The Happy Disruptors Podcast

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Vincent Gauthier, Senior Manager of Climate-Smart Agriculture at Environmental Defense Fund, joins Hannah to rethink how we finance conservation agriculture. Rather than relying solely on grants and cost-share, the conversation explores how lenders, insurers, investors, government, philanthropy, and the broader agricultural supply chain can share the cost and risk of building more resilient farms. They also discuss the potential of catalytic capital, better financial data, and new approaches to crop insurance to make conservation a stronger financial investment for producers — and what an agricultural finance system designed around long-term resilience could look like. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Lisa Kushner, Agricultural Landscape Projects Director for North America Agriculture at The Nature Conservancy, joins Hannah to examine what it takes to build a more diverse and regenerative agricultural system. Looking at the Upper Mississippi River region through a “foodscape” lens, they explore how markets, infrastructure, financing, crop insurance, and supply chains shape the choices available to farmers — and why changing individual practices alone may not be enough to achieve transformation at scale. The conversation also digs into crop diversification, the opportunity to deliver benefits for water quality, soil health, biodiversity, climate resilience, and farm profitability simultaneously, and what lessons this region could offer agricultural systems elsewhere. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Hannah is joined by Brian Trusty, Senior Partner at PROS Consulting, to challenge the way we think about water — not simply as a resource to manage, but as an economic and community asset. From tourism and quality of life to talent attraction and regional growth, Brian explores the many ways healthy, accessible waterways can generate value for communities. The conversation also looks at ICON Water Trails as a local example of regional investment and considers how reframing conservation and water-quality spending as investments can strengthen both natural resources and economic development. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thank you to our partners, Jacobsen & Company, for sponsoring this episode!

FundingThis week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Hannah sits down with Roeslein & Associates' Sam Sugerman, Director of Environmental Markets, and Nancy Labbe, Director of Landowner Partnerships, to explore how conservation strategies can remain resilient as government funding and priorities evolve. Using Horizon II as a case study, they discuss the role of public investment as a catalyst for new conservation models and what it takes to transition those models toward long-term, market-driven sustainability. Along the way, they dig into diversified revenue streams, reducing risk for landowners, and the cross-sector partnerships needed to build conservation solutions that can adapt and operate at scale. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Joe Whitworth, President & CEO of The Freshwater Trust, joins Hannah to explore how finance and technology can transform the way conservation gets done. The pair unpacks the concept of “Quantified Conservation,” the role of data in directing resources toward the greatest environmental return, and why measuring outcomes — rather than simply activities — can lead to more effective investments. They also discuss how technology can reduce inefficiencies in conservation finance and what becomes possible when data, capital, and on-the-ground implementation work together at a watershed or landscape scale. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Billy Gascoigne, Senior Director of Agriculture & Strategic Partnerships at Ducks Unlimited, joins Kaitie to discuss what it takes to scale conservation delivery. The two explore the power of public-private partnerships, how to align diverse interests around shared outcomes, and why successful conservation requires more than funding alone. They also unpack how conservation programs can better reflect the economic realities of farmers and ranchers, where private capital can accelerate progress, and what needs to change to move proven solutions from concept to meaningful implementation at scale. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thank you to our partners, Jacobsen & Company, for sponsoring this episode!

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Drew DiAllesandro, Illinois & Iowa Private Lands Coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, joins Kaitie to rethink how we approach conservation interventions in the Midwest. The pair explores how moving beyond practice-by-practice implementation toward more strategic, landscape-scale solutions can generate greater ecological impact — from restoring wetlands, prairies, and oxbows to using science and data to target investments where they matter most. They also unpack what motivates landowners to participate, where today’s conservation delivery system creates friction, and how stronger partnerships can help translate proven practices into meaningful outcomes at scale. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Keegan Kult, Executive Director of the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition, joins Kaitie to discuss water quality through the lens of water quantity. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thank you to our partners, Vision Bank, for sponsoring this episode!

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Tami Madsen, Executive Director of Central Iowa Water Works, joins Hannah to discuss water resiliency, cross-sector collaboration, and future planning. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thank you to our partners, Vision Bank, for sponsoring this episode!

This week on The Happy Disruptors Podcast, Kaylee Williams with Iowa Startup Week, joins Kaitie to discuss innovation, creativity, and building an ecosystem of happy disruptors. Listen in now! Remember to like and follow the Great Outdoors Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thank you to our partners, Vision Bank, for sponsoring this episode!