Care More Be Better: A Podcast For Sustainable Social Impact and Regeneration

Zach and Jason Francis have spent their careers proving that doing more with less is not a constraint — it's a philosophy — from a nine-month sailing trip from San Diego to Australia to building tiny homes on HGTV's Tiny Luxury to Willo, an AI platform that takes a business idea from concept to live website in under ten minutes. The brothers join Care More Be Better to share what 21 days at sea taught them about complexity, why ideas die in spreadsheets, how AI agents work like bees in a hive, and how to use AI as a tool that empowers rather than replaces the human behind the vision.

Chapter Markers

00:00 — Introduction: The Through Line from Tiny Homes to AI Agents

05:00 — Building with a Sibling: Trust, Security, and the Ability to Argue Without Fragility

12:00 — The Sailing Trip: 21 Days at Sea and What You Actually Need

18:00 — Tiny Luxury to Willo: The Philosophy Was Always the Same

24:00 — Complexity Kills: Getting from Zero to One

30:00 — What Willo Actually Does: From Idea to Live Website in 8-10 Minutes

38:00 — The Seven Agent System: Proactive vs. Reactive AI

44:00 — How Willo Differs from Claude, ChatGPT, and Agentic Tools

50:00 — AI Energy Footprint: Stewardship Over Avoidance

56:00 — The Beehive: How Nature Informs Willo's Agent Design

62:00 — Pricing, Roadmap, and What's Next for Willo

COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/from-ideas-to-income-with-ai-zach-and-jason-francis/
About Guests: Brothers Zach and Jason Francis are serial entrepreneurs, builders, and prior hosts of the straight-to-series reality HGTV TV show Tiny Luxury. Over the years, they have built, acquired, and invested in companies spanning real estate, media, software, and artificial intelligence. Their mission is to make entrepreneurship more accessible by simplifying the process of building and growing a business. As the founders of Willo, they are helping a new generation of entrepreneurs turn ideas into real businesses with the power of AI. Beyond business, Zach and Jason are real estate developers, AI investors, beekeepers, sailors, adventurers, and family men who are passionate about creating meaningful companies, exploring new opportunities, and helping others build lives and businesses on their own terms.

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-francis-750200157/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-francis7/

Guest Website: https://willo.ai | https://www.francisbrothers.com/

Guest Socials: https://www.youtube.com/@buildwithwillo | https://x.com/BuildwithWillo | https://www.facebook.com/buildwithwillo/

Additional Resources Mentioned:

Scary Smart by Mo Gawdat

BUILD A GREENER FUTURE with CARE MORE BE BETTER: Together, we planted 36,044 trees in 2025 through our partnership with ForestPlanet. We screamed past our goal of planting 20,000 trees thanks to subscribers like you!

CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner — Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

Follow us on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better

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This is a bonus episode. Back on Juneteenth, we shared Episode 1 of Angela Glover Blackwell's Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life. Last Wednesday, you heard our full conversation with Angela. Today, we're closing that loop with Chapter 6, the final episode of Season 1: Hope Is a Discipline. Angela and choreographer Ana Maria Alvarez explore how art moves a place, and a country, from resistance to creation, with stops along the way for joy, honest pushback on whether LA is really "the model," and a reminder from Mariame Kaba that hope has to be practiced, not just felt. Season 2, focused on Georgia, is out now.

Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life is a podcast created by PolicyLink in partnership with Pineapple Street Studios.

Chapter Markers

00:00 — Cold open: Charles White's mural and Angela's reflection on Black artists in the fight for democracy

03:32 — Show intro: welcome to Chapter 6, Hope Is a Discipline

07:17 — Ana Maria Alvarez on Contra-Tiempo Activist Dance Theater and art as resistance

09:15 — Intergenerational organizing: Ana Maria's parents and the village that built PolicyLink

10:33 — Resistance as a healthy democratic practice, the salsa metaphor

12:53 — Joy as fuel for the movement, adrienne maree brown and Pleasure Activism

15:25 — Is LA the model? Denise Fairchild's honest pushback

16:31 — Manuel Pastor: "a thing of beauty with our friends"

17:35 — Anthony Thigpen: standing at the brink

18:30 — 2024, the biggest global election year in history

21:00 — Hope is a discipline, the Mariame Kaba idea

22:07 — Justin Jones and Justin Pearson: expelled, reinstated, undeterred

23:17 — Fight for 15, ROC United, and the New Georgia Project with Nse Ufot

25:58 — Closing reflection and Shanaka Hodge's poem

27:22 — Angela's closing charge, credits, and a call to vote

Resources & Links

Follow Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life: wherever you listen to podcasts!
Season 2: Georgia is available now: https://www.policylink.org/resources/podcasts

Learn more about PolicyLink: https://www.policylink.org/

Listen to our full interview with Angela Glover Blackwell (Episode 294): https://caremorebebetter.com/reimagining-democracy-with-angela-glover-blackwell/

Revisit our Juneteenth share of Episode 1: Los Angeles: https://caremorebebetter.com/juneteenth-feature-angela-glover-blackwells-reimagining-democracy-for-a-good-life-episode-1-los-angeles/

Questions or reflections? Email hello@caremorebebetter.com

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Are you tired of feeling helpless about our growing global garbage crisis? Host Corinna Bellizzi sits down with Tom Szaky, the visionary founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, to discuss why we must start Rethinking Waste. Szaky explains how his companies are transforming hard-to-recycle items, like cigarette butts and dirty diapers, into valuable resources. They unpack how the modern concept of disposability has failed us and why a circular economy is the target for sustainable social impact. You'll discover how the chess pieces of business and policy must align to drive scalable, real-world change. This eye-opening discussion will challenge you to reconsider everything you buy and throw away.

COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/nature-has-no-concept-of-waste-tom-szaky-on-terracycle-loop-eliminating-disposability/

About Guest: Tom Szaky is founder and CEO of TerraCycle, a global leader in the collection and repurposing of complex waste streams. TerraCycle operates in 20 countries, working with some of the world’s largest brands, retailers and manufacturers to create national platforms to recycle products and packaging that otherwise go to landfill or incineration. It also created a new circular reuse platform called Loop that enables consumers to purchase products in reusable packaging. Tom and TerraCycle have received hundreds of awards and recognition from organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Fortune Magazine and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Tom is the author of four books, Revolution in a Bottle, Outsmart Waste, Make Garbage Great and The Future of Packaging.

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomszaky/
Guest Website: https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/

Additional Resources Mentioned:
BOOK: Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation: https://amzn.to/4gwCXIE
BOOK: Carbon: The Book of Life: https://amzn.to/4kQi9xL
Time Stamps:
00:58 00:00 - Why True Change Starts With Natural Capitalism
05:10 02:45 - The Hidden Cost Of An Unsexy Utility
08:11 05:30 - Flipping The Economics Of Trash On Its Head
07:37 09:40 - Surviving The Scrutiny Of The System
13:18 13:15 - The Logistics Of Sorting The Unsortable
34:36 17:50 - Designing For Reuse In A Convenient World
52:16 23:20 - Democratizing Capital For A Cleaner Future

BUILD A GREENER FUTURE with CARE MORE BE BETTER: Together, we planted 36,044 trees in 2025 through our partnership with ForestPlanet. We screamed past our goal of planting 20,000 trees thanks to subscribers like you!
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner — Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

Follow us on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better

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Democracy isn't just something we vote for once every few years, it's something we build together, in our neighborhoods, city halls, and everyday relationships. Corinna Bellizzi is joined by Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of PolicyLink and host of Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life, who has spent more than 50 years working at the intersection of racial equity, housing, and civic life. Angela reflects on how growing up during segregation shaped her understanding of community and leadership, explains why she defines democracy as "co-governance for human flourishing," and makes the case that America may be ready for a third founding. She also shares how tools like civic assemblies and participatory budgeting can restore civic life, and why joy has to remain at the center of any vision for real change.

COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/reimagining-democracy-with-angela-glover-blackwell

About Guest: Angela Glover Blackwell has spent over 50 years working at the intersection of racial equity, housing, and civic life. As the founder of PolicyLink and host of the podcast Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life, she provides a roadmap for rebuilding our communities. In this episode, we discuss why true democracy requires co-governance and active participation from every citizen. We explore how to cultivate joy in our activism and why local leadership is the key to national change. You'll learn how to navigate the complexities of our changing demographics while building a future where everyone can reach their full potential.

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-glover-blackwell 

Guest Website: https://policylink.org

Guest Social: https://www.youtube.com/policylink 

PODCAST:
Reimagining Democracy for a Good Life
On PolicyLink.com
On Spotify
On Apple Podcasts
Chapter Markers

00:00 — Introduction: Bioneers, PolicyLink, and Reimagining Democracy

05:45 — Early Lessons in Segregation and Resilience: Growing Up in 1950s St. Louis

12:30 — Founding PolicyLink: Bridging Community Work and National Policy

18:15 — Recreating Civic Life: Civic Assemblies, Participatory Budgeting, and Mutual Aid

26:40 — Democracy as Co-Governance for Human Flourishing

33:00 — The Third Founding: Why the Nation's Mechanisms Have Outgrown Themselves

38:00 — Joy in Activism: Adrienne Maree Brown and What Los Angeles Taught Angela

44:10 — Patience, Impatience, and Why We Must Stop Being Nostalgic for a Time That Never Was

50:00 — Season 2 of Reimagining Democracy: Atlanta, the Curb Cut Effect, and Hartsfield-Jackson

58:00 — Hope Is a Discipline: Answering the Listener Who Has Lost Faith

64:00 — The Third Founding, Future Cities, and What Comes Next

BUILD A GREENER FUTURE with CARE MORE BE BETTER: Together, we planted 36,044 trees in 2025 through our partnership with ForestPlanet. We screamed past our goal of planting 20,000 trees thanks to subscribers like you!
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner — Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

Follow Care More Be Better on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better

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The Queen Mothers of Ghana asked Leah Penniman whether it was true that American farmers plant seeds without prayer, song, or gratitude — then said: 'That's why you're all sick. You treat the earth as a commodity, not as a living relative.' That one sentence is the heart of this episode. Leah Penniman — Black Kreyol farmer, co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, and author of Farming While Black and the new anthology Black Earth Wisdom — joins Care More Be Better to explore George Washington Carver as the forgotten godfather of regenerative agriculture, the shared root of human supremacy and White supremacy, the term food apartheid and why it matters more than food desert, the returning of 258 acres to the Mohican Nation, Dijor Carter's grandmother's spirit rising through his feet in the mud at Soul Fire Farm, and the sit spot practice anyone can start today.

COMPLETE BLOG & TRANSCRIPT: https://caremorebebetter.com/listening-to-earth-wisdom-with-leah-penniman/

03:03] - Gathering Different Voices For Farming While Black
[05:58] - Immersing Into The Spirit Of Nature
[18:25] - Returning Earth’s Ownership To Earth Itself
[28:15] - Most Notable Voices In Farming While Black
[43:05] - Difference Between Food Apartheid And Food Desert
[50:23] - Why Climate Justice Requires Deferring To Nature
[54:10] - Why You Should Get A Plant Friend
[57:08] - Get In Touch With Leah
[58:09] - Discussion Wrap-up And Closing Words
About Guest: Leah Penniman is a Black Kreyol farmer, mother, activist, author, scientist, earth-lover, and African Traditional Priest who has been tending the soil and organizing for a racially just food system for 30 years. She serves as Co-Founder and Farm Director at Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, New York, an Afro-Indigenous training farm dedicated to food and land sovereignty. Leah’s books, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land (2018), Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists (2023), and Children of the Land: A Soul Fire Farm Parenting Guide (2027) are love songs for the land and her people.

Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-penniman-6839025a/

Guest Website: https://soulfirefarm.org

Guest Social:
https://www.facebook.com/soulfirefarm/
https://www.instagram.com/soulfirefarm/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz3Bs3G0GkDR83JSxF4C5Eg
https://www.instagram.com/leahpenniman/
https://www.facebook.com/leah.penniman

Additional Resources Mentioned:
BIONEERS KEYNOTE: Leah Penniman – Free the People! Free the Land!
BOOK: Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists by Leah Penniman
BOOK: Farming While Black by Leah Penniman

BUILD A GREENER FUTURE with CARE MORE BE BETTER
Together, we planted 36,044 trees in 2025 through our partnership with ForestPlanet. We screamed past our goal of planting 20,000 trees thanks to subscribers like you!
CAUSE PARTNER: If you value open dialogue, sustainability, and social equity, I invite you to support our new cause partner — Prescott College. To learn more about this effort and to support the show, visit: https://caremorebebetter.com/support/

Follow CARE MORE BE BETTER on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caremorebebetter

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caremorebebetter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caremorebebetter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.