The Turning Point Podcast

Most people assume corporations influence public policy. Far fewer understand how that influence actually works—or why companies with ambitious sustainability goals can end up opposing the very policies needed to achieve them. In this episode of The Turning Point, we sit down with Deb McNamara, Executive Director of Climate Voice, to explore one of the least understood dynamics shaping climate pro...

For years, much of the conversation around climate has focused on technology, policy, or individual action. But beneath all of those lies another force that determines whether meaningful change happens at all: culture. In this episode of The Turning Point, we sit down with Nicole Rom of Good Power, to explore how public opinion, trusted messengers, and strategic communication shape the future of t...

In a recent episode, we welcomed Dr. Kinari Webb to The Turning Point to discuss how her organization, Health In Harmony, has partnered with rainforest communities around the world to protect some of the planet's most critical ecosystems. What we discovered was that the real breakthrough wasn't simply conservation strategy—it was a radically different way of understanding where wisdom lives. In th...

Most leaders think culture is about values. It’s not. Culture is shaped by behavior—and behavior is shaped by systems. In this Mission-Driven episode of The Turning Point, we break down why organizational culture is so difficult to change, and why most culture initiatives fail before they start. What shows up as a “capacity problem” or “performance issue” is often something deeper: misalignment be...

Many of the institutions shaping our world operate on a quiet assumption: that resources are scarce and progress requires competition. But what if that assumption is false? In this episode of The Turning Point, Justin Baker and Ian C. Williams speak with Dr. Kinari Webb, founder of Health In Harmony, about what happens when we approach complex challenges with a different mindset—one grounded in re...

Mission matters. But when it comes to raising growth capital, it’s not enough. In this episode of The Turning Point, Justin and Ian sit down with Patrick Donohue, manager partner and CEO at Hill Capital, to unpack what growth-stage investors actually look for in small and lower middle-market businesses. They explore the painful middle stage many founders hit — the $1–3 million “no man’s land” — wh...

Mission-driven leaders face a unique challenge: building a successful, sustainable organization while staying true to a deeper purpose. This episode marks the launch of our new Mission-Driven series, created specifically to support the founders, executives, and leaders we serve through our work at Stillpoint Insight. In this conversation, Ian and Justin break down one of the most essential—and mis...

In this episode of The Turning Point, we sit down with Dori Jones, founder and CEO of Acqumen Medical, to explore how a personal NICU experience sparked a breakthrough in pediatric critical care. The U.S. has the highest infant mortality rate of any wealthy nation—a reality most people never confront until they’re forced to. Dori explains why infants and children in critical care are so difficult...

Carbon removal isn’t new—but most solutions are expensive, centralized, and difficult to scale. So what if the most effective answer is also the least flashy? In this episode of The Turning Point, Justin Baker and Ian C. Williams sit down with Andrew Jones, founder and CEO of Carba, to explore a radically practical approach to carbon removal—one that leverages biology, waste streams, and existing...

What if healthcare worked for people instead of insurance companies? In this episode of The Turning Point, we sit down with Sarah Brown, founder of Gatherwell, to explore a radically different approach to healthcare—one that removes insurance from the equation entirely. Sarah shares why she left traditional healthcare, how the insurance-driven system fails both patients and providers, and what dir...

Poor coordination in hospitals is more than an inconvenience—it leads to preventable errors, missed conversations, and unnecessary emotional stress for patients and families. In this episode, Dr. Mike Pitt joins Justin and Ian to reveal how Q-Rounds is solving one of healthcare’s most persistent problems: getting doctors, nurses, and families in the room at the right time. Discover why time transp...

How do we move beyond sustainability toward a truly regenerative food economy? In this episode, Robbie Vitrano, Board Chair of Mad Agriculture, joins us to explore what it really means to heal the relationship between people and the land. Robbie and the Mad Ag team are sparking a movement that blends finance, agronomy, and deep systems thinking — all grounded in a simple but critical question: “Wh...

As AI and electrification surge, America’s power grid is under pressure. Energy ReLeaf founder Pete Reese joins Justin Baker and Ian C. Williams to explore how next-generation home solar could help stabilize the grid and accelerate the clean-energy transition. Pete breaks down the challenges slowing solar adoption—cost, aesthetics, and interconnection—and shares how Energy ReLeaf’s solar shingle t...

How do you scale climate solutions without losing sight of what really matters? In this episode of The Turning Point, we sit down with Nick Reinke, CEO of HabiTerre, to explore what it means to lead in the "messy middle"—the space between innovation, complexity, and real-world systems change. Nick’s journey from crop insurance to startup leadership has equipped him with a rare ability to bridge th...

David Leon—former co-founder of Farmer’s Footprint and Principal at Esso Partners—joins us to unpack a bold, systems-level approach to transforming our broken food system. Drawing on deep experience in regenerative agriculture and finance, David explains how ecological investing can unlock more than just profit—it can regenerate soil, ecosystems, and communities. This episode explores why the food...

Scaling regenerative agriculture is harder than it looks. Nick Reinke, CEO of HabiTerre, joins us to unpack the real economic and logistical roadblocks—from transition risk on the farm to the limitations of carbon credit markets. He offers a systems-level perspective on how climate tech, data infrastructure, and aligned incentives can create change that sticks—for both farmers and food companies....

Burning medical waste is harmful, expensive, and still surprisingly common in 2025. In this episode of The Turning Point, we explore why—and what mission-driven healthcare leaders can do about it. Kelly Prchal, CEO of Clean Waste Systems, shares how her company’s ozone-based waste treatment system is disrupting the status quo. With no heat or water required, these machines sterilize waste, reduce...

Battery storage is one of the most critical — and misunderstood — components of the clean energy transition. In this episode, Zahra Hargens Iliff, founder and CEO of Vessyll, joins us to talk about how her company is helping businesses cut costs and reduce grid strain by deploying on-site battery systems. We explore why battery storage is essential to meeting future energy demand, how utilities an...

Former athlete and advertising exec Dr. Justin Baker joins Ian C. Williams to share his journey through burnout, meditation, and a PhD in Human Factors. What starts as a personal healing story evolves into a deeper exploration of why self-awareness alone isn’t enough to create meaningful organizational change. Justin breaks down the flaws in the “mindfulness industrial complex,” and explains how b...

In this episode of The Turning Point, Ian C. Williams discusses the critical connection between personal transformation and planetary transformation. He emphasizes the urgency of addressing the sixth mass extinction and the need for individuals to take responsibility for their actions. Ian explores the concept of discipline as a means of learning and adapting, rather than mere control. He highligh...

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