The Purpose Brief

What happens when a village refuses to lose its last shop or pub? This episode looks at how communities across the UK are creating and running businesses together for their own benefit, from village shops and pubs to farms, cafés and community hubs. James talks to George Ogier from Plunkett UK, a national charity which empowers rural neighbourhoods to set up and run community-owned businesses, and...

James sits down with Matty Lewis, a social entrepreneur and founder of Menfulness, to explore how mindfulness, community, and purpose-driven leadership can create meaningful impact. Focused on tackling the stark realities of men’s mental health, Matty shares his personal journey into social entrepreneurship and how a grassroots idea has grown into a powerful movement across Yorkshire. From creatin...

How did a small family of Quaker confectioners in York change the way we think about business forever? James explores the fascinating history of the Rowntree family with Nick Smith from the Rowntree Society . From Joseph Rowntree’s pioneering "Living Wage" experiments to the complex colonial history of the cocoa trade, we explore how a legacy of faith-led social responsibility evolved into a globa...

In this episode of The Purpose Brief , James Johnston chats to Professor Beth Breeze OBE, and they explore how philanthropy really works and how it’s changing. Drawing on decades of research, Beth reflects on generosity among the wealthy, and why giving is rarely just about money. Instead, philanthropy often sits at the intersection of identity, influence, responsibility, and a desire to make a di...

In the first episode of The Purpose Brief , James Johnston talks to world leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert Nathan Chappell about purpose, generosity, and the growing role of AI in helping not-for- profits scale fundraising. They discuss how AI can strengthen small teams, why ethics and transparency matter in the use of technology, and how we all need to adapt to rapid technological chan...

The Purpose Brief is a monthly podcast hosted by James Johnston, exploring social good and how we can make the systems and people surrounding it work better. This isn’t surface-level debate, the podcast creates space for deeper, thoughtful conversations with practitioners, funders, trustees, and public leaders who are tackling complex social challenges in the real world. Each episode focuses on pr...