What if solving trafficking and poverty required more than aid projects or skills training? What if the key was access to markets, to choices, to dignity?
In this episode of the Purpose & Profit Podcast, hosts Dave Raley and Carly Berna sit down with Erik Olson, CEO of Dignity Made. With two decades in international development and social enterprise, Erik has built a redemptive business that transforms the coconut supply chain in the Philippines.
By addressing exploitative debt practices and creating dignified jobs, Dignity Made is breaking cycles of poverty and providing choice to families long denied it.
From nonprofit projects that hit a ceiling to building a sustainable enterprise, Erik shares lessons on economic solutions, ethical supply chains, and the ripple effects of dignified work.
Key Topics They Cover:
• Why economic problems demand economic solutions.
• The role of choice and dignity in breaking exploitation cycles.
• How asset-based community development guides sustainable enterprise building.
• Balancing mission-driven storytelling with product credibility in the market.
• The meaning of redemptive business and why it requires sacrifice.
• The ripple effect of job creation on local economies and infrastructure.
Discover more episodes of Purpose & Profit Podcast here.
Purpose & Profit Podcast is brought to you by:
Special thanks to editor and sound engineer Barry R. Hill and producer Scott Holthaus.
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.