The Chris Voss Show Chris Voss

The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People by Paul Seabright
https://amzn.to/3KdDvEt






A novel economic interpretation of how religions have become so powerful in the modern world

Religion in the twenty-first century is alive and well across the world, despite its apparent decline in North America and parts of Europe. Vigorous competition between and within religious movements has led to their accumulating great power and wealth. Religions in many traditions have honed their competitive strategies over thousands of years. Today, they are big business; like businesses, they must recruit, raise funds, disburse budgets, manage facilities, organize transportation, motivate employees, and get their message out. In The Divine Economy, economist Paul Seabright argues that religious movements are a special kind of business: they are platforms, bringing together communities of members who seek many different things from one another—spiritual fulfilment, friendship and marriage networks, even business opportunities. Their function as platforms, he contends, is what has allowed religions to consolidate and wield power.

This power can be used for good, especially when religious movements provide their members with insurance against the shocks of modern life, and a sense of worth in their communities. It can also be used for harm: political leaders often instrumentalize religious movements for authoritarian ends, and religious leaders can exploit the trust of members to inflict sexual, emotional, financial or physical abuse, or to provoke violence against outsiders. Writing in a nonpartisan spirit, Seabright uses insights from economics to show how religion and secular society can work together in a world where some people feel no need for religion, but many continue to respond with enthusiasm to its call.

The Profiteers How Business Privatizes Profits and Socializes Costs By Christopher Marquis
https://amzn.to/3R0CbbB








An exposé of how society pays for corporations' "free lunch" and the cost of environmental damage, low wages, systemic discrimination, and cheap goods.

In an age when business leaders solemnly profess dedication to principles of environmental and social justice, Christopher Marquis’s provocative investigation into the real costs of doing business reveals the way that leaders of the corporate world gaslight to evade responsibilities by privatizing profits and socializing costs. “Who pays?” for the resulting climate and environmental damage, racism, low wages, and cheap goods: the average citizen and the taxpayer.

By bringing to light ideas that today are on the fringe but rapidly making their way into the mainstream, Marquis outlines a new regenerative paradigm for business in society. He tells of a group of pioneers trying to not just reform but transform the way business is conducted all over the world. By taking novel actions to reimagine business operations in responsible ways, minimize their negative impacts, and create new ways for business to properly absorb their hidden costs, these leaders provide blueprints to move the needle on vexing social and environmental issues.

What’s in it for leaders of the corporate world? The model of reform presented provides clear guidance on how to get ahead of the curve as an emerging economic order is formed. No business can lead from the front if it is morally-backward looking. History has shown time and again that those who get out in front of emerging changes in our social and environmental landscape protect themselves from inevitable eclipse.

The Klansman’s Son: My Journey from White Nationalism to Antiracism: A Memoir by R. Derek Black
https://amzn.to/3V1mTF0






From the former heir-apparent to white nationalism, The Klansman’s Son is an astonishing memoir of a childhood built on fear, of breaking from a community of hate.

Derek Black was raised to take over the white nationalist movement in the United States. Their father, Don Black, was a former Grand Wizard in the Ku Klux Klan and started Stormfront, the internet’s first white supremacist website—Derek built the kids’ page. David Duke, was also their close family friend and mentor. Racist hatred, though often wrapped up in respectability, was all Derek knew.

Then, while in college in 2013, Derek publicly renounced white nationalism and apologized for their actions and the suffering that they had caused. The majority of their family stopped speaking to them, and they disappeared into academia, convinced that they had done so much harm that there was no place for them in public life. But in 2016, as they watched the rise of Donald Trump, they immediately recognized what they were hearing—the spread and mainstreaming of the hate they had helped cultivate—and they knew that they couldn’t stay silent.

This is a thoughtful, insightful, and moving account of a singular life, with important lessons for our troubled times. Derek can trace a uniquely insider account of the rise of white nationalism, and how a child indoctrinated with hate can become an anti-racist adult. Few understand the ideology, motivations, or tactics of the white nationalist movement like Derek, and few have ever made so profound a change. When coded language and creeping authoritarianism spread the ideas of white nationalists, this is an essential book with a powerful voice.

Global development executive discusses bridging the gap for vulnerable communities
Gretchenvillegas.net






About the Guest(s):

Gretchen Viegas is a global development executive with over 25 years of experience in the field. She specializes in mission-driven, innovative programming for vulnerable communities through partnership development, impact scaling, and revenue growth. For the first 15 years of her career, Gretchen lived and worked in Latin America and East and Southern Africa. In the past decade, she has been forging partnerships between non-profits and for-profits to do business for good. Gretchen is passionate about finding solutions to global challenges and believes in the power of collaboration to create positive change.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of The Chris Voss Show, host Chris Voss interviews Gretchen Viegas, a global development executive with extensive experience in the field. Gretchen shares her insights and experiences working in emerging markets and developing nations, where she focuses on helping vulnerable communities gain access to necessities such as clean water, food, housing, and education. She emphasizes the importance of listening to the needs of the community and working together to find sustainable solutions. Gretchen also discusses the role of for-profit and non-profit partnerships in addressing global challenges and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Key topics discussed in this episode include the impact of poverty, homelessness, and lack of clean water on communities worldwide, the need for collaboration between for-profit and non-profit sectors to address global challenges, the importance of empathy and understanding different cultures, and the role of youth in driving positive change.

Key Takeaways:

Global development is about partnering with vulnerable communities to help them access necessities and improve their quality of life.
Collaboration between for-profit and non-profit sectors is crucial in addressing global challenges and achieving sustainable development goals.
Understanding and empathizing with different cultures is essential for effective global development work.
The youth play a significant role in driving positive change and shaping the future of global development.
Businesses can make a profit while also making a positive impact on society and the environment.

Notable Quotes:

"It's not about showing up with the answers or with money and resources. It's about listening to what's important to the community and being a partner in finding solutions." - Gretchen Viegas
"We need the for-profits and the innovation and creativity, along with the nonprofit boots on the ground, to come together and solve the big challenges we face." - Gretchen Viegas

Plan to Recover: Your Mini Journal for Recovery and Self-Discovery By Andrea M Epting
https://amzn.to/4a9OCsi
Lightninginabottle.biz







Plan to Recover: Your Mini Journal for Recovery and Self-Discovery is an essential tool and helpful resource in the initial phases of any recovery and self discovery journey.
Thoughtfully curated and specifically designed for the person looking to achieve long-term success in recovery while gaining personal insight, awareness, emotional intelligence and spiritual integrity.

Use the “Plan to Recover” journal to stay recovery minded, practice priorities, and build healthy relationships with Self and Others - 12 hours at a time.

Your 90-day mini journal to get started on your recovery. Enjoy finding joy in the journey!

Home Run King: The Remarkable Record of Hank Aaron by Dan Schlossberg
https://amzn.to/4apv5Ep




In the fifty years that have passed since Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run and supplanted Babe Ruth as baseball's home run king, his legend and legacy have only grown. Humble and modest to a fault, he always insisted that he didn't want people to forget Babe Ruth but only to remember Henry Aaron. Though he never had the benefit of playing in the media spotlight of New York or Los Angeles, he remains the career leader in total bases, runs batted in, and All-Star selections; shares records for home runs by brothers (with Tommie Aaron) and by teammates (with Eddie Mathews); and is remembered with respect and admiration for his outspoken advocacy of civil rights for all minorities.

Written by a lifelong Braves fan who became a sportswriter, this book traces Aaron's odyssey from the segregated south to the baseball world revolutionized by Jackie Robinson, who became an early an important ally against bigotry and prejudice. It reveals how the New York Giants nearly beat the Boston Braves in signing Aaron, when the young slugger caught his first break, and why he changed his hitting style after the Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta. Though he never won a Triple Crown or hit for the cycle, he won virtually every major honor, including an MVP award, a World Series ring, and a berth in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But he should have won more, as the author contends he was often taken for granted by voters (nine of whom left him off their Cooperstown ballots!).

Turn these pages to find out what home run Aaron considered his greatest, what pitcher proved his easiest mark, and what managers he liked or disliked the most. Even the disappointments are included -- his team's move south, its inability to establish a dynasty, and his quests to become a manager, general manager, or even Commissioner of Baseball. This is also a book of personal tragedy: the death of a child, a difficult divorce, and the stunning loss of the 43-year-old brother-in-law who became the first black GM. Not to mention the deluge of hate mail as it became obvious that he was approaching the most cherished record in sports.

Through it all, Henry Louis Aaron kept his composure, preferring to let his bat do the talking. He lacked the notoriety of Willie, Mickey & the Duke but he just might have been the best player in baseball history. He's certainly in the conversation.