IAM2606 – Activist and Conscious Investor Empowers People Along Their Money Journeys

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Kristin Hull Teaser 00:00
And our main product is called Nia Global Solutions. And so it was a global equities portfolio that you can invest into. And so instead of being an index like the S&P 500 or the Russell 3000, where you just have a ton of stocks, companies that are doing every different thing all across the planet, and oftentimes pretty destructive, oftentimes with huge CEO pay, that is something that we're against.

Intro 00:27
Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Grist values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 00:52
Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Kristin Hull of Nia Global Solutions.

Kristin, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Kristin Hull 01:03
Thank you so much, Gresham for having this and for the work that you do to highlight the leadership in our communities.

Gresham Harkless 01:08
Yeah, no problem. The pleasure is definitely all mine. People are doing awesome things that I do a small part as far as hopefully bringing light to that.

And what I wanted to do was read a little bit more about Kristen so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

And Kristin is an activist and conscious investor. She is founder and CEO of Nia Global Solutions and Nia Impact Advisors, an impact investing firm with a focus on diversity and leadership and solutions-focused companies.

Always interested in innovative solutions for leveraging resources in alignment with values, Kristin works as a financial change agent. She enjoys her work as a portfolio manager, empowering people along their money journeys.

Kristin, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Kristin Hull 01:50
I am, thank you.

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Gresham Harkless Jr. 01:52
No problem, let's do it. So to kick everything off, I wanted to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

Kristin Hull 01:59
Sure, sure. So I actually grew up in a trading firm and I have been talking puts and calls and pork bellies, futures and options since I was 14, as that's the language that my dad spoke and that's what we did in our business.

And yet I really wanted to make a difference in the world. And so I went to school to become an educator and I was a bilingual school teacher in Oakland for many years, and I started a charter school.

And then in about 2007, I stepped back into our company in different businesses and realized that one, you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube.

So I already was a social justice activist. And how could I bring that lens into our financial markets? And what change could we make?

And how could we make them more accessible for everyday people. And another point of why I started Nia is that we really need to have all of our dollars going towards the solutions and we invest into the economy that we have.

And so how can we invest into the economy that we want? And so that's going to mean empowering investors into investing into solutions-focused companies and then also into companies that have diversity and leadership because That's the world that we really need to see and we need representation at all levels.

And so empowering investors has been, I guess, my reason for being. And so NIA is a Swahili word for intention and purpose. And so we help people do money with intention and purpose.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 03:26
Nice, I absolutely love that, especially, you know, I think that sometimes a lot of people think that, you know, the world that we see is the world that we have to have.

But I appreciate people like you and, you know, definitely entrepreneurs and business owners that have a vision for what they want the world to look like.

And rather than just sitting on the sidelines and waiting for that to happen, you actually get, roll up your sleeves, so to speak, and then start working towards making that happen.

So I definitely appreciate you for doing that and empowering so many others to have an opportunity that they may not have known existed.

Kristin Hull 03:54
So thank you. Thanks for highlighting that.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 03:56
No problem, no problem. So I wanted to drill a little bit deeper.

I know you touched a little bit upon it. Can you tell us a little bit more about Nia Global Solutions, what you're doing that kind of helps support the clients you're working with?

Kristin Hull 04:06
Sure, sure. So our company is actually Nia Impact Capital and our main product is called Nia Global Solutions. And so it's a global equities portfolio that you can invest into.
And so instead of being an index like the S&P 500 or the Russell 3000, where you just have a ton of stocks, companies that are doing every different thing all across the planet and oftentimes pretty destructive oftentimes with huge CEO pay that is something that we're against.

And then also products and services that aren't beneficial to society and so what we've done is kind of flipped that and said what would it be like to just invest into those companies that really are making a difference.

That are going to transition us to the next inclusive and sustainable economy, and we built a portfolio around that. And so that then is available at some of our largest banks to invest in.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 04:59
Nice, I definitely appreciate that. And I feel like with an influx or an increase, I should say, of the kind of phrase.

I know we had during one of my interviews, the corporate social responsibility, the CSR, there's definitely businesses and organizations that are building, that are able to generate revenue, but they're also doing it for a really strong purpose.

So it sounds like these are the portfolio of companies that you guys support as well too.

Kristin Hull 05:23
Absolutely. And so in addition to a beautiful CSR report, which of course is nice to see, we are actually looking at those companies that are their revenue, their core business model.

Whether it's a product or service is coming from one of our six solution themes at Nia. So, Chevron is an easy example because a lot of people have a problem with their business model. They actually have a beautiful CSR report.

So they put a lot of money into looking good on the social side. and yet their core business is extracting things from the earth and causing pollution.

And so the companies we look at are along the lines of renewable energy or healthcare or financial inclusion, things that are actually needed to progress our society forward.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 06:06
Yeah, absolutely. I definitely appreciate you for making that distinguish, that help us to see kind of like what the difference is between that because yeah, a lot of times the actual bones of something is not necessarily what it looks like on the outside.

So I appreciate you for sharing that. And would you consider that to be like your secret sauce?

And it can be for you or it can be for your organization, what you feel kind of sets you guys apart?

Kristin Hull 06:29
Sure. Well, there's a few things that distinguish us. So at Nia, we're a women led team, we're women owned and in the financial industry, that's really, really rare.

So, you know, fewer than 10% of companies are owned by women or people of color.

Much fewer are portfolio managers that are actually choosing the companies. And then we also have a change the face of finance internship program.

So we are welcoming in women and people of color to learn about sustainable finance and to empower them on their journeys. So there's a few different things.

And then, of course, on the product side, we are the only solutions focused portfolio that also weaves throughout it a gender lens.

And incorporates things that are important to women and girls throughout product services as well as the pipelines and of course in leadership and companies.

So we're pretty distinguished in that way. And then other firms also do activism and we join in with them as far as knowing that there isn't a perfect company and that our investor voice is really important.

So we vote all the proxies in-house and then we also advocate with companies to make sure that they're really doing everything they can be to be the best players.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 07:36
Nice. And I think that definitely probably helps out and correct me if I'm wrong from, you know, the people that start these companies and these organizations.

And understanding that not only, you know, is their company, you know, built for that, but they also have not only the capital, but also that activism piece to understand how they can be even better than what they are.
It's kind of like an accountability piece. It sounds like.

Kristin Hull 07:55
It is, and we see for investors, we see it both as a right and as a responsibility to be responsible owners of these companies.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 08:03
Absolutely, absolutely. So I appreciate you for that. And what I wanted to do was switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Kristin Hull 08:17
Sure. I haven't discovered the app that makes me most effective and efficient. I check my Fitbit app a lot to make sure I've got my steps in.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 08:25
Yes, that's important.

Kristin Hull 08:26
I do do walking meetings. So that's helpful. You know, we're always multitasking as CEOs. So getting the exercise in the outside time while you're getting the calls in.

But I would say more on the hack side is really coming from within. And so can I remain curious about the world, about my staff, and about the problems that we're trying to solve?

Of course, CEOs are problem solvers. And so how can we do that most effectively, and how can we really bring in our people, whether it's stakeholders or staff or the people in our building to be on that same page with us, because we have to be those visionaries.

And so can we keep learning on the job? And then can we also hire those people that have things to add that we don't necessarily have?

So I'd say that might be the hack is building that team by being curious and bringing in the smart people.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 09:19
Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like as a whole, when you have that kind of ability to do that, and you have that perspective where you understand that there's no I and me, it's more we.

And being able to bring those people on that help complement what it is that you're doing, the vision that you have, but also is right in line, it sounds like, with their vision as well.

Kristin Hull 09:39
Well, that's really essential, right? And so when we're hiring, we're really hiring for a cultural fit and for values fit.

And then we can frame the specifics of whether it's operations or client services or research. But really coming from that core place, I think of really wanting to address social issues, social justice and environmental sustainability is pretty important.

And so we've built both a brand and a business that will attract those types of people. So that's been really important as well.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 10:10
Yeah, absolutely. And I love that as well, too, because it sounds like that culture that you've created comes from, you know, even before they get into the actual position.

Because you're interviewing for that, you're searching for that, those those core values and those kind of operational things, making sure that the core values are something that, you know, is important for the person that's applying and thinking of.

You know, becoming a part of the team, so that when you know that in the beginning, that when they come on board, it kind of is seamless, I guess.

Kristin Hull 10:36
Exactly, exactly. And nothing is really truly seamless. And so that I think is another role of CEOs is to be a real people person.

And I think most of our jobs really is figuring out our people, how to relate to them, how to have really open conversations with feedback running both ways.

Gresham Harkless 10:55
Absolutely, absolutely. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget, and this is a word of wisdom or a piece of advice, or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Kristin Hull 11:08
Oh, those are such good questions. So as a CEO, we're always both digging deep and also being really visionary and looking ahead.

And so I think the ability to both be super hands-on and to keep that vision and that balance is probably the most essential thing.

So keeping our eye on the prize and being able to inspire people when things aren't necessarily going well to stay focused on the vision.

And so some of those things maybe are taking time out to celebrate the small wins along the way.

And I think that's something that I've learned over time is that it's really important to be in gratitude every single day for all that we're achieving and all of the things that we want to achieve while also continuing to work hard.

And to inspire people to be part of that dream with you. As far as what I would have told my younger self, I don't think I would have shared much because if I'd known how hard it was to do all of the systems change, I might not have jped in and started doing it.

I think I know a lot more about systems. I might have cautioned myself to be more patient. I want to see change quickly.

I see inequities in our world and I see the devastation to our environment and I want to fix them now.

And so knowing that trust is, I guess change happens at the speed of trust and that building that trust with people is both a core skill but also part of our journey. I might have liked to have known that a little bit earlier.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 12:45
Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Yeah, a lot of times if you knew how hard it was then you wouldn't have necessarily started it.

But it's great that you did start it and that you're continuing on with it because you know a lot of people are, you know, really having a lot of positive benefits on all the work that you guys are doing.

So I definitely appreciate that tremendously, that you're fighting the good fight, as they say. So now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO.

And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So Kristin, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Kristin Hull 13:17
Oh, thank you. So it's such an important question, right? And I think that we are redefining that every day as we go. Ultimately, you're a leader.

You spoke about the I and the we. And that's really important because responsibility-wise, it does always come back to us.

And yet, we have to empower the we. And so holding that, both the visionary side and the day-to-day side of responsibilities, I think that's what it is.

It also means being a community leader, and it also really means being accountable. So holding all of those together with the vision is what being a CEO means to me.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 13:52
Nice. I definitely appreciate that perspective, and I appreciate your time even more. And Kristen, what I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak.

Just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know. And then, of course, how best they can get a whole view and find out about all the awesome things you're doing.

Kristin Hull 14:07
Great, well, thank you so much. I guess I would want all of your listeners and readers to know that everybody's an investor.

I think we have this idea of Silicon Valley or Wall Street as being investors. And yet, if you have a credit card, a bank account, a student loan, you are investing in our economy.

And so can you match your banking to your values? Can you choose your retirement fund in alignment with your values?
And into the world that you want to see so I think having us all own what we own and own our power as being responsible for money moving in our economy and have it moving to a places and people that we really want to empower.

I would want to impart that to your readers.
And then I'd also love for them to check out our website.
So we're at niaimpactcapital.com. And then I also write a money doula blog with short snippets for empowering people on their money journeys. And that's at moneydoula.org.

We're also on Facebook, Twitter, et cetera.

Gresham Harkless Jr. 15:07
Nice, nice, nice. Well, I definitely appreciate you, you know, again, for all you're doing, appreciate you even more for reminding us.

You know, that we all, we all kind of have that power to invest in the world. We want to see, we can definitely do it with the dollars that we have. So, , we will have all those links in the show notes as well, so that anybody can follow up with you.

And again, appreciate your time. And I hope you have a great rest of the day.

Kristin Hull 15:26
Same to you. Happy Friday, Grisham.

Outro 15:44
Want to level up your business even more? Read blogs, listen to podcasts, and watch videos at CBNation.co.

Also, check out our I AM CEO Facebook group. This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr.
Thank you for listening.

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