St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter refers to his time as mayor as a “journey.” And a large part of that journey has homed in on creating greater equity in Minnesota’s capital city. Carter, first elected in 2017, has raised the city’s minimum wage, started a college-savings program for St. Paul youth and allocated resources to St. Paul libraries to increase access to social services. Carter talks with David about these initiatives and more, including his thoughts on how banks can regain trust among communities that have been traditionally underserved by the financial sector. Featuring music from Adrian Walther.

As a financial industry veteran, Michelle Tran knows there’s a need for greater diversity in banking and fintech. That’s why she started NYC Fintech Women, a group of more than 8,000 women supporting each other to create more opportunities for females in financial technology roles. Michelle talks with Becca and Bryan about gender-equity in fintech and the trends she’s seen in digital wealth management during her time at Vestwell. Featuring music from VAULTZ.

How can companies work towards more than just a profit? Andre Beaupre explores that question in his book, “The Purposeful Nine and Soulful Advantage,” which showcases nine companies integrating socially and environmentally responsible tactics into their everyday work. Andre, who also founded the strategic consulting firm Soulful Advantage, talks with David about the movement within the corporate sector to “do good” while remaining financially viable. He touches on the importance of a top-down approach when it comes to mission, why purpose helps companies recruit and retain talent and how he became interested in values-based business. Featuring music from Luna Wave.

Katrin Kaufer is an expert in values-based banking. Kaufer, a research affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, directs and co-created the Global Alliance for Banking on Values Leadership Academy. She is also the director of the Just Money Program at MIT’s Community Innovator’s Lab and has co-authored two books on sustainable finance. Kaufer talks with Bryan and Becca about how she got into values-based banking, the value of finance as a tool to solve major societal problems and her thoughts on the future of the financial industry. Featuring music from Alright Years.

Even though the festival took place in March, we’re still talking about what we learned at South By Southwest. The Sunrise Banks team heads to Austin every year to hear about emerging trends in finance and the latest in banking technology. In this episode, Becca and Bryan play interviews we conducted with festival goers this year about fintech, democratizing finance and what the next-gen banker looks like. Featuring music from Michael Gungor.

Kevin Edwards has learned a lot about leadership during his time at Real Leaders. Edwards, the company’s vice president of growth, hosts the Real Leaders Podcast and has interviewed hundreds of executives who put social and environmental responsibility at the forefront of their organizations. Edwards talks with Becca and Bryan about social entrepreneurship, what motivates leaders beyond profit and how Real Leaders compiles its list of Top Impact companies. Featuring music from The Choir.