Modern Idealist

Recorded at the Nobel Peace Center during Oslo Innovation Week for the Peace of Mind Podcast series, this Modern Idealist episode explores how humanity can survive and thrive in the digital age. Hosts Valerie Leung and Meryn Zumbo Willets speak with Pardis Shafafi, anthropologist practitioner and previously the Global Responsible Business Lead at Designit Oslo, whose rare profile combines humanita...

In this conversation, Sophie, co-founder and CEO of Morescope, shares her journey into the climate action space, discussing her background, the importance of technology in decarbonization, and the challenges posed by EU regulations. The discussion highlights the intersection of individual actions and corporate responsibility, emphasizing the need for a shift in mindset towards sustainability. Soph...

In this conversation, we're joined by our guest, Sahibzada Mayed (they/them), where they discuss their journey as a first-generation immigrant and the complexities of navigating identity, land, and decolonization. They reflect on the importance of reconnecting with ancestry, unlearning sanitized histories, and the role of research in reclamation. The dialogue explores the nuances of cultural appro...

In this episode of the Modern Idealist Podcast, hosts Valerie and Meryn reconnect after a hiatus, sharing personal updates and reflections on motherhood, travel, and the complexities of modern life. Valerie discusses her journey into motherhood and the challenges of the fourth trimester, while Meryn shares her travel experiences and insights on cultural immersion. The conversation delves into the...

Join us as Samira Khan, a seasoned expert from Salesforce and Microsoft, delves into the essential fusion of social innovation and responsible AI. Samira shares her journey from witnessing social injustices to becoming a leader in sustainability, emphasizing the need for holistic, interdisciplinary approaches. She discusses the impact of parenthood on her views, the importance of up-skilling for t...

As of 2021, the top 1% of households in the United States held 32.3% of the country's wealth, while the bottom 50% held just 2.6%. Additionally, the top 20% of the wealthiest Americans possessed 80% of all financial assets. Meryn and Valerie dive into the macro and micro perspectives on wealth and privilege. Whether you are in the top 1% or the top 20%, there is no escaping the harsh question:...

Valerie and Meryn's take on the tragedy of the commons. In a world of free markets (with good intentions), we've gotten so competitive that we've forgotten we all live in the same world sharing resources (beyond land and natural resources) and that we ultimately face the same problems. We question if we've been over gamified in today's societal standards that hurt the economy a...

Petter Reistad CEO and co-founder of Celsia, a sustainability management and reporting software company aiming to make regulatory sustainability reporting simpler, talks to Valerie about how Celsia has been navigating this emerging field. What the wins have been, and what hidden hurdles remain to be overcome. Since the recording of this episode, Celsia has been acquired by ISS Corporate. Petter el...

In this captivating installment, we sat down for a chat with Dennis Yao Yu, a true champion for diversity and a fervent advocate for highlighting minorities, with a particular focus on the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community. Dennis shares a wealth of insights drawn from his experiences in the heart of big tech and corporate life in Silicon Valley and the West Coast. Dennis delves int...

Welcome back to another episode of Modern Idealist, a podcast for career driven professionals striving to make an impact in today’s fast paced society. I’m Valerie Leung. And we’ve brought on a very smart and data-driven friend of Modern Idealist today, Tony Senanayake, is a Chief Strategy Officer at Fortify Health, a non-profit that provides micronutrient-rich wheat flour to combat iron-deficienc...

Suggested: Listen on 1.2x! Welcome back to another exciting episode, where we delve into the raw and honest experiences of individuals living and working abroad. In this episode, we'll explore the international life in Norway, focusing on navigating relationships, work, and dating, and providing personal tips and insights on how to thrive abroad, particularly in Norway and the Nordic region. J...

Rethinking Sustainable Finance with Rodolphe Bocquet In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Rodolphe Bocquet, a distinguished sustainable investment and policy expert, to delve into the world of sustainable finance. Rodolphe brings a vast array of knowledge and experience in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and sustainable investments, making this conversation a must-listen...

Valerie meets up with Bjørn Kjetil Mauritzen, Head of Sustainability from Hydro, a Norwegian aluminum and renewable energy company. It is also one of the world’s largest aluminum company. We discuss the hot topics of industrial sustainability, holistic value chain approaches and innovations applied in the heavy industries towards sustainability. Aluminum production is deeply complex as it has heav...

Meryn and Valerie reunite on air after a brief hiatus caused by Meryn's loss of voice due to illness. While Valerie has been traversing the states, from New York to North Carolina, Meryn has been holding it down in Oslo, Norway. Join us as we catch up on our respective journeys and dive deep into discussions surrounding work-life setups and the complexities of privilege and materialism. We contemp...

In this episode of the Modern Idealist Podcast, we sit down with Verel Rodrigues, a climate activist, engineer and environmental campaigner to hear his perspectives on corporate activism. We discuss the need for social momentum vs technology because, as Verel rightly says, while the technology is already available, we're still missing the political will to affect change. Verel discusses how ca...

Back with some life updates and sustainability and social responsibility rants. Valerie talks about the complexity and interlinkages of sustainability and social challenges and pushes companies to do more. Both are fed up with Linkedin Posers, and ideaprenuers. Warning to our male audience, we go straight into the dilemmas of a single woman in her 30's, and Meryn challenges the existing social con...

In this episode, we focus on content for DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) specialists and professionals, and our guest Vikram walks us through a 5-day outreach sprint that he has come up with. Vikram has an impressive background working with major international organization bodies for responsible (sustainability and social) businesses, including the UN PRI, Textile Exchange, Finance UNEP Ini...

Laura Smith is an American based in Helsinki and is an organizational researcher and founder of VALIDEI, a research agency specializing in the assessments of organizational inclusion, equity, and social responsibility. The incoming DEI Leader at Wolt and the former Head of DEI at Bolt, Laura specializes in developing strategies and evolving organizational practices, policies, and supports to be re...

We had the pleasure of hosting our dynamic guest speaker, Georgia Elliott-Smith, Element Four's Managing Director. In this episode, we explore the hidden narrative of sustainability consulting and the importance of disruptive practices that enact meaningful and systemic change. Georgia shares how she got into this space and sheds light on the lucrative salaries and perks offered by big business to...

This episode is part 2 of our last episode. In the second part, we're going macro, we’re also going to give our thoughts and reflections on some of the big bold predictions for 2023. Specifically, we will be referring to a list that Linkedin published at the end of 2022 called, Big Ideas 2023, 23 bold predictions of the year ahead.  This was recorded in January 2023, and there are 20 predicti...

Happy 2023! We're finally back in O-Town in Norway! After a festive and restful holiday season, we feel energized and excited to share with you some reflections from our time off, relationship updates, where we went and who we spent time with Most importantly some big-bang intentions for this upcoming year.

Welcome to Episode 18 on 'Reimagining the global workforce through diversity.'  A couple of episodes ago, we dropped a hint about Meryn’s new venture, Umbrella, so we decided to bring in the founding team, Jyoti Sohal-David and Sabrina Zeng, to share what they’re doing, the dent they want to put in the world and how they’re tackling the challenges and opportunities when it comes to empowering...

Today we sit down for a heartfelt and unfeigned talk with Daniel Roth, founder of JumpScale, a company that focuses on sustainably scaling companies through the lens of well-being and mental health. Daniel shares his rich experience working with founders, his work as former Director for Sustainability at Cornell University and how Somatic Movement Therapy and reconnecting with the body has become...

It’s been a wild ride for us in the past couple of months so we’re bringing you a  double episode special over a glass of wine or two to give you the down low on all that's ensued. We’ve had the Diversify Nordics Summit, performed at The Annual Gala, ran events and spoke at Oslo Innovation Week on diversity, ESG and social impact. We both bought apartments, Meryn founded a new company and kicked o...

It’s been a wild ride for us in the past couple of months so we’re bringing you a  double episode special over a glass of wine or two to give you the down low on all that's ensued. We’ve had the Diversify Nordics Summit, performed at The Annual Gala, ran events and spoke at Oslo Innovation Week on diversity, ESG and social impact. We both bought apartments, Meryn founded a new company and kic...