Radio Show #608: Redefining Engagement Through Freedom

Guest: Mark Rapolla: Co-Founder & Managing Partner @ GroundForce Capital

Mark Rampolla is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of ZICO Coconut Water, a brand that helped create the now $8 billion global coconut water category. After growing ZICO into one of the fastest-growing beverages worldwide, Mark sold the company to Coca Cola in 2013. He then transitioned into investing, co-founding PowerPlant Partners, where he played a key role in the plant-based food movement, including the success of Beyond Meat.
In 2020, Mark made a bold move by repurchasing ZICO from Coca Cola with a group of investors, including Jesse Itzler and tennis star Naomi Osaka. Now, through GroundForce Capital, Mark manages $500 million in assets, focusing on health, wellness, and sustainability investments. His journey reflects a deep commitment to innovation and positive change in the consumer goods industry.

Mark has been been thinking about and focusing on building highly engaged, high functioning organizations since he won the “Mr. Hustle” award as the sixth man on his high school basketball team. He applied it effectively in the corporate world with 300 people at International Paper and at ZICO, built a culture that was all about “running through walls” individually and together for the brand and created an extraordinary culture that delivered exceptional results. He spends much of his time now working with brilliant leaders on how to structure their entire businesses to create high engagement to drive outsized results. But after all of that, and years of reflection and study he’scome to a completely new view of engagement: he now sees that you can’t engage someone who feels trapped. True engagement isn’t about compliance — it’s about choice. When people feel free to be themselves, think differently, and pursue meaningful work, that’s when they light up. Freedom is the spark. Engagement is the flame. When people feel free, they take ownership. They speak up. They care more. Because it’s their work — not just their job it’s their life!

Freedom isn’t a perk; it’s the condition that makes true engagement possible. So, what he loves to focus on how, is not “how do we create high engagement” but rather “how do we create the conditions where everyone has the opportunity for full self-realization?” To learn, earn, contribute and grow? This changes the focus of responsibility from the company to the individual. It encourages, forces, everyone to take full responsible for their life and career. the company creates the conditions; the individual freely engages to grow through and into their zone of genius. If you can figure out how to align that with the value proposition of a business, then watch out world! It’s amazing to see what can happen for both the business and the person!

Join us as we discuss Redefining Engagement Through Freedom

Host: Jo Dodds