Paul Zelizer, Business Coach

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Paul Zelizer, Business Coach Business coach for social entrepreneurs | Award-winning podcaster 🎙️ | Albuquerque business coach | Impact investing evangelist

🌿 Why are CEOs still getting sustainability wrong? 🚀 What if your sustainability efforts became your business’s greatest...
09/22/2026

🌿 Why are CEOs still getting sustainability wrong?

🚀 What if your sustainability efforts became your business’s greatest differentiator?

These were the questions we explored in my recent conversation with Sandhya Sabapathy on the Awarepreneurs podcast.

Sandhya pointed out a widespread trap: “If I were to ask 5 CEOs about sustainability, they’d say, ‘Oh, we have a net-zero strategy, or, of course we recycle and we reuse.’” But is that enough?

We dove into why traditional ESG frameworks often stop at compliance—and what it takes to transition from “doing things right” to “doing the right things” for long-term systems change.

🎧Listen to the full interview for actionable strategies to move from rhetoric to real impact: www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast or your favorite podcast app.

♻️Why are CEOs still getting sustainability wrong?🌱What if your sustainability efforts became your business’s greatest d...
09/22/2026

♻️Why are CEOs still getting sustainability wrong?

🌱What if your sustainability efforts became your business’s greatest differentiator?

These were the questions we explored in my recent conversation with Sandhya Sabapathy on the Awarepreneurs podcast.

Sandhya pointed out a widespread trap: “If I were to ask 5 CEOs about sustainability, they’d say, ‘Oh, we have a net-zero strategy, or, of course we recycle and we reuse.’” But is that enough?

We dove into why traditional ESG frameworks often stop at compliance—and what it takes to transition from “doing things right” to “doing the right things” for long-term systems change.

Listen at www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast or your favorite podcast app.

♻️ Why are CEOs still getting sustainability wrong?How can business leaders turn compliance into real value creation?Wha...
09/22/2026

♻️ Why are CEOs still getting sustainability wrong?

How can business leaders turn compliance into real value creation?

What if your sustainability efforts became your business’s greatest differentiator?

These were the questions we explored in my recent conversation with Sandhya Sabapathy on the Awarepreneurs podcast.

Sandhya pointed out a widespread trap: “If I were to ask 5 CEOs about sustainability, they’d say, ‘Oh, we have a net-zero strategy, or, of course we recycle and we reuse.’” But is that enough?

We dove into why traditional ESG frameworks often stop at compliance—and what it takes to transition from “doing things right” to “doing the right things” for long-term systems change.

One actionable insight: Treat sustainability as a driver for innovation, not just a regulatory burden. The companies that embed responsible business into their DNA will be tomorrow’s leaders.

Don’t miss the full interview for actionable strategies to move from rhetoric to real impact. You can listen on the Awarepreneurs website - www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast - or your favorite podcast app.

Wonderful evening celebrating the great work that Albuquerque Community Foundation does in New Mexico!
09/11/2026

Wonderful evening celebrating the great work that Albuquerque Community Foundation does in New Mexico!

🌟 New Mexico has an enormous opportunity to shape the future of clean energy—and collaboration will be key.I recently ha...
08/11/2026

🌟 New Mexico has an enormous opportunity to shape the future of clean energy—and collaboration will be key.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Lopez on the Awarepreneurs podcast about New Mexico’s emerging nuclear ecosystem, the infrastructure needed to support our energy future, and why cross-sector relationships matter so much.

A few takeaways:

⚡ Collaboration breaks down silos. Bringing together policymakers, tribal leaders, utilities, investors, businesses, and communities can accelerate meaningful energy and infrastructure solutions.

🔋 Nuclear is a significant opportunity for New Mexico. Our state has deep experience—from national labs and uranium mining to advanced reactors and nuclear medicine. Scott also emphasized the importance of acknowledging and learning from the difficult parts of that history.

💰 Energy infrastructure is economic development. Affordable, reliable, resilient energy creates the foundation for stronger communities, new industries, and quality jobs.
I really appreciated Scott’s ecosystem-building perspective and commitment to thoughtful collaboration across New Mexico.

Listen on the Awarepreneurs website (www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast) or your favorite podcast app.

🌟 400 episodes!!!I’m honored (and a little awestruck) to celebrate this milestone. Nearly 9 years ago, I took a friend’s...
07/21/2026

🌟 400 episodes!!!

I’m honored (and a little awestruck) to celebrate this milestone.

Nearly 9 years ago, I took a friend’s advice - thank you Keith Carlson - to move from blogging to podcasting — and what a transformative journey it’s been.

Through hundreds of deep-dive conversations with social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and changemakers worldwide, I’ve learned more than I could have imagined about building a mission-driven business.
Here are my top 3 takeaways:

✅ Financial sustainability is a core part of the mission. Purpose and passion matter, but without solid revenue and a resilient business model, even the best intentions can’t survive long-term turbulence.

✅Change is never a straight line. Progress for impact founders is often messy and full of pivots, setbacks, and lessons. Flexibility and willingness to adapt are non-negotiable traits for success.

✅The most impactful change-makers aren’t always in the spotlight. Some of the most inspiring leaders I’ve interviewed do their best work outside major networks and media attention, often in marginalized or overlooked communities.

If you’ve found value in the show, please share it with someone who could benefit.

You can listen on the Awarepreneurs website, www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast, or your favorite podcast app.

Here’s to continuing the work of positive impact! 💡

☀️ How do you build a 100% renewable data center?As AI adoption accelerates, so does the demand for data centers—and wit...
07/14/2026

☀️ How do you build a 100% renewable data center?

As AI adoption accelerates, so does the demand for data centers—and with it, growing concerns about electricity use, water consumption, and community impacts.

What if data centers could become part of the climate solution instead?

On the latest Awarepreneurs episode, I sat down with Tim Shaler, CEO of 639 Solar and 639Cloud, to discuss how his team is building data centers powered entirely by solar energy and battery storage.

Three takeaways from our conversation:

☀️ Rethinking renewable energy: 639 Solar combines advanced solar technology with large-scale battery storage to deliver reliable, around-the-clock clean power.

💧 Designed for the Southwest: Their New Mexico data centers use virtually no water beyond minimal humidity control—an important advantage in arid and rural communities.

📈 Better economics, bigger impact: Co-locating solar, batteries, and data centers reduces transmission costs while creating opportunities for clean energy investment, job creation, and rural economic development.

Tim's work demonstrates that 100% renewable data centers aren't just possible—they're becoming practical, scalable, and economically competitive.

🎧 Listen at www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast or your favorite podcast app.

☀️ How do we retain purpose-driven women in solar—especially when many still feel like they’re navigating the industry a...
06/09/2026

☀️ How do we retain purpose-driven women in solar—especially when many still feel like they’re navigating the industry alone?

That question was at the heart of my recent Awarepreneurs conversation with Riley Neugebauer, founder of Solar for Women.
Riley shared what makes women-focused solar communities so powerful:

“What we talked about... our group is much more like, how do we lift people up and encourage them? How do we help answer people's questions? How do we help just celebrate the work that you're doing?”

That may sound simple.

But in technical fields like solar, where underrepresented professionals can feel isolated, support and recognition are not “soft” extras.

They are essential retention strategies.

They help people build confidence, deepen skills, and see a future for themselves in the industry.

One takeaway for employers:

Create spaces where celebrating wins is normal, questions are welcomed, and technical knowledge is shared without judgment.

That kind of culture helps build stronger teams. 🌱

What practices have helped you create belonging and growth in technical teams?

Riley offers a grounded, hopeful look at what it takes to build a solar workforce where more people can stay, lead, and thrive.

🎧 Listen at the Awarepreneurs website — www.awarepreneurs.com/podcast — or your favorite podcast app.

⚠️ Many social entrepreneurs assume that if they build a successful company, they’ll have more power to protect the miss...
05/26/2026

⚠️ Many social entrepreneurs assume that if they build a successful company, they’ll have more power to protect the mission.

Eric Ries (author of the Lean Startup) says that’s often dangerously wrong.

In our latest Awarepreneurs conversation, Eric shared a sobering insight:

The more successful, trusted, and valuable a company becomes, the more attractive it becomes to people and systems that may not share the founder’s mission.

In fact, Eric shared a sobering statistic: “According to Harvard Law School research, among venture capital backed startups without appropriate protections, only 20% of founders survive even three years as a CEO after going public.”

That’s why governance can’t be an afterthought.

We talked about founders being pushed out, companies drifting from their purpose, and impact brands becoming something very different.

❌ Good intentions are not enough.
❌ A strong culture is not enough.
❌ Even product-market fit is not enough.

If you want your life’s work to survive growth, capital, leadership transitions, and outside pressure, you need to design for durability from the beginning.

Eric frames this as building “incorruptible” companies—enterprises with the structure and integrity to stay true to their purpose over time.

How are you protecting your company from mission drift before it becomes urgent?

🎧 Listen to the full Awarepreneurs episode with Eric Ries at www.awarepreneurs.com or your favorite podcast app.

Beautiful and relaxing holiday weekend in Durango!
05/26/2026

Beautiful and relaxing holiday weekend in Durango!

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