Conscious Capitalism: Business Beyond Profit with Raj Sisodia
Raj Sisodia, Co-Founder of Conscious Capitalism and author of Firms of Endearment, joins The Bliss Business Podcast to explore healing purpose in business and how love, purpose, and care for every stakeholder build companies that last. Listeners learn why profit follows purpose.
Healing purpose in business is the idea that a company exists to reduce suffering and bring more joy to everyone it touches. In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, our 100th guest, Raj Sisodia, Co-Founder of Conscious Capitalism and FEMSA Distinguished University Professor of Conscious Enterprise at Tecnologico de Monterrey, joins Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski to explore how love, purpose, and higher consciousness can reshape the future of business.
In this episode we explore:
• Why business education left out the heart and spirit, and what changed while writing Firms of Endearment
• The four cases every decision should pass: human, societal, planetary, and business
• How Microsoft rebuilt its soul around empathy and a growth mindset under Satya Nadella
• What makes a purpose a healing purpose, and why Costco’s pay model works
• Why AI amplifies the consciousness of the person using it
• The role of love in business, and why love left unexpressed is a check never cashed
Raj starts with what his business education missed. It was all about the head and the wallet, and his heart and spirit were bypassed. Writing Firms of Endearment changed that when a story about UPS caring for a driver’s family brought him to tears. From there he asks leaders to test every decision against four cases at once: human, societal, planetary, and business.
He also challenges the idea that people are purely self-interested. We are homo sapiens, he says, not homo economicus, and the evidence is in the results. The companies in his original research outperformed the market by nine to one over ten years, and Costco’s employee turnover runs about 7 percent against Walmart’s 70.
Raj calls this a healing purpose, one that is heroic, evolutionary, aligning, loving, inspiring, natural, and galvanizing. We also cover AI as a tool that reflects its user and the story of his mother behind his answer on love.
Helping a company name its higher purpose and tell that story honestly is the work Zero Company does with the brands it serves.
Key Takeaways
• (3:37) On what business school missed: “I was never inspired during my business education and I was never emotionally touched by what I was learning.”
• (5:57) On the human case for business: “What we do has to be better for the physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual well-being of all of the lives that we touch.”
• (10:00) On rethinking human nature: “we are homo sapiens. We’re not homo economicus.”
• (18:24) On Microsoft and leadership: “you need a leader to really build a soul in a company.”
• (24:26) On purpose: “every great purpose is a healing purpose.”
• (48:59) On love: “Every single thing we do in this life should come from love.”
FAQ
What is a healing purpose in business?
Raj Sisodia, Co-Founder of Conscious Capitalism, says every great purpose is a healing purpose: one that reduces suffering and brings joy, and that is heroic, evolutionary, aligning, loving, inspiring, natural, and galvanizing.
What are the four pillars of conscious capitalism?
Raj Sisodia describes them as a higher purpose, care for the well-being of all stakeholders, conscious leaders, and a caring culture where people love going to work.
Does conscious capitalism hurt profit?
No, according to Raj Sisodia. The companies in his Firms of Endearment research outperformed the market by nine to one over ten years, though he stresses a conscious business still needs a strong strategy and business model.
🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski
🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa
Business grows healthier when love and purpose lead. Learn more about Raj Sisodia at rajsisodia.com. See his guest profile, watch the video, or explore more Featured Guest Series conversations.
Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Conscious Capitalism Inc
Raj Sisodia is FEMSA Distinguished University Professor of Conscious Enterprise and Chairman of the Conscious Enterprise Center at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico. He is Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Conscious Capitalism Inc. He has a PhD in Business from Columbia University. Raj is co-author of the New York Times bestseller Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (2013) and Wall Street Journal bestseller Everybody Matters (2015). He was named one of “Ten Outstanding Trailblazers of 2010” by Good Business International, and one of the “Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior” by Trust Across America for 2010 and 2011. Raj received an honorary doctorate from Johnson & Wales University in 2016 and the Business Luminary Award from Halcyon in 2021. He has served on the boards of Mastek and The Container Store.
Raj has published sixteen books, including Firms of Endearment: How World Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose, which was named a top business book of 2007 by Amazon.com. His most recent books are Awaken: The Journey to Purpose, Inner Peace & Healing; The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World and The Global Rule of Three: Competing with Conscious Strategy. His next book is Healing Leaders: Seven Steps to Recovery of Self, which will be published by Berrett-Koehler in January 2026. Raj has consulted with and taught at numerous companies, including AT&T, Verizon, LG, DPDHL, POSCO, Kraft Foods, Whole Foods Market, Tata, Tesoro, Siemens, Sprint, Volv… Read More
