfree Hotels, a trailblazing hospitality company headquartered in Pensacola, Florida. Since its founding in 1986, Julian has shaped Innisfree into a powerhouse of both business success and social responsibility. With $250 million in annual revenue, 3,600 hotel rooms, and a $1 billion asset portfolio—including a $750 million development pipeline—the company ranks as the 42nd largest hotel operator in the U.S. Yet, what sets Innisfree apart is its heart: under Julian’s leadership, it operates like “a for-profit company striving to behave like a nonprofit,” donating over $1 million each year to causes related to racial equality, education, and sustainability. A graduate of the University of South Alabama with a degree in Psychology, Julian brings a people-first mindset to everything he builds. His deep commitment to the Bahá’í Faith and its principles of unity and service informs his approach to leadership and philanthropy. Through Innisfree’s foundation, The Hive, Julian has helped create and fund community programs such as the Dixon School of Arts & Sciences, the Escambia Children’s Trust, and Parent University, which provides free, life-changing education to underserved families. With a seasonal workforce of up to 2,000 employees, Julian sees every initiative—from beachfront development to nonprofit collaboration—as an opportunity to uplift lives and model a more compassionate form of capitalism. Julian’s journey is a testament to visionary entrepreneurship fused with enduring values. His accolades—including the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, NAACP’s Elvin McCorvey Education Award, and Florida Trend’s Most Influential Business Leaders—reflect not only his business acumen but his unwavering commitment to justice, education, and human dignity. Whether investing in real estate or human potential, Julian MacQueen continues to redefine what success looks like.

    38 min
  5. Episode 13: Calvin Mackie

    MAY 17

    Episode 13: Calvin Mackie

    International Speaker, Author, Inventor, Former Professor and Entrepreneur. Dr. Calvin Mackie is an award winning mentor, an internationally renowned motivational speaker, and a successful entrepreneur. His message as a mentor, speaker, and entrepreneur continues to transcend race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and time.. After starting college in remedial reading because of weak SAT scores, Calvin Mackie earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a B.S. in Mathematics from Morehouse College in 1990, a M.S. in 1992 and the Ph.D. in 1996 in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. He served on the Tulane University faculty from 1996-2007, where he received tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2002. Mackie's eleven year academic career ended in June 2007, when Tulane University disbanded the engineering school in response to financial hardship induced by Hurricane Katrina. Mackie founded the personal development and educational consulting firm, Channel ZerO Group, in 1992 and co-founded an alternative energy company, Golden Leaf Energy, in 2009. Mackie speaks to Fortune 500 Corporations and Institutions across the globe. He is the author of the books: best-selling “A View from the Roof: Lessons for Life and Business” and “Grandma’s Hands: Cherished Moments of Faith and Wisdom”,

    34 min
  6. May Samali: Episode 12

    APR 30

    May Samali: Episode 12

    May Samali is the Founder and CEO of Human Leadership Lab, a global leadership development company established in 2020. Previously, May was the CEO of Ventures at the High Resolves Group, leading global cross-functional teams and technology ventures in the education sector. She was the first employee at Urban Innovation Fund, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, from 2016-2018. Ms. Samali started her career as a corporate lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills in 2012.  May holds a Professional Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation. She is a Fellow at the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School, an Adjunct Senior Industry Fellow at RMIT University's Centre for Future Skills and Workforce Transformation and a Venture Partner at 77 Partners. May also sits on John Monash Foundation’s Leadership Academy Advisory Board and Investible’s Climate Tech Fund Advisory Panel.  May Samali graduated from Harvard University with a Master in Public Policy where she studied as a John Monash Scholar. She also holds Bachelors degrees in Law and Economics from the University of Sydney.

    43 min
  7. Episode 11: Bob Chapman

    APR 18

    Episode 11: Bob Chapman

    Recently named the Tharseō CEO of the Year by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the #3 CEO in the world in an Inc. article, and a Top 10 Social Capital CEO by International Business Times, Bob Chapman is very intentional about using his platform as a business leader to build a better world. Chapman is Chairman and CEO of St. Louis, MO-based Barry-Wehmiller, a $3.5+B global capital equipment and engineering solutions company with more than 12,000 team members. He became the senior executive of Barry-Wehmiller in 1975 at age 30 when the 90-year-old business had $20 million in revenue, outdated technology and a very weak financial position. Despite the obstacles, Chapman applied a unique blend of strategy and culture over the next 45+ years in leading Barry-Wehmiller through more than 130 successful acquisitions. Over the past two decades, a series of realizations led him away from traditional management practices to Truly Human Leadership--a people-centric approach where his team members feel valued, cared for and integral to the company’s purpose. At Barry-Wehmiller, they have a unique measure of success: by the way they touch the lives of people. Chapman’s experiences and the transformation he championed were the inspiration behind his 2015 WSJ bestseller Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family. The book is co-authored by Raj Sisodia, founder and co-author of Conscious Capitalism. The book has been translated into eight languages. In 2016, Harvard Business School released a case study featuring Barry-Wehmiller’s unique approach to business, which is now taught at 70+ business schools around the world. In 2013, Bob and his wife Cynthia launched a nonprofit, Chapman Foundation for Caring Communities, to bring the company’s groundbreaking Listen Like a Leader training to communities. And, in 2015, the Chapman & Co. Leadership Institute was founded to bring Barry-Wehmiller’s trademark culture transformation and leadership training to for-profit organizations. A sought-after speaker for a variety of industries, Chapman’s speaking engagements include the United Nations Global Compact Transforming Education Summit, Brazil’s Virtuous Leadership Conference, China Organizational Evolution Forum, Healthcare Burnout Symposium, Aspen Ideas Festival, Conscious Capitalism events, TEDxScottAFB, 2016 US Congressional Retreat, Manufacturing Excellence Conference, HERO Forum for Employee Health Management, and numerous others. To read more about Bob’s work and perspectives, visit TrulyHumanLeadership.com.

    20 min
  8. Episode 10: Eric Sapp

    MAR 28

    Episode 10: Eric Sapp

    Eric Sapp is an entrepreneur, faith leader, and political advisor dedicated to advancing the common good through technology, policy, and community engagement. He is the founder and president of Public Democracy, a firm that repurposes advanced digital tools to address social inequality by elevating undervalued communities in both society and the digital marketplace. By using data and AI to better understand and serve people—rather than simply targeting them—Public Democracy seeks to correct economic and social injustices while creating market efficiencies. A nationally recognized leader in the "Data for Good" movement, Eric has pioneered breakthroughs in empathy-based machine learning and meaningful AI, earning him a Nonresident Senior Fellowship at the Atlantic Council. His expertise in combating computational propaganda and developing ethical AI solutions has positioned him at the forefront of efforts to create more inclusive and impactful digital engagement strategies. Throughout his career, Eric has advised over 50 political campaigns, worked in Congress and the Pentagon, and shaped global policy on arms control, veterans' issues, and data ethics. He co-founded Common Good Strategies in 2005, later transforming it into Eleison Group, which gained national prominence for its faith-based outreach in Democratic campaigns. His work has influenced humanitarian advocacy, international peacekeeping, and counterterrorism, leading to the creation of Public Democracy, a Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to empowering individuals through data equity and AI-driven civic engagement. Believing that true engagement begins with understanding people’s values and aspirations, Eric has advocated for technology that ensures individuals have a voice in decisions affecting their lives. Through Public Democracy and its nonprofit arm, Public Democracy America, he has worked to create systems where communities—not just corporations or governments—benefit from the value of their data. His mission is to harness AI and digital tools to foster a more equitable society where people are empowered to shape policies and narratives that reflect their lived experiences.

    24 min
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About

Join Jenna as she sits down with guests from across all industries to explore the intersection of spirituality, investing, and business. 

Information

  • Creator
    Jenna Nicholas
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Enlightened Bottom Line
  • Show Website
    The Enlightened Bottom Line