Radical Truth

Have the global financial elite invented an entirely new way to feel good about themselves while doing absolutely nothing to fix the system? In this episode, Robert exposes The Impact Mafia —the exclusive club of high-net-worth individuals and fund managers using the beautiful language of "impact investing" as a convenient smokescreen. We look past the $5,000 suits, the champagne galas,...

A high-powered banker walks away from a massive salary and a prestigious title. Why? Because he realized he was optimizing spreadsheets for people strip-mining the planet, and he wanted true, nature-based solutions. In this episode, Robert breaks down why the financial industry’s obsession with being "nice" is actually fueling the climate crisis. We dive into the critical difference betw...

Where your money sleeps at night matters. Think about that for a second. The deposits sitting in your checking account tonight don't sleep. They get lent out. They fund somebody's pipeline, somebody's prison contract, somebody's payday loan operation — or they fund a small business in a neighborhood the financial system spent a century walking past. You didn't choose any of tha...

What if the real gender gap isn't pay — but ownership? Women in management and on boards exit the companies they help build with, on average, just 1% of the equity. In this episode of the Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein sits down with Michaela Berglund, CEO of Feminvest and Feminvest Ventures — the Stockholm-based fund and 50,000-strong community backing companies that are at lea...

What if the fastest way to save Earth was to build a village on the Moon? That's not science fiction. That's the radical, rigorously-thought-through proposition behind Project Moon Hut — and at the centre of it is David Goldsmith, one of the world's most provocative innovation thinkers and the architect of the Mearth (Moon + Earth) economic system. In this episode of Radical Truth, hos...

Welcome to the TBLI Radical Truth Podcast — the platform dedicated to the pioneers redefining the purpose of capital.  Real experience. Real results. No greenwashing. For over 25 years, TBLI Group has been the world’s leading ESG and impact investing network—educating, advising, and connecting investors to build a sustainable and equitable future. I'm your host, Robert Rubinstein, and today we...

Welcome to the TBLi Radical Truth Podcast, where we challenge the fundamental assumptions shaping how we lead, organize, and create value in a rapidly changing world. In an era defined by VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), traditional leadership models are no longer sufficient. In this episode, we are joined by Stefan Beiten, a serial entrepreneur and the visionary founder...

In this TBLI Talk, Rennie Hoare — Partner and Head of Philanthropy at C. Hoare & Co., the UK's oldest private bank — shares the 20-year journey to total portfolio impact: 100% of reserves invested to deliver positive social and environmental outcomes alongside financial returns. Since 1985, the Golden Bottle Trust (which donates 10% of the bank's annual profits) has made over 10,000 gr...

The True Story of Davos: How a Swiss Mountaintop Meeting Became the World's Most Powerful Annual Gathering What if the world's most influential economic forum started as a small academic conference in the Swiss Alps? Barbara Erskine was there for the transformation—and in this episode of TBLI Radical Truth, she reveals what really happened behind the scenes. As Director and Executive Board...

FOR SPOTIFY (UNDER 4000 CHARACTERS): ESG Frontline Practitioner's Guide: Social Impact & Development Finance in Southeast Asia What does ESG implementation actually look like on the ground in development projects? Anthony Zola has spent decades finding out—and in this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, he reveals the unfiltered truth about social safeguards, resettlement challenges, and why lende...

How do you transform century-old aid organizations into financially sustainable social enterprises? Henri van Eeghen has done it multiple times—and in this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, he reveals the strategies that work. Henri van Eeghen is Former CEO of New Energy Nexus—the world's leading organization supporting clean energy entrepreneurs and climate tech startups globally. With extensive in...

Can shareholders force Shell, BP, and ExxonMobil to abandon fossil fuels? Mark van Baal proved they can—and reveals exactly how. Mark van Baal is founder and executive director of Follow This, the Amsterdam-based shareholder activism organization that's rewriting the rules of climate action. After a decade as a climate journalist inspired by Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," Mar...

FOR SPOTIFY (UNDER 4000 CHARACTERS): Myanmar Crisis 2026: The Hidden Cost of Capital By January 2026, Myanmar's humanitarian crisis has reached a staggering breaking point: 3.6 million people internally displaced. While the world looks away, the military regime weaponizes the country's natural wealth—jade mining, rare earth minerals, and mega-hydro projects—to fund a war against its own ci...

What if everyday investors could fund renewable energy projects and sustainable startups driving climate solutions—without venture capital connections or millions in capital? Ellen Hensbergen is making it happen, and in this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, she reveals how equity crowdfunding is democratizing impact investing across Europe. Ellen Hensbergen is Managing Director Benelux at Invesdor—Euro...

How Pension Funds Can Save the Planet: Stewardship vs. ESG | Catherine Howarth (ShareAction) Trillions of dollars in pension funds hold the power to dictate the future of our planet, yet most of that capital remains passive. Why are your retirement savings not being used as a massive lever for climate and social change? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein sits down with Cath...

Why has global climate diplomacy struggled to keep pace with the crisis? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein sits down with Yvo de Boer, former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC and lead architect behind the Kyoto Protocol and Copenhagen negotiations. Yvo strips away diplomatic jargon to reveal why UN climate policy stalls and why the private sector—not just government—is th...

Is your morning coffee fueled by child labor? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein sits down with Fernando Morales-de la Cruz, founder of the Lewis Hine Organization and a relentless watchdog for the global coffee industry. Fernando exposes the "radical truth" behind the marketing: how global corporations use greenwashing and misleading sustainability labels to mask...

Are carbon credits actually delivering on their promises? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein sits down with Thibault Sorret, CEO of Equitable Earth (formerly ERS), to discuss the future of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). Thibault reveals his "radical truth" on how we can move past the current crisis of opacity toward a system of digitized trust. We dive deep in...

How did a single financial innovation help end acid rain and create the blueprint for modern climate finance? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein sits down with the "Father of Carbon Trading," Dr. Richard L. Sandor. Dr. Sandor, Chairman and CEO of Environmental Financial Products, reveals the "Radical Truth" behind five decades of market creation. From in...

Are we paralyzing ourselves with bad news? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein is joined by Angus Hervey, political economist and founder of Fix The News (formerly Future Crunch). Angus reveals the "radical truth" about the media's obsession with "doom and gloom" and why it's a barrier to real-world action. We explore the data-driven case for Inte...

Is the traditional business school model obsolete in a world facing climate collapse? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein sits down with Professor Martin Parker (University of Bristol), a leading internal critic of global management education and author of "Shut Down the Business School." Martin shares his "radical truth" on how we can organize beyond hie...

Can you reduce global carbon emissions without a bank account? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein talks with Robert Stern, founder of the See-Through Network. Robert shares his "Radical Truth" on why traditional climate activism often fails and how he uses "Transparent Trojan Horses" to move people from inactivity to action. We dive into his unique zero-...

Is your company's greatest asset—its people and knowledge—missing from your financial statements? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein talks with Ludo Pieters, founder of the Ariopa Group, who has spent decades solving the "accounting crisis" of the knowledge economy. Ludo reveals his "Radical Truth" on how to transform intangible assets like IP and ES...

FOR SPOTIFY (UNDER 4000 CHARACTERS): Ending the ESG Data Mess: AI, Marketplaces & Frictionless Impact | Frank Tobé (Supernova) Why has sustainability data become an "esoteric mess," and how do we fix it? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein sits down with Frank Tobé, co-founder and CEO of Supernova—an AI-enabled marketplace designed to help investors find, under...

Is diversity the untapped source of market alpha? In this TBLI Radical Truth Podcast, host Robert Rubinstein is joined by Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson, Founding Partner of Include Ventures. Bahiyah shares her "Radical Truth" on building a blended finance flywheel that has catalyzed over $2 billion in impact capital. We discuss the leading women driving climate change and sustainability acros...