Do Good and Do Well.

Do Good and Do Well is for people who want to create a positive impact in the world.       

Sarah shares insights and stories from founders and leaders to help you to feel inspired and reflect on what 'doing good AND doing well' means for you.

Guests on the show: Grace Meadows, Annette Corbett, Gemma Woffinden, Ayisha De Lanerolle; Bobbie: aka Little Eco Lady, Ali Wilson, Mark Robinson, Rebecca Douglas, Beth Cox, Ella Jarman-Pinto, Steph Dickinson, Claire Willets, Katie Triggeden, Sasha Jenkin, Eve Horne, Claire Antrobus, Romanah Malcolm, Rosie Wilby, Rebecca Schiller, Sue Mayo, Charlie Day, Asma Shah, Bernadette Russell, Glyn Fenton., Tiernan Douieb, Boff Whalley, Christina Peake, Matt Dechaine, Matt Peacock, Patrice Gordon, Claire Plumbly, Leah Brown, Keri Jarvis, Astrid Korin, Kirsty Heywood-MacDonald, Siobhan Strode, Catherine Mack, Katherine Powell, Sandra Whiles, Hannah Cox, Liz Painter.

 

LATEST EPISODE

Ep 76 - Collective Ecosystems Over Individual Empires: Building The Portal with Sally Burns

In this episode, I'm joined by Sally Burns, the visionary founder of The Portal Collective11. Sally has created a unique digital learning space that rejects the competitive, clicks-driven culture of conventional online courses. The Portal is a place where knowledge flows freely, communities grow organically, and creators are encouraged to collaborate rather than compete.

Sally's journey from 16 years in the corporate e-learning world—including designing courses for a big oil company—to launching a tech startup is a powerful example of what happens when your core pro-social values and your work drift apart.

We discuss the moment that disconnect hit home, how grief and gardening helped her process big life questions, and the radical idea that learning should be a collective, co-created experience. This is an optimistic conversation about challenging giant systems and building something human, hopeful, and better.

You can become a Creator on The Portal with unlimited creation and hosting and a private space on our platform for your community for just £45 + vat. Join the Portal Collective 2.0

💡 Key Takeaways

  • The Disconnect is Real: A deep misalignment can occur when your outside-of-work values (e.g., environmental focus, community) clash with your inside-of-work actions (e.g., corporate roles). This feeling often sparks the pull to purpose.
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  • Challenge the "Guru" Model: The existing online learning ecosystem, often marketed on earning millions, encourages a hierarchical "one teacher, one lesson" guru model. This structure reinforces the very systems of oppression and hyper-individualism that purpose-driven people are often trying to dismantle.
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  • Technology Can Be Malleable: You don't have to fully reject technology due to its unethical applications; instead, the focus should be on changing and co-creating it to make it human, supportive, and aligned with ethical values.
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  • Collaboration Over Competition: The core ethos of The Portal is **"Collective Ecosystems Over Individual Empires"**11. This is achieved by creating a tool that enables rich co-collaboration, allowing creators to easily integrate or "borrow" each other's work (with permission) for a richer learning experience for their communities.
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  • Start Before You're Ready: The biggest obstacle people face is feeling their idea has to be fully formed. Start slowly, begin building a community, and be ready to build your idea with them, responding to what they genuinely want and need.

Listen now

Kent Community Foundation

I was delighted to be asked to host Kent Community Foundation's new podcast.

These were aimed at donors as well as professional advisors to help increase local giving and raise the profile of the foundation who are key connectors between local causes and givers.

You can listen here...