Year in Review: What Worked, What Didn't, and What’s Next

As 2025 comes to a close, Beyond the B co-hosts Ryan Honeyman and Emmy Allison step back to reflect on what this podcast set out to do, how it’s landed, and what it reveals about the state of the B Corp movement. In this year-in-review conversation, they explore what’s working, what feels unresolved, and where the movement is showing both momentum and strain.

Ryan and Emmy revisit some of the most impactful and controversial episodes to date, including conversations on Dr. Bronner’s decertification, Nespresso, equity and inclusion, and the rollout of the new B Corp standards. They discuss the tension between scale and integrity, the challenge of listener engagement, and what it means to hold critique without tearing down a movement they’re deeply invested in.

Looking ahead to 2026, they reflect on what success for the B Corp movement could look like beyond growth metrics, including greater transparency, stronger accountability, and a deeper focus on embodiment rather than certification alone. The episode also offers a preview of upcoming themes for the podcast, including new standards implementation, leadership embodiment, and the next edition of The B Corp Handbook.

Tune in for a candid, inside-the-movement check-in that names both the promise and the imperfections of B Corp, and asks what it will take to move forward with clarity and integrity.

What You’ll Learn:

• Learn how Beyond the B navigated controversial topics like Nespresso and Dr. Bronner’s while maintaining constructive dialogue
• Discover why the hosts believe Version 2.1 standards may be easier than Version 1.6 in some administrative ways
• Explore the tension between critique and constructive feedback in the B Corp movement’s evolution
• Understand how podcast metrics reveal listener interest in controversial versus technical content
• Learn about upcoming themes for 2026 including embodiment practices and the third edition of The B Corp Handbook
• Examine the hosts’ evolved perspectives on whether the B Corp movement is “doing enough” to create real impact

Quotations:

“We wanted to have the hard conversations in public, not just in backchannels, without tearing down a movement we’re deeply invested in.” — Ryan Honeyman

“This podcast has become a reflection of what the community is struggling with and what it’s excited about at the same time.” — Emmy Allison

“At the beginning of the year, the new standards felt scary and overwhelming, but now I actually think they’re doable if companies really want it.” — Emmy Allison

“The plane has touched the runway. It’s bouncing, it’s slowing down, but the new standards are landing.” — Ryan Honeyman

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

• New B Corp Standards: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/standards-and-certification/
• The Struggle for the Soul of the B Corp Movement (Financial Times): https://www.ft.com/content/0b632709-afda-4bdc-a6f3-bb0b02eb5a62
• Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World (Anand Giridharadas): https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600671/winners-take-all-by-anand-giridharadas
• B Lab Forces for Good Podcast: https://lnk.to/forces-for-good
• Unresolved Tensions in B Corp’s “Big Tent” (w/ Erinch Sahan & Vincent Stanley): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/b-corp-tensions-erinch-sahan-vincent-stanley
• Struggle for the Soul of the B Corp Movement (w/ Erinch Sahan): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/struggle-for-the-soul-of-the-b-corp-movement-enrich-sahan
• Inside the “Black Box” of B Corp Verification (w/ Kali Gibson): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/b-corp-verification-process
• Are B Corps Too 'Woke'? (#1 of 3, w/ Raj Aggarwal): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/are-b-corps-too-woke-part-1-raj-aggarwal
• Are B Corps Too 'Woke'? (#2 of 3, w/ Nathan Stuck): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/are-b-corps-too-woke-part-2-nathan-stuck
• Are B Corps Too 'Woke'? (#3 of 3, w/ Annie Korver & Hayley Roulstone): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/are-b-corps-too-woke-part-3-annie-korver-hayley-roulstone
• Thoughts on Dr. Bronner's Decertifying as a B Corp (w/ Farmer Cee Stanley): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/dr-bronners-decertifies-as-a-b-corp
• Nespresso's Side of the Story (w/ Lucy Bai): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/nespresso-b-corp
• Patagonia's Take on the B Corp Movement (w/ Vincent Stanley): https://go.lifteconomy.com/blog/vincent-stanley-patagonia-b-corps

We Want to Hear from You

We want to hear from you! Email us at beyond@lifteconomy.com with requests for content, suggestions for future guests, and feedback about our episodes.

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Gratitude

Thank you to Corey Lien, Nozomii Torii, and Kirsten G. Bryant for being our monthly contributors at Beyond the B!