Onwrd

Creativity, autonomy, localism, and customization are just a few of the dominant trends of the 21st Century, so it is no surprise that we are seeing the rise of 3D printing. As more maker spaces, teen centers, science clubs and libraries getting a hold of these relatively inexpensive home-based custom manufacturing machines, we are seeing more and more creative and impactful applications of these...

Across the globe, liberal democracies are facing grave challenges. And should some of these nations fall, what will replace their democratic institutions? If we are not actively creating what comes next, we are likely to revert to one of the governing systems the 20th Century has already proven faulty (e.g. Socialism and Authoritarianism). This is the problem Paola Santana and her team at Social G...

We have more communication tools than ever before, yet our ability to communicate with one another seems to be deteriorating. Is it the medium or the message that is becoming harder to navigate? Communication is the most powerful tool we have to solve and resolve our problems. But look around, there is a pandemic of toxic communication, inhibiting productive communication. In the eye of this worri...

“Water is fluid, soft and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.” – Lau Tzu No doubt, water is a powerful force...but, Mr. Tzu, how do we ensure we continue to have good water?! Globally and locally, water issues are on the ri...

As natural disasters and their impacts grow by the year, the rebuild efforts become more complex and important. Many times, natural disasters set the stage for opportunists to come in and perpetuate the unsavory aspect of capitalism. Luckily, many social innovators are dedicated to changing the disaster aide paradigm to one that leverages the opportunities presented in post-disaster contexts to in...

Our health system tends to focus on drugs, diseases, doctors, and disorders, yet it is our daily habits and community that have a far greater impact on our health outcomes than the healthcare conversation tends to acknowledge. In this episode, I sit down with a revolutionary non-profit who is changing how health and community can connect to create better outcomes for all - insurers, individuals, t...

Entrepreneurship is at an all-time high. More creative risk-takers are bucking traditional employment and creating their own jobs, pursuing their passions and solving major problems at every scale, on every continent. But, becoming an entrepreneur is tough, and even tougher for those who the economy has historically left behind. Luckily, there are business savvy leaders with giants hearts, big vis...

Our educational systems are out of date and in dire need of an upgrade. Luckily, there are many people working hard to shift the educational paradigm. In this episode, we meet two innovators who are changing the how education is delivered now, and for years to come. We discuss inspiring trends, barriers to shifting educational outcomes and the existing initiatives and models that are improving edu...

In this episode, I sit down with two entrepreneurs who are changing the fashion and beauty space business model - shifting from a culture that monetizes exploitation to one that is capitalizing off empowering. We discuss the state of the industry, inspiring trends, barriers to shifting culture and the existing products and business models that Malia and Stephane are forwarding. Learn more about th...

Poverty in the USA has been stuck at 12% for the last 40 years. In recent years, cities have been dedicating more and more resource to fighting homelessness, yet the problem is only getting worse. While there are a lot of mysteries about homelessness, one things is clear, it is on the rise. And this flies in the face of the dramatic increase in money being spent in the private, public and social s...

While the social sector and private sector operate on different playing fields, they impact our shared reality. So how can we bridge this divide to ensure the great work of social innovators has the same opportunities to scale as the next Pepsi, Facebook or GoPro? A breed of financial services firms have risen to the challenge. Through their innovative approaches, they are forwarding the future of...

Diversity is innovation. Innovation requires creativity, and creativity is bore from the alchemy of blending of multiple perspectives, possibilities and individual people. While individuality is powerful, it is even more impactful when mixed with the individualities of others. But how can we learn to embrace our differences? DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives are being conducted at...

Democracy could use a reboot. A systems upgrade. We are in the middle of the 21st Century, and many basic democratic structures are way out of date. Voting is one of the most obvious examples. In today’s episode, I talk to Jeffrey Stern of Votem, a mobile voting platform designed to securely cast votes in elections across the globe. Votem is one of many social innovators helping shift our democrat...

When was the last time you fixed a leaky sink? Built a fence? Rewired your lighting? If you are like me, the answer is “Never!” We rely on skilled tradesmen and women to fix-it, and make our cars, homes, offices and vital infrastructure all better. But it’s becoming more difficult to find this skilled labor. Letitia Hanke, CEO of www.arsroofing.com, was struggling to find talent to service her cli...

What if you didn't have to wait two weeks, or in some countries, a month to receive your paycheck? What if you could show up to work on Monday morning without a dime, and have enough money to buy lunch by 12pm? Payday advances/loans have been a long-time scourage on wage workers, but in the age of digital money, ubiquitous tracking and a rapidly evolving workforce, why are we still stuck in the pa...

Many problems our communities face are massive in scale, and the organizations fighting them are tiny in comparison. That being true, there are some behemoths out there. Large Philanthropic foundations who give millions upon millions of dollars away every year to remedy social issues. In this episode, I sit down with Dolores Estrada, the Director of Grants Management at the www. CalEndow.org, and...

The largest hotel company owns no real estate. The largest taxi companies own no taxis. The trend of decentralizing systems is creating a more resilient and flexible world. In this episode, I sit down with Piers Ridyard, CEO of www. RadixDLT.com, who is creating a platform for anyone to build decentralized tools to solve big problems and provide better services as we race towards an ever-shifting...

The scope of our rigid regulations and the diverse constituents occupying dynamic, radically changing societies are currently in painful juxtaposition. Luckily, Vinay Gupta, founder of Mattereum, Hexayurt Capital, and Ethereum, is working on making legal structures more flexible, enforceable and scalable to the VUCA times we live in. Learn more about Vinay at https://medium.com/@leashless.

AI, E-health records, telemedicine, the list goes on. So much innovation in the health space, so many exciting developments...but what is the problem health innovators are trying to solve? Dr. Cahana is a global health expert and practitioner with a systemic solution to the fissures of our global health systems.

Data breach after data breach, hack after hack, our personal data is all over the internet, and is at risk of being compromised. What can we do to change how our digital identities and information is accessed, used and abused by organizations who rely on our data to provide services? David Siegel, a web pioneer, futurist, writer, thought leader and CEO of The Pillar Project (www.pillarproject.io),...

The "why" and "what" of the Onwrd podcast. I am your host, Daniel Weinzveg. Please join me on an inspiring journey as we talk to the humans working hard on the innovative projects and that are improving our global community.