Agency for Change : A Podcast from KidGlov

Changemaker Peter Georgariou, CEO and Founder, karmadharma

• KidGlov • Season 1 • Episode 264

Share episode

What if the real strategy isn’t a new framework, but a braver version of you? In this episode, we sit down with Peter Georgariou, CEO and Founder of karmadharma, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a purpose-driven agency. Peter shares how brand can serve as a beacon, B Corp as a compass, and culture as the true competitive edge.

Together, we unpack the power of choosing a name that attracts values-aligned clients, why linear plans fail without inner growth, and how presence and trust often outshine speed and scripts.

We also trade insights on profit as propulsion, purpose as priority, and leadership that dares to ask better questions instead of rushing to answers—a reminder that meaningful growth starts from within.

Welcome to the Agency for Change podcast.


Connect with Peter and karmadharma at: 

·       Website – https://karmadharma.ca/

·       LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/karmadharma-agency/

·       Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/karmadharma.agency

·       Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/karmadharma.agency/

·       Peter’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/petergeorgariou/

Connect with Peter and karmadharma at: 

·       Website – https://karmadharma.ca/

·       LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/karmadharma-agency/

·       Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/karmadharma.agency

·       Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/karmadharma.agency/

·       Peter’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/petergeorgariou/

 

Peter Georgariou: 0:00

To be a light that helps other lights shine.

Announcer: 0:06

Welcome to Agency for Change, a podcast from KidGlov that brings you the stories of changemakers who are actively working to improve our community. In every episode, we'll meet with people who are making a lasting impact in the places we call homes.

Lyn Wineman: 0:29

Hey everyone, welcome back to the Agency for Change podcast. This is Lyn Wineman, President and Chief Strategist at KidGlov. One of my favorite parts of hosting this podcast is connecting with leaders who share that passion for using business as a force for good. My guest today is Peter Georgariou, CEO and Founder of karmadharma. Like KidGlov, karmadharma is a certified B Corp serving purpose-driven businesses, helping them grow while making the world a better place. I had the pleasure of meeting Peter through one of my favorite organizations and events of the year, Real Leaders Unite. And I'm so excited to dive into his story and the incredible work that he's leading. Peter, welcome to the podcast. 

Peter Georgariou: 1:25

Excited to be here, Lyn. Thanks for having me.

Lyn Wineman: 1:28

I'm excited to have you here too. This is going to be a fun conversation because you have one of the most fun brand names I've ever heard of. Start off by telling me more about karmadharma.

Peter Georgariou: 1:43

Had a better ring than Peter G's media company.

Lyn Wineman: 1:45

Okay, we're only going to laugh because when I started KidGlov, we were Wineman Communications Group. And then it's like, if I'm going to be serious about branding, I got to have a grown-up real brand. And karmadharma, that's some serious stuff. I want to hear more.

Peter Georgariou: 2:01

Actually, you know, that was my first line I drew in the sand when I started coming out of the corporate world, Lyn, where I didn't want to call it Peter G's Media Shop. It was something that is in line with my life's work. I guess my life's mission is in inculcated in that brand name from wanting to put good out in the world through karma and Dharma really helping people find their path and their journey. And if I can combine the two, I will have done something of meaning. And so if they thought we were a bunch of, you know, dope smoking, tree hugging, yoga practicing, whatever, that was fine. But for those who it resonated with and who wanted to learn more and felt the values aligned, it was a good fit. And I didn't want to be venturing out into the world as somebody I'm not.

Lyn Wineman: 2:45

Yeah. You know, you and I both do quite a bit of work in the branding space. And I always think one of the most important things that a brand does is it attracts the people that should be aligned with you to you, but it also kind of repels the people that shouldn't be there, right? Like there's a certain client that probably is not a great fit for karmadharma. And you have just boldly put it right out there in the world who you want to work with. And I I love that. So tell me more. Tell me a little bit more about the work that you do. Actually, tell me a lot more about the kind of work that you do.

Peter Georgariou: 3:22

We're trying to stand up a different type of agency, Lyn, a little bit. We started when I started the plays coming out of my media career. I wanted to provide for my wife and daughter. So I we were in anything to anyone's shop at the start. And we're still working through that a little bit humbly. So a lot of marketing and full creative services. So we can help you with the naming and the branding and build your website and do all your digital ads and take you to market. So we can be a full-service boutique agency. We also do a ton of strategic planning on the other side of the shop. So a little bit more left-brain work, predominantly in the charitable space. And we've noticed somewhere in the middle is this messiness of humanity that we really love to lean into, where these people on these strap plans are at point A. They want to get to point B, essentially a strap plans, and over, well, I'm oversimplifying it a little bit, but they just want to figure out, hey, I want to get there and I want to plan. But very few people are asking themselves who do they have to become to get there. We're leaning up this whole trying to help people come home to themselves and have the courage to be themselves in this lifetime and structure that within organizations and for individuals. So being a multi-service, purpose-driven professional service firm, fingers crossed, we're given it all.

Lyn Wineman: 4:41

I love that so much, Peter. There's so many parallels in our stories. And I'm glad to know. And I knew I wasn't the only one out there, but when I met you at Real Leaders Unite in earlier this year, I just felt some kind of a kindred spirit with you. And it was such a great group, right? And I think usually you get two advertising agency heads meeting each other, and our competitive natures just, you know, can't help but jump out. I think a lot of us get in this field because we're high on the competition scale, but I don't know, I don't feel that with you, Peter. And I think that's kind of a really cool thing. And so I want to take this a step further and hear what does it mean to you to really serve these purpose-driven clients and help them make a difference.

Peter Georgariou: 5:36

You know, Lyn, my personal life's mission is to be of service, hard stop. And I, but I actually think that's our universal calling. Like once you be get beyond Maslow's pyramid of coming home to yourself. Something called self-transcendence. We need to go and take the our fulfillment and take it out into the world to create some meaning. So it's, I don't always do it that well and I fall short of my own expectations, but I think it's inherent in our DNA to want to serve. So working with other organizations, whether you're in the for-profit impact space or in the charitable space, everybody needs a hand. So it's absolutely a privilege to be able to help them along their way in some capacity. Sometimes it's coming in and doing all the fishing, sometimes it's capacity building and teaching them to fish internally. But I don't know. I wouldn't want it any other way. I don't think so.

Lyn Wineman: 6:25

Yeah, yeah. And I know, you know what? I'm gonna say this because most people are gonna be listening to listening to this while they're driving or walking or doing the things they do when we all listen to podcasts. They won't be able to see you. You are a human and not a robot, and all humans fall short, right? And that's kind of I think that's part of coming home to yourself as well, is to realize, and I admit it to you when we jumped in and I was practicing the pronunciation of your last name. I'm afflicted with a little bit of perfectionism, but I think part of opening your culture to be a great culture is understanding we are all having this human experience, right? And it means that it means that things don't always go exactly the way we expect them to, which is probably why we need to come home to ourselves as part of our role in the world. And that's getting very theoretical for me. So, Peter, next question. How do your, you've mentioned this, you've talked about your life's mission, which I love, but I want you to even go deeper into how do your values and how does that mission show up in the day-to-day work, both in how you serve your clients, but I also want to hear in how you develop your culture at karmadharma as well, because I know that's really important to you.

Peter Georgariou: 7:52

I think if I were to start, we don't, you know, you know, it's funny as a leader. I feel you should ask this question to my team rather than me. That'd be that's my first answer.

Lyn Wineman: 8:02

All right, put him on, put him on, let's go.

Peter Georgariou: 8:04

No. But the the bigger answer is I I hope we don't just say values, we live them, right? And so every opportunity and touch point we have with each other and our clients is an opportunity to be grounded in trust and care. The world is starved for presence and starved for just to be seen and heard. And so I think for ourselves, our values show up even beyond the work we do, which you alluded to. I think it's how we facilitate and how we hold space for questions and not jumping at the advice monster and ourselves always have these answers because we're consultants and that's what they think they're coming to us for. But back to coming home to oneself. I think our real job is to ask great questions so they can see themselves, see where they want to go, and we can just be a guide along that way for them. So, yes, we we do have tactical expertise and knowledge of that we can do the thing fine, but perhaps the differentiator is to not be another framework junkie, and it's perhaps to adapt ourselves to their constraints and their set of beliefs and what they're looking to achieve in their own lives, and then help them get there. So I think what makes us different and how we live our values is more about how we hold space for the people we are with, you know, all stakeholders included. And we can just happy and to do the thing, which is what you and I do, is a very commoditized thing, and especially in an AI world. 

Lyn Wineman: 9:36

Oh my goodness, right? Don't get me started. That's a whole nother episode, right?

Peter Georgariou: 9:39

Agreed, but I think this opportunity to just be absolutely there, deeply accountable, and unapologetically us and hold space for all of them, recognizing that there is actually speaking of theoretical, no duality. We are one in sharing this space, and so and we have a load more in common than we are different. Sorry, I hope that doesn't get bleeped out, but you know what I mean?

Lyn Wineman: 10:02

We there's so much we don't we don't have a we're a low budget podcast, we don't have a bleeping machine. So that's okay. Please, no more of that. No, I'm just kidding.

Peter Georgariou: 10:11

So yeah, I think it I think it's just in how we show up for ourselves is is really important, and we're very conscientious of that.

Lyn Wineman: 10:18

Oh, that's fantastic, Peter. You know, one thing I've noticed lately too, which is what encouraged me to ask you to be on the podcast, is um I'm connected with you on social media platforms. I've really seen you in the last several months, you know, step out and become a voice in a larger conversation on culture and purpose. Can you tell me more about you know what has encouraged you to do this? And how do you see that, you know, shaping your impact moving forward?

Peter Georgariou: 10:56

Okay, that's a big question. I think there's this what ignited that, or in part was is this Joseph Campbell quote that the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. So yes. So for me, being present on social, which my team will tell you, A, makes me poop my pants, but B I wanted to have the courage to share my voice and a set of beliefs and to be in a be a light in a world that is so filled, seemingly, if you take the global narrative, with cynicism, anger, and hate. And so it behooves me, I believe all of us, to try and be a counterweight to that. So, first of all, me having the courage to just do it when I sit in front of my camera, and Barbara, our social media content strategist, is helping me through this whole adventure. Um but is I can't not do the thing, Lyn. So I have to be able to impress step into that myself. And then even whether people agree or not agree, if this is a values-based set of thoughts and beliefs that I'm sharing, hopefully that might inspire a little bit of courage within my team and hopefully within the broader world that it's not just a bunch of woo-woo crap. It's the stuff that's fundamentally important that needs to be shared, and we need to be held more than ever. So that's why it's important as all hell to me.

Lyn Wineman: 12:24

I love it. Well, you're doing a nice job of it, and you I know you're inspiring at least one person, and that's me. But from the comments and the engagement, I'm also uh I know that you are making a bigger impact. So we talked a little bit about being a certified B Corp. Uh you've been through that process. Kid Glove's been through that process. I've been on record as saying it's a quite rigorous process, but a good one, right? But it says a lot about you. And I'm curious, what does that certification mean for your team and for the clients that you serve?

Peter Georgariou: 13:00

You know, it started as an existential exercise that a friend of mine said, you know, you should go do the impact assessment whether you become a B Corp or not. And through that, I discovered about how I want to show up in business.

So going through that one-year process for us, it serves as a badge of honor, fine, but it's also a business moral compass, right? So it's easy to do good when things are going great. Getting strapped, it's a bit harder to do that. So I think for us, it it's a signal to our team that we want to live up to the highest standards possible. Like no certification process is perfect, and B Corp has to come under some pressure, but it's still, in my opinion, the gold standard of certifications that are out there. A little bit like Churchill said, democracy is the worst system except for all the rest. But we can we can denigrate or whatever, some who like the B Corp landscape, but they are trying hard as hell to keep these standards. So it's been huge for my staff. Just shows how we want to show up. I think on the client side, they really appreciate it. I can't say it's a marketing differentiator, like we're not winning business based on that fact necessarily. However, if you speak to another B Corp or purpose-driven person, it's as if you're starting already on second base from a standpoint. Hey, we ascribe to the same values. Let's chat. So I think it says a lot about at least how we're trying to show up in the world then.

Lyn Wineman: 14:29

Yeah, I agree. We found, Peter, we kind of went into it wanting that seal of approval. And it is so much more than that. It was about opening our eyes to a new set of values, and I think really baking them in, making them more than just me saying it, but really putting them into policy, putting them into practice, and having a yardstick to continually measure ourselves by and say, have we hit the standard again? So I don't know if we've mentioned yet, you are initially Canadian-based, right? Karmadharma, but you're expanding into the US. Tell me more about that expansion and and what that's like, and when are we going to see your office in Nebraska?

Peter Georgariou: 15:17

Well, depends on when you invite me on that one.

Lyn Wineman: 15:20

Okay, all right. We'll figure that out.

Peter Georgariou: 15:22

It's really funny because I think the people I talk to, at least on the blue side of the aisle in the US. So I'm a dual citizen, but I've been living in Canada for 40 of my 51 years. And, you know, very few people I talk to would want to be coming down. They're all asking me how they can get a citizenship up here.

Lyn Wineman: 15:39

Uh-huh. There has been a little switch in that uh direction lately as of late.

Peter Georgariou: 15:45

Yes. So I think for us, we see the opportunity in the US. So last year we made our first acquisition of a small B Corp web dev shop in Philadelphia. Philly's become my adoptive city just in time for the Eagles to win the Super Bowl. But yeah, coming into the US, and we're currently working with an incredible partner, also B Corp, Hannah Sandemeyer at Up and Over Advisors, which is working on ethical MA. So how can we create this collective of do-gooder agencies? Because a lot of B Corps are small, they struggle on the operating side. Big G, they all want to be do good, but the business part is a struggle.

I'm looking to find a way of how I could create a collective of companies with shared back-end services, and we all lean into our strengths to have a broader impact in the US and North America. So that's the idea at the moment. I want it to be a decentralized, not a very hierarchical structure, more decentralized pod structure. So we can make the most of the local knowledge and expertise, and then at the same time leverage. There are some really strong parts of capitalism that we can infuse into this do-gooder moment movement. And I'm going to see if I can match both and we'll see how it goes.

Lyn Wineman: 17:01

It is a noble and worthwhile cause. And I'm here cheering you on. As a matter of fact, you and I have a mutual friend, Nathan Stuck, who is in the Northeast. I think he lives in Atlanta. He's in the okay, Southeast. Yeah. He I have heard him say many times, there's no purpose without profit, right? And even though we all love to think about the purpose side of it, we have to have businesses that um are healthy businesses in order to do the things we want to do. So I love the fact that you're building this model that is making, I think it sounds to me like you are making purpose possible by also making profit possible. But what I know about the B Corp world, the real leaders world, the social impact world, it's that the profit is not the number one focus. The purpose is the number one focus, and the profit is what then propels that work and allows us to take care of people and our communities and the planet and all the things that we value. So, Peter, that's a really big goal. But I I feel like I want to ask, what else is on the horizon for karmadharma?

Peter Georgariou: 18:20

Well, as I was mentioning a bit our foray into people and culture, we've realized over time that our team and Karen, who's heading up our People and Culture division, we are really in love with the messiness of humanity. We in a world full of overwhelm and overstimulation, and there's rising levels of you name it, depression, anxiety, strife. There's surveys coming out that over half of our youth do not feel they have a sense of purpose or meaning. And so we are launching into what we are currently calling a human transformation agency within karmadharma and building out services and a platform on both the B2C and B2B side so we can help a company and perhaps be a guide to help people, as I mentioned earlier, come home to themselves and re-anchor in their own purpose and meaning so then they can go forward and create meaningful service and change in their communities. So we are that is new, hot off the presses, not even on our website.

Lyn Wineman: 19:29

Wow. I feel privileged to be able to help break that.

Peter Georgariou: 19:33

Yes. Our team will know by the time this is goes public, so that'll be good. But really looking to accompany both the people because you cannot have organizational change without individual change first. So yeah, um, that's a pretty big piece at this point.

Lyn Wineman: 19:47

I, you know what else I love about that? I have this firm belief, and I know you came into this marketing world through the media side. I have this firm belief that actually brands are delivered first by humans before they're touched by media or PR or digital or web. That if your people can't carry the brand, it's not real, it's not authentic. Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Disney, has this great quote that I love to use when I launch a brand when we're sharing it for the first time with the team members of that organization. It goes something to the effect of a brand is a result of a thousand small gestures. And I always like to ask who is going to deliver these thousand small gestures, right? It's not the marketing department, it's not the CEO, it's not the person at the front desk, it's not the sales team, it's everyone involved in that brand. And I think that's so crucial. So, so then the second component of the of your human transformation concept is in order for your people to be able to authentically deliver your brand, but also to come to the workplace and be fulfilled and productive and happy and creative, they have to come home to self. I love the way that you say that. And so, if you can encourage that, you are going to be building the best brands in the whole world. And I think that's really, really an exciting thing for purpose-driven organizations to have that advantage, Peter. So really cool. So, Peter, what advice would you give to leaders who want to bring more purpose into their organizations?

Peter Georgariou: 21:43

That's hard to answer this without platitudes, Lyn. I'll tell you that. I think I would start.

Lyn Wineman: 21:47

You're allowed, you're allowed an occasional platitude. It's okay.

Peter Georgariou: 21:51

That's funny. I'll try and avoid the cliche, but I do think you need to start with yourself. You have to do the inner work first, you know, getting clear on why you want to do this work, why this is your life's work, this is why you are put on the world in this world, I should say, because the level of awareness, you've heard this before, level of awareness of an organization can't outpace that of its leader. And that has hit me in spades recently, from the sense of I realized how much part of me creating karmadharma was out of fear and desperation to provide my family. And some of that fear and desperation pushed us into doing things we should, which were out of line with our values. And I needed to wake up to that fact. And I'm like, what have I done to us? And so, as I'm working through that, I think if you want to take your organization into this space, getting clear on your own core sets of beliefs and what are holding you back and what you want to be putting out into the world. Because if you're not authentic about that, how can you ask those around you to be so? So I would definitely say do the inner work first.

Lyn Wineman: 22:57

Yeah, Peter, you know, I think that in today's culture, people can see through surface level purpose pretty quickly, right? And then it backfires on you. It's worse than if you hadn't started in the first place. So for people who are listening, who are really inspired by your message, want to learn more, how can they find more about karmadharma and you yourself, Peter?

Peter Georgariou: 23:24

They can come to karmadharma.ca and check us out and reach out. And I grab coffee with just about anybody who's interested in chatting and discovering more. I pretty much pay it for it all the time. You can find me on LinkedIn if you can spell my last name, G-E-O-R-G-A-R-I-O-U. It's a mouthful. And yeah, I'm LinkedIn, a lot of social media, pretty much all the social media channels. But I'd start with the website, give me a ring, shoot me an email, and happy to chat anytime.

Lyn Wineman: 23:55

Perfect. We will, for those of you that didn't get all those spellings, we will make sure that we have the links to both the website and Peter's LinkedIn in the show notes for everyone. All right, Peter, I am loving this conversation, but I'm gonna ask you next my favorite question. I've asked it on every episode of Agency for Change. Our listeners know I love motivational quotes, and I can't wait to hear your original quote to inspire our listeners.

Peter Georgariou: 24:27

Original's big, but I'm wearing the first part of it on my bracelet, which people won't be able to see, which is to be a light. And I'll take a photo and I'll send it over to you for the show notes. But like to be a light that helps other lights shine. And I've heard variations of that, but that's what I would like to be in this life, and I hope I can share that.

Lyn Wineman: 24:48

I think I'd like that on the wall right behind my shoulders here. That is that is a great original quote and a great mission for life. Peter, as we wrap up this fantastic conversation, what is the most important thing you would like people to remember about the work that you're doing?

Peter Georgariou: 25:07

I would like them to remember that we can all collectively make the world a better place. And I don't say that in a cliche type of way. I think it's it behooves us all to leave this world in a better shape than we found it. And we try to do that in every aspect, not only in the what we do, but in how we do it.

Lyn Wineman: 25:30

Peter Georgariou, I fully believe you make the world a better place. I'm so glad we had this conversation. I believe the world needs more people like you, more organizations like karmadharma. Thank you so much for taking time to talk with us today.

Peter Georgariou: 25:46

Thank you, Lyn.

Announcer: 25:50

We hope you enjoyed today's Agency for Change podcast. To hear all our interviews with those who are making a positive change in our communities, or to nominate a change maker you'd love to hear from, visit kidglov.com at kidglov.com to get in touch. As always, if you like what you've heard today, be sure to rate, review, subscribe, and share. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.