New Podcast Explores How Feminism and Business Can Intersect for a Better World
Can feminism and capitalism exist in harmony? Strictly speaking, no, says business coach and podcast host Becky Mollenkamp.
Still, she’s a long way off from carrying pictures of Chairman Mao.
In fact, while she describes herself as anti-capitalist, she firmly believes in making money. What she eschews, however, is toxic capitalism—a system that puts profits above all else.
“Making money is super-important,” she says. “But how do we make money in a way that adds equity to the world, honors the humanity of ourselves and our customers, and pours back into the community?”
The answer, she says, can be found at the intersection of business and feminism. To explore transformative possibilities that can happen at that crossroad, Becky has recently launched a podcast, “Feminist Founders.” This compelling and beautifully produced podcast is dedicated to giving equity-centered entrepreneurs the ideas, tools, and encouragement they need to “prioritize people and planet over profits without sacrificing success.”
Mollenkamp launched the podcast on Wednesday, September 13th after recording and producing her entire first season. Her goal, she says, is to hold in-depth conversations with those who are saying “no” to business as usual and “yes” to a human-first approach to business. When choosing guests, she looks for a great range of voices.
“I want the lineup to be incredibly diverse,” she says. “And not just in the way people look, but in the kinds of businesses they run: profits/nonprofits, products/services, online/brick and mortar, U.S./foreign.” That way, she says, she can explore the entirety of the business landscape in a way that makes everyone running a business understand that they, too, can flourish at the intersection of business and feminism.
Guests this season include heavy hitters at this intersection, including:
C.V. Harquail
“She wrote the book on feminist business,” says Becky. The podcast discusses what it means to actually live in a feminist economy.
Motherful
This nonprofit in Columbus, Ohio, creates a communal living space for single mothers. The episode reveals how Motherful rethinks how to offer services to women, mothers, and people of color in ways that will create a more equitable world.
Andrea Breanna
A former CTO at Huffington Post, Breanna is the founder/CEO of RebelMouse, a powerful CMS platform used by news juggernaut Axios and animal-focused media platform, The Dodo. Breanna discusses her long career in the tech space as a trans person and how she seeks to amplify LGBTQ voices, especially in the male-dominated tech space.
Becky feels this new podcast will offer support to those who feel isolated in their quest to challenge the status quo (and we agree). “When you're trying to buck the trend, it can be an incredibly lonely journey, especially when you're working online or independently. By having these big, important conversations with successful feminists in business, this work can reassure others that they are not alone, which is profoundly empowering.”
Find Becky Mollenkamp’s Feminist Founders podcast on her website, where you can also sign up for her Substack newsletter!