Impact Curious

Nada Matti-Leighton has been working with purpose-led businesses since before B Corp existed and before anyone called them purpose-led. Her view on whether profit and purpose can co-exist? Yes. Obviously. Next question. But the conversation that follows is anything but simple. Nada joins Emily and Ed to explore why the either/or framing persists, what the Japanese approach to long-term business th...

Can profit and purpose genuinely co-exist? Perhaps answer isn't as obvious as it sounds. In this episode, Emily and Ed dig into why the tension between the two persists, whether it's actually inherent or just a product of the short-termist business environment we've built for ourselves, and what it really takes to integrate purpose into a business in a way that makes it stronger, not j...

Sarah David has spent 20 years leading teams through uncertainty, growth and the messy space in between. She knows what it looks like from every angle. In this episode, she joins Emily and Ed to talk about what purposeful leadership really requires. How to lead with humanity, even when the situation is bleak. How to get out of your own way. Why busyness is often the most dangerous form of avoidanc...

There's always something. An election on the horizon. A key person handing their notice in. A round of redundancies. A pandemic. And underneath all of it, you, trying to lead with purpose while quietly holding it together yourself. In this episode, Emily and Ed get properly honest about what purposeful leadership looks like when times are uncertain. Ed shares the moment he got a call at 1am, 2...

Rebecca Oliver Mooney (AKA ROM) built Raising the Glass into a community of over 2,300 women and allies in the drinks industry. She didn't do it by following a rigid strategy, she did it from lived experience, finding trusted cheerleaders and a very clear sense of why it needed to exist. In this episode, Rom joins Emily and Ed to talk about what community really is at its heart, how to know if...

Community is fast becoming an overused term in business. But what does it actually mean? And when brands claim to be building one, should we believe them? In this episode, Emily and Ed dig into the difference between genuine community and a marketing exercise, from watch collectors and alumni networks to perfume brands and grocery bags. They ask the question that not enough businesses are asking:...

What does it actually mean to bring nature into a business? Jannine Barron, a regenerative business mentor, creator of Nature's Boardroom and one of the most quietly radical thinkers working in this space, joins Emily and Ed to break it all down. From the very real commercial risks of ignoring nature, to the benefits of simply taking your team outside, this conversation covers a lot of ground....

What if your business isn't separate from nature at all, it just thinks it is? In this episode, Emily shares the journey that brought her to regenerative business, and Ed asks all the questions you're probably thinking. Together they dig into what it means to view your business as part of a wider ecosystem, why "sustainability" doesn't quite cut it anymore, and whether you need...

Before Raju became the sauce brand stocking shelves at Ocado and in over 100 independent retailers, there was a travel company, a coffee shop and a lot of hard lessons. In this episode, Zee Ahmed joins Emily and Ed to talk about what it takes to start again (and again) without losing faith in yourself or your vision. He also talks about building something bigger in Manchester, to prove you don&#39...

Going it alone sounds like freedom. But the reality of solopreneurship is much more complicated than Instagram would have you believe. In this episode, Emily and Ed chat about what it actually means to run a business by yourself. The relentless stream of advice you never quite asked for, the question of who to trust, and the fine line between independence and isolation. No guests, no filter. Just...

Why have we organised business this way? And are there alternatives? In part two, Emily and Ed talk to Patrick Andrews, a former corporate lawyer turned business advisor.  Twenty-five years ago, Patrick realised there was nowhere in his organisation to ask the hard questions: why are we pursuing mindless growth? Why are we displacing family businesses? Why have we concentrated power in the hands o...

Why are we still organising business the way we do? In part one of our two-part series on the role of business, Emily and Ed explore why shareholder primacy has become so dominant, how it's shaped the entrepreneurial journey, and whether there might be a better way. They dig into the uncomfortable truth: that the conventional path to success - ie. growth at all costs, burnout, exit - leaves mo...

Entrepreneur and coffee farmer Wycliffe Sande , founder of Blue Turaco Coffee , shares how his own journey, from growing up on Ugandan coffee farms to launching a brand now stocked in Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op and Ocado, has shaped every aspect of his business. Wycliffe explains how championing overlooked Robusta beans is about more than coffee: it’s about creating school meals for children, improvin...

What does it mean to build a business where purpose isn’t an afterthought but the foundation? Emily and Ed explore the promises and pitfalls of purpose-led models, and how lived experience can make impact feel real rather than rhetorical. Connect with Emily and  Ed on LinkedIn. Brought to you by The Impact Apothecary , the anti-comsultancy for purpose-led business. 

Change facilitator and founder of People Equals Purpose , Kat Thackray, shares what really makes or breaks innovation inside teams. From the need for psychological safety to the challenges of clashing knowledge systems and organisational silos, Kat explains how leaders can create the right conditions for ideas to flourish, and offers practical tips for spotting a good idea and helping it survive t...

Why do so many innovation and change projects stall or fail inside organisations? Emily and Ed reflect on their own experiences of trying to drive new ideas forward and uncover the common pitfalls that stop creativity from turning into action. How do you stop great ideas from slipping through the cracks?

Elliot Morrow, founder of Bon Creative , argues that businesses need to break free from their social media addiction. He explains why “going viral” is a fallacy, why Bon Creative has never gained a client through social media, and how building human relationships can be a far more powerful growth strategy. Brought to you by The Impact Apothecary , the anti-comsultancy for purpose-led business. 

Is social media an essential business tool or just an exhausting distraction? Emily and Ed wrestle with the contradictions, from the blur between personal and professional use, to whether constant posting really builds loyalty, or just feeds the algorithm. Connect with Emily and Ed on LinkedIn. Brought to you by The Impact Apothecary , the anti-comsultancy for purpose-led business.

Arabella Lewis-Smith, founder of Salad Creative, shares her first-hand experience of transitioning her 24-year-old agency into an employee-owned trust. She talks candidly about the drivers behind the decision, the challenges of bringing the team along and why it’s made the last four years of leadership her most rewarding yet. Find out more about Salad: https://saladcreative.com/ Connect with Bella...

Employee ownership sounds great in theory, but how does it really work? Emily and Ed dig into the big questions: what does it mean for decision-making, why do some companies champion it while others stay quiet and is it the right answer for succession planning?

Impact Curious launches week commencing 22nd September 2025