Clocking Out with Raymond Lee

In this episode of Clocking Out, we meet Julia Skupchenko. An award-winning entrepreneur, sustainability leader, and co-founder of the global think tank AlterContacts. Recognized by the United Nations and the European Parliament for her work accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, Julia designs bold social-impact initiatives and teaches the next generation of changemakers. But her journey to this point began far from the global stage. She grew up in the Arctic, raised by a family of academics and learning responsibility from an early age.

From her first dreams of becoming a detective to presenting at international conferences in her early twenties, Julia chased opportunities with relentless energy. A chance encounter with Shell executives led to an internship that would open the door to the corporate world and also reveal its “golden cage.” After rising quickly, she faced the harsh reality of hierarchical leadership, questioned the meaning of her work, and walked away to forge her own path.

Her leap into entrepreneurship wasn’t smooth. A failed translation business became a crash course in sales, branding, and resilience. But staying open to every opportunity led to strategic consulting work, a strong partnership with her future co-founder, and eventually the launch of AlterContacts. When the pandemic hit, which changed everything and her life split for a second time in before and after. Her drive to help people resulted in the founding of the Lockdown Economy, uniting volunteers from 42 countries to support small businesses in crisis. The success and global reach of that initiative became the foundation for Think Thank AlterContacts, where she now leads large-scale sustainability projects.

In this conversation, Julia shares what it takes to break free from comfort, turn setbacks into stepping stones, and find purpose in helping others. If you’ve ever wondered how to align ambition with impact, this episode will inspire you to start — wherever you are.

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