Connected Impact: A Reset for Purpose-Driven Growth

Ideas and inspiration to reclaim the narrative around inclusion and rethink how business shows up in an age of economic uncertainty.

It’s a precarious moment for those working at the intersection of tech, business, and social impact. The urgency hasn’t gone away, but the energy has shifted. Political winds are turning. Budgets are tightening. And after years of bold commitments, many companies are going quiet.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked across sectors—corporate, nonprofit, media—to connect the dots between innovation and equity. I’ve seen how storytelling can unlock action, build trust, and keep progress moving. I’ve also seen how quickly momentum stalls when the narrative gets muddled, or worse, dehumanized.

That’s why I’m launching Connected Impact as a space to elevate insights and sharpen stories that help leaders make the case for fairer economies with clarity, confidence, and relevance. In each edition, I’ll explore how we can collectively reframe inclusion, surface practical tools and promising pathways, and amplify the data that’s bolstering the case for long-term impact. I’d love your feedback, your stories, and examples of what's working (or not).

Inclusion still matters to most, we need to reclaim the narrative

The narrative around inclusion didn’t just lose momentum, it got hijacked. In the United States, news organizations have documented dozens of words quietly removed from federal communications, including ones central to financial inclusion: access, barriers, equity, multicultural, socio-economic, and even community.

These aren’t just buzzwords. They’re markers of progress. Their removal isn’t just semantics—it signals an effort to delegitimize the values behind them. The chilling effect is real: companies are stepping back, and professionals are left unsure how to describe their work.

Yet recent research from University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a hopeful twist: most Americans support diversity and inclusion—they just assume others don’t. That gap, known as pluralistic ignorance, perpetuates silence where we need clarity

“The mistaken belief that most people don’t support diversity can lead to a “spiral of silence,” where people remain quiet because others do not speak up in support, which in turn reinforces the silence.” - Institute for Diversity Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Researchers Naomi Isenberg and Markus Brauer highlight the power of social norms messaging—reminding people what their peers actually believe—to shift behavior. It’s been used to curb binge drinking on college campuses and promote sustainable habits. When it comes to inclusion, measuring and amplifying pro-diversity attitudes could be more effective than the traditional playbook that focuses on raising the awareness of implicit bias and subtle discrimination. While more research is needed, early findings suggest that shifting perceptions through social norms can create lasting cultural change.

It’s just one example of how smart, human-centered communications can help us reclaim the narrative around inclusion in clear, bold, and human terms.

Financial precarity is risky business

Another force shaping this moment is financial precarity—and it's affecting more people every day.

In the U.S., 61% of consumers reported living paycheck to paycheck as of December. revealing that living paycheck to paycheck spans all income levels. As Karen Webster of PYMNTS.com puts it, unpacking the complexities of the paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle is “essential for understanding how consumers will react to financial pressures, and how vulnerable large swaths of the American consumer may be,” to an economic downturn.

Survey data from PYMNTS and Lending Club reveal how living paycheck to paycheck is a continuum between choice and necessity, with different priorities shaping personal spending decisions.

“Our research reveals that 21% of American consumers (37 million) live paycheck to paycheck primarily out of necessity — there is a significant mismatch between money in and money out every month. More than half — 54%,or some 93 million consumers — do so due to a blend of choices about how they spend their paychecks and circumstances that create unexpected financial events. And 25% live this way predominantly by choice.”

The data showed that the largest age group living paycheck to paycheck out of necessity is single millennials in rural areas—many of them raising children.

This insecurity reflects deeper shifts. Middle-wage jobs have been eroded by automation, digitization, and globalization. Gig, temp, and contract work has expanded, offering flexibility, but often without benefits or predictability. And the cost of living—especially housing, healthcare, and education—continues to rise faster than wages, leaving even full-time workers struggling to stay afloat.

Millions live with constant financial stress—working hard but still falling behind. And that pressure is fueling burnout, political polarization, and growing distrust. Understanding how consumers are managing their financial lives matters for responsible business. As companies consider the path forward, they can design benefits, wages, and financial tools that reflect people’s needs and support long-term resilience.

Here, technology doesn’t have to be the villain. To make it work for people—not just profits—we need to shape it intentionally. That means prioritizing resources and innovation behind tools that drive shared value and stability along with speed and productivity.

If we want truly inclusive, resilient economies, business has to be part of the solution. That means working across sectors to improve financial health and expand access to decent work—jobs that are stable, fairly paid, and offer real opportunity.

In upcoming posts, I’ll share promising ideas for the responsible business toolkit: earned wage access, portable benefits, skills-based hiring, and shared ownership models. I’ll also dig into the data that challenges the idea that social impact must come at the expense of financial returns.

What to expect—and how to contribute

Connected Impact is for purpose-driven leaders, communicators, and creatives navigating complexity, especially those working at the intersection of tech, business, and social impact.

Posts will feature:

• Solutions spotlight – practical, under-the-radar ideas for the responsible business toolkit

• Data and insights – to strengthen the case for impact inside your organization

• Narrative reframes – to help you talk about inclusion in ways that build trust and connection

Over the past decade, I’ve had the chance to learn from thoughtful, mission-driven people and to help amplify ideas that create real progress. I’m now in a transitional moment, designing the next phase of my career. But one thing is clear: this is the kind of work that energizes me—and feels more necessary than ever.

That’s what Connected Impact is about. Not just sharing my perspective, but building a space to elevate insights, connect across sectors, and create a shared language for inclusive, purpose-driven growth.