Ep 80 Katherine Trebeck: Beyond Business As Usual - Building the Wellbeing Economy

Episode Summary

In this powerful and deeply thoughtful episode, political economist and changemaker Katherine Trebeck joins Carolyn to explore what it means to build an economy that works for people and planet. Katherine shares her journey from working with Oxfam and Rio Tinto to co-founding the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), and how her work is reshaping the way we define economic success. Together, they unpack the shortcomings of our current growth-at-all-costs model and what’s possible when we embrace a wellbeing economy — one designed with purpose, prevention, equity, and people-powered participation at its core. Katherine also reflects on the rise of Trumpism, the role of business in systemic change, and where she finds hope in uncertain times.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why GDP is an outdated and inadequate measure of progress
• What a wellbeing economy is — and what it looks and feels like in practice
• The 'four Ps' of a wellbeing economy: Purpose, Prevention, Pre-distribution, and People-powered
• How businesses can be powerful actors in system change
• Why the current economic system is driving disconnection and despair
• The impact of far-right populism and why it signals an urgent need for economic transformation
• The power of storytelling and imagination in creating systemic change

Key Themes Discussed

• Economic system change and the rise of the wellbeing economy movement
• False binaries: economy vs society, business vs love
• Reimagining success: from growth to wellbeing
• Practical pathways for transforming economic structures
• The danger of failing systems and the opportunity they create for bold leadership
• Community, belonging, and the importance of connection in resilience
• The role of business leaders in shaping a more just and sustainable future

Guest Bio

Katherine Trebeck is a political economist, writer and advocate for economic system change. She co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) and WEAll Scotland, and played a key role in initiating the Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) partnership. Katherine is Writer-at-Large and Co-Director of the Compassion in Financial Services Hub at the University of Edinburgh, and Strategic Advisor for the Centre for Policy Development. She also serves in advisory and governance roles for numerous progressive economic institutions around the world.

Links & Resources

Katherine’s website

Follow Katherine on LinkedIn

Follow Katerine on BlueSky

Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll)

Katherine’s TEDx Talk: “Why the Future Economy has to be a Wellbeing Economy”

Carolyn Butler-Madden on LinkedIn:

As mentioned in the episode:

• Link to video of “Restaurant of Mistaken Orders”
• The “Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism” book by Anne Case and Angus Deaton

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