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  • Nirvan Mullick: The Man Behind the Caine’s Arcade Viral Video

    Nirvan Mullick: The Man Behind the Caine’s Arcade Viral Video
    2026/08/19
    In 2012, a filmmaker named Nirvan Mullick drove to a used auto parts store in East Los Angeles to buy a replacement door handle for his car. Inside, a nine-year-old boy named Caine Monroy had spent months building an elaborate cardboard arcade out of his father's spare boxes, complete with prize tickets, a custom staff shirt, and a fun pass that got you 500 turns for two dollars. Nirvan was Caine's first and only customer that summer. It also happened to be the last day of summer. None of what followed—a short film, a flash mob, millions of viral views, the hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for Caine's education, the global movement for children’s creativity—happened without one person recognizing a perfect moment in the making. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Nirvan Mullick, documentary filmmaker and creator of Caine's Arcade, for a conversation about what it means to notice what everyone else drives past—and what can happen when you do. Nirvan walks through the full story of Caine’s Arcade, and also shares the two-word concept of “perfect moments,” which can change how we think about time, attention, and the possibilities hiding inside everyday moments. Nirvan offers an inside look at two documentaries he's been working on for years: one about Rick Doblin and the decades-long effort to take MDMA through the FDA, and another about Lawn Chair Larry, a Vietnam vet who, in 1982, strapped 42 helium balloons to a Sears lawn chair and flew 16,000 feet above Los Angeles to live out a dream. This episode explores themes of creativity, attention, imagination, social entrepreneurship, and how the best things we do often begin with a single unremarkable moment of showing up. Guest: Nirvan Mullick Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: https://linktr.ee/scottmcurran Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Boy Who Built an Arcade from Cardboard 00:03:04 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:05:18 From Filmmaker to Documentary Storyteller 00:07:08 What a Trip: Following Rick Doblin and Psychedelic Medicine 00:15:50 Larry's Launcher: The Lawn Chair Balloon Pilot 00:27:37 The Day Everything Changed: Meeting Caine 00:30:46 Organizing the Flash Mob and Creating a Perfect Moment 00:34:06 Going Viral and Starting the Imagination Foundation 00:39:20 The Global Cardboard Challenge and Lasting Impact 00:46:54 The Philosophy of Perfect Moments 00:51:21 The One Second Film: A Lifetime in 24 Frames 00:55:49 A Perfect Moment with His Father 00:57:50 It Doesn't Matter What You Start With, Only That You Start 00:59:13 Tracking Perfect Moments: A Daily Practice 01:00:19 Giving Yourself Permission to Develop Your Gifts Better Good is a podcast series where you'll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won't wait. Neither should you.
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    1 時間 5 分
  • What One Solar Light Unlocks for Families in Poverty

    What One Solar Light Unlocks for Families in Poverty
    2026/08/05
    Hundreds of millions of people around the world have to rely on kerosene and disposable batteries to light their homes after dark. This carries real costs in health, safety, and money. For many families, lighting consumes up to 30 percent of the household budget, roughly the equivalent of an American mortgage payment. The alternatives are open flames that burn children, carcinogens that damage lungs, and total darkness after sunset that shuts down education, entrepreneurship, and basic security. Yet safe, reliable solar light exists. Getting it to the right families—and pairing it with the financial literacy to turn savings into economic opportunity—is the mission of Nancy Economou and Watts of Love. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Nancy Economou, founder and CEO of Watts of Love, for a conversation about what it means to follow a calling you have no formal credentials for, and bringing safe light to people around the world. Nancy traces her path from selling jewelry at Cartier, to nearly two decades as a stay-at-home mother of five boys, to a trip to the Philippines in 2009 that she returned from unchanged. She tells how Watts of Love evolved from three lights in a suitcase into an organization operating in more than fifty countries, with close to half a million homes lit and a growing corps of trained local leaders ready to scale the mission further. She explains how pairing a durable solar light with a financial literacy curriculum has turned a product into a pathway out of generational poverty. And she makes the case that meaningful impact rarely begins with a perfect plan. It begins with noticing something you can't un-see and acting. This episode explores themes of energy access, social entrepreneurship, financial literacy, local empowerment, and creating independence rather than dependency. Guest: Nancy Economou Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://linktr.ee/scottmcurran Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:03 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:06:08 From Cartier to Stay-at-Home Mom 00:07:50 The Scale of Watts of Love Today 00:10:50 The Philippines Trip That Changed Everything 00:12:40 The Moment Watts of Love Was Born 00:14:45 The Hidden Cost of Living in Darkness 00:18:17 Designing the Perfect Solar Light 00:23:29 The Leper Colony and Universal Design 00:30:06 The First Three Lights and Ruth's Story 00:34:26 The Birth of Financial Literacy 00:40:07 The Box Becomes a Bank 00:44:33 Transformation in 60 Days 00:47:33 The Power of Local Partnership 00:50:11 Bringing Light Home: Disasters in the US 00:53:42 Lessons on Dignity, Hope, and Agency 00:56:01 Choose the Crazy Dream Better Good is a podcast series where you'll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good — through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won't wait. Neither should you.
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    59 分
  • The Hidden Key to Solving the World’s Global Water Crisis.

    The Hidden Key to Solving the World’s Global Water Crisis.
    2026/07/22
    Every morning, more than 2 billion people start their day without access to safe water. For many, that means hours of walking, waiting, and carrying—before the rest of the day can begin. The disease, poverty, and lost education that follow are all preventable. The world has the technology. Infrastructure often already exists nearby. What's missing, for hundreds of millions of families, is the few hundred dollars it costs to connect to it. That's the problem Vedika Bhandarkar has spent years solving, and what Matt Damon’s organization water.org has built around it may be the most underreported development success story of our time. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Vedika Bhandarkar, President and COO of water.org, for a conversation about the most scalable solution to the global water crisis that most people have never heard of. Vedika traces her path from more than two decades in investment banking to leading the financial strategy behind water.org's WaterCredit model, which pairs every dollar of philanthropy with $20 of lending by local financial institutions. That model has now reached more than 85 million people across the world, with a 98% loan repayment rate that challenges every assumption about who is and isn't "bankable." She explains how water access is the key that unlocks every other development goal—from education and health to gender equality and economic mobility—and makes the case that the water crisis, unlike so many global challenges, is not only solvable but already being solved. This episode explores themes of global development, microfinance, financial inclusion, systems-level change, and what it looks like to redeploy your career skills toward one of the world's most urgent problems. Guest: Vedika Bhandarkar Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: ➡️LINK TREE LINK Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:32 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:05:08 Understanding the Global Water Crisis 00:07:54 The Hidden Cost of Water Scarcity 00:10:29 Zipporah's Story: Water as a Catalyst for Change 00:16:43 Why Traditional Approaches Don't Scale 00:20:51 The Power of Microfinance and Water Credit 00:31:49 Water's Connection to Every Global Challenge 00:35:27 Scaling the Solution: Infrastructure and Investment 00:44:06 Call to Action: Government, Business, and Philanthropy 00:46:18 Get Blue Movement and Individual Action 00:48:08 The Vision: A World Where Water Scarcity is Unimaginable Better Good is a podcast series where you'll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good — through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won't wait. Neither should you.
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    52 分
  • The $500 Million Bet on America's Future | Dr. Carmen Rojas

    The $500 Million Bet on America's Future | Dr. Carmen Rojas
    2026/07/08
    Every foundation in America operates on a two-way bargain with the public that rarely gets named out loud: accept significant tax advantages, and deploy those resources in service of the public good. Most foundations show you one side of that equation—the grantmaking—and keep the other side, the endowment, largely invisible. Dr. Carmen Rojas thinks that needs to change. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Dr. Carmen Rojas, president and CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, for a conversation about what foundations owe the public, why MCF made the decision to expand its grantmaking from roughly $30 million to $130 million in a single year, and what it actually looks like to lead a major institution with courage when the stakes are high. Carmen traces her path from growing up in a Nicaraguan immigrant household in San Francisco to studying democratic fragility at UC Berkeley, building the Workers Lab to support low-wage worker organizing, and now leading one of the country's most consequential foundations. She explains why she believes philanthropy's greatest risk right now is caution, why she treats MCF as a financial institution first, and why she calls on foundations, nonprofits, and everyday people alike to find their own form of courage in action, not just words. This episode explores themes of philanthropic accountability, democratic values, economic justice, and power-building in communities historically excluded from it. Guest: Dr. Carmen Rojas Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:22 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:05:43 The Systems That Made Success Possible 00:09:22 What MCF Does and Why It Matters 00:11:46 From Venezuela to Philanthropy 00:18:34 The Workers Lab and Individual Shame 00:25:25 Understanding Philanthropy's Two-Way Gift 00:32:46 Making Government Work for People 00:36:28 Meeting the Moment with Courage 00:42:05 Courage is Not the Absence of Fear 00:45:47 Messages to Philanthropy, Nonprofits, and Everyone 00:52:26 Books for This Moment 00:56:27 A Vision of Love, Curiosity, and Learning Better Good is a podcast series where you'll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good — through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won't wait. Neither should you.
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    1 時間 1 分
  • Kevin Maguire on Modern Fatherhood and the Evolution of Men

    Kevin Maguire on Modern Fatherhood and the Evolution of Men
    2026/06/24
    On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) sits down with Kevin Maguire, author of The New Fatherhood (https://www.newfatherhood.com/book/), for a special Father's Day conversation about what it really means to lead a family today. For thousands of years, fatherhood came with a clear job description: protect, provide, preside. But today's dads are expected to do all of that and more (as they should!): be present, emotionally available, vulnerable, and an equal partner at home. The old rules are fading. The new rules are still being written. But most men didn’t have anyone who prepared them for this. Kevin didn't arrive at this topic as a researcher. He arrived as a father of two confronting the questions millions of men ask quietly: Who am I beyond my job? What kind of father do I want to be? How do I show up for the people I love in a world that keeps changing? His search for answers became a newsletter, then an online community, and now a book and movement that's becoming a go-to guide for modern dads navigating parenting, striving for work-life balance, and building emotional resilience without a map. This conversation is for any—or anyone helping to raise the next generation—looking for clarity, community, and a path forward in modern fatherhood. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Kevin Maguire Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios - Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:44 Early Memories of Fatherhood 00:07:01 The Three Ps: Traditional Anchors of Fatherhood 00:10:38 Old Rules vs New Rules 00:17:37 From Google to Fatherhood 00:21:25 You Are Not Your Job 00:24:01 Paternal Postpartum Depression 00:28:27 Vulnerability as Strength 00:32:52 Scarcity vs Abundance Fatherhood 00:43:28 The Last Time Meditation 00:52:06 Building the New Fatherhood Community 00:57:12 The Polarized Future of Fatherhood 01:00:31 The Future: Communities of Care - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
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    1 時間 7 分
  • President & CEO of the US Soccer Foundation Ed Foster-Simeon on Why Soccer is More than Just a Game

    President & CEO of the US Soccer Foundation Ed Foster-Simeon on Why Soccer is More than Just a Game
    2026/06/10
    About 4 billion people will tune in for this year’s World Cup, which is being held on American soil for the first time in over 30 years. But soccer is more than a globally unifying sport. It's a shared language, a lifetime of learning, and something kids, families, and entire communities can rally around almost instantly. You don't need much to start: a ball, a bit of space, a few people willing to play. What you do need is access, a place, some structure, and someone who cares enough to show up consistently. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Ed Foster-Simeon, President and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation for a conversation about youth sports, community development, and how soccer is opening doors for kids in under-resourced communities across the country. Ed explains how the Foundation is hitting 1,000 mini pitches installed nationwide this year, and training 100,000 coaches through its Yes Coach initiative to become mentors who teach life skills alongside soccer skills. He traces his own path from journalism at USA Today to leading one of the most impactful youth development organizations in the country, and makes the case that coaches are among the most underutilized resources in America—and that what happens after the final whistle of the World Cup matters more than the tournament itself. This episode explores themes of youth development, community access, coaching and and mentorship. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Ed-Foster-Simeon Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran/ Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:28 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:10:01 From Journalism to Soccer 00:14:41 Taking the Leap to US Soccer Foundation 00:16:33 Redefining the Mission 00:25:22 Safe Places to Play 00:30:02 Soccer as a Vehicle for Youth Development 00:36:05 The Power of Coaches as Mentors 00:41:51 Just Ball and Community Ownership 00:50:37 Transformation Stories and Community Impact 00:54:11 Avoiding Parachuting In 00:58:18 The Future Vision 01:01:31 How You Can Help Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
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    1 時間 6 分
  • The Leader Who Inspired Sean Penn | Ann Lee on Better Good with Scott Curran

    The Leader Who Inspired Sean Penn | Ann Lee on Better Good with Scott Curran
    2026/05/27
    Disasters happen. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, pandemics. There's little we can do about them. But what happens after the headlines fade and after the cameras leave is something we do have control over. The hardest part of a disaster isn't always the disaster itself. It's the weeks, months, and years of recovery and rebuilding that make the biggest difference. And most of the help, it turns out, doesn't help in all the ways it should. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Ann Lee, co-founder and CEO of CORE, for a conversation about disaster recovery, humanitarian response, and what it actually takes to rebuild communities the right way. CORE began in the rubble of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, when Ann met co-founder Sean Penn and built a new model for crisis response rooted in local leadership, demand-driven relief, and long-term commitment. Ann traces her path from surviving domestic violence as a child in Los Angeles, to witnessing 9/11 in New York, to clearing rubble in Port-au-Prince with heavy equipment days after the earthquake. She explains how CORE scaled from a single displacement camp in Haiti to operating on five continents—responding to hurricanes, the war in Ukraine, COVID-19, and the 2025 Los Angeles fires—and why the organizations that parachute in with outside solutions often do more harm than good. This episode explores themes of disaster recovery, community-first development, humanitarian leadership, and climate resilience. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Ann Lee Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios - Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:09 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:07:49 From 9/11 to Foreign Service Dreams 00:10:25 Living in Haiti Before the Earthquake 00:12:22 The Haiti Earthquake and Early Response 00:19:17 Meeting Sean Penn and Founding Core 00:29:31 The Core Model and Relief to Recovery 00:34:13 COVID-19 and Scaling Health Response 00:45:22 Community-First Approach and Local Empowerment 00:53:49 The Future of Humanitarian Work - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
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    1 時間 3 分
  • Kiva CEO Vishal Ghotge on Closing the Opportunity Gap

    Kiva CEO Vishal Ghotge on Closing the Opportunity Gap
    2026/05/13
    There are at least 1.4 billion people on this planet with no connection to the financial system, and no way to turn a good idea into a livelihood. Not because they lack talent, drive, or ambition, but because the system simply wasn't built to include them. This massive divide between talent and opportunity is what today's guest is building a bridge across. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Vishal Ghotge, CEO of Kiva, for a conversation about financial inclusion, microfinance, and what happens when you bet on people the traditional banking system ignores. Kiva has delivered nearly $2.5 billion in loans to over 5 million entrepreneurs in 80 countries, often just $25 at a time, with a 96% repayment rate. Vishal explains how the platform connects everyday lenders with women entrepreneurs, refugees, small business owners in the US, and communities on the front lines of climate change. He traces his own path from Mumbai to Silicon Valley to leading one of the most innovative organizations in global development, and makes a powerful case that talent is universal but opportunity is not. And that closing that gap is one of the most important investments any of us can make. This episode explores themes of financial inclusion, women's empowerment, and refugee entrepreneurship. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Vishal Ghotge Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:22 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:06:16 Growing Up with Inequality in Mumbai 00:08:32 From Mumbai to Microsoft 00:10:49 Groupon and Helping the Little Guy 00:15:31 PayScale, Remitly, and Finding Personal Connection 00:18:49 The Kiva Model and Financial Inclusion 00:27:29 The Power of Transparency and Connection 00:32:02 Four Strategic Verticals: Refugees, Women, Climate, and US 00:44:30 Stories of Dignity and Transformation 00:48:08 Hope in Humanity and Career Advice 00:55:59 Take Action and What's Next at Kiva - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
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    1 時間