Purpose 360 with Carol Cone

Business is an unlikely hero: a force for good working to solve society's most pressing challenges, while boosting bottom line. This is social purpose at work. And it's a dynamic journey. Purpose 360 is a masterclass in unlocking the power of social purpose to ignite business and social impact. Host Carol Cone brings decades of social impact expertise and a 360-degree view of integrating social purpose into an organization into unfiltered conversations that illuminate today's big challenges and bigger ideas.

Purpose 360 with Carol Cone is a business podcast hosted by TruStory FM, with 237 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

TruStory FM hosts Purpose 360 with Carol Cone, a business show with 237 episodes published.

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  Episode #235

  Built with Purpose: What Five Iconic Companies Teach Us

  Sep 22, 202633 min

  What can five iconic purpose-driven companies teach us about building a mission that lasts? In this newly re-edited Purpose 360 compilation, we revisit standout conversations with leaders from Bombas, Just Ice Tea, Patagonia, Seventh Generation, and Tony’s Chocolonely to uncover six lessons for keeping purpose intact through growth, disruption, and change. Featuring Seth Goldman, David Heath, Jeffrey Hollender, Douglas Lamont, Jason LaRose, and Vincent Stanley, the episode explores what happens when purpose is truly put to the test with insights and examples from some of purpose’s leading companies. Together, these stories offer six practical lessons on building purpose into the business, confronting uncomfortable truths, scaling intentionally, earning stakeholder trust, proving that impact can drive performance, and protecting purpose for the long term. Purpose 360 is produced by TruStory FM. Full Show Notes and Resources: https://trustory.fm/purpose360/built-with-purpose-what-five-iconic-companies-teach-us/ (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360 (00:13) - Staying On Course (02:21) - Start with the Mission Then Build the Business Around It (05:54) - Responsibility Is Not a Destination, It Is a Practice (11:38) - The Mission Gets Real When Growth Puts It Under Pressure (16:25) - When the Business Breaks, Relationships Reveal What Was Really Built (20:26) - Impact Has to Be Good Business, and Good Business Has to Deliver Impact (24:21) - If the Mission Matters, Protect It Beyond the Current Leader (31:13) - Wrap Up

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  Episode #234

  The 2026 State of Corporate Purpose with Sona Khosla

  Sep 8, 202634 min

  Corporate purpose has faced one of its toughest pressure tests yet. But beneath headlines of retreat, Benevity’s State of Corporate Purpose report reveals a field that is proving remarkably resilient and evolving in important ways. In this episode of Purpose 360, Carol Cone welcomes Sona Khosla, Chief Impact Officer at Benevity, for a timely conversation about what the data tells us about the state of purpose today. Drawing on Benevity’s research and unique view into corporate and employee action, Sona shares why purpose remains deeply supported inside companies even as political and regulatory pressures reshape how organizations fund, communicate, and execute the work. The result is a picture of a field entering its next chapter: more focused on trust and authentic storytelling, more thoughtful about the opportunities and risks of AI, and increasingly connected to broader business and talent priorities. For impact leaders who have spent the past several years navigating uncertainty and scrutiny, the conversation offers an encouraging takeaway: purpose has endured, and leaders now have an opportunity to move from defense to offense. Purpose 360 is produced by TruStory FM. Full Show Notes & Resources View on YouTube (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360 (00:13) - Sona Khosla • Benevity (03:04) - Sona’s Background (04:39) - Benevity (06:27) - Perspectives and Insights (08:17) - The Report (09:40) - Genesis of the Report (10:13) - Headline (12:32) - The First Two Key Trends (13:34) - Quiet Period (16:16) - The Third Trend (18:15) - The Fourth Trend (21:22) - Integrating AI (21:42) - The Fifth Trend (25:23) - Volunteerism Events (27:51) - Figuring Out Your Focus (30:09) - Speed Round (31:03) - Last Thoughts (32:13) - Wrap Up

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  Episode #233

  Making Sustainability Win-Win-Win with Ann Tracy

  Aug 25, 202633 min

  For years, sustainability leaders have helped companies set ambitious targets. Now comes the two harder challenges: delivering on them and proving their business value. In this episode of Purpose 360, Carol Cone welcomes Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer of Colgate-Palmolive, for a robust and inspiring conversation about what the next era of sustainability leadership demands. Drawing on more than three decades across engineering, manufacturing, global operations, and sustainability, Ann shares how she has learned to turn sustainability from a set of commitments into an enabler of business strategy. Ann explains why the strongest sustainability leaders speak the language of growth, resilience, risk, and financial value; how her “win-win-win” philosophy connects consumer benefit, business success, and impact at scale; and why knowing where your organization should lead is critical to making meaningful progress. She also takes listeners inside Colgate-Palmolive’s journey to reinvent its toothpaste tube—and the decision to share that technology to help move an entire industry forward—while offering lessons on empathy, partnership, pragmatism, and what it takes to lead change across a global organization. Purpose 360 is produced by TruStory FM. Full Show Notes & Resources View on YouTube (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360 (00:13) - Ann Tracy, Colgate-Palmolive (04:13) - Ann’s Background (06:08) - Wide Involvement Level (07:45) - Their Purpose (09:26) - Sustainability (11:50) - Swords and Shields Philosophy (13:56) - Longevity and Scale (15:16) - Win-Win-Win Framework (16:55) - Recognizing the Brand (20:09) - Recyclable Toothpaste Tube (24:05) - Communication (25:44) - Empathy (27:24) - AI (28:51) - Lightning Round (30:47) - Last Word (31:47) - Wrap Up

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  Episode #231

  The Purpose x AI Advantage with Balaji Ganapathy and Kristian Merenda

  Jul 28, 202635 min

  Artificial intelligence is moving faster than most organizations can adapt. But amid the excitement, one critical question often gets overlooked: What is guiding the decisions AI helps us make? In this episode of Purpose 360, Carol Cone welcomes Kristian Merenda, Partner at Carol Cone ON PURPOSE, and Balaji Ganapathy, Founder and CEO of Social Positive, for a timely conversation about why it’s critical for purpose to be the ultimate guide for AI. The conversation explores why AI adoption is fundamentally a culture transformation rather than a technology implementation, how organizations can avoid "purpose drift" as automation expands, and why leaders should stop asking, "Can AI do this?" and instead ask, "Should AI do this?" From responsible governance and employee trust to experimentation, human judgment, and the future of leadership, this conversation challenges conventional thinking about AI and explores how purpose can help organizations use AI responsibly while keeping people, values, and long-term impact at the center. Purpose 360 is produced by TruStory FM. Full Show Notes & Resources (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360 (00:13) - CCOP AI Handbook (02:53) - Meet Kristian and Balaji (05:30) - Defining Purpose (06:46) - Purpose in the Age of AI (08:23) - The Case for Purpose (12:17) - How to Have the Conversation with the C-Suite (16:13) - The Guide and Purpose Drift (18:54) - Adoption (21:48) - Shaping the Culture Using Purpose (25:56) - Looking Forward (31:28) - Last Comments (33:59) - Wrap Up

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  Episode #230

  Can Chocolate Change the World? with Douglas Lamont

  Jul 14, 202640 min

  Which came first: the business or the purpose? For most companies, the answer is the business. But Tony's Chocolonely turned that formula upside down. In this episode of Purpose 360, Carol Cone welcomes Douglas Lamont, CEO of Tony's Chocolonely, for a fascinating conversation about one of the world's most purpose-driven companies. Founded by investigative journalists determined to expose child labor and exploitation in the cocoa industry, Tony's wasn't created to sell chocolate—it was created to prove that chocolate could be made differently. Douglas shares how Tony's has transformed that original act of advocacy into a global brand while staying relentlessly focused on its mission. He explains why the company calls itself an impact company, how its sourcing model and Mission Lock governance structure protect purpose at scale, and why transparency, collaboration, and creativity are essential to driving systemic change. Whether you're leading a purpose-driven business, building one from the ground up, or simply curious about how business can become a force for good, this conversation offers practical leadership lessons and an inspiring vision for what's possible. Purpose 360 is produced by TruStory FM. Full Show Notes & Resources View on YouTube (00:00) - Welcome to Purpose 360 (00:13) - Tony's Chocolonely • Douglas Lamont (03:16) - Childhood Influences (05:32) - Favorite Flavor (06:07) - Origin Story (10:28) - Becoming the Company It Is Today (11:42) - Shifting Careers (12:45) - How They Fight Exploitation (18:42) - Five Principles (20:11) - Reporting Good and Bad (21:33) - Advice for Building Brand (22:29) - Two Governance Tracks (25:31) - Marketing (29:34) - The Name (31:07) - Advice to Young People (33:21) - Advice for Social Entrepreneurs (34:11) - Rapid Fire Questions (36:58) - Last Word (38:04) - Wrap Up

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