I am deeply honored to be named one of the first 250 honorees of the 2021 Forbes NEXT 1000 list. I work every day to leave a positive echo through my work with fellow entrepreneurs, to scale their impact and income, to empower and enhance their entrepreneurial journey. I firmly believe that with more business leaders comes greater equality and equity around the world. Business creates freedom and gives one the power to enact positive change.

I see this positive change every day through the work of my clients. One is using his business to hire smart, savvy creatives from countries with little economic opportunity. Another has seen tremendous growth in the last year in her non-toxic and environmentally safe cleaning products and is driving her competitors to also create ecologically-conscious goods. Yet another is collaborating with businesses and governments around the world to create safer, more beautiful public spaces for all. Entrepreneurship is the tool through which we can bring about positive change; it offers freedom, voice, and influence.

I am also proud to utilize the tenets of entrepreneurship — innovation, connection, and constant growth — to amplify my research as an anthropologist studying paradigm shifts. Not only does anthropological thinking provide an exceptional foundation for entrepreneurship — entrepreneurship has, in turn, helped create the “Stories of” book and research series. Stories of COVID™, my ongoing worldwide research on the COVID-19 pandemic, would not be possible without the toolkit that comes with entrepreneurship.

Thank you to the Forbes judges for the recognition of this work.