The Positive News Podcast

What if banks could actively make the world better – for people, communities and the planet – without sacrificing financial sustainability?
 
In the fourth episode of The Purpose Pioneers, a new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Mark Clayton, CEO of Triodos Bank UK, an ethical bank dedicated to funding positive social, environmental and cultural change.
 
Triodos is not just a bank, it is a purpose-driven organisation aiming to “finance change and change finance,” proving that profit and ethics can coexist. From supporting renewable energy projects to funding organic food, community housing and nature-based solutions, Triodos shows that banking can create practical impact while respecting long-term environmental and social goals.
 
In conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Mark reflects on three defining moments that shaped his commitment to ethical finance: his early career in mainstream banking, leading a society-focused financial education programme at HSBC, and his shift into roles at Unity Trust Bank and later Triodos. These experiences helped him move from frustration with short-termism to a vision for a bank where profit serves people and planet alike.
 
Mark shares the challenges and rewards of leading an ethical bank, from navigating climate challenges and political uncertainty to witnessing real-world impact. He talks about moments of joy, such as a child smiling for the first time thanks to a Triodos-supported project, and walking on land restored to meadow through nature-based investments.
 
The episode explores what it takes to run a values-led business in a complex, high-stakes sector, and how purpose-driven organisations can make financial, social and environmental outcomes mutually reinforcing. Mark also reflects on his personal motivation: ensuring the next generation inherits a world where ethical banking is the norm, not the exception.
 
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The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from PositiveNews about the journey of turning ideals into action.

Producer: Simon Elliott, Crowdfindervideo
Host and story editor: Sarah LaBrecque
Series editor: Tom Pattinson
Production lead: Pauline Milligan
Executive producer: Sean Wood
 
The Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank, a bank for people and organisations who want to create positive impact.
 
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#positivenews #purpose #leadership #sustainability #podcast#PurposePioneers #sustainablesolutions #solutionsjournalism

What if restoring nature also meant restoring communities, livelihoods and long-term economic resilience?
In the third episode of The Purpose Pioneers, the new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Steve Micklewright, CEO of Trees for Life, one of the UK’s most ambitious nature restoration charities.
Trees for Life works at scale to rewild the Scottish Highlands, regenerating the ancient Caledonian Forest and repairing ecosystems damaged by centuries of human activity.
Under Steve’s leadership, the organisation shows that environmental regeneration, social impact and viable economic models do not have to compete. When designed well, they can reinforce one another.
In this conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Steve shares his personal journey into conservation, from a childhood shaped by time spent outdoors to leading international environmental campaigns, and ultimately choosing a hopeful, solutions-focused path through rewilding.
Together, they explore three defining moments that shaped Steve’s sense of purpose, and how those experiences helped move his thinking beyond idealism and into practical, long-term action. Steve explains what rewilding really means, and why it is as much about re-peopling landscapes as restoring nature.
He discusses how purpose-driven organisations can create jobs, support rural economies and strengthen communities, while enabling the return of keystone species such as beavers and wild cattle. These animals, he argues, work with natural processes to help repair damaged ecosystems.
The episode also looks at how Trees for Life blends charitable funding, ethical finance and social enterprise to make large-scale impact financially sustainable. Steve reflects on moments of unexpected joy, from coming face to face with a wolf in the Italian Dolomites to witnessing beavers return to Glen Affric after an absence of 400 years, and shares his vision for a future Scotland where forests, wildlife and people exist in balance.

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The Purpose Pioneers is a podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action.
Producer: Simon Elliott, Crowdfindervideo
Host and story editor: Sarah LaBrecque
Series editor: Tom Pattinson
Production lead: Pauline Milligan
Executive producer: Sean Wood

The Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank, a bank for people and organisations who want to create positive impact.

What if you never had to wait for a bus again? And what if that bus was comfortable, reliable and powered by clean electricity?
In the second episode of The Purpose Pioneers, the new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Keith Bradbury, co-founder of Ember, the UK’s first all-electric intercity bus company.
Ember is not just a public transport operator. It was built to tackle a familiar frustration: unreliable buses that push people back into their cars. Keith and his co-founder set out to make sustainable travel so dependable and appealing that people would actively choose it.
In this conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Keith explains how Ember rebuilt the bus model from the ground up, from designing its own electric buses and charging hubs to developing in-house software and rethinking the passenger experience.
Keith reflects on three defining moments that shaped his sense of purpose, including why he chose buses over more headline-grabbing climate technologies, and why visible, everyday impact mattered more than distant future promises. Launching an all-electric bus network during the COVID-19 pandemic brought unexpected challenges, but also space to focus on long-term thinking, operational resilience and values-led decision making.
The episode explores what it takes to change complex systems, how purpose-driven businesses can stay grounded while embracing uncertainty, and the small human moments that make the work worthwhile, from loyal long-term passengers to gestures that reflect genuine public trust in the brand.
The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action.
Producer: Simon Elliott, Crowdfindervideo
Host and story editor: Sarah LaBrecque
Series editor: Tom Pattinson
Production lead: Pauline Milligan
Executive producer: Sean Wood
The Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank, a bank for people and organisations who want to create positive impact.

What if every child had the chance to move, play and thrive – no matter their ability? 
In the first episode of The Purpose Pioneers, the new podcast series from Positive News, we meet Stephanie Wheen, CEO and founder of Gympanzees – a groundbreaking organisation creating the UK’s first fully inclusive exercise and play centre for disabled children and young people.
More than one in 10 children in the UK are disabled, yet most are still excluded from mainstream leisure centres, sports facilities and play spaces. Gympanzees exists to change that reality. Located near Bristol, the space is designed from the ground up for children with physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities, while also welcoming siblings, friends and carers.
In this conversation with Positive News’ Sarah LaBrecque, Stephanie reflects on three defining moments in her journey – from growing up with a disabled brother, to the turning point where frustration transformed into action, and the joyful breakthrough that showed inclusive spaces can change lives.
She talks through the practical steps that turned an idea into a viable, values-led organisation, alongside the challenges of building something new within existing systems and the rewards of seeing children gain independence and confidence through movement and play.
The episode explores what it takes to turn purpose into action, and how thoughtful design, ethical finance and long-term thinking can help create spaces where everyone belongs.

The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action. 

Producer: Simon Elliott, Crowdfindervideo
Host and story editor: Sarah LaBrecque
Series editor: Tom Pattinson
Production lead: Pauline Milligan
Executive producer: Sean Wood

The Purpose Pioneers is sponsored by Triodos Bank.

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The Purpose Pioneers is a new podcast series from Positive News about the journey of turning ideals into action.
Across five insightful conversations, host Sarah LaBrecque meets people at the forefront of some of the UK’s most inspiring organisations – from the charity leader bringing the joy of play to thousands of excluded disabled children, to the founder who is making coach travel cool again. Exploring three defining moments in each guest’s story, the series uncovers the challenges and rewards of putting purpose into practice.