The Blue Marble

Kasey is the founder and developer of BEERToken and a family of drinks tokens, a project brewing on the Stellar Blockchain focused on connecting brands, industry and consumers to the blockchain, digital currencies, and NFT's in a fun, familiar and entertaining way. He is also behind other projects on Stellar that include VEND, a Point of Sale system, and wallet bridging the gap between cash and crypto for small business and customers, inspired from growing up in the family business where easy technology solutions just weren't available. In parallel, he is co-founder at Merchant Media, based out of Melbourne, Australia, a digital agency and niche publisher of eMagazines and web directories that work in multiple lifestyle verticals. Career wise, Kasey is an ex brewery executive, and a strategic sales marketing leader with extensive experience across Tech, FMCG, Franchising, Food & Beverage categories in both Australia and International. Connect with Kasey https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterkais/ and learn about BEERtoken at beertoken.com ___

Jessica Yarmey is the CEO of KickHouse, a modern kickboxing franchise that inspires members and communities to take their health and kick it up a level. (www.thekickhouse.com) A former college athlete who played Division I soccer at Loyola University in Maryland and ran two marathons in “retirement," Jessica recognizes the value of fitness and its ability to transform lives. As a result, she aspires to bring more health and fitness opportunities to neighborhoods across the nation. She currently leads her company’s franchise development strategy and brand expansion efforts. Helping franchises grow is one of Jessica’s specialties; prior to starting KickHouse, she was the Chief Marketing Officer at Club Pilates. Under her leadership, the company grew from 225 to over 615 locations in the U.S., Canada, and in Master Franchise countries. Starting her business during the pandemic, Jessica brings a creative approach to fill the void of how studio owners are supported in the fitness space. As an Entrepreneur, Jessica is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs and leaders find and thrive in their passion. Jessica’s weekly workout routine consists of lifting, yoga, kickboxing, and listening to podcasts while walking with her Belgian Malinois.

Erin Grover's experience in blockchain began in asset management and crypto algo funds. She is currently focused on blockchain for impact, including blockchain verified carbon credits and smart supply chain for agriculture. She has conducted extensive field research of emerging DeFi markets in Kenya, Uganda and India. She is a part of the World Economic Forum's Crypto Sustainability Coalition as a member of the blockchain and carbon working group. She is an advisor for the AKASHA Innovation Hub in Dublin which provides on‐the‐ground incubation and acceleration for blockchain projects at various stages, whether for early startups still working on an idea or companies plotting their investor pitches, or go‐to‐ market strategies. Her passion is to create more opportunities for financial prosperity and sustainable investment products for diverse populations and women in particular. She is a strong advocate for the potential of blockchain technology to bring efficiency and transparency to the delivery of funds for international aid. ​ Prior to her work in blockchain, she worked for the United Nations, USAID and other international NGOs as a content producer and marketing strategist. Her previous work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Mashable, The Times of India and many other international news sources. Her digital strategy has raised over $2 million in crowdfunding for various tech and business ventures, as well as millions in views for numerous online campaigns. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eringrover/

On this episode we chat with Alejo Mendoza, Founder and Developer of SKYHITZ, a community where people can buy or sell music NFTs on the Stellar Network. Involved with music at a young age, Alejo has always believed that music is one of the most powerful forces behind human ingenuity. After finishing music studies, he embarked on a journey to travel the world while being a producer of shows in cruise ships, this expanded his thinking on how creating and performing music can enhance people's lives.  In 2013, he traveled to the city of Los Angeles to study and research how to transform music so more people could become creators or experience at least once in their lifetime what it feels to make music. In this process, he met the founders of Splice in Las Vegas, who were just getting started and asked him to join their founding team as an engineer. The startup became a success for everyone involved and quickly reached more than a million customers worldwide in less than three years. After his success in the startup world, Alejo challenged himself by starting Skyhitz, an organization with a mission to combine the power of decentralized economies with music. @alejomendoza

Steph L Dickson is a leading voice in sustainability in Asia. She founded Green Is The New Black, Asia's first Conscious Festival and media platform, that uses stories, curated experiences to advocate for social & behavioural change that leads to little green steps with big impact. Her mission is to make conscious living mainstream, accessible and sexy. Steph is also the host of the Live Wide Awake podcast, which brings conversations to life at the intersections of consciousness and climate change, sustainability and Spirituality. As a founding member of UNTAM3D, Steph is also part of a collective force carving out a place for APAC Women+ in Web3 for impact. She is regularly asked to conduct talks and workshops on conscious living, rethinking and driving sustainability at work, inspiring keynotes on actionable green steps for meaningful change and eco-anxiety. She has conducted talks and workshops in cities around Asia and in the UK. As a changemaker in the green space, Steph has been described as a "sustainability entrepreneur helping Asia businesses combat climate change" (CNBC) and a "force of nature" (Honeycombers). She is also a two-time TEDx speaker (P&G), a Gen.T by Tatler Leader of Tomorrow (2020), and Prestige 40 Under 40 (2018). For speaking, workshops, or hosting, contact stephdickson@gmail.com IG: @stephldickson LI:/stephldickson https://www.instagram.com/livewideawake/ https://www.instagram.com/be_untam3d/ https://www.instagram.com/greenisthenewblackcom/ UNTAM3D Fb Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/268792121874056 https://houseafrica.io/about.html https://www.oceaverse.io/ https://neco.finance/ https://www.planetwatch.io/ https://truecostmovie.com/

On this episode I speak with Mary Kucek, the founder, and CEO of OvaryIt, a telehealth platform that was created for women by women. Mary is a highly energetic and analytical IT professional with success in new business startups and business expansion. Her technology career has included: Business Analysis, Project Management, and multi-state territory ownership for a large privately held IT consulting organization. After working with State, Federal, and commercial clients throughout the United States, Mary hung up her consulting hat to become an entrepreneur. Her Biochemistry background has given her a strong scientific foundation which puts Mary in the unique position to effectively speak with technology and medical teams alike. We chat about Mary’s decision to start a nonprofit and the challenges with that, and how the OvaryIt platform that Mary and her team have created is allowing women to make key health decisions from the comfort of their own home. Facebook and Instagram: @OvaryIt_ TikTok: @OvaryIt Twitter: @OvaryIt

Drew Simon is a social impact and technology enthusiast with ten years of leadership experience in the non-profit and higher education sectors. Drew has served as a Senior Leader, Director, and Advisor for multiple non-profit organizations, and has helped charities around the world secure millions in funding to support their missions. More recently, Drew was introduced to blockchain and cryptocurrency, and was amazed by its potential to transform the social impact sector. This led to the launch of Crypto Altruism, a Blog and Community of Practice dedicated to advancing the social impact use cases of cryptocurrency and blockchain. Website: cryptoaltruism.org Twitter - Drew - https://twitter.com/DWSimon Twitter - Crypto Altruism - https://twitter.com/Crypto_Altruism LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-simon/

In this episode we speak with Michael Shafer, the founder and director of Warm Heart, a community development organization serving Phrao, one of the poorest districts in northern Thailand.  Since 2008, Warm Heart has been transforming the lives of many people, addressing issues such as family care, education, micro-enterprise, environmental sustainability, and health care for the elderly. Michael is also on a mission to reduce smoke pollution by teaching famers how to create biochar - and on this episode that's what we discuss.  What is biochar? Why is it important? And how does it help remove carbon? You can find out more about Michael at these links: https://biochartrust.com/ https://warmheartworldwide.org/ d.michaelshafer@gmail.com

On this episode of The Task Podcast I speak with Singapore based Charu Sethi, the Chief Marketing Officer of Unique Network, an NFT chain for Polkadot and Kusama. Charu is a leading voice in tech marketing, with experience in the blockchain industry. Before Unique she worked for companies like IBM, helping build out their blockchain adoption marketing. We chat everything NFTs - the crazy growth we’ve seen in the last 12 months, what that has meant to the art and gaming world and how these digital assets can support the non-profit sectors. Charu can be reached at: Twitter LinkedIn

This is the first in a series where I’ll be speaking with a number of social enterprises to learn about the work they do and the varying business models that fund their missions. Today's episode is with Charlotte Breyer, the Director of Soap Cycling, an organisation that works with the hospitality industry to collect, process, and distribute lightly used soap bars and bottled amenities. These life-saving items are then distributed to disadvantaged communities around the world, particularly Asia. Charlotte has worked for NGOs in the overseas aid sector and is also the co-founder of Big Heroes Ltd., a social enterprise connecting corporates with great local charity organisations through professionally managed social team-building events in Singapore. She believes a sustainably thriving business is in touch with its impact on people and planet, and that respect for the triple bottom line is the best foundation for long-term success. https://www.soapcycling.org/

On this episode I speak with one of the leading voices in the cryptocurrency and blockchain technology industry, Topp Jirayut. Topp has dedicated the majority of his career in the cryptocurrency and blockchain technology industry. He co-founded coins.co.th, Thailand's largest bitcoin exchange. Before Blockchain emerged, Topp worked as an investment banker, financial consultant, and central banker. He is a speaker and one of Thailand's leading bitcoin and open blockchain experts. He holds an MPhil in Economics from Oxford University, UK. Now he is the founder and group CEO at Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co., Ltd. (BCGH), the largest blockchain and cryptocurrency company in Thailand. He is also the Executive Board Member and Vice President at the Thai Fintech Association. We talk about where Topp sees the crypto sector heading over the next decade, the excitement over NFTs & the varying use cases, and how the social sector will benefit from blockchain and crypto. You can follow Topp on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/toppjirayutofficial

Growing up in the Finger Lakes of New York provided Tom with access to abundant nature, cementing a fascination with the natural world, and laying the roadmap for a career in conservation. As an adult, the majority of Tom’s professional career has been in or around zoos.  Starting as a Zookeeper, Tom has worked with a wide variety of animals, from hoof stock to crocodilian.  As his career progressed, his interested in conservation of the species he worked with grew. Always interested in technology, the two paths crossed as Tom spent time in Central America working with indigenous populations.  As the integrations of technology in conservation grew, so did Tom’s aspirations and scale of work. Today, Tom is working on long term proof of impact, and greater donor transparency to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As Director of Programming and Conservation Action for the Seneca Park Zoo Society in Rochester NY, Tom is mostly focused on community projects in Borneo, Madagascar and Equatorial Africa.  More info on the zoo projects can be seen at: SenecaParkZoo.org

THE GREEN EYED MONSTER film and animation company brings a wealth of multi-disciplined talent to create finely crafted content. Video of any format to match your communication needs, engage audiences and drive positive messages about people and planet.  Ethical, Sustainable, Purposeful, call it what you want, we can help. Whether you are beginning your sustainable journey and need to let everyone know, or are well established and want to celebrate it, we have the story tellers who can help bring your mission to life. Consider us a video extension of your ethical supply chain. Our portfolio of clients has grown slowly and strategically. We aim to stay small, focussed and dynamic whilst maintaining a high, friendly and very personal level of service on all projects. Green Eyed Monster Films was founded by Mark Downes. He has a degree in Political Science,  a Masters in Cultural Studies and another Masters in Film Production.  He has made films with Sir David Attenborough and for UNICEF in Mozambique. He has directed, produced, edited and written films for a plethora of global brands and brings that experience and network to the Green Eyed mission. He is also the technical director of the New Directors Showcase at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. It was in Cannes where he witnessed UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon made a call for agents of change. ‘We are the first generation that can end global poverty. We are the last generation that can address climate change before it is too late,’” Ban Ki Moon GREEN EYED MONSTER FILMS was born shortly after and draws on a wide network of very talented strategists, directors, producers and technicians who have an incredible understanding of story and storytelling. Making sustainability an integral part of how we work, and furthering the message of the SDG's is what sets us apart.   For more about Mark go to: Greeneyedmonsterfilms.com

Pat Duffy, Co-Founder of The Giving Block, came from the nonprofit sector, focusing on executive leadership and fundraising. Merging his nonprofit experience and passion for Bitcoin trading, The Giving Block was born, as he and Co-Founder Alex Wilson created the turnkey cryptocurrency solutions used by the nonprofit sector. www.TheGivingBlock.com

Stu is the founder of Red Arc, builders of systems that help charities and nonprofits fundraise more effectively. With their name almost synonymous with Blackbaud’s SKY Add-ins™, Red Arc have been helping pioneer the Blackbaud partner ecosystem since Custom Tiles were something fancy you had in your bathroom. He’s been building community one way or the other, from indie bands to business ecosystems as long as he can remember. And loves to share what he’s learned with anyone who will listen. Along with his wife Henrietta, co-founder of Red Arc, they currently divide their time between their (adult!) children in sunny Sydney, and grandchildren in castle-filled Scotland. Red Arc - We build systems for good

Melanie has been involved with the creation, development and implementation of British and International standards for over 18 years. With her passion for improving business performance through the implementation of Management Systems, Melanie founded her first business in the standards sector in 2006, Blackmores, a consultancy firm which implements and maintains management systems for clients ranging from SME’s to blue chip organisations.   Blackmores rapidly grew to be an award winning, leading provider of consultancy services, specialising in environmental, quality and risk standards and offering expertise on the widest range of standards in Europe. Her clients are spread across a broad spectrum of sectors including manufacturing, telecommunications, IT, retail, transport, healthcare, public sector and construction to name but a few. She is now set to launch a game-changing innovation in her field, called the isology hub, which is a membership-based platform that companies or individuals can use to get a comprehensive, step-by-step understanding of how to become ISO certified. Blackmores: https://blackmoresuk.com/ The ISO Show: https://blackmoresuk.com/the-iso-show/ isology hub: https://isologyhub.com/ Mel also mentioned the ISO Standards Blueprint on the podcast. Here is a link to a free download and step-by-step guide on everything you need to plan, create and get ISO certified: https://isologyhub.com/blueprint/ And Mel’s LinkedIn where you can connect with her: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/melblackmore

Scott Fry is the founder of Loving Earth, an ethically driven company that believes Food is Sacred. Loving Earth is best known for its organic chocolate products and the story began in 2007 when Scott, along with cofounder Martha Butler, returned to Melbourne from Mexico, bringing with them the ingredients to create their very first chocolate bars. Scott’s mission is to support disenfranchised farming communities around the world by bringing a brand to market created from local commodities like cacao, by commercialising these commodities in a way that allows indigenous people to continue their ancient, sustainable farming practices. Loving Earth was founded with the mission to create the highest quality, whole food raw chocolate bars based on ingredients from around the globe that honour both the Indigenous communities who cultivate them and the earth and ecosystems in which they are grown. Task is working on an initiative with Loving Earth that will allow their customers to scan their chocolate bar with their smartphone, launching a web page/app that connects them directly with the Ashaninka communities who produced the raw cacao. They will be able to pledge support as well as taking part in Loving Earth’s regenerative program by donating trees to be planted. A process that supports the community, the environment and brings Loving Earth consumers closer to the products they purchase. About Loving Earth Loving Earth is dedicated to sourcing and manufacturing the highest quality organic, fairly-traded and wild-crafted functional foods and raw chocolate. The three central principles of Loving Earth’s mission are to create products that always are Healthy, Sustainable, and Fair. You can find Loving Earth products on their online shop at lovingearth.com and in select retailers in the US, Europe and Australia. For more information about Loving Earth, please visit https://lovingearth.com/.

Self-employed since 2001, Jonathan is a British award-winning film director and director of photography based in France and Hong Kong. Brought up in Yorkshire and educated in the UK, professional life followed art college in London. Since moving to Asia 27 years ago the world opened up.   Hanging out of helicopters in Sumatra,  filming with nomads in Tibet, rescuing elephants from Pakistan and wandering through the Taklimakan desert in search of Marco Polo’s legacy are just some of the adventures that have presented themselves in the course of the ordinary day job.  So, it’s no surprise that filming in wild places in difficult situations are considered his specialty for the likes of National Geographic. As we all know, technology has revolutionized the film industry and Jonathan realized he needed to evolve to stay competitive.  So becoming a skilled editor and cinematographer was a natural evolution and has, as importantly, increased his enjoyment of the craft of filmmaking. View more of Jonathan's work over on Vimeo : www.vimeo.com/luckydevilfilms

Sam Conner is an entrepreneur, business and real estate investor, researcher, historian and Stellar enthusiast. He's a Stellar champion and regular on both the Stellar Podcast and Public Node Podcast. You can follow Sam at his Twitter account: @samconnerone

Navroop Sahdev is the founder and CEO of The Digital Economist, an impact organization with the mission to drive technological convergence by bringing investable opportunities, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, to the fore. A pioneering economist and technology futurist, Navroop’s work lies at the intersection of emerging technologies, economic science and business strategy. Along with the world’s most respected digital economists, in 2019 she co-authored “Blockchain Economics: Implications of Distributed Ledgers: Markets, Communications Networks, and Algorithmic Reality”, the first book on the economics of blockchain. Navroop is currently a Connection Science Fellow at the MIT Media Lab, part of a curated group of top scholars and entrepreneurs in emerging technologies with a track record of outstanding achievement, who are building the future of Distributed Ledger Technologies, Digital Identity and Digital Networks. She was listed as one of the Top Blockchain Influencers in 2018 by Media Shower. Navroop is frequently interviewed by Forbes as a subject matter expert on the economics of emerging tech. She has co-authored Hyperledger’s "Blockchain for Business" online course - the biggest on the subject - with over 170,000 students so far and is regularly requested as a keynote speaker at industry conferences. She holds three masters in IP Management, Economics of Innovation and Applied Economics. Previously, she worked at Harvard University and the United Nations Environment Programme. In 2017, Navroop served as a United Nations Youth Delegate. Links: Email: navroop@thedigitaleconomist.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navroopsahdev/