The Future of Trust with Mat Yarger

In this episode, we sit down with Deanna Reitman, Partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, where she works at the intersection of energy, commodities, and compliance. Her career has been built on a simple premise: trust has to survive scrutiny, not just sound good in a pitch deck. Deanna shares how an early grounding in rules and consequences shaped a career spent in the rooms where deals unwind, owner...

What happens when someone who spent years studying broken institutions decides to help build the next generation of them? Tiffany Wang trained as a corporate lawyer, moved into risk assurance and fraud investigation at PwC, and then made the jump to FLock.io — a federated AI company building the infrastructure for private, decentralized model training. Her whole career has been defined by one ques...

What happens when the data looks right, but you still can't trust it? Matt Ober didn't walk through a polished front door into finance. He answered phones at Bloomberg, landed a hedge fund role through Craigslist, and built one of the world's most aggressive alternative data programs at WorldQuant, a quantitative hedge fund inside Millennium Partners that was testing thousands of new d...

Trust does not break all at once. For some people, it cracks early, quietly, and permanently reshapes how they move through the world. Oscar Hedaya learned that lesson young. He grew up in New Jersey in a community that looked stable from the outside. Inside his home, things changed fast. Money disappeared. Certainty disappeared. But what stayed, was responsibility. Oscar started working at twelve...

Trust rarely breaks loudly. Most of the time, it erodes quietly, one small doubt at a time. A number that feels off. A recommendation that does not quite match reality. A system that is technically correct, but still ignored. Richard Savoie has spent his career sitting right inside that tension. He started in regulated medical devices, where mistakes can have dire consequences and trust is not opt...

In this episode, we sit down with Amy, Co-Founder and CEO of Facet Power, and a leading voice in the next generation of climate infrastructure. Amy’s work sits at the intersection of energy, agriculture, and natural capital. From transforming biomass waste into energy and biochar, to building long-term joint ventures with local partners across Africa and beyond, she approaches climate not as a sin...

In this episode, we sit down with Andy Ellwood, Founder and CEO of Stretch, entrepreneur and technologist building at the intersection of money, data, and everyday decision-making, to explore how trust shows up in one of the most ordinary and consequential parts of life: grocery shopping. Andy’s perspective on trust was shaped early, growing up in a household where a single grocery trip had to las...

In this episode, we sit down with Monique Jeanne Marrow, technology strategist, startup advisor, and advocate for ethical innovation, to explore how trust shapes the digital age. Drawing from her work with refugees, homelessness, and blockchain governance, Monique shares how technology can serve people, not just systems. We dive into decentralized networks, the critical role of security and ethica...

In this episode, we sit down with Ceren Zeytinoglu of the Turkish Informatics Foundation, a strategist building bridges between AI researchers and climate innovators to strengthen global resilience. Drawing on her work co-creating the Global AI Alliance for Climate Action, Ceren shares how she connects Canada’s AI expertise with frontline climate needs across Istanbul, the EU, and Kyrgyzstan. From...

In this episode, Adam Flinter joins Mat to explore how trust shapes the worlds of venture, scale-ups, and cross-regional growth. Adam’s journey from BBC journalism to advising governments, VCs, and founders across the UK, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia gives him a rare perspective on how trust is formed long before deals are signed. They discuss what founders often overlook when approaching differen...

In this episode, we sit down with Gabriela Chang, co-founder of EthicHub, a blockchain-based platform connecting unbanked coffee farmers to global finance. Her journey from industrial designer to impact entrepreneur reveals how creativity can become a tool for inclusion and resilience. Born in Chiapas, Mexico – a region rich in both biodiversity and cultural roots – Gabriela grew up believing that...

In this episode, we sit down with Teodor Petricevic, Digital Partnerships and Accelerator Lead at UNDP’s Alternative Finance Lab and Community Manager for the UN Blockchain Community of Practice. From organizing punk shows in war-torn Croatia to building over 20 social enterprises across Europe, Teodor’s journey shows how trust is forged in unlikely places, and how those lessons now shape global b...

In this episode, we sat down with Bill Laboon, the Vice President of Ecosystem at the Web3 Foundation, part of the Polkadot Ecosystem. It’s one of the most ambitious blockchain networks ever built, focused on connecting independent blockchains through shared security and interoperability. But it’s not just infrastructure. It’s an evolving experiment in how governance, funding, and innovation can b...

In this episode, we sit down with Glenn Tan, Director of Global Affairs at Bybit’s Blockchain for Good Alliance (BGA), to explore his journey from managing construction projects to building Web3 initiatives with global impact. Glenn shares how his early career in real estate and construction shaped his perspective on trust, resilience, and infrastructure, principles that now guide his work in bloc...

In this episode, we sit down with Jose Manuel, digital identity and blockchain lead at the European Commission’s Digital Services Directorate, where he guides the evolution of the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI). From his roots in Spain to his role at the epicenter of one of the world’s most ambitious digital trust projects, Jose shares how culture, history, and policy shape Eur...

In this episode, we sat down with Gladstone Arantes Jr, Senior Advisor at Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) and the driving force behind the Brazil Blockchain Network (RBB). From his upbringing in the suburbs of Rio to his vision for “trustless trust,” Gladstone shares how personal experiences, cultural insights, and even the unspoken rules of a mosh pit shaped his approach to transparent...

In this episode, we sat down with Marck Vargas Koleshnikov, a pioneering force in Latin America’s renewable energy landscape. Marck’s journey is a raw, personal, and deeply compelling look at what it takes to lead in a fractured world, from exposing corruption in Colombia’s healthcare system to rebuilding his life through geothermal energy development across the region. The conversation explores h...

In this episode, we sat down with Dr. Alexandra Soezer, Director at Climate Action Center of Excellence (CACE).  Dr. Alexandra Soezer shares her journey from a childhood immersed in nature to her leadership at CACE, helping countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and the DRC navigate Article 6 frameworks under the Paris Agreement. The conversation explores why trust breaks before projects even start, point...

In this episode, we sat down with Jota Peleteiro, former pro footballer turned climate tech founder. Jota opens up about walking away at the peak of his career, building trust from the locker room to the boardroom, and why the legacy he wants most is not fame or fortune, but being the kind of man his children will want to come home to. It’s not about what you’ve done. It’s about who you are while...

In this episode, we sat down with Marisa Zalabak, AI ethicist, educational psychologist, and master facilitator of restorative circles. Marisa brings a powerful human lens to the conversation on trust, exploring how our desire to connect is being challenged by technology designed for separation. She shares insights from decades of work in ethics, education, and indigenous listening practices, offe...

In this episode, we sat down with Jim Massey, author of Trust in Action and former global executive in sustainability and risk management. Jim brings a deeply personal and systems-level perspective on how trust shapes leadership, self-awareness, and purposeful action. He shares insights into redefining work-life balance as “life’s work,” embracing risk as a catalyst for growth, and showing up with...

In this episode, we sat down with Sheri Hinish, Senior Partner and Global Consulting Sustainability, Technology, and Ecosystems Leader at EY. Sheri brings a systems-level perspective on how trust drives sustainability, ecosystem innovation, and organizational change. She shares insights into building strategies, empowering global collaboration, and the role of emerging technologies in accelerating...

In this episode, we sat down with David Carlin, Founder of founder of D. A. Carlin and Company and former Head of Risk at the United Nations Environment Programme.  David shares insights on his work in policy, sustainability, and why trust is the foundation of transformation. If you enjoy the episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review.

In this episode, we sat down with Anthony Day, Head of Strategy & Marketing at Midnight, to dive deep into the evolving role of trust in today’s digital landscape. We explored Anthony’s personal and professional journey, the mission behind Midnight, and why trust is at the heart of everything — from marketing strategies to data protection. If you enjoy the episode, don’t forget to subscribe an...