Living with Purpose (Podcasts)

Dr. Basma AlBuhairan is the Managing Director of C4IR Saudi Arabia (WEF Affiliate Centre), where she leads national and global initiatives at the intersection of technology, innovation, and societal progress. Based in Riyadh, she has spent the last several years shaping the future of healthcare, investment, and strategic development across the region and beyond.With more than twenty years of experience across the healthcare value chain, she is known for her work in investment promotion, attracting foreign direct investment, and guiding high-level policy across both public and private sectors.Her academic journey began with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science and a Master’s in Molecular Biology from Brown University. She later moved into leadership and health services, earning a Master’s in Public Health and a PhD from the University of Sheffield, where she explored how healthcare policy is formed at an organizational level.Dr. Basma is a Fellow of the Eisenhower Fellowships Organization and serves on multiple international boards and committees. And is a co-author in the very first Living With Purpose book, where her story and insights have already inspired many.

Elizabeth Stokely is an MBA with seventeen years of experience in global development and international business. A Fulbright Scholar, a Peace Corps alum, and fluent in Spanish, she has dedicated her life to creating solutions that expand economic opportunity, advance women’s empowerment, and strengthen environmental sustainability across the world.Elizabeth currently serves as the Executive Director of Global Washington, where she leads a vibrant community of organizations working to improve lives across the globe. Under her guidance, Global Washington is shaping the future of global development through collaboration, innovation, and shared purpose.She is also the Founder and Principal of Stokely Consulting, where she advises companies, nonprofits, foundations, and investors on strategy, partnership development, and impact measurement. Her expertise spans fundraising, CSR, ESG, impact investing, program strategy, and operational excellence.

Alka Badshah is an executive with deep roots in emerging technology and finance, a leader who knows how to build profitable businesses, yet her true power comes from something far more elemental. She believes that nature holds the answers for mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, and she has dedicated her life to proving it.As the founder of Anarti Therapeutics, Alka brings twenty five years of personal experience as a fibromyalgia warrior to the world. Her company blends plant based healing, CBD, and Ayurveda to help people relieve chronic pain, recover clarity, and renew their resilience.What I love about Alka is the fusion she embodies. The strategist who can see around corners. The healer who knows suffering from the inside. The entrepreneur who builds solutions that genuinely transform lives.

Shelley Winner is the Founder of Winners Circle, an organisation built on one powerful belief. Your past does not decide your future. Your purpose does.Shelley spent years rebuilding her life from the ground up and in doing so she discovered an inner strength that many never reach. She now helps companies, communities and individuals rethink what is possible when you lead with courage, ownership and purpose. Her work opens doors for people who have been counted out and inspires leaders to create environments where people can rise, contribute and win.Shelley is a force. A reminder that purpose is not an idea. It is a decision you make every day. And her story proves that when you choose that path you do not just change your life. You change the lives of the people you serve.

Linda Eddleman is the CEO of the Trust for the Americas, a non profit organisation that is affiliated with the Organization of American States. Since 1997 the Trust has built public and private partnerships that open doors to economic opportunity, strengthen citizen security, and support good governance throughout the Americas.Under Linda’s leadership the Trust has implemented projects in twenty nine countries and collaborated with more than one thousand organisations. Her mission is clear. Empower people. Strengthen institutions. Create pathways to a better future.This conversation is about purpose in action. It is about what it takes to lead at scale, to build impact through partnerships, and to stay grounded in a mission that serves millions. Linda brings wisdom from decades working across governments, communities, and global development networks.

Osama Manzar is the Founder and CEO of the Digital Empowerment Foundation, one of India’s most impactful social enterprises working to bridge the digital divide.For over two decades, Osama has dedicated his life to bringing internet access, digital literacy, and opportunity to the most remote corners of India, empowering millions of people to participate in the digital economy.A writer, speaker, and global thought leader on digital inclusion, Osama’s work reminds us that true purpose lies in using technology not just to connect devices, but to connect humanity.

Dan Terry is a visionary engineer, innovator, and co-author in Living with Purpose.As the founder of DANTERRY Inc., Dan has spent more than four decades analyzing, designing, and developing technologies that solve intractable challenges — from renewable energy and micro thermal engines to sustainable manufacturing and advanced security systems.His work has always gone beyond invention. It has been about impact, using engineering as a tool to uplift lives and create meaningful change for communities around the world.In Living with Purpose, Dan shares how purpose has powered his journey, proving that true innovation does not just build new things, it builds a better world.

With over 25 years of leadership at Amazon and Microsoft, Payal Tiwana has built and scaled global products that have transformed industries, from cloud and ecommerce to AI and ad tech.Today, her focus is on the next great shift in enterprise software: agentic AI, where autonomous agents are reshaping how work gets done.Beyond her achievements in technology, Payal is also a board member for NGOs advancing education equity and sustainability. Through her daily practice of meditation and yoga, she brings the same clarity and mindfulness that fuel innovation into every area of her life.

Stephanie Ellis Smith is the founder of Phīla Engaged Giving, a philanthropy advising firm that helps individuals and organizations give with clarity, strategy, and purpose. With decades of experience as a nonprofit leader, board member, and impact strategist, Stephanie empowers others to align their giving with their deepest values. Her work bridges generosity with justice, ensuring that every act of giving becomes a force for meaningful change.

As Executive Director of the Millennium Campus Network, Sam Vaghar’s north star is clear, helping young people own their voice and power to make a difference.Through MCN, Sam convenes and trains the next generation of social impact leaders on more than 280 campuses worldwide. Each year, over 4,000 emerging changemakers come together through initiatives like the Millennium Fellowship and the Millennium Oceans Prize, uniting purpose with action and vision with impact.In this episode of Living with Purpose, Sam shares how empowering young leaders today creates the ripple effects that shape a better tomorrow.