Untangling Climate Finance cover art

Untangling Climate Finance

Untangling Climate Finance

Written by: Gordian Knot Strategies
Listen for free

About this listen

 Untangling Climate Finance is a podcast from Gordian Knot Strategies that explores the dynamic field of climate change finance. Join the host, Jay Tipton, as he talks with industry experts about topics including climate solutions, global carbon markets, carbon projects, novel technologies such as AI and distributed ledger, and much more. Visit www.gordianknotstrategies.com to learn more about the company.Gordian Knot Strategies Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • S4 E1: From Awareness to Action in Agriculture Finance with Maggie Monast

    S4 E1: From Awareness to Action in Agriculture Finance with Maggie Monast
    Jan 19 2026

    In this episode, Jay speaks with Maggie Monast, Senior Director, Climate-Smart Agriculture, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), about how agriculture finance is moving from awareness to action on climate risk, and what it will take to scale climate-smart practices. Maggie explains why climate risk is now a material business risk for agriculture lenders and how better tools can translate climate scenarios into practical credit decisions.

    They also discuss what farmers need from climate finance, how lenders and value-chain incentives can help drive adoption, and why blended finance can be a high-leverage way to unlock commercial capital - especially for proven dairy methane solutions.

    Give it a listen to learn how ag finance can support farmers through climate volatility and mobilize capital at the scale the transition demands.

    Resources:

    • Climate & Sustainability in Ag Lending: A Survey of Global Agricultural Finance Institutions: https://business.edf.org/insights/agricultural-finance-institutions-are-building-resilience-through-climate-and-sustainability-action/
    • Financing Dairy Climate Solutions: https://www.edf.org/financing-dairy-climate-solutions
    • Climate and Credit Risk Web tool: https://business.edf.org/insights/managing-climate-risks-to-support-on-farm-resilience/
    • Overall EDF ag finance resources hub: https://business.edf.org/farm-finance/
    • LinkedIn - Maggie Monast: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-monast-372a2218/
    • Email: mmonast@edf.org

    --

    About:

    Untangling Climate Finance⁠ explores the dynamic field of climate change finance through conversations with industry experts about topics including climate solutions, global carbon markets, carbon projects, novel technologies, and much more.

    If you have any questions, comments, a future guest recommendation, or are interested in joining Jay for an episode, please shoot him a message at: ⁠jtipton@gordianknotstrategies.com

    ⁠Credits:

    The podcast is produced by ⁠⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠⁠.

    It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠⁠Jay Tipton⁠⁠.

    Music is by ⁠⁠Diamond_Tunes⁠.

    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
  • FEATURED EPISODE: How Sean Penrith Focuses on 3 Core Offerings Instead of 9 to Dominate His Market

    FEATURED EPISODE: How Sean Penrith Focuses on 3 Core Offerings Instead of 9 to Dominate His Market
    Jan 12 2026
    How To Scale A BusinessSean Penrith, CEO of Gordian Knot Strategies, shares his journey from running a lucrative but unfulfilling business in South America to becoming a leader in climate finance. After sailing across the Atlantic and around Cape Horn, Sean returned home to pursue his MBA and started a glass recycling business that set him on a path toward purposeful work. Through founding nine different businesses, including a functional beverage company and a climate finance consultancy, Sean developed a powerful seven-element framework for predicting business success. This framework, born from research funded by the Walton Family Foundation, has proven remarkably accurate at identifying which projects and businesses will succeed or fail—regardless of industry or geography. Sean reveals why 70% of passionate entrepreneurs fail to identify willing and able payers for their solutions, how he maintains an 80% repeat client rate through trust in an AI-saturated world, and why he believes mindset and transforming limiting beliefs is the true secret to scaling a business. He also shares how he ran his businesses for three years from a sailboat during COVID and the counterintuitive career advice he gives his children about designing work around lifestyle rather than the other way around.Chapters:(00:00:00) - Sean explains the seven-element framework for predicting business success(00:01:31) - From South America hustler to purpose-driven entrepreneur(00:03:36) - How Sean started nine businesses by solving problems he actually had(00:06:00) - The research project that cracked the code on why startups fail(00:09:00) - Why 70% of entrepreneurs can't identify willing and able payers(00:14:00) - How AI is changing client relationships and the importance of trust(00:19:00) - Navigating polarized climate politics across different markets(00:21:00) - Why Sean reduced from nine service offerings to three core ones(00:22:00) - Career advice: Design your lifestyle first, then find work to support it(00:24:15) - The secret to scaling: Mindset over grindingLinks And Resources:Website: https://gordianknotstrategies.com/team/Sean Penrith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spenrith/Amplafy Media: https://www.amplafymedia.com/Hector Santiesteban on LinkedIn: / hector-santiesteban-64326340 Hector Santiesteban on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hector_podcast?la...Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to How to Scale a Business? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with in the comment section!
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Sliced 57: Offsetting My 2025 Carbon Footprint

    Sliced 57: Offsetting My 2025 Carbon Footprint
    Jan 12 2026

    Tuesday, January 13, 2026

    Sliced 57: Offsetting My 2025 Carbon Footprint

    In this edition of SLICED, Jay reflects on personal carbon accountability in a year defined by global instability, unpacking what drove his 2025 emissions higher and how carbon markets can play a meaningful role where individual action still matters.

    --

    Sliced is a weekly short-form dispatch released every Tuesday that features original thought pieces from our team members with the goal of slicing apart the various complex aspects of climate finance.

    If you want to check out the written version of Sliced, click here.

    And if you want to receive Sliced to your inbox, click ⁠here⁠.

    Sliced is produced by ⁠Gordian Knot Strategies⁠. It is written, narrated, and edited by ⁠Jay Tipton⁠.

    Visit us at www.gordianknotstrategies.com.

    Music is by ⁠Coma-Media.
    Show More Show Less
    5 mins
No reviews yet