Engaging ESG with Jennifer Owens and Kati Kallins

Hosted by Jennifer Owens and Kati Kallins

Business Management

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Engaging ESG brings together sustainability and marketing leaders for candid conversations about what actually works when communicating sustainability and social impact. Join Jennifer Owens, ESG marketing consultant, and Kati Kallins, global head of sustainability at Adobe, as they and their guests cut through the noise to deliver practical strategies you can implement today.

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46 recent

June 10, 202629 min

Where Gender Lens Investing Meets Climate Finance EP 43

Women receive less than 1% of climate finance in the US and about 5% globally. And yet research consistently shows that women who do get funded generate more than twice the revenue per dollar invested compared to male peers.So why does the gap persist?Jessica Espinoza, CEO of 2X Global, joins Jennifer and Kati to unpack the intersection of gender equity and climate action. Since 2018, 2X Global has mobilized $34 billion in gender lens investments. Jessica’s work spans creating the Gender Smart Climate Finance Toolkit, launching facilities that back women fund managers and building communities of practice where investors learn from peers already doing the work.Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com!Learn more about us at https://bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Show Links Learn more about Jessica Espinoza Visit 2X Global Explore the Gender Smart Climate Finance Toolkit Learn about the Resilient Futures Fund Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and ElvinVangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 27, 202629 min

Closing the Sustainability Expertise Gap EP 42

Gus Bartholomew, co-founder of Leafr, joins Jennifer and Kati to talk about one of the most persistent challenges in corporate sustainability: the expertise gap.With most large companies relying on just one to three people to deliver on increasingly complex mandates, sustainability teams are stretched impossibly thin. To help, Gus and co-founder Nick Valenzia created Leafr, a marketplace connecting businesses with more than 1,000 vetted freelance sustainability specialists across the UK, Europe and US.We consider whether the “fractional CSO” model is gaining traction, what Leafr’s annual report reveals about how teams are actually structured, and why sustainability leaders might want to take a page from their marketing colleagues when it comes to negotiating budgets.Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com!Learn more about us at https://bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Show Links Learn more about Gus Bartholomew Visit Leafr Read The True State of Sustainability report Try the Sustainababble Translator Read: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss Listen: The Rest Is Politics Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 13, 202632 min

Making Carbon Literacy Fun, Familiar and Scalable EP 41

Michelle Li, founder of Clever Carbon and Women in Climate, joins Jennifer and Kati to talk about making carbon literacy accessible, engaging, and even joyful.Michelle started her career in Silicon Valley with stints at Salesforce and DocuSign. In 2020, frustrated by the boring, acronym-heavy content she encountered while trying to learn about carbon footprints, she launched Clever Carbon to demystify emissions using the power of numbers. (Think: Nutrition labels, but for carbon.)We also talk about Women in Climate, her nonprofit that has grown to include 35,000 LinkedIn followers, 7,000 members in its global Slack community, and more than 1,200 climate professionals in its speaker database. And we can’t forget the Carbon Newbie Summit, which is an annual highlight of New York Climate Week!Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com.Learn more about us at https://bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Show Links Learn more about Michelle Li. Learn more about Clever Carbon. Join Women in Climate. Learn more about the Carbon Newbie Summit. Read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Watch 3 Body Problem. Watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Our theme music is "Lost in Translation" by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 29, 202633 min

Making Sustainability Part of Everybody's Job EP 40

Drew Wilkinson, founder of the Climate Leadership Collective and LinkedIn Learning instructor, joins Jennifer and Kati to explore why less than 1 percent of any workforce working on sustainability simply doesn't scale — and what to do about it.Drew's journey started as a paralegal at Microsoft. Over 10 years, he helped build the company's first employee sustainability community, helped push Microsoft toward its 2020 climate commitments, and watched as software engineers created green coding principles that now influence the entire profession. Today, he is bringing his experience to a wide array of companies and industries.We dig into the difference between working in climate and working on climate, why the professional sphere is a sweet spot for impact, and how to create pathways for employees to connect their passion with their purpose.Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com!Learn more about us at https://bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Show Links Learn more about Drew Wilkinson Learn more about the Climate Leadership Collective Take Drew's LinkedIn Learning course on employee sustainability engagement Explore Earthwise Architectural Salvage Learn about the Green Software Foundation Our theme music is “Lost in Translation” by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 15, 202634 min

Collective Action in a Polarized World EP 39

Amanda Gardiner, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network USA, joins Jennifer and Kati for a conversation about leading one of the world's most influential corporate sustainability networks and why this moment calls for a new kind of community.With a career spanning the United Nations, Fortune 500s like Meta and Verizon, and global education company Pearson, Amanda brings hard-won lessons about integrating ESG strategy across decentralized organizations. She shares her experience building trust with stakeholders and mapping value chains to unlock influence.We also dig into the evolving language of sustainability and how the UN Global Compact is helping companies navigate reduced budgets, leadership turnover and regulatory uncertainty.Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Learn more about us at https://bit.ly/EngagingESGpod Show Links Learn more about Amanda Gardiner Visit UN Global Compact Network USA Watch: Pluribus + Sinners Our theme music is "Lost in Translation" by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April 1, 202632 min

Building a Regenerative Future EP 38

Lindsay Baker, CEO of the Living Future Institute, joins Jennifer and Kati to demystify the built environment's role in climate action. With a career that spans LEED's early days, Google's green building team, WeWork's sustainability efforts and climate tech startups, Lindsay brings deep sector expertise to the question: How does sustainability actually happen? She breaks down why passion without understanding is too often misdirected and makes the case for maintaining what we have rather than always building new. Plus: Why "fetch" still isn't happening in sustainability terminology (!), how agricultural waste like straw bale and hemp are revolutionizing building materials, and the important (and unsung) role your building maintenance team plays in reaching climate goals. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Learn more about Engaging ESG at bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Show links • Learn more about Lindsay Baker. • Living Future Institute • Design the Future podcast • Living Building Challenge • Climate Wayfaring by Katharine K. Wilkinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 18, 202644 min

What's Really Happening Right Now in Sustainability Hiring EP 37

What's Really Happening Right Now in Sustainability Hiring They're back! Catherine Harris and Richard Kent of Acre — the global leader in sustainability recruitment — return for our first-ever repeat interview… and for very good reason. Their Season 3 episode was one of our most popular, and the sustainability job market has shifted dramatically since we last talked. Catherine, Acre's Executive Director of Sustainable Business for the Americas, and Richard, a Principal Consultant specializing in sustainability and technology leadership, share what's really happening behind the hiring headlines and offer advice on how professionals in this space should position themselves. We also discuss why hiring timelines have doubled, how AI is reshaping the talent landscape, and what Catherine and Richard are telling candidates right now about building resumes, rethinking job titles and staying sharp in a tough market. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Learn more about us at https://bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Show Links Learn more about Catherine Harris. Learn more about Richard Kent. Learn more about Acre. Read Ride the Waves from Futerra. Read LinkedIn Green Skills Report. Read Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson. Read New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson. Read Alison Taylor Higher Ground. Read Solitaire Townsend’s Solitaire's Storytelling. Read Andrew Winston. Our theme music is "Lost in Translation" by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

March 4, 202631 min

Seeing Climate Change: Hope, Humanity + Conservation EP 36

National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale joins Jennifer and Kati to explore how visual storytelling can transform conservation narratives, from documenting the last northern white rhinos to centering indigenous voices in climate solutions. After a decade covering global conflicts, Ami discovered environmental breakdown was at the heart of human suffering, leading her to reimagine how we tell nature's stories. Through her nonprofit Vital Impacts, which has raised more than $5 million for conservation, she demonstrates why hope isn't soft but strategic, and why the real question isn't whether local voices are included, but “who's holding the microphone and who's benefiting?’ Learn how Kenya's community-led conservation turned around rhino extinction, why we need to get comfortable with discomfort, and how finding joy in tragedy becomes an act of resistance against apathy. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Learn more about Engaging ESG at bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Show Links * Learn more about Ami Vitale. * Ami's iconic photographs of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino (National Geographic) * Vital Impacts Our theme music is "Lost in Translation" by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February 18, 202631 min

Soil, Stories and the Power of Positive Messaging EP 35

Last year, only 9% of Americans spoke to a farmer about their food. Evan Harrison, CEO of Kiss the Ground, is here to change that with an approach to regenerative agriculture designed to bring the concept into the mainstream through strategic storytelling. Its impact is already being felt. This year, Kiss the Ground has produced 400 pieces of content to reach 2 million people monthly, turning farmers into the real rock stars of the movement. In this conversation with Jennifer + Kati, Evan offers his data-driven approach to awareness building, how his music industry background at iHeartRadio and BMG shaped his nonprofit leadership style, and why leading with health instead of climate alarm is the key to resonating more and more. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Learn more about Engaging ESG at bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Our theme music is "Lost in Translation" by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Show links Learn about: Kiss the Ground Watch: Kiss the Ground documentary Watch: Stories of Regeneration with Dan Barber Follow: 5 with a Farmer Read: Project Drawdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February 4, 202636 min

The Bestest and Worstest of Times for ESG Comms EP 34

This week, Jennifer and Kati sit down with Joel Makower, chairman and co-founder of Trellis Group, for a candid conversation about the current state of sustainability communications after 35+ years in the field. Joel shares why we're living with higher highs and lower lows than ever before. We explore the trust crisis affecting not just sustainability, but business, media, science and government — and what it means for communicators trying to make the case for climate action. Joel also offers his advice for integrating head and heart through storytelling, how to reframe sustainability as "better" rather than sacrifice, and why ESG became a political landmine while the s-word endures. Have a question for us? Email us today at engagingesg@gmail.com! Learn more about Engaging ESG at bit.ly/EngagingESGpod. Show Links Learn more about Joel Makower Visit Trellis Watch: Joel Makower: Poetry in Motion Listen: Smartless Listen: So Many Steves: Afternoons with Steve Martin Our theme music is "Lost in Translation" by Wendy Marcini and Elvin Vangard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices