Table Stakes
Business & Economics Podcasts
In today’s business landscape, responsibility and sustainability are no longer optional or “nice to have.” Modern stakeholders don’t just expect an environmental, social and governance (ESG) focus, they demand it. Being a good corporate citizen today is “table stakes.” Simultaneously, many of the corporate social responsibility departments companies launched in the last 30 years aren’t thinking enough about innovation, growth, business-focused results and resilience. Table Stakes discusses the issues of sustainability with forward-thinking leaders to forecast the future of responsible business. Being ethical, human and sustainable is no longer optional – it’s table stakes.
Location:
United States
Description:
In today’s business landscape, responsibility and sustainability are no longer optional or “nice to have.” Modern stakeholders don’t just expect an environmental, social and governance (ESG) focus, they demand it. Being a good corporate citizen today is “table stakes.” Simultaneously, many of the corporate social responsibility departments companies launched in the last 30 years aren’t thinking enough about innovation, growth, business-focused results and resilience. Table Stakes discusses the issues of sustainability with forward-thinking leaders to forecast the future of responsible business. Being ethical, human and sustainable is no longer optional – it’s table stakes.
Twitter:
@MarcyTwete
Language:
English
Contact:
3128820826
Website:
http://www.tablestakespod.com/
Email:
marcy@marcytwete.com
Episodes
34. Combatting Moral Distress and Burnout as a Sustainability Professional
7/9/2025
Today, we're returning to a conversation on moral distress we started last year. Moral distress was first studied by American ethicist Andrew Jameton related to nursing teams and ethical decision making in the 1980s. Today, the Veerless team applying Jameton's concepts to the work of sustainability and the ethical decision making professionals in our field deal with every day. In today's podcast, Veerless Senior Consultant Kris Fischer joins Marcy to discuss the overarching concept of moral distress and apply it to roles and functions in our industry.
Duración:00:39:53
33. Table Stakes Is Back: ESG in the Era of Trump 2.0
6/25/2025
After a brief hiatus since our fall series on sustainability at the Olympics, Table Stakes is back—and not a moment too soon. In a time when ESG headlines are swirling with uncertainty, backlash, and bold political shifts, we’re here to shine a light on the real momentum powering sustainability forward. This week’s episode kicks off our new biweekly series, unpacking the key takeaways from Veerless’ A Climate of Opportunity report and what’s happened in the six months since President Trump took office for a second time. From resilient governors to rebellious mayors, supply chain pressure to Gen Z firepower, we’re breaking down why ESG is far from dead—and how the work continues, with purpose.
Duración:00:32:11
32. The Rise of the EcoAthlete: Using A Sports Platform for Climate Advocacy
8/6/2024
As the 2024 Summer Olympics continue in Paris, Table Stakes is continuing our series on sustainability and sports. Joining us today is the Founder of EcoAthletes, Lew Blaustein. This summer, EcoAthletes has 18 Olympians competing in Paris. Together, they've engaged in advocacy, communications, personal sustainability actions, and more in their time in Paris, before and after.
Duración:00:36:15
31. Sustainability and the Olympics - Reality or Oxymoron?
8/1/2024
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris began last week, and as we led up to the opening ceremonies, our team asked ourselves "What's the environmental impact of an event like this one?" One of Veerless' newest team members, Katie Yoder, joins us to talk about the carbon footprint of sports and the Olympics, and examine the preparation that goes into an event like this in terms of environmental excellence - for the city, the athletes, and the games in general. Katie is a decorated triathlete herself and brings the perspective of the athlete experience to our entire conversation.
Duración:00:33:20
30. Standalone DEI Reports - Pros and Cons, Yay or Nay
6/21/2024
In honor of Pride Month, we’re tackling a difficult “should we or shouldn’t we” topic in the world of corporate reporting – whether or not to produce a standalone DEI Report. In today’s podcast, we outline the pros and cons of a standalone report and a clear litmus test for whether or not your company is ready for a DEI Report.
Duración:00:28:20
29. Choosing Carbon Offsets - A Controversial Earth Day Episode
4/22/2024
Happy Earth Day! Today we're tackling a subject that is often a little taboo in the sustainability space. And even in the last few weeks has caused major turmoil for our friends over at the Science-Based Targets Initiative. There’s a word in the sustainability space that, when spoken, often feels like one should look to the left and right to make sure no one hears them say……offsets. Veerless recently became Carbon Neutral Certified and Aclymate Leader Climate Certified. In this process, as a company with a small footprint, we went through the process to choose offsets twice. And we learned a lot. In today's episode, we're sharing our four-pronged approach to choosing carbon offsets for companies of any size and the offsets Veerless chose to offset our 2023 footprint.
Duración:00:34:38
28. Impact Reporting for Small Companies - 5 Reasons Why
4/8/2024
Veerless recently released our first ever Impact Report. Aligned to the five areas of focus in the B Impact Assessment, our first annual report details the steps we have taken to achieve excellence in each of these areas in 2023. It also lays out our goals for 2024 in terms of certification and sustainability alignment in our business. But it wasn't enough for us to release an Impact Report for our small business. We want to inspire other companies like us to do the same. Today's podcast shares our 5 Reasons Why Small Businesses Can and Should Produce an Impact Report.
Duración:00:29:32
27. The Silent Sabotage of Workplace Wellbeing - Starting the Conversation on Moral Distress
3/19/2024
The concept of moral distress was first studied by American ethicist Andrew Jameton related to nursing teams and ethical decision making in the 1980s. Today, the Veerless team is kicking off an ongoing conversations about moral distress in the workplace and its effect on wellbeing of team members. In the work of sustainability, the ethical decision making components of our roles are often glazed over or forgotten. In today's podcast, Veerless Senior Consultant Kris Fischer joins Marcy to discuss the overarching concept of moral distress and begin to apply it to roles and functions in our industry. Stay with us in 2024 as we continue our series on moral distress throughout the year.
Duración:00:31:39
26. It's March! Happy New Year? We Think....
3/7/2024
Alright, it's March...and our "Happy New Year" episode should have been recorded weeks ago. But hey, action speaks louder than words? Right? Join our host, Marcy Twete, for a quick solocast about 2024 so far and takeaways from a few months of snowbird/nomad lifestyle. Welcome to 2024!
Duración:00:26:08
25. The Intersection of AI and ESG in Today's Regulatory and Ratings Environment
12/1/2023
The buzz on AI and specifically Generative AI has reached an all time high in today's technology zeitgeist. Sustainability and ESG leaders are experiencing the AI wave first hand as they see more investors, ratings agencies and even consumer and employee readers using AI to evaluate their reports and progress. In today's episode, Veerless CEO and technology expert Charlie Beck joins us to talk nuts and bolts of AI, how AI is already at use in sustainability and ESG ratings and regulations, and what considerations we should all make in tailoring our reports to an ever-changing AI landscape.
Duración:00:43:47
Environment Isn't Enough - When Fair Treatment and Fair Pay Lag in Otherwise Standout Sustainability Leaders
10/9/2023
One of the more shocking trends in ESG and sustainability is when a stand-out leader in one area of ESG (environment, for example) lags behind significantly or experiences concerning controversy in another area. Today on Table Stakes, we're examining three examples of companies (Kaiser Permanente labor strikes last week, Patagonia controversy in fair pay of textile workers, and Ben & Jerry's role in a migrant child worker crisis) whose fair treatment and fair pay initiatives just don't hold up against their impeccable environmental programs. What can we do to influence the fair labor work of brands we already respect?
Duración:00:25:41
23. Your Bereavement Leave Policy Probably Sucks - And How to Change It
9/27/2023
In the corporate world, some policies, procedures and processes take years to change. But others may just require a small group of individuals who say "there's a better way to do this." Today, we're talking about one of those policies in particular - bereavement leave. Unfortunately, most companies have archaic bereavement leave policies in place that don't consider the personal and cultural differences we all might face when it comes to the loss of a loved one. In today's episode Veerless leaders Marcy Twete and Kristen Fischer outline the steps your company can take to build a better bereavement policy in your company.
Duración:00:23:51
22. Our 2023 Return to Table Stakes: Update from Marcy and Veerless
9/18/2023
It's been over a year since Table Stakes brought you the news of corporate responsibility, sustainability and ESG on this platform, and we are back! Today's episode is a quick message from your host, Marcy Twete, updating our listeners on what's been going on this past year. Learn about the exciting new developments in Veerless, our newly rebranded company, and what's to come for the future of Table Stakes.
Duración:00:15:08
21. Raising Your Ethics Game with Lisa Beth Lentini Walker
4/13/2022
The link between compliance and ESG is clear. We are all working to make our companies stronger, more ethical, more sustainable, and encouraging our colleagues to "do the right thing." The skills necessary for success in these roles is also the same - influence over authority, understanding over commanding, listening more than talking. Today's guest Lisa Beth Lentini Walker joins us to share her experience as a compliance leader and the co-author of the book Raise Your Game, Not Your Voice: How Listening, Communicating, and Storytelling Shape Compliance Program Influence.
Duración:00:46:19
20. The Power of Your Personal Carbon Footprint to Change Big Business
7/19/2021
We know that companies and governments must be leaders in fighting the threat of climate change. But individuals have a clear role to play as well. Our guests today lead Aurora Sustainability, an innovative platform for individuals to calculate, understand, and address their carbon footprint. Aurora's model is unique in that it brings together individuals and the companies they work for to collectively address carbon footprint and climate change.
Duración:00:26:21
18. 2021 Trends Forecast in ESG, Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
1/27/2021
For our 2021 trends forecast, we've broken down four overarching trends and definitions of those trends. And in each of those four areas, outlining a trend in action (happening right now), a trend in development (starting to happen), and a trend in decline (was a trend in recent years but diminishing today). From diversity to CEO activism, from body positivity to corporate philanthropy, these trends span the fields of CSR, ESG and sustainability in 2021.
Duración:00:32:03
17. Your 2021 Impact Plan to Create the World You Want with Author Tammy Tibbetts
1/4/2021
We all want to have a positive impact on our communities and the world we live in. But it's easy to get stuck on where to start and how to achieve our impact goals. In Impact: A Step-by-Step Plan to Create the World You Want to Live In, authors Tammy Tibbetts and Christen Brandt give readers a workbook for anyone who wants to reevaluate the impact they make in the world personally. You set a strategy for your financial life, your career, your family - you should have a strategy for your social impact as well. January is the perfect time of year to go through the steps in Christen and Tammy's book and set your intentions and goals for 2021.
Duración:00:33:03
16. Set a 2021 Sustainability Resolution
12/18/2020
January 1, 2021 is right around the corner, and as you think about setting your 2021 resolutions, we're challenging you to make one big commitment related to a sustainability or social issue. In this episode, Marcy takes you through her 5-year journey of setting a sustainability challenge/resolution every year, how to do it, and what you'll learn.
Duración:00:31:14
15. Embedding Sustainability in the DNA of a 200 Year Old Company at Monadnock Paper Mills
12/7/2020
When we think of leaders in sustainability, it's unlikely we might think first of a 200-year old company. But a company's age doesn't always mean "old-school." Today, we're joined by the team from Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. Their work is a gold standard example of a company who has built sustainability into the DNA of its business. With a passion for the environment and ingenuity, Monadnock is turning ideas into reality.
Duración:00:33:39