WCS Talks Unplugged

WCS Talks Unplugged is the podcast where climate leadership gets real. Produced by Women in Cleantech and Sustainability , this show features honest, human conversations with the women shaping the future of clean energy, climate innovation, sustainability, and impact-driven business. Each episode goes beyond headlines and hype to explore real stories and real solutions , from career journeys and hard-earned lessons to the technologies, policies, and community-led approaches actually driving change. We spotlight the voices of women leaders, builders, and thinkers who are tackling today’s most pressing climate challenges with courage, creativity, and purpose. WCS Talks Unplugged offers thoughtful conversations, actionable takeaways, and moments of hope in a rapidly changing world. Tune in for: Candid conversations with women climate leaders Practical insights you can apply to your work and career Stories of innovation, resilience, and community impact A values-driven lens on the clean economy and equitable transition WCS Talks Unplugged — Real Stories. Real Solutions. For the Mind and the Planet.

WCS Talks Unplugged is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 17 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts WCS Talks Unplugged, a business show with 17 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #8

  Change the Container, Change the System: Alison Cove’s Reuse Revolution

  Aug 19, 202632 minS2

  What if changing the takeout container could help change the entire system around it? In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged , host Trish Pinella speaks with Alison Cove , Founder and CEO of USEFULL , about building a technology-enabled, plastic-free alternative to disposable takeout packaging. The idea began when Alison found herself ordering takeout throughout her workday while the resulting waste accumulated around her desk. She created her first pitch deck in 2013, tested the concept with 200 reusable coffee cups in 2018, and entered 2020 with an app, ten participating Boston cafés, and her first employee. Then COVID pulled the rug out from under the business. Alison shares how she responded by leaving the café model behind and rebuilding USEFULL for college campuses, where institutions urgently needed alternatives to an explosion of disposable takeout packaging. Today, the company pairs reusable stainless-steel containers with technology that allows students to check them out using their campus cards much like borrowing a library book. The conversation also explores Alison’s conviction that the reuse industry cannot solve the plastic problem with more plastic. She discusses the environmental and health concerns driving USEFULL’s material choices, the risks of prioritizing low costs over long-term impact, and why the emerging circular economy must earn consumer trust by building better systems from the beginning. About the Host Trish Pinnella is a former board member and Marketing Chair at Women in Cleantech and Sustainability . She drives community growth and amplifies women leading climate solutions. Her climate work began in green building and renewable energy and now focuses on connecting technology, policy, community, and storytelling to accelerate climate impact. About WCS Talks Unplugged WCS Talks Unplugged is a podcast from Women in Cleantech and Sustainability , a global community advancing women’s leadership in climate and clean energy. Each episode brings you real stories and real solutions from the innovators, founders, policymakers, and leaders shaping the future of the clean economy. Produced by Marieke McArthur for Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. Marieke brings a background in local community radio and a passion for storytelling rooted in community impact. Her work spans water advocacy, food resilience, and women’s climate leadership through projects including the Water Alliance of La Paz County, AeroZona, and Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. If you enjoyed this episode: ✔ Subscribe to WCS Talks Unplugged ✔ Leave a review to help more people discover the show ✔ Share this episode with someone working in climate, technology, or sustainability Learn more about Women in Cleantech and Sustainability at: womencleantechsustainability.org

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  Episode #7

  Built to Last: Juliet Shavit on Grit, Growth, and the Power to Evolve

  Aug 12, 202633 minS2

  Building a company is one challenge. Continuing to grow, adapt, and remain relevant for more than two decades is another. In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged, WCS Board Secretary Farah Saeed speaks with Juliet Shavit , President and CEO of SmartMark Communications , about her unexpected path into the energy industry and the persistence it has taken to build a lasting business in a rapidly changing sector. Juliet reflects on launching her company, navigating entrepreneurship alongside motherhood, and learning to trust the value of her own expertise. She shares how SmartMark has evolved with the energy industry, why successful innovation must solve real problems, and what she has learned about resilience, reinvention, and knowing when to keep going. The conversation also explores confidence, mentorship, and the importance of women creating opportunities for one another. Juliet’s journey is a candid reminder that lasting success rarely follows a straight line. It is built through grit, relationships, adaptability, and the courage to keep evolving. About the Host Farah Saeed is the Board Secretary of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and Industry Director at Frost & Sullivan, where she works on strategy and innovation across the energy and sustainability sectors. About WCS Talks Unplugged WCS Talks Unplugged is a podcast from Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, a global community advancing women’s leadership in climate and clean energy. Each episode brings you real stories and real solutions from the innovators, founders, policymakers, and leaders shaping the future of the clean economy. Produced by Marieke McArthur for Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. Marieke brings a background in local community radio and a passion for storytelling rooted in community impact. Her work spans water advocacy, food resilience, and women’s climate leadership through projects including the Water Alliance of La Paz County, AeroZona, and Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. If you enjoyed this episode: ✔ Subscribe to WCS Talks Unplugged ✔ Leave a review to help more people discover the show ✔ Share this episode with someone working in climate, technology, or sustainability Learn more about Women in Cleantech and Sustainability at: womencleantechsustainability.org

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  Episode #6

  Growing More Than Food: Quandra Gray’s Vision for Community Resilience

  Aug 5, 202630 minS2

  What if growing food could also grow trust, connection, and community power? In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged , host Marieke McArthur speaks with Quandra Gray, founder of What the Sprout, about her journey from architecture to urban agriculture and her vision for a community-led food system rooted in accessibility, education, and collective action. Quandra shares how an idea she carried for years became a growing movement in Baltimore. What began with microgreens has evolved into a much broader mission: helping everyday people understand that they can play an active role in feeding their families and strengthening their neighborhoods. Their conversation explores the realities of building before you feel fully ready, earning trust within a community, and creating solutions that respond to what people actually need. Quandra also discusses her ambitious vision for neighborhood-scale food production and why resilient communities must be built with residents, not simply for them. This is a conversation about ownership, healing, confidence, and what becomes possible when people stop waiting for permission and start where they are. About Quandra Gray Quandra Gray is the founder of What the Sprout , a Baltimore-based initiative working to expand access to locally grown food while helping communities develop the knowledge, confidence, and resources to grow for themselves. Through education, food production, and community engagement, she is reimagining what a more accessible and resilient local food system can look like. You can also find Quandra on her podcast, Sow Dirty . About the Host and Producer Marieke McArthur brings a background in local community radio and a passion for storytelling rooted in community impact. Her work spans water advocacy, food resilience, and women’s climate leadership through projects including the Water Alliance of La Paz County, AeroZona, and Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. About WCS Talks Unplugged WCS Talks Unplugged is a podcast from Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, a global community advancing women’s leadership in climate and clean energy. Each episode brings you real stories and real solutions from the innovators, founders, policymakers, and leaders shaping the future of the clean economy. If you enjoyed this episode: ✔ Subscribe to WCS Talks Unplugged ✔ Leave a review to help more people discover the show ✔ Share this episode with someone working in climate, technology, or sustainability Learn more about Women in Cleantech and Sustainability at: womencleantechsustainability.org

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  Episode #5

  From the Dorm Room to the Utility Grid: The Evardi Energy Story

  Jul 29, 202629 minS2

  What begins as a conversation between two college friends can sometimes grow into a solution with global potential. Diva Shah and Aarya Borele met as freshmen at UC Berkeley, but the idea for Evardi Energy emerged during a study-abroad program in Portugal. After a phone call about a blackout in Kenya sparked a conversation about similar experiences in India, they realized they shared both a personal connection to unreliable electricity and a desire to help solve it. In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged , host Farah Saeed speaks with the co-founders of Evardi Energy about their journey from college students to clean energy entrepreneurs and how they are using AI to improve the way utilities plan and manage outages. Diva Shah is the CEO and Co-Founder of Evardi Energy , where she leads company strategy, partnerships, and market deployment. Her understanding of the problem Evardi addresses is grounded in firsthand experience. While working as a grid operations analyst in Kenya Power’s operations room, she watched operators make real-time decisions under uncertainty and with incomplete data. Aarya Borele is the CTO and Co-Founder of Evardi Energy , where she leads product development and engineering. A repeat climate-tech founder, Aarya previously built Dhanaj Biofuels and EcoWind, securing industry letters of intent and recognition as a patent-award finalist. Her engineering experience includes process systems and energy infrastructure work at Weatherford and ONGC. Evardi Energy is developing AI-supported technology for planned outage management. Its platform is designed to help utilities make faster, more informed planning decisions as they maintain aging infrastructure, add new assets, and prepare for growing electricity demand. Farah Saeed is the Board Secretary of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and Industry Director at Frost & Sullivan, where she works on strategy and innovation across the energy and sustainability sectors. WCS Talks Unplugged is a podcast from Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, a global community advancing women’s leadership in climate and clean energy. Each episode brings you real stories and real solutions from the innovators, founders, policymakers, and leaders shaping the future of the clean economy. Produced by Marieke McArthur for Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. Marieke brings a background in local community radio and a passion for storytelling rooted in community impact. Her work spans water advocacy, food resilience, and women’s climate leadership through projects including the Water Alliance of La Paz County, AeroZona, and Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. If you enjoyed this episode: ✔ Subscribe to WCS Talks Unplugged ✔ Leave a review to help more people discover the show ✔ Share this episode with someone working in climate, technology, or sustainability Learn more about Women in Cleantech and Sustainability at: womencleantechsustainability.org

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  Episode #4

  Power in Motion: Caroline Tiglao’s Return to Engineering

  Jul 24, 202627 minS2

  What happens when a longtime dream leads you back to the field you once left behind? In this episode of WCS Talks Unplugged , host Sara Fuentes speaks with Caroline Tiglao, Co-Founder and CMO of NEUUF , about her unconventional path from structural engineering to global customer experience leadership and ultimately back to technology as a clean mobility founder. Caroline shares how NEUUF is developing non-invasive energy-harvesting technology designed to capture kinetic energy generated by a vehicle’s movement and return that power to its battery. Rather than asking manufacturers or drivers to completely change existing products and behaviors, NEUUF aims to work within current vehicle systems as an additional, largely invisible layer. The conversation also explores the human side of entrepreneurship: stepping outside your comfort zone, rebuilding confidence, learning to admit when you are wrong, and finding the courage to keep showing up. Caroline reflects on why leadership is not about having every answer, but about staying open to learning, sharing both failures and wins, and creating a ripple effect that helps others grow. About the Host Sara Fuentes is the Chairwoman of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability and Founder and President of Smart Waste, a company helping businesses reduce waste and lower costs through smarter resource management. About WCS Talks Unplugged WCS Talks Unplugged is a podcast from Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, a global community advancing women’s leadership in climate and clean energy. Each episode brings you real stories and real solutions from the innovators, founders, policymakers, and leaders shaping the future of the clean economy. Produced by Marieke McArthur for Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. Marieke brings a background in local community radio and a passion for storytelling rooted in community impact. Her work spans water advocacy, food resilience, and women’s climate leadership through projects including the Water Alliance of La Paz County, AeroZona, and Women in Cleantech and Sustainability. If you enjoyed this episode: ✔ Subscribe to WCS Talks Unplugged ✔ Leave a review to help more people discover the show ✔ Share this episode with someone working in climate, technology, or sustainability Learn more about Women in Cleantech and Sustainability at: womencleantechsustainability.org

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