Better Good with Scott M. Curran cover art

Better Good with Scott M. Curran

Better Good with Scott M. Curran

By: Scott M. Curran
Listen for free

Discover how the best do good—and how you can too. Scott M. Curran sits down with the innovators reimagining how the world does good—bringing you conversations you won’t hear anywhere else: candid stories, proven strategies, and actionable insights listeners can use in their lives, careers, and missions. Dive inside the playbook of the world’s top social impact leaders—so anyone can learn to do more good, better. Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • President & CEO of the US Soccer Foundation Ed Foster-Simeon on Why Soccer is More than Just a Game

    President & CEO of the US Soccer Foundation Ed Foster-Simeon on Why Soccer is More than Just a Game
    Jun 10 2026
    About 4 billion people will tune in for this year’s World Cup, which is being held on American soil for the first time in over 30 years. But soccer is more than a globally unifying sport. It's a shared language, a lifetime of learning, and something kids, families, and entire communities can rally around almost instantly. You don't need much to start: a ball, a bit of space, a few people willing to play. What you do need is access, a place, some structure, and someone who cares enough to show up consistently. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Ed Foster-Simeon, President and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation for a conversation about youth sports, community development, and how soccer is opening doors for kids in under-resourced communities across the country. Ed explains how the Foundation is hitting 1,000 mini pitches installed nationwide this year, and training 100,000 coaches through its Yes Coach initiative to become mentors who teach life skills alongside soccer skills. He traces his own path from journalism at USA Today to leading one of the most impactful youth development organizations in the country, and makes the case that coaches are among the most underutilized resources in America—and that what happens after the final whistle of the World Cup matters more than the tournament itself. This episode explores themes of youth development, community access, coaching and and mentorship. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Ed-Foster-Simeon Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran/ Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:28 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:10:01 From Journalism to Soccer 00:14:41 Taking the Leap to US Soccer Foundation 00:16:33 Redefining the Mission 00:25:22 Safe Places to Play 00:30:02 Soccer as a Vehicle for Youth Development 00:36:05 The Power of Coaches as Mentors 00:41:51 Just Ball and Community Ownership 00:50:37 Transformation Stories and Community Impact 00:54:11 Avoiding Parachuting In 00:58:18 The Future Vision 01:01:31 How You Can Help Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • The Leader Who Inspired Sean Penn | Ann Lee on Better Good with Scott Curran

    The Leader Who Inspired Sean Penn | Ann Lee on Better Good with Scott Curran
    May 27 2026
    Disasters happen. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, pandemics. There's little we can do about them. But what happens after the headlines fade and after the cameras leave is something we do have control over. The hardest part of a disaster isn't always the disaster itself. It's the weeks, months, and years of recovery and rebuilding that make the biggest difference. And most of the help, it turns out, doesn't help in all the ways it should. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Ann Lee, co-founder and CEO of CORE, for a conversation about disaster recovery, humanitarian response, and what it actually takes to rebuild communities the right way. CORE began in the rubble of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, when Ann met co-founder Sean Penn and built a new model for crisis response rooted in local leadership, demand-driven relief, and long-term commitment. Ann traces her path from surviving domestic violence as a child in Los Angeles, to witnessing 9/11 in New York, to clearing rubble in Port-au-Prince with heavy equipment days after the earthquake. She explains how CORE scaled from a single displacement camp in Haiti to operating on five continents—responding to hurricanes, the war in Ukraine, COVID-19, and the 2025 Los Angeles fires—and why the organizations that parachute in with outside solutions often do more harm than good. This episode explores themes of disaster recovery, community-first development, humanitarian leadership, and climate resilience. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Ann Lee Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios - Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:09 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:07:49 From 9/11 to Foreign Service Dreams 00:10:25 Living in Haiti Before the Earthquake 00:12:22 The Haiti Earthquake and Early Response 00:19:17 Meeting Sean Penn and Founding Core 00:29:31 The Core Model and Relief to Recovery 00:34:13 COVID-19 and Scaling Health Response 00:45:22 Community-First Approach and Local Empowerment 00:53:49 The Future of Humanitarian Work - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Kiva CEO Vishal Ghotge on Closing the Opportunity Gap

    Kiva CEO Vishal Ghotge on Closing the Opportunity Gap
    May 13 2026
    There are at least 1.4 billion people on this planet with no connection to the financial system, and no way to turn a good idea into a livelihood. Not because they lack talent, drive, or ambition, but because the system simply wasn't built to include them. This massive divide between talent and opportunity is what today's guest is building a bridge across. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Vishal Ghotge, CEO of Kiva, for a conversation about financial inclusion, microfinance, and what happens when you bet on people the traditional banking system ignores. Kiva has delivered nearly $2.5 billion in loans to over 5 million entrepreneurs in 80 countries, often just $25 at a time, with a 96% repayment rate. Vishal explains how the platform connects everyday lenders with women entrepreneurs, refugees, small business owners in the US, and communities on the front lines of climate change. He traces his own path from Mumbai to Silicon Valley to leading one of the most innovative organizations in global development, and makes a powerful case that talent is universal but opportunity is not. And that closing that gap is one of the most important investments any of us can make. This episode explores themes of financial inclusion, women's empowerment, and refugee entrepreneurship. You can pre-order Scott’s forthcoming book, Better Good, here: https://www.bettergoodbook.com/ Guest: Vishal Ghotge Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://www.linktr.ee/scottmcurran - Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:22 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:06:16 Growing Up with Inequality in Mumbai 00:08:32 From Mumbai to Microsoft 00:10:49 Groupon and Helping the Little Guy 00:15:31 PayScale, Remitly, and Finding Personal Connection 00:18:49 The Kiva Model and Financial Inclusion 00:27:29 The Power of Transparency and Connection 00:32:02 Four Strategic Verticals: Refugees, Women, Climate, and US 00:44:30 Stories of Dignity and Transformation 00:48:08 Hope in Humanity and Career Advice 00:55:59 Take Action and What's Next at Kiva - Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet