Welcome back to Season 4 of Connecting with Purpose — where we put founders first and share the stories of the humans behind the business. In this episode, Mark sits down with Jasper Van Brakel, President & CEO of RSF Social Finance (Regenerative Social Finance), to explore what happens when purpose, capital, and systemic change come together.

If you're an impact-driven founder or leader navigating growth, funding, culture, and the messy middle of leadership, this conversation will resonate deeply. Jasper shares three defining "magic moments" that shaped his journey — from an early-career crossroads and a bold international leap, to leading through crisis during a financial turnaround and the early days of the pandemic. These experiences led him to a powerful realization: leadership isn't about going it alone — it's about purpose, perspective, and people.

Together, Mark and Jasper explore what regenerative finance really means, how to align money with mission, and why transforming finance can help transform the world of business. They also dive into practical leadership lessons for founders who want to scale impact without burning out themselves or their teams.

This episode is packed with wisdom on:

—Listening to your intuition while staying grounded in reality

—Building high-performing cultures rooted in care, clarity, and connection

—Creating agreements instead of expectations to drive ownership

—Leading through uncertainty without losing yourself

—Why a leader's biggest blind spot is their own "interior condition"

Jasper's mission is bold: to help make all finance regenerative — using capital as a tool to serve people, communities, and the future. For founders seeking funding that aligns with their values, and leaders striving to grow with integrity, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical insight. If you're building something meaningful and want your leadership, your capital, and your impact to move in the same direction — this episode is for you.

Connect with Jasper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasper-van-brakel-147434/

Learn more about PurposeFused and Connecting with Purpose: https://www.purposefused.com/

Subscribe for more founder-first leadership conversations: @connectingwithpurpose-est2021

#ConnectingWithPurpose #PurposeFused #RegenerativeFinance #ImpactInvesting #MissionAlignedCapital #FounderLeadership #PurposeDrivenLeadership #SystemsChange #SocialFinance #LeadershipDevelopment

If you're listening to this in mid-January, you may recognize this moment. You set goals. You clarified priorities. You stepped into the year with intention. And now… you're back in meetings. Back in execution. Back in the reality that can quietly pull you away from what mattered most just weeks ago.

In this solo episode, Mark explores why January is not a motivation problem — it's an alignment moment. As the noise increases and familiar patterns re-emerge, leaders often begin to drift. Not because they lack discipline or drive, but because something deeper has gone quiet. That "something" is Belief and Identity — two fundamentals at the core of Ultimate Performance.

In this episode, Mark breaks down:

—Why early January is about possibility, but mid-January tests what truly holds

—How belief shapes where you're going — and why it often fades under pressure

—Why identity determines behavior when things get hard

—How leaders unintentionally operate from outdated identities

—A practical re-anchoring reset you can use right now

Mark also shares a personal example from his own training journey, illustrating how identity — not goals alone — sustains performance when motivation dips.

If January feels heavier than expected, this episode offers a grounded reminder: you may not be off track — you may just need to re-anchor who you're being.

If this resonated, share it with a leader who might be quietly drifting and could benefit from a moment of clarity.

Thanks for listening to Connecting with Purpose.

Learn more - PurposeFused: https://www.purposefused.com/

Mark Griffin: / markgriffinpurposefused

In this episode of Connecting with Purpose, Mark Griffin sits down with Keith Bearden, CEO of Alter Eco Foods—the company behind some of the cleanest, greenest (and frankly, most addictive) chocolate bars, truffles, granola, and quinoa on the planet.

Keith shares how a childhood shaped by a small Tennessee farm and a grandfather who quietly practiced servant leadership set the foundation for a career defined by courage, empathy, and impact. From becoming Dow Chemical's youngest expat in Antwerp, to walking away from executive roles that no longer aligned with his integrity, to eventually leading Alter Eco and championing regenerative agriculture, Keith has consistently chosen purpose over comfort.

You'll hear Keith and Mark explore:

—The three "magic moments" that shaped Keith's leadership philosophy

—How courage, empathy, and adventure have guided his biggest career decisions —What it feels like to hit the performance precipice and how to navigate out of empty achievement

—How consulting and entrepreneurship helped him clarify his true purpose

—Why regenerative agriculture, dynamic agroforestry, and fair trade are non-negotiable for Alter Eco

—The real-world headwinds of building an impact-led CPG brand in today's economic and political climate

—How consumers can "vote with their dollars" and move entire industries toward sustainability

If you're a founder, executive, or purpose-driven leader wrestling with big decisions and how to grow your impact without losing yourself in the process—this conversation offers both a reality check and a roadmap.

📌 If this episode resonates, help more leaders find it:

—Like the video

—Subscribe to our channel: @connectingwithpurpose-est2021

—Share it with a leader who's questioning what success really means

Connect with Keith Bearden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-bearden-736821/

And if you're ready to go deeper into aligning performance with humanity, explore more conversations, tools, and resources from PurposeFused:https://www.purposefused.com/

@PurposeDrivenLeadership, @LeadershipWithPurpose, @IdentityAndImpact, @LeadershipTransformation, @HighPerformanceLeadership, @PurposeAtWork, @LeadingWithClarity, @ImpactDrivenLeaders, @LeadershipJourney