As human beings, we crave purpose. Ask any pastor, priest, monk, imam, rabbi, politician, philosopher, or psychologist. We also expect it of our organizations — in today’s transparent world, businesses are expected to stand for more than just profits if they are to attract top talent and influential stakeholders. Carol Cone is a pioneer in cause marketing, widely regarded as the creator of the purpose movement in business. For more than 35 years, she has helped brands integrate social impact into their core strategies, proving that doing good is also good for business. She joins Off the Rak to share her front-row insights into how purpose drives innovation, impact, and success.

About the Guest

Carol Cone is internationally recognized as a pioneer in purpose-driven business strategies, often hailed as the “Purpose Queen” by the BBC. For over 35 years, she has been at the forefront of linking companies and brands with social issues to drive both business and societal impact.​

In 1980, Carol founded Cone Inc., where she introduced the innovative concept of integrating corporate interests with social causes. Her groundbreaking campaigns include the creation of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, which expanded to 50 countries and raised over $1 billion, and the development of My Special Aflac Duck, a social robot designed to comfort children undergoing cancer treatment, recognized by Time Magazine as one of the Best Inventions of 2018.

As the founder and CEO of Carol Cone ON PURPOSE, her third enterprise dedicated to purpose, Carol continues to educate, inspire, and accelerate purpose strategies for corporations, brands, and nonprofits worldwide. Her extensive body of work has earned her numerous accolades, including being named one of the world’s seven Sustainability Pioneers by Sustainable Brands and “arguably the most powerful and visible figure in the world of ‘Cause Branding'” by PRWeek.

Beyond her professional achievements, Carol is an avid equestrienne, embodying the courage and freedom symbolized by the horse, which she considers her personal power symbol. Her passion for purpose extends into her personal life, reflecting her belief in aligning one’s work with deeper meaning and societal contribution.​

Links in this Episode

Carol Cone ON PURPOSE

Purpose 360 Podcast

Follow Carol on LinkedIn

Breakthrough Nonprofit Branding: Seven Principles to Power Extraordinary Results by Jocelyne Daw and Carol Cone

CharityCharms.com

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Finding an agent, getting an audition, nailing the callback, having a great performance — show business can seem full of crowded paths with few roles and that means hearing a lot of no’s before you hear a “yes!” Veteran stage character actor, singer, dancer, composer, writer, and coach Robert Creighton joins Off the Rak to share his insights on staying resilient through the ebb and flow of opportunities, honoring your dreams and talents, and creating your own success.

About the Guest

ROBERT CREIGHTON most recently revisited the role of Timon in Disney’s THE LION KING on Broadway (2022). Also for Disney on Broadway he originated the role of the Duke of Weselton in FROZEN. Other Broadway credits include: THE LION KING (Timon), THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (Durdles), ANYTHING GOES (Purser/Moonface), CHICAGO (Amos), THE LITTLE MERMAID (Chef Louis), CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, and JACKIE MASON’S LAUGHING ROOM ONLY. He is co-author and starred in the hit off-Broadway musical CAGNEY which ran in 2016-17 for over 500 performances and is headed toward a London production in their 2022-23 season. For that role he won the Fred Astaire Award for Outstanding Male Dancer and was nominated for the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards as best Lead Actor in a Musical. Other New York highlights include Angelo in COMEDY OF ERRORS for the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park, starring roles in several New York City Center ENCORE SERIES productions and two seasons playing Njegus in THE MERRY WIDOW and Koko in THE MIKADO for NYC OPERA at Lincoln Center. He was a recurring guest star on the CBS series The Good Fight as Clarence Kolb. Other guest-starring roles include Elementary (CBS), Law & Order (NBC), The Family (ABC), and Life on Mars (ABC). For his cabaret AIN’T WE GOT FUN! he won NYC’s prestigious Bistro Award for “Outstanding Entertainer.” His debut album Ain’t We Got Fun! was released in 2012 on the LML music label.

Links in this Episode

@rcreightonnyc on Instagram

@RobertCreightonOfficial on Facebook

RobertCreightonNYC.com

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Disasters are getting bigger and more complex. How do you prepare an organization—and its people—to respond quickly, effectively, and with humanity?

Let's challenge the idea that crisis leadership is all about command. Instead, this episode of Off the Rak explores showing up with steadiness, trust, and humanity. Join us as we welcome Cliff Holtz, president and CEO of the American Red Cross, a leader who steers one of the nation's most trusted emergency response organizations through disasters with speed and compassion. We discuss building resilience, empowering volunteers and staff, and balancing compassion with operational excellence under pressure. Tune in for practical insights about stepping into a highly visible public role, navigating public opinion, and keeping faith in people when the stakes are high.

About the Guest

Cliff Holtz serves as the president and chief executive officer of the American Red Cross, the nation’s largest provider of lifesaving blood products and leading emergency response organization. Holtz joined the Red Cross in 2011 and assumed his role as president and CEO on July 1, 2024, following the retirement of Gail McGovern.

Prior to his current role, Holtz held the position of chief operating officer for seven years where he oversaw the execution of all mission delivery and operations comprising Biomedical Services, Disaster Services, International Services, Training Services and Service to the Armed Forces. During his tenure as COO, Holtz worked closely with his predecessor, Gail McGovern, in leading the Red Cross to achieve financial stability while also growing critical investments in mission, people and infrastructure.

As part of his vision for the Red Cross, Holtz is building on the organization’s strong foundation to adapt to the growing frequency and intensity of disasters and develop sustainability efforts with a focus on underserved communities across all mission delivery. His commitment to humanitarian efforts and operational excellence has been instrumental in the organization’s service to millions of people in need.

Before joining the Red Cross in 2011, Holtz held executive leadership positions at for-profit companies including Pelco (a Division of Schneider Electric), Nortel Networks Corp, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Qwest Communications and Gateway Corporation. He also spent 16 years at AT&T working in sales, marketing, new business development, operations and engineering, and human resources. His tenure culminated with his role as the president of Metro Markets, a $4.5 billion unit.

Holtz earned a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Albany and Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago. He has served on the boards of LHC Group (recently sold to United Health Care), the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the National Jewish Hospital.

Links in this Episode

Follow Cliff on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliff-holtz/

Learn more about the work of the American Red Cross and help those affected by disaster at https://www.redcross.org/.

Learn more about Off the Rak and watch past episodes at waltrakowich.com/offtherak

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