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/.

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If you know your Steelers history then you know how Rocky Bleier was an essential player for the team’s first four Super Bowl victories, serving as its fourth all-time leading rusher. But do you know the odds he overcame to get there? He wears more honors than his Super Bowl rings — as a Vietnam veteran, he was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his brave service, which almost cost him the game forever. We sit down with the Steelers legend to talk about how a positive outlook made him stronger, and how he’s still serving today.

About the Guest

Rocky Bleier’s story – a gripping tale of courage on both the football fields of America and the battle fields of Vietnam – has held audiences in rapt attention for years. Yet, the motivational message behind it, detailing how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers, defines success in the new American century.

With the same optimism, sense of humor and steadfast determination that were his trademarks as a Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Rocky Bleier takes audiences from his early years through his professional career and talks about the lessons he learned along the way…lessons from which we can all benefit.

Not falling within the ideal of what a running back should look like, Bleier had to run harder and play smarter to be able to stand out. Despite his drive and ability to make the big play, the Pittsburgh Steelers only considered him a late round pick. But before the season ended that first year, he was drafted again…this time by the United States Army. At the height of the Vietnam War, Bleier was thrust into combat early and was seriously wounded when his platoon ran into an ambush. Receiving wounds from both rifle fire and grenade fragments in his legs, he was barely able to walk and his professional football career seemed to have ended before it began…

For more than two years, he drove himself. Little by little he overcame obstacles and fought his way back. He not only made the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also eventually became a starting running back on a team that won four Super Bowls and became the greatest football team of the 20th century.

The hard lessons Rocky Bleier learned early in his life that helped him overcome adversity and reach his goals, have paid off after football. These lessons are seen between the lines in the popular book on his life, “Fighting Back” and on stages of speaking appearances around the country.

Links in this Episode

RockyBleier.com

Rocky Bleier on Facebook

@officialrockybleier on Instagram

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On this episode of Off the Rak, Dr. Christian Ntizimira — a Rwandan palliative care physician, Harvard-trained researcher, and Executive Director of the African Center for Research on End-of-Life Care — shares how prioritizing compassion, dignity, and community can redefine how we lead, especially in moments of crisis. We explore practical ways to design empathy into institutions, honor presence over quick fixes, and recognize how much culture matters to nurturing trust. From personal stories in Africa to addressing global health challenges, Dr. Ntizimira’s work at the intersection of medicine, culture, faith, and leadership invites you to rethink what it means to care at the collective level and to lead with humanity at the center.

About the Guest

Dr. Christian Ntizimira is the Founder and Executive Director of ACREOL and an International member of the Faculty of The Palliative Care Centre for Excellence in Research and Education (PalC).

He is a Fulbright alumnus and graduated from Harvard Medical School, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, and former City Manager, Kigali, City Cancer Challenge Foundation, and the former Executive Director of the Rwanda Palliative Care and Hospice Organization (RPCHO), a non-profit organization focused on home-based care in the City of Kigali.

Dr. Ntizimira pioneered the integration of palliative care and end-of-life care into health services rendered to Rwandan cancer patients and in community settings. Through his program (2008-2013), more than 1500 health care providers and community health workers learned the principles of cancer prevention, control & palliative care, leading to a five-fold increase in the prescription of morphine, an essential pain medication. In 2016, he was awarded as a young cancer leader and a world cancer regional lead in 2018 for his outstanding contributions to cancer control in Rwanda and Africa.

In 2018, he became the first advocacy/policy champion among extraordinary individuals who are making a significant contribution to developing palliative care in low and middle-income countries for the World Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA). From 2010 to 2013, he was the director of Kibagabaga Hospital in Kigali. He has advised several governments on national palliative-care policy, including Burundi, Rwanda, and Senegal, on access to palliative care services. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Lancet Commission on Global Access to Palliative Care and Pain Control. Ntizimira graduated in medicine from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Rwanda in 2008. In 2011, he received a scholarship to study palliative care education and practice in the United States of America at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Palliative Care. He also trained as an African Pain Policy Expert at the University of Wisconsin. Ntizimira was named Young Cancer Leader by the Union for International Cancer Control in 2016 and Distinguished Young Leader by the Harvard Global Health Catalyst in 2017. He was named by OncoDaily to The 100 Most Influential CEOs in Oncology in 2025.

Links in this Episode

www.acreol.org

Dr. Christian Ntizimira's LinkedIn

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Sitting on a stoop conjures up summer weather, friendly neighbors, and good conversation. It’s a place of community, purpose, and safety. Join a stoop chat with the founder of The Soul Purpose.

Culture change doesn’t happen from the outside, but from within. Advisor, coach, and facilitator Tina DeSalvo has worked with leaders from household names such as Comcast, Google, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Goodyear, HBO, and many more to build effective teams and transform cultures, and she starts by holding up a mirror. That honesty breaks through barriers, builds trust, and finds a way forward to success. Tune in to our chat to learn more about her strategy, called “Living Life on Purpose,” on the next Off the Rak.

About the Guest

For more than 25 years, clients consistently comment on Tina’s uncanny ability to provide the exact guidance their leadership teams need at precisely the right moment to build a psychologically safe environment and break through interaction barriers.

Clients also tell her that she makes it faster and easier to speak the truth; name the issues; and, yes, cough up the hairballs that clog potential—all while working in partnership to design a more wholehearted, effective, and trusting way forward that has a direct impact on EBITDA.

Tina brings a vast and unique array of “culture-change credentials” to the table. These experiences are grounded in systems thinking, collective intelligence disciplines, container building, personality assessments, and typologies, neuroscience, conversation, event and meeting design, and devoted practices of compassion, bearing witness, and mindfulness.

Her tenure of successful client outcomes is layered by her love of interdisciplinary learning, her holistic obsession with how to bring about cultural change, and her formative years in a tight-knit community that she fondly remembers as The Stoop—where conversation and community came together.

Learn more about her affiliations, credentials, client offerings, and outcomes at thesoulpurpose.com. And if you’d like to join The Stoop community, you’ll learn insights, enjoy musings, see what she’s reading, and more.

Links in this Episode

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesoulpurpose

https://www.thesoulpurpose.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thesoulpurpose

https://www.facebook.com/thesoulpurpose

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Is it possible to honor traditions and still embrace a growth mindset?

Wayne Peacock’s 35-year tenure as USAA’s CEO has demonstrated that an entrepreneurial spirit can not only be nurtured at a 103-year-old company, but it can also be successful. Providing insurance and financial services to millions of veterans and their families, USAA’s singular focus has helped the organization, founded in 1922 by military veterans who were struggling to get car insurance, remain innovative. Respecting tradition in serving military families exclusively while embracing early tech and staying competitive in turbulent climates is no easy feat. A purpose-driven leader committed to honoring military families, Peacock joins Off the Rak to share insights on fostering innovation and making a lasting impact.

About the Guest

For 36 years, Wayne Peacock is proud to have served USAA, including five years as President and Chief Executive Officer. USAA is a Fortune 100, privately held financial services association serving 14 million members – including active-duty service members, veterans and their families – with a wide range of financial products and personalized advice across banking, insurance and retirement. Known for industry-leading financial strength, exceptional customer service, a leader in customer experience design and a deep commitment to military families, USAA is consistently recognized as a top employer and one of the world’s most admired companies.

Peacock extends his expertise to several external organizations. He is a member of the Business Roundtable (BRT), an association of CEOs at America's leading companies, and he serves as a board member for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. Wayne is also vice chair of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's Board of Directors, a member of the CNBC CEO Council, and serves as an advisory board member at The Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE) at Duke University. He is also active in the San Antonio community, with a focus on workforce development and downtown revitalization, and is a proud Eagle Scout.

Wayne graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and has completed executive education programs at Harvard, Duke, and Stanford.

Links in this Episode

Follow Wayne on LinkedIn

Read Wayne's acceptance speech for the Hiring Our Heroes President's Award for Lifetime Achievement from U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

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Insights from a people guru who’s hired over 6,500 employees in 23 countries!

Employment used to be transactional. But companies don’t just go out and hire people, especially talented people. They need to attract them. It seems that more and more these days, the war for talent will be won by purpose. HR guru Jennifer Trzepacz joins Off the Rak to share what she’s learned in her two decades of experience in HR. As the Chief People Officer at SymphonyAI (and now Transcarent), she knows how to make HR a value within an organization and aligned with the business bottom line. AI — how it’s perceived and used — is transforming how we manage people and company culture, now and in the future. You don’t want to miss this!

About the Guest

Jennifer Trzepacz has more than 20 years of experience implementing operational and talent strategies at transformative, industry-leading companies.

Now Chief People Officer at Transcarent, she was previously at SymphonyAI and Wildcat Venture Partners, where she was an HR operating partner for over 20 B2B and B2B2C technology portfolio companies. Previously, she was the executive vice president of HR and business operations at Rocket Fuel, a role she took on following the AI-driven predictive marketing SaaS platform’s 2013 IPO.

Prior to that, Trzepacz held talent leadership positions with Salesforce, Yahoo, and LivingSocial, among other fast-growing technology companies. During her career, she has been an early adopter of HR technology and supported many start-ups to build out their product offerings for mainstream markets. Trzepacz was selected as one of the Top 100 most influential HR leaders in the tech industry. Trzepacz earned her MBA from Simmons Graduate School of Management in Boston and her undergraduate degree from Bryant University.

Links in this Episode

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jetrzepacz

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