Engaging ESG with Jennifer Owens and Kati Kallins

Jennifer and Kati close out season four with a look back at the conversations that stuck with them — from welcome over shame to hope as a strategy to the quiet reality of the work still getting done — and share their read on where sustainability communications goes from here. They also discuss:• A recent PwC report that finds companies aren't walking away from their net zero targets. Instead, they...

Women receive less than 1% of climate finance in the US and about 5% globally. And yet research consistently shows that women who do get funded generate more than twice the revenue per dollar invested compared to male peers. So why does the gap persist? Jessica Espinoza, CEO of 2X Global, joins Jennifer and Kati to unpack the intersection of gender equity and climate action. Since 2018, 2X Global...

Gus Bartholomew, co-founder of Leafr, joins Jennifer and Kati to talk about one of the most persistent challenges in corporate sustainability: the expertise gap. With most large companies relying on just one to three people to deliver on increasingly complex mandates, sustainability teams are stretched impossibly thin. To help, Gus and co-founder Nick Valenzia created Leafr, a marketplace connecti...

Michelle Li, founder of Clever Carbon and Women in Climate, joins Jennifer and Kati to talk about making carbon literacy accessible, engaging, and even joyful. Michelle started her career in Silicon Valley with stints at Salesforce and DocuSign. In 2020, frustrated by the boring, acronym-heavy content she encountered while trying to learn about carbon footprints, she launched Clever Carbon to demy...

Drew Wilkinson, founder of the Climate Leadership Collective and LinkedIn Learning instructor, joins Jennifer and Kati to explore why less than 1 percent of any workforce working on sustainability simply doesn't scale — and what to do about it. Drew's journey started as a paralegal at Microsoft. Over 10 years, he helped build the company's first employee sustainability community, helped push Micro...

Amanda Gardiner, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network USA, joins Jennifer and Kati for a conversation about leading one of the world's most influential corporate sustainability networks and why this moment calls for a new kind of community. With a career spanning the United Nations, Fortune 500s like Meta and Verizon, and global education company Pearson, Amanda brings hard-won less...

Lindsay Baker, CEO of the Living Future Institute, joins Jennifer and Kati to demystify the built environment's role in climate action. With a career that spans LEED's early days, Google's green building team, WeWork's sustainability efforts and climate tech startups, Lindsay brings deep sector expertise to the question: How does sustainability actually happen? She breaks down why passion without...

What's Really Happening Right Now in Sustainability Hiring They're back! Catherine Harris and Richard Kent of Acre — the global leader in sustainability recruitment — return for our first-ever repeat interview… and for very good reason. Their Season 3 episode was one of our most popular, and the sustainability job market has shifted dramatically since we last talked. Catherine, Acre's Executive Di...

National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale joins Jennifer and Kati to explore how visual storytelling can transform conservation narratives, from documenting the last northern white rhinos to centering indigenous voices in climate solutions.  After a decade covering global conflicts, Ami discovered environmental breakdown was at the heart of human suffering, leading her to reimagine...

Last year, only 9% of Americans spoke to a farmer about their food. Evan Harrison, CEO of Kiss the Ground, is here to change that with an approach to regenerative agriculture designed to bring the concept into the mainstream through strategic storytelling. Its impact is already being felt. This year, Kiss the Ground has produced 400 pieces of content to reach 2 million people monthly, turning farm...

This week, Jennifer and Kati sit down with Joel Makower, chairman and co-founder of Trellis Group, for a candid conversation about the current state of sustainability communications after 35+ years in the field. Joel shares why we're living with higher highs and lower lows than ever before. We explore the trust crisis affecting not just sustainability, but business, media, science and government —...

Climate and sustainability strategist Marina Psaros joins Jennifer and Kati to explore an unexpected frontier for climate communications: the gaming world. Marina shares her journey from NOAA scientist to Head of Sustainability at Unity Technologies, and how that experience revealed a massive untapped opportunity. With 3 billion people playing games worldwide, gaming communities have become powerf...

Michael Neuwirth has built what he calls a "portfolio career" — and after hearing his story, you'll want one too. The communications veteran spent 20+ years at Danone, served as the first Chief Communications Officer for the American Sustainable Business Council, and now angel invests in 14 sustainability-focused startups (from period equity solutions to upcycled food platforms). In this wide-rang...

Engaging ESG returns for season 4 on January 7th. Engaging ESG is a bimonthly series exploring the evolving landscape of ESG communications. Join Jennifer Owens, former external content strategy lead for Meta Sustainability, and Kati Kallins, former head of sustainability engagement at Meta, as they address the pitfalls and opportunities hidden in your ESG comms plan and provide practical answers...

Fresh from their first in-person meeting since launching Engaging ESG, Jennifer and Kati share candid reflections on New York Climate Week. From experiencing Conservation International's immersive VR storytelling at Adobe's event at the LinkedIn offices to hearing powerful testimonies about carbon markets from Georgia landowners, they explore the week's standout moments. The conversation covers th...

Dr. Victoria Hurth joins Jennifer and Kati for our season finale to explore how purpose-driven governance can transform business decision-making for sustainability. As co-designer of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership's course on sustainable marketing and a leader in the development of ISO 37011, Victoria explains why our current economic systems systematically undermine the well-be...

Daphany Rose Sanchez shares her powerful journey from growing up in New York City public housing to founding Kinetic Communities Consulting, a social enterprise transforming energy equity for underserved communities. Daphany explains why effective climate solutions must meet people where they are, addressing immediate concerns like utility bills rather than abstract climate concepts alone. She dem...

This week, Jennifer and Kati sit down with Al Iannuzzi, Vice President of Sustainability at The Estée Lauder Companies, for a candid conversation about sustainable product evolution in today's challenging business landscape.  Al shares his provocative perspective that "There's no such thing as a green product" and offers practical guidance on communicating sustainability improvements without green...

This week, Kati and Jennifer are joined by Paull Young, GitHub's first head of sustainability, for a wide-ranging discussion about leveraging technology to accelerate climate action.   From green software to the role of artificial intelligence in climate solutions, our conversation explores how developers and technologists can contribute to sustainability goals, the realities of AI's energy footpr...

Professor Robert Barlow from Hult International Business School joins Jennifer + Kati to explore how business schools can effectively teach sustainability and ESG in an evolving political landscape. From building Hult's highly-ranked sustainability curriculum to his current research on Chief Sustainability Officers, Rob discusses why business education needs to develop new frameworks for measuring...

In this episode, Jennifer + Kati are joined by Jarami Bond, founder of Bond Studio and Green Biz 30 Under 30 alum, who shares his unique approach to impact storytelling through film. From his experience at Interface and GreenBiz to founding a mission-driven production company, Jarami explores how to tell authentic stories that honor communities while advancing environmental and social impact. He d...

In a fascinating conversation about sustainability communications in turbulent times, Louise Wilson, SVP of Partnerships at Futerra, joins Jennifer and Kati to share insights from her decade of helping global brands drive environmental and social impact. From navigating shifting political landscapes to the power of consumer activism in 2025, Louise explores how companies can effectively communicat...

What happens when sustainability communications meets pushback? This week, Kati and Jennifer are joined by Mike Hower, founder of Hower Impact and host of The Sustainability Communicator podcast, for a candid discussion about the state of ESG and sustainability communications in 2025. From the evolution of corporate sustainability messaging to navigating today's fragmented media landscape, Mike sh...

What does it take to land (or hire for) a sustainability role in 2025? This week, Kati and Jennifer are joined by Richard Kent, Head of Research for North America; and Catherine Harris, Executive Director, Sustainable Business, Americas, at Acre, a leading sustainability recruiter for more than two decades. From "kitchen sink" job descriptions to the value of sustainability courses, our guests sha...

Sustainability expert Lyrica McTiernan joins Jennifer and Kati to explore how companies are navigating the evolving world of corporate climate commitments. From the shifting terminology of ESG to the emergence of climate transition plans, they discuss what's working, what's broken, and why 2025 could be a pivotal year for corporate environmental action. Have a question for us? Email us today at en...