Penny Abeywardena on What Real Power Looks Like

Most people think power always looks the same—loud, demanding, aggressive, and increasingly in your face. But actually, not always. Penny Abeywardena has spent her life mastering another kind of power: soft power. Something we can all use to help change the world if we become more familiar with it, and better at using it in our lives and in our work. On this episode of BETTER GOOD, Scott M. Curran (https://www.scottmcurran.com/) is joined by Penny Abeywardena—former Commissioner for International Affairs for New York City, Clinton Foundation leader, and founder of Soft Power Strategies—for a conversation about influence, leadership, and how to create change when you don't have the title, the budget, or the permission to demand it. Penny traces her path from surviving domestic violence as a child in Los Angeles to becoming effectively the Secretary of State for the most diplomatically complex city in the world. She explains how she built a coalition of 350 local governments around the sustainable development goals when Washington walked away from the climate table, and how she secured half a million pieces of PPE directly from the UN's own stockpile when New York was told it was on its own during COVID. She makes the case that in a moment when too many people are choosing to check out, soft power is more urgent than ever. This episode explores themes of soft power, leadership, diplomacy, women's empowerment, and vulnerability. Guest: Penny Abeywardena Host: Scott M. Curran Executive Producers: Aaron Shulman & Kieron Banerji Production by Echo Studios -  Check out our Podcast: ➡️ https://linktr.ee/scottmcurran -  Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:26 Early Memories of Doing Good 00:07:35 From Human Rights Watch to Finding Her Path 00:10:00 Building Skills Behind the Scenes 00:12:43 Joining the Clinton Global Initiative 00:14:44 Becoming NYC Commissioner for International Affairs 00:19:20 Reimagining Diplomacy in New York City 00:22:18 The Voluntary Local Review and Climate Leadership 00:25:41 COVID Crisis and the Power of Relationships 00:29:53 Launching Soft Power Strategies 00:37:01 Storytelling and Vulnerability as Strategy 00:44:13 Practical Soft Power for Everyone -  Better Good is a podcast series where you’ll meet the visionaries and doers tackling the toughest challenges of our time. With moving stories and practical takeaways, Scott M. Curran brings listeners into the art and science of doing good—through conversations with the social-impact leaders reshaping how we change the world. Whether you lead a global workforce, run a fast-growing nonprofit, or are simply driven to make a difference, this show offers the ideas, inspiration, and tools to leave the world better than you found it. The world's biggest problems won’t wait. Neither should you.