Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?

My guest this week is Sasibai Kimis, the founder and director of Earth Heir. Sasi founded Earth Heir in 2013 as a social business focusing on luxury craftsmanship and showcasing the skills and traditions of craftspeople. She has a background in investment banking, private equity, nonprofit development agencies, mining, finance, sustainable development, corporate responsibility and microfinance. She's also lived in eight countries and four continents. She is so passionate about environmental sustainability, eco-tech, and traveling. It was so cool using technology to speak with Sasi across the world where she lives in Malaysia. Join me to hear more about how Sasi is using her faith and knowledge to run a business with purpose.

6:50 - The Sasi 101

• Sasi was born in Malaysia, but her grandfather came to Malaysia from India. Sasi spent time in the US, UK, West Africa, and Europe when studying abroad. When she was almost 30-years-old, Sasi decided to return home to Malaysia.
• In the summers, Sasi would return to India. It was so different from what she was accustomed to, and she was struck by how much poverty she saw there. In Malaysia, most basic needs were met, unlike what she saw in India. From a young age, she gained an understanding that there are many worlds out there that she had no idea about.
• The idea grew for Sasi that people who are poor need money, and she should work to earn a lot of money to donate to people in need. She worked at a bank and made great money, but quickly became disillusioned when the people around her didn't care about what was happening in the world. Most of them were only focused on making more and more money for themselves.
• Sasi quit her job when she realized that while money is a means to an end, its focus should be supporting people who are going to go out and make a difference. Sasi wanted to better understand why poverty exists, so she studied environment and development, gender, microfinance, and more in graduate school.
• Sasi also worked in Ghana for two years with the UN and an NGO. She saw the NGO doing a lot of good work, but funding started to be cut as the country became more developed. She and her colleagues questioned how their work supporting orphans of the HIV/AIDs crisis would be able to continue without proper funding.
• Sasi thought of a way to both make money and continue to do good, so that they didn't have to rely on the donations or grants that had started to wane. It was the seed of social entrepreneurship in her life.

12:30 – The Wake Up Call

• When she returned to Malaysia, Sasi started working in finance again. One night on her way home, she fell asleep at the wheel. Luckily, she didn't crash, but it was a wake-up call for her. She told God that she didn't want to die for a job. If she died tomorrow, she wanted to know that her life meant something and that she could leave a legacy that she was proud of.
• Sasi's focus until that point had been about building up a shiny CV. She decided to take some time off so that she could figure out how to give God the best of herself; as much as she had given to her career and education. She quit her job and joined Youth with a Mission in Hawaii, learning about the bible and building her relationship with God.
• When her teamed moved from Hawaii to Cambodia, they started work teaching English and building houses. Sasi met many families who were struggling; mothers who'd lost children to traffickers and children who'd been rescued from trafficking.
• Sasi decided to support those families by purchasing from weavers and selling their products to her family. She also met with an impact investor, Dr. Kim Tan, a few months later. Dr. Tan told Sasi that if she really wanted to help the women, it couldn't just be her side gig. It had to be her full-time business.
• She was nowhere near ready to start her own business but asked God to help her use her skills and passions in a business capacity to help the local women. Soon after, she started Earth Heir. The name comes from Genesis 2:15, when God tells Adam to be a good steward of what God has given him.
• As Christians, we are called to be good stewards of the environment, animals, people. Sasi believes that Christians should be at the forefront of ecological conservation. The Earth Heir logo includes a fern from Ghana. The fern's name translates to "God with us."
• Sasi's dad was both her biggest supporter and biggest critic. At first, he was disappointed that she'd quit her job with all of her education and skills. In the beginning, she was selling scarves, and he felt like she might be wasting her talent. After six or seven years of running Earth Heir, the company is successful at standing up for conscious consumption, safe factory conditions, and how to do good through business.
• Earth Heir (20:03) is an artisan-focused social enterprise that works with refugees and indigenous tribes and rural women to make ethical fashion.
• Some people and businesses are beginning to realize that "business as usual" should be business as a force for good. We still have a long way to go, but there's also been so much progress made toward this change. (You can hear more about this on Episode 170 where Molly shares how her belief in God fuels her passion for how Christians can be at the forefront of the ethical fashion).

26:27 – Led by God

• Sasi's mom was raised in a Christian family in India, and her dad was raised in a Hindu family. When her parents got married, her dad professed his faith in Christ. Sasi grew up in a traditional Christian home but admits her motivation for church attendance was meeting cute boys.
• When Sasi was 17, she was born again and felt the Holy Spirit in her life. She was going through a difficult time after living an independent life away at school, and then coming home to live with her parents. She was even suicidal at one point. She prayed that God would take her. It was during this time that she felt God's presence in an unexplainable, very tangible way, and everything changed.
• She realized God is more real than anything she knew. When she felt that for herself and started her new journey as a Christian, her decisions became led by God, not just her own idea of what she thought she wanted and needed in life.

33:33 – Where to find Earth Heir

• Physical Studio: https://earthheir.com/pages/studio
• Earth Heir's website is earthair.com
• Instagram: @earthheir
• Facebook: Earth Heir
• You can also contact Earth Heir by email through any of these channels ([email protected]) and Google the name Earth Heir to read more articles and watch videos about their work!

35:27 – Getting to Know Our Guest

• Find out what food Sasi would eat if she could only eat one thing for the rest of her life, something you'd never guess about her, and something that's important to her but she rarely gets to talk about. Sasi's answer to what it means to her to run a business with purpose will inspire you no matter what season of life you're in.

Memorable Quotes:

8:30 - "I think early on I became introduced to this idea hat the world is not what I see and what I know, and that there's another world, and many different worlds out there that I have no idea about."

9:20 - "The little that I thought that I have is a luxury to so many people."

13:17 - "As much as I grew up as a Christian, I accepted Christ as my Savior, I was really living my life to build a great CV."

13:42 – "For the first time in my life I actually thought, 'Why is it that I don't give to God the best of myself the way that I do to my career and education?' "

19:44 'It shouldn't be that we do business as usual, make a lot of money and just donate that money, we should seek to change how we do business itself."

25:03 "It's something that we can't pretend to do, but not be applying those things in everyday decisions that we make, in our beliefs and how we vote."

Did anyone ever leave you a note in your lunch box when you were a kid? If you're a parent, do you ever write an encouraging note in your kid's lunch box? Would you ever think that a lunch box note could change your life or someone else's? For my guest today, that's exactly what happened. Kristi Hayes is the founder of Be Strong Story Family and host of the Be Love podcast, a company that was inspired by a lunch box note that her husband wrote to her son. The note said, "Be strong, protect the weak, love everyone." Kristi is hilarious and so inspiring. I love the way she and her family live out this mantra that came from a lunch box note. I had the opportunity to be on Kristi's Be Love podcast (episode 45). It was such a blast to have Kristi on my show, so join me to learn more about how one little action can change the course of your life and change lives!

2:23 - The Kristi 101

• Kristi lives in Denver with her husband and two kids. She's always had an entrepreneur's heart, but her background is in youth ministry.
• Kristi's husband was in the secret service, and while her family was living in DC, Kristi worked in politics on Capitol Hill and press advance for the White House. After DC, the family moved back to Oklahoma City and Kristi went back into youth ministry.
• About four years ago, Kristi and her family started a company called Be Strong Story. One day Kristi's son started having trouble with a friend on the playground. Her husband put a message in his lunch box that said "Be Strong, Protect the Weak, Love Everyone."
• Kristi wanted her family to live out the message in their family and now the share that message through apparel, family coaching, and a children's book. Be Strong Story also has a podcast called Be Love podcast that shares stories of people loving each other well.
• When Kristi started her career in politics, she didn't know anyone nor what she was getting into but learned as much as she could along the way. One day in a meeting Kristi froze right before she was called on to speak about an amendment. One of her coworkers buzzed her Blackberry to tell her exactly what she needed to say. It's a great reminder to Kristi that even in a competitive environment, people can give with no agenda.
• Moving so often and living in places like DC, Oklahoma, St. Louis, and Colorado taught Kristi and her family so much about making community wherever life took them

17:14 – Be Strong

• The impact of Be Strong is about teaching our kids (and ourselves) to be who we are created to be. She wants to prepare her kids, other kids, and adults that negative words or gossip to not define them.
• All of us are weak. Usually those who appear weak are actually the strongest. At some point, any of us in life will be weak. It's ok to be weak and ask for help, and when we are the ones able to bring light to others, it's our job to step up for those who need a little help.
• Be Strong encourages us to keep an eye out for those who need help. We especially need to keep an eye out for those who are a little harder to love.
• There is a Be Strong Families group that serves every month together. Families that work toward a mission together to live their values form a very special bond with each other and grow as individuals too.
• When we sit with others and hear their stories, it removes our judgements and preconceived notions and we see the humanity in someone who is more similar to us than they are different.
• When you strengthen a family unit, entire communities are made stronger as well.
• Often children don't care about the things that adults notice. Kids often teach us as much or more when we're serving with them than we teach them. Kids don't have the same biases as adults, and don't care when someone else acts different or looks different or had a very different life.

28:44 - Serving Right Where You Are

• Everyone has their own talents that can be used to serve others. You don't even need a grand plan, and often you don't even know what someone else needs.
• Be Strong asks people what they need instead of making their own plan or agenda to help. Helping is easy, and you can get involved even if you don't live near Be Strong.
• Each month, Be Strong has a Family Coaching Network that helps teach different topics like communication, love languages, building a family mission, how to serve in your own home, serving with your kids when they're little and more!
• There's also an online community you can join to network and get connected to other like-minded people in your area who also want to help.

31:09 - Getting To Know Our Guest

• Find out what trends Kristi thinks people might be nostalgic for in 40 years, how she'd prove she's from the future if she could travel back in time, what her walk up/hype song would be, and of course, what it means to Kristi to run a business with purpose!

Memorable quotes:

19:01: "There's a phrase I say everyday to my kids as we fist pump out the door and it's "Eyes Wide, Light Shine."

21:30: "People are seeing the benefit of building relationship with those who are different than them and those who have different life experiences."

28:08: "The more that we interact with those who are different than us who might be struggling, and we hear their story and we learn that they are like us in so many ways, that is when we have this open-hand approach."

28:23: "I love giving the opportunities to families, young and old, to serve one another together."

America used value community, purpose, and fairness. But now it kind of feels like virtually every decision is based on what will make the most money. My guest today has a dream, a vision that this is changing. He has created a manifesto for a more generous world. Yancey Strickler is the cofounder and former CEO of Kickstarter, the mission-driven, global public-benefit company that helped pioneer crowdsourcing. He is also the author of the recently released book, "This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World." I've been a big fan of Yancey's work for quite some time and am so excited to have him on the show today. Join me as I learn more about Yancey and his inspiring manifesto!

2:08 - The Yancey 101

• Yancey grew up on a farm in southwest Virginia. He didn't have neighbors and farm-life forced him to be a bit more creative. He dreamt of being a writer and reading and writing is how he kept himself busy and entertained on the farm.
• He studied writing in college and after graduating, moved to New York City where he worked as a music journalist. While reviewing records and writing about musicians, he became friends with Perry Chin, the creator of crowdfunding.
• Together, Yancey, Perry Chin, and Charles Adler created and launched Kickstarter, which has since introduced crowdfunding to the world and generated more than $4 billion to creative projects. Along the way, Kickstarter also became a public benefit corporation.
• The three founders put a lot of effort into governing Kickstarter according to the values that felt most true to them. In Yancey's last four years at the company, he also served as CEO.
• Two years ago, Yancey left Kickstarter to write his first book called "This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World." It explores what our role models for success are and the optimistic direction families, work, and companies can take to evolve toward generosity.
• Yancey's father was a musician who sold waterbeds to make a living for the family. Yancey has an artistic side from his father's country and bluegrass interests and also grew up in a church that taught him about responsibility and caring for others. He loved listening to Indy Rock and Punk growing up, which also inspired a message about being true to your community.

10:45 – A Community Start at a Restaurant called "Diner"

• Yancey and Perry met in Brooklyn at a nice restaurant called "Diner." They spent a lot of time bonding over a shared love of good eateries and basketball. One day Perry shared his idea for Kickstarter, but Yancey wasn't a fan of the idea at first.
• Perry's pitch reminded Yancey of a reality show like American Idol, but Perry assured Yancey that the idea was more about highlighting sub-cultures that don't fit in to the mainstream, allowing those people to share ideas more widely.
• Yancey had no dreams of being an entrepreneur and felt very anxious about stepping over the line between business and creativity. It was a stretch far beyond his comfort zone.
• Once Yancey was fully on board and Kickstarter was launched into the marketplace, he was surprised to see that not only small passion projects idea were on board, but so were people with million-dollar idea projects. It was a real shift in the level of activity and responsibility of Kickstarter.
• The beauty is that it's a platform for anyone to add their ideas. It is perpetually renewable for this reason.
• The hope is that Kickstarter remains a place where anyone can indulge their ideas rather than forgetting them or giving up. It's for anyone young or old to keep their creative muscle flexing throughout their lifetime.

23:16 - A Generosity Manifesto

• Yancey's book This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World explores both how our communities once valued togetherness, purpose, and fairness, and how in business, most decisions are made based on what's going to make the most money.
• Some business owners are going outside of the current societal norm to not only run a business, but also make a positive impact on their communities and cultures. Can society get back to a place where that is more of the norm?
• The idea for Yancey's book started when he was giving a talk for Kickstarter around the time that the company was becoming a public benefit company. They were changing expectations and accountability to not only maximize shareholder value, but also produce a positive benefit to society.
• As he started looking around at peer companies, he noticed that everyone seemed to be operating around an ideal that whatever will produce the greatest economic growth is by default the correct choice.
• Yancey started to explore debating clear economic decisions that could be predicted and the downsides of what's less profitable. The ideas that make the most money often win, and the "everything else" that we feel emotionally but don't actually have a concrete plan for just falls to the wayside.
• He tried to imagine a CEO who didn't have to choose between values and profits. Yancey is exploring a different way about thinking of "self-interests." There is more involved than just what's the best for a person or for a company right now. There's also legacy, what's best for families, friends, coworkers, and the choices that create a life well-lived when we get to the end of it.
• Self-interests should also include the "Future Us": our children and the communities left after we're gone. Yancey hopes to reframe our values…the ones we know objectively exist but are difficult to us to rationalize or talk about when we're too focused on the bottom line.

28:16 - Bentoism

• Yancey calls this new rationale and loving framework "Bentoism." Think of companies that can perceive both the future "us" and the present "us". Some examples are Chick-fil-a, who gives employees one day off a week or Patagonia, who is working to take care of the Earth that will be left to our children.
• Yancey's book teaches both businesses and people how to create value in multiple ways, not just financially.
• When we have an abundance mentality, our self-interest is confident and secure enough to know there is enough for everyone, and we are called to be greater than just our financial successes.
• Success can also be measured in the transparency companies share with the world and the trust that is built with customers and consumers. We can bring our personal values into the work we do, even on a collective or large business scale.
• Yancey has made his own "Bento boxes" that help him make decisions. There are values for each box that highlight "Now Me", "Future Me", "Now Us", "Future Us." Each Bento has a yes or no question. When he is invited to speak at company events, he looks to his Bento and questions whether accepting the gig will align with the values and goals for each box.
• Yancey's "Future Me" box carefully considers not selling out. When he can see the ways doing a talk could fulfill his purpose, it's from a self-coherent choice. It's a structured way of understanding for certain whether it's the right thing for you to do in regard to your values.
• The word "bento" comes from a Japanese word meaning convenience. A bento box is a food container with four compartments and a lid that can hold a variety of dishes to create a balanced meal. It also honors a Japanese diet philosophy that says the goal of a meal is to be 80% full so that you're still hungry for tomorrow. Bentoism is the same idea for our values and our choices. The four boxes are "Now Me", "Future Me", "Now Us", and "Future Us." It's a compass to stay true to who you are and what you care about. It focuses your energy each day, week, or month when making decisions. It's a mix of now and the future, and a mix of you and other people you care about.
• You can learn more about Bentoism and build your own boxes at http://bentoism.org/ You can also connect with other people making boxes!

47:45 - Getting To Know Our Guest

• Find out some fun things about Yancey like something we'd never guess about him, what makes him feel most alive, his favorite TV show to watch growing up (you're gonna laugh), what movie scared him when he was a kid, and of course, what it means to Yancey to run a business with purpose!

Memorable Quotes:

6: 51: "I liked Indy Rock and Punk that had a strong ethos of don't sell out and being true to your community. You don't get big to then exit out of your community. The right thing to do is lift up your community with you."

"I just had a lot of role models that were sort of about lifting up others. That's what success is. Success is having the opportunity to do that and then doing it."

"There's been a funny challenge and strength I've always had in my life of not quite fitting in anywhere. That is a source of a lot of pain and then there are others ways in which being an entrepreneur, or writer, or thinker that it's very positive to be on your own because then you you have the opportunity to bring other people with you."

16:11 - The idea for success with Kickstarter is that the person who has an idea that they're thinking about, that rather than tossing that idea away and not indulging their creative or entrepreneurial side, then instead, this is the place where they give it a shot and don't let that part of them die.

16:45 - "Can Kickstarter be the place where it's easier to try than to not try?"

28:55 "There are other ways of creating value that are not financially oriented and that I think display a lot more creativity and are what make other people stand out in the world.

About Yancey Strickler:

Yancey Strickler is a writer and entrepreneur. He is the cofounder and former CEO of Kickstarter, author of This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World, and the creator of Bentoism. Yancey has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of Fast Company's Most Creative People. He cofounded the artist resource The Creative Independent and the record label eMusic Selects. He's spoken at the Museum of Modern Art, Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals, Web Summit, MIT, and events around the globe. Yancey grew up in Clover Hollow, Virginia, and began his career as a music critic in New York City.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who loves the movie Clueless?! Now, I realize how ridiculous of a movie it is, but in a "I love how ridiculous this movie is" kind of way, right? It is what began my love affair for Jeep Wranglers, and I longed for Cher Horowitz's infamous closet with the computerized system that dressed her every day. My guest today was not in the movie Clueless, but she did create an App called Cladwell that is basically the 2020 version of Cher's closet dressing system. Erin Flynn is the CEO of Cladwell, a personal styling app that transforms your closet into one where you love and wear everything you own and makes getting dressed easy every morning with daily outfit recommendations. It does so much more than that, and you'll hear how when you tune in and listen to how Erin is making a positive impact with her career. Cladwell has been featured on Good Morning America, and even did a partnership with Marie Kondo! Cladwell isn't Erin's first startup, and she has so many startup stories to tell. Listen now to hear about my love of the Cladwell App and Erin's vision for creating personal style with ease.

3:30 – The Erin 101

• Erin grew up in Indiana and received a full ride scholarship to play Division II Basketball in Memphis, TN. She played for all four years of college, and very soon after graduating, got married, moved to Pennsylvania, started a new job, and got a dog!
• This was 2009, the economy was tanking, and Erin could not find a viable job in marketing. She tried for three months to work no-pay internships and as her frustration and grew and her bank account dwindled, Erin decided it was time to take control of her career and her future.
• Erin started a fashion blog when influencer marketing was just taking off. Erin grew her blog into a small business, working with brands and attending fashion week. Erin noticed a disconnect in communication between brands and bloggers even though it was clear the two markets desired to work together.
• Erin's first startup was a business called Canopy. She transitioned her blog into an influencer network and jumped into her first startup experience. She continued to work at it for three years, but it was difficult for consumers to understand this new world of influencer marketing. In 2011, she closed the startup and she and her husband moved back to the Midwest.
• Erin soon took a job with EW Scripps. EW Scripps owns over 35 television stations over the country. Erin was able to work in an entrepreneurial role there and learned more about starting something new within a company.
• As Erin felt a desire to get back into the startup world, she also had some angst about it, knowing first-hand the risks, sacrifices, and inevitable failures involved.. She decided to meet with the founder of a company similar to Cladwell, but for men. Erin thought she would try her hand at taking that market to women, and from there Cladwell was born.

8:08 – What Am I Going to Wear Today?

• When Cladwell first started, it was a platform for men to solve their personal shopping needs, a way to help them figure out what to buy next for their wardrobe. Erin came on board in 2015 when their products were changing and talks about expanding the market to women had just begun.
• Cladwell became interested in a capsule wardrobe, specifically helping women love and wear every piece of clothing in their closet. Erin's personal experienced gave more shape to the idea because she'd wake up every morning, open her closet, and have no idea what to wear.
• Erin didn't understand how it was possible to "not have anything to wear" when she owned 450 pieces of clothing. She had too many clothes but was still completely unsatisfied with the clothing she already had. She didn't understand how she'd gotten to that point.
• Cladwell wanted to approaching personal style with capsule wardrobes to help women become more content with their clothing choices and less overwhelmed with continual shopping and overcrowded closets.
• The app was developed two and a half years ago to help women with an easy getting ready experience. It helps transform closets over 30, 60, 90 days, etc., to help you narrow down what you actually love and wear most often.
• The app also helps you declutter, hone-in on your personal style, and shop smarter while inspiring new and creative outfit combinations so that you can continue to wear what you already own in new ways. Cladwell helps you become mindful and thoughtful about what you truly love, which helps reveal your own personal style.
• Capsule wardrobes also help those who want to shop ethically and reduce waste!

15:16 - Declutter Without Overwhelm

• You don't have to add every single piece of clothing you own to the app. You can add your favorite 10 items to start. Cladwell will match that to the 17,000 items they already have in their database. You can also take a photo of your own items and add them to your app.
• Holding onto things can keep us stuck in the past after we've gone through big life experiences and transitions. It can feel like a fresh start to walk into a space that represents how you look and feel in the present as well as how you want to approach the future.
• A lot of emotional baggage can be held onto in our closets whether because of fear, nostalgia, or a little of both.
• We are also constantly bombarded with messages to buy more. We shop way too fast and feel pressure to continue acquiring new things.
• We're already wearing 20% of what's in our closets and fall into cycles of thinking we need to start over from scratch when we no longer love our closets. We are tempted to buy more pieces thinking we'll like something new more that what we already have.

22:33 - Shop Your Own Closet

• Right before the 1980s, Americans only bought 12 new items per year on average. Today, we are buying 68 items per year.
• Cladwell offers encouragement to shop what you already have with daily outfit suggestions and recommendations of what to add to your closet to help you create a greater number of outfits with fewer pieces of clothing.
• Since the app helps you feel like you have a brand-new wardrobe with what you already own, you can be more intentional with your choices when you shop.
• When you start to narrow down the items you wear most, your personal style starts to appear. It also makes styling and getting ready in the morning a much more simple and enjoyable process.
• You can also build different capsules for different occasions. This is especially helpful for travel because you can determine 5-7 items to pack that will allow you to combine pieces to create enough looks for 14 days.
• Sometimes we even shop when we're bored. Creating capsules and exploring your closet through the Cladwell app can help you stay creative and interested in what you have so it's literally as if you get to go shopping, but without spending money or adding clutter to your life.
• Cladwell even has a social media feature to follow other people for ideas, inspiration, and community. You can even cultivate your own style by looking at your friend's outfits! The app will give you suggestions from your closet based on what your friend is wearing.

34:56 - On the Cladwell Horizon

• In August, Erin and her husband bought the company. Originally Cladwell was an investor-backed, fast-growth tech startup. They still want to grow, but more importantly, they want to stay loyal to their brand roots and share the mission that people's clothes and closets matter.
• The app will be redesigned with a new look and feel this summer. Cladwell is also working on an app for Android phones that they hope to launch soon.

37:24 – Getting to Know Our Guest

• Tune in as Erin's answers fun questions like what her hype song would be, what style she thinks people will be nostalgic for in 40 years, and more! Most importantly, hear from Erin about what it means to her to run a business with purpose.

Memorable Quotes:

9:42 – "Not being satisfied with my closet kept me on this perpetual cycle of continually shopping, which actually only made the problem worse. "

11:11 – "It's a personal styling app that transforms your closet into one you'll love. We make getting dressed easy every morning with daily outfit recommendations using the clothes in your closet."

11:51 – "Most people only wear 20% of their closet and hold on to 80% of clutter."

16:48 – "If you know what you like and you know who you are, you can make so many better decisions. I really believe the closet is representative of your head. If you have a messy closet, you may have a messy head. From there you can really transform the rest of your life."

About Erin Flynn:

Erin is the CEO of Cladwell, a personal styling app that transforms your closet into one where you love and wear everything you own and makes getting dressed easy every morning with daily outfit recommendations. Cladwell's been featured on Good Morning America and even done a partnership with Marie Kondo. This is not her first startup and as a self-proclaimed reluctant entrepreneur, she has many startup stories to tell. Erin and her husband Colin reside in Cincinnati with 1 super Irish sounding kid (Rooney) and a very formal puggle named Mr. Pug.

People who see something that they want done and do are the people who create impactful change in their community. They leave a legacy by acting rather than sitting around and talking about it. I admire people who step out of their comfort zones and into the uncomfortable and unfamiliar to make things happen. My guest today is the epitome of a "doer." She saw an opportunity to partner with others and brought that opportunity to fruition to make real, lasting change. Emily Connell Umanzor is the founder of Solo Hope. Solo Hope began in 2012 after Emily heard women in rural Honduras describe the challenges they face every day to overcome poverty. Solo Hope works with more than 10 women and two co-ops to create designs for the home and body. It was so exciting that Emily was able to join me in-person for this interview the day she returned to the States. It was a joy to connect in person, and I know you're going to love hearing our chat! Join me to find out how Solo Hope empowers women and fosters opportunities for a safe and successful future.

3:24 - The Emily 101

• Emily is from the southern United States but found herself in love with the country of Honduras. The seed was planted on Emily's 10th birthday. She woke up with a feeling that the Lord was telling her to go to China. At 16, she had an opportunity to go to Honduras. When she arrived, she immediately felt right at home.
• After learning about the culture and women in Honduras who were trying to raise their children with very little support and no job opportunities, her dream for Solo Hope came alive.
• Because she witnessed a lot of men who were absent from their children's lives, Emily never thought she'd marry a Honduran man. In 2016, she hit it off with a driver she contracted with to transport her teams. They'd met before but during one particular trip, they couldn't stop looking at each other.
• Emilee knew God gave her the word "Home" for 2016. While she kept saying it meant finding a home in God, she knew God also meant a home in marriage. Emilee and Ever were married in Honduras within that same year!
• Emilee's husband Ever doesn't speak English, and it has given her children an opportunity to learn another language and culture at an early age. It's such a beautiful picture of God's creation.

12:32 – Solo Hope

• God pulled on Emilee's heart and showed her that women in Honduras needed jobs. She witnessed Honduran women receiving some aid, but once it was gone, they were right back in a vulnerable position again.
• Emilee met with a Honduran woman named Dilcia in 2012 and created rough sketches of bracelet ideas. Dilcia had the skills to make the designs, but she didn't have a market. Dilcia took Emilee's designs and brought them to life.
• Dilcia asked her best friend Maribel if she wanted to help make bracelets, and that's how Solo Hope began. Emilee's biggest privilege is being able to work with the women face-to-face and get to know them as friends too.
• In 2013, Emilee quit her full-time job and moved to Honduras for four months to help work on a product line that could also be offered in the United States.
• There were three artisans in 2013, and Solo Hope continued to add to the group as need or interest arose. They're currently working with 10 artisans now and the women have really taken ownership of their work. When they need help, they look for other women in their community who need a job.
• Solo Hope is more than just a business with a purpose. It's a family too, and taking care of each other goes both ways. Emilee can confide in the women and the women can confide in Emilee. They pray for each other and regularly experience life together.

19:23 – Traditional Honduran Arts

• The weaving, hand-looming, and leather crafting is all traditional to the area of La Esperanza, Honduras. The artisan partnerships are all relationship based so that traditional skills are recognized and connected to a viable market.
• Solo Hope products tell a story and the women work hard to create pieces that will last a long time, a timeless work of art that customers can enjoy for many years.
• Products are mainly sold here in the US. Solo Hope is working hard to continue growing sales stateside to ensure that supporting women in Honduras stays strong.
• Life in Honduras is a bit like stepping back in time in some ways. The roads are rough, the water sometimes gets shut off, but the best difference between living in Honduras and the United States is that people slow down to visit with each other for hours without feeling like any time is being wasted.
• Social connections are much more about relationship and taking a lot of time to be with each other in person, no matter what work needs to be done.Neighbors do not feel inconvenienced with helping or stopping life to bring someone in like a family member.

32:15 – How We See Success

• Solo Hope wants to grow while balancing how they measure success. When things have been hard, it's easy to wonder how the work can continue. God specifically called Emilee and Solo Hope women to lead their communities, and successful metrics are not only about sales goals.
• When Emilee has felt like things are failing, God shows her that the community and women have experienced so much growth, despite any struggles with the business.
• Almost all Solo Hope artisans have been impacted by alcoholism in some way. One woman shared with Emilee that her husband can be violent when he drinks, but now she is strong enough to stand up to her husband and for herself.
• Solo Hope focuses on the fact that this means they've already succeeded. Emilee is also ready to tackle sales goals! Big things are in store for 2020, so be sure to check out Solo Hope and the work of their talented artisans!

34:43 - Getting to Know Our Guest

• Emilee shares what her "walk up" song would be, her strangest pet peeve, her favorite Honduran meal, and another important topic that Emilee is very passionate about. Stay tuned to hear Emilee's poignant answer to what it means to her to run a business with purpose.

ABOUT EMILEE: Emilee Connell-Umanzor started SoloHope in 2012 after listening to women in rural Honduras describe the challenges they face every day to overcome poverty. Today SoloHope works with 10+ women as well as 2 additional co-ops to create designs for home + body starting conversations that matter. Emilee and her family live full time in Honduras. It's a somewhat unconventional life that feels normal, most of the time. Emilee is a South Georgia girl who loves a good baleada in Honduras but definitely misses Chick-fil-A too! CONNECT WITH EMILEE:

• https://www.solohope.org/
• https://twitter.com/solohopeorg
• https://www.facebook.com/solohopeorg
• https://www.instagram.com/solohopeorg/

By the year 2050, it's estimated that there will be as much plastic in the ocean as there are fish. The industrial fishing industry actually generates a staggering 10% of this waste in the form of abandoned fish nets and fishing gear, approximately 640,000 tons each year. It's estimated that 46% of the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes from fishing gear alone. Luckily, I'm talking to someone today who is tackling the problem of ocean plastic in a really unique way. Hannah Tomita is the founder and designer of Kaira Active. Kaira Active makes all of their products out of recycled fishnets and fishing gear! Hannah grew up in Hawaii and moved to California for college. After stumbling into her passion for fashion while a senior, she decided to sew her own swimwear to avoid spending hundreds of dollars on a swimsuit from a store. She taught herself how to make her own swimsuits by watching YouTube videos and reading articles online. After building a portfolio of her work, Hannah landed a job as an assistant designer at a swimwear consultancy where she worked with several high-profile international brands. I love hearing people who use their unique passions to solve problems in really unique ways, and I can't wait for you to hear how Hannah is making a difference for the environment with her business.

5:20 - The Hannah 101

• Growing up in Hawaii, Hannah visited the ocean at least a couple times a week. Experiences in nature were very accessible, and she spent her childhood exploring the island of Oahu.
• Hannah studied industrial design in college at Arizona State University. Hannah started sewing swimsuits and learned how to make designs from patterns and online tutorials.
• It was sharing her designs online that ultimately led Hannah to her first job as an assistant fashion designer at a consultancy. She worked with big clients like Urban Outfitters, Tommy Bahama, True Religion and more.
• Hannah immersed herself in fashion and while she loved it, she quickly realized that the industry was riddled with fast fashion and little to no concern for sustainability. No one was diving deep into thinking through designs and materials used.
• A few years after working in the fashion industry, Hannah realized the need for companies that thought through how their practices would affect the world. That's when she started Kaira Active.
• When she was a student, Hannah loved designer swimwear, but couldn't afford designer swimsuits on a college student budget. Missing the beach while studying in Arizona and not being able to afford the swimsuits she liked led her to start playing around with sewing her own swimwear.

8:40 – Kaira Active

• What began as a curiosity and hobby turned into a unique fashion brand that recycles industrial fishing nets and turns them into functional, beautiful active wear.
• Sadly, there are a lot of ways these nets end up polluting the ocean. Sometimes fisherman will illegally dump their nets to avoid getting caught. In other situations, nets are lost due to bad weather or getting snagged. There's currently no good system in place to regulate the situation.
• When Hannah first started working at the swimwear consultancy, a vendor came in from Italy selling fabric made out of recycled fish nets. At the time, sustainability wasn't being paid attention to very much, but seeing the fabric made Hannah excited about merging her love of nature and her very active lifestyle.
• Hannah was also looking for a way to get the most out of her activewear. Her fitness and outdoor hobbies are eclectic, and she wanted a way to use one outfit for both the yoga studio and surfing.

16:26 – Fishing Nets to Fabrics to Clothing

• Kaira Active partners with a nonprofit organization called Healthy Seas that sends divers to pull nets out of the ocean. Since industrial fishing nets are made of Nylon, the nets are taken to a facility and chemically regenerated back into their pure form of Nylon and made into ECONYL.
• ECONYL is the technology that forms the Nylon into a thread which is then sewn in with Spandex to make fabric for Kaira Active clothing. You can learn more about the stages of the process here: https://kairaactive.com/pages/protecting-the-ocean
• The majority of the fishing nets are collected from the North Sea, Adriatic Sea, and Mediterranean Sea where there are many shipwrecks.
• Fun fact: Since 2013, the Healthy Seas initiative has recovered 453 tons of fishing nets from the ocean – that's the weight of 3 blue whales!
• Kaira Active is also committed to reducing their waste, energy, emission, and water consumption. They partner only with manufactures that focus on sustainability, their electricity is derived from renewable sources, and they have adopted a water system aimed at reducing polluting agents before it is sent to the municipal water treatment plant. There's more and you can learn about their reduction of harm HERE.
• Kaira's dad believed in her vision and encouraged her to go for it. He invested 2 bitcoins right before bitcoin took off. Hannah's bitcoin appreciated and allowed Hannah to get her idea off the ground with development, design, and a Kickstarter campaign video.

24:00 – Multifunctional and Sustainable Simplicity

• Kaira Active's mission going forward is to reduce the amount of clothing in the world while giving customers a multifunctional piece that they can use for multiple activities.
• All of Kaira Active's tops are reversible, so you get multiple looks from one garment!
• Instead of buying active wear from a big box store with lower quality materials, consumers can invest in a higher quality item that will last longer while reducing waste!
• In additional to the sustainable qualities of Kaira Active's garments as well as their good business practices, a portion of their profits go back to the Healthy Seas organization.
• Kaira Active ships responsibly by reducing plastic and packaging materials. They use 100% recycled paper and reusable 100% recycled poly mailers.

26:43 - Getting To Know Our Guest

• Learn about Hannah's guilty pleasure, who she'd most like to sit next to on a 10-hour flight, what she's reading right now, and of course, what it means to her to run a business with purpose!

• You can find out more about the process of making fabric from fish nets at both Healthy Seas and Kaira Active.

• Kaira Active
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kairaactive/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kairaactive/

• Healthy Seas
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthyseas/
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthyseas/

CONNECT WITH HANNAH:

• https://kairaactive.com/

I am a sucker for a beautiful love story. Celebrating two people coming together in holy matrimony is a beautiful display of love and an amazing way to see different family traditions come together. My guest today has a vision and passion for bringing to life the beauty and diversity of multicultural and multiethnic weddings through stunning portraiture. Petronella Lugemwa is an international wedding and marriage proposal photographer and speaker who specializes in helping multicultural couples celebrate their love in a modern way. Petronella believes that what makes you different makes you beautiful. I had such a great time chatting with Petronella and hearing about her passion for highlighting love through cultural traditions. Sit back, relax, and enjoy hearing about Petronella's travels and her stories of love from all over the world!

3:15 - The Petronella 101

• Petronella Lugemwa is the creative director and owner at Petronella Photography, a New York based international wedding and marriage proposal photography studio. She's also a podcast host and uses her Instagram platform to share multicultural stories that help people learn more about each other and feel more connected.
• In addition to being an extremely talented and skillful photographer, her niche and her story makes her very unique in the wedding photography industry. She's very passionate about bringing different cultures to life through photography.
• Petronella was born in Uganda and raised in Alabama. When she was born, the dictator Idi Amin was President of Uganda and it was a very unstable and dangerous time in the country's history. Even on the night she was born, there were many bombs in the city and her parents knew they had to get out and find better opportunities for their young family.
• When she was six months old, Petronella's family moved to Kenya and continued to travel until they found better opportunities. Petronella grew up in Zimbabwe and when her dad found an amazing opportunity to persue his PhD in America.
• When she was 10 years old, she arrived in Birmingham, Alabama with her mom, sister, and two suitcases. As her family started figuring out life in America, Petronella's parents knew they wanted to be sure their kids received a good education and enrolled Petronella in private school.
• There weren't a lot of people who looked like Petronella at her school or in Birmingham. As a kid who really wanted to fit in, Petronella learned to hide certain parts of herself in order to assimilate and fit in.
• Petronella received both engineering and business degrees and entered the corporate world. It wasn't until well after that journey that she realized she'd been hiding a lot of her background and culture that makes her unique.

13:42 – A Wedding in Mexico

• Petronella felt some pressure to enter a stable, "parent-approved" profession when she considered her career, but photography has always been a way for her to share her mind and heart.
• One of Petronella's coworkers saw some of her photography and asked Petronella to come to Mexico to photograph her wedding. After that first wedding was published, Petronella quickly discovered a side of herself she wanted to explore more and slowly transitioned out of corporate America. She knew she had to find a way to make photography a career.
• Petronella received a blessing in disguise when she was laid off from her job. It gave her the permission she needed to fully focus on her photography business.
• Attending Lara Casey's Making Things Happen Conference is where Petronella's "pivot" began. Seeing someone else share her story of following a spark to something new made Petronella realize she wasn't alone in her feelings of wanting to make a big change.
• These experiences allow Petronella to guide people through big life changes like blending two different family cultures into a wedding day as a new family begins a new life through marriage.

22:00 - Celebrating Cultures Through Love

• When we talk about something being "multicultural,", it is to mean any situation where a person has to navigate two or more worlds on a daily basis whether interracial, biracial, interfaith, and/or being an immigrant.
• Petronella works closely with her clients to help them decide which parts of their culture and family details they actually want to incorporate and celebrate on their wedding day.
• Often tension can arise for multicultural cultures when their families also want them to incorporate family traditions and blending older traditions into a modern wedding. Petronella's life experiences help her clients navigate the many familial and cultural aspects of blending two families and two cultures on a wedding day.

32:43 - Getting To Know Our Guest

• Find out what trend Petronella thinks we'll be embarrassed by in 10 years, what her "walk up" song would be, something that's really important to her that she doesn't get to talk about often, and who would play her in a movie. Be sure to stick around to hear the question I ask all my guests, "What does it mean to you to run a business with purpose?"

ABOUT PETRONELLA Petronella Lugemwa is an international wedding and marriage proposal photographer and speaker based out of the New York area who specializes in helping multicultural couples celebrate their love in a modern way and believes that what makes you different makes your beautiful. She photographed the November 2018 cover of Rangefinder Magazine and was named 1 of 30 Rising Stars in wedding photography worldwide in 2018. Petronella Photography has been featured in Essence, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, New York Magazine Weddings and MunaLuchi Bride. Memorable Quotes

13:25 - I think sometimes we have an idea when we hear about a culture of what to expect, but I think it's important to ask that person:" How do you relate to that and what matters to you? "

8:31 - "Your wedding is one of those days where all your worlds intersect and what an awesome opportunity to really let these different parts of your world shine."

38:59 - "My goal is to help make people feel more connected because it it's something I struggled with when I was younger."

CONNECT WITH PETRONELLA:

• https://bypetronella.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/petronellaphotography/
• https://www.facebook.com/PetronellaPhotography/

[Rough Transcript of this week's episode]

Welcome to Business with Purpose - I am your host, Molly Stillman of stillbeingmolly.com and this show is all about bringing you the stories behind the brands, companies, and small businesses that are changing the world. Each week I interview an entrepreneur, a CEO, non-profit director, community leader, or just all-around amazing person who is trying to make a positive impact not only through their personal life, but also with their career. My goal is to show you that no matter what you do for a living, you can make an impact right where you are… This is episode 180 which means it is time for another SOLO episode!

I love connecting with you in a little bit of a different way during these solo episodes to either answer a burning question that you have, talking about a timely topic, or educating you on something that I think might be helpful… So this week, I am doing a little combination of answering a frequently asked question and doing a little education.

One question I have received often is, "There are so many buzzwords and phrases thrown around like "ethical fashion" "fair trade" "conscious consumerism" "social enterprise" etc….. WHAT DO THEY ALL MEAN? What is the difference?

So today, I am going to be like your own personal Webster's Dictionary: ethical edition and share some of the terminologies with you that you might hear on this podcast or out in the world and what it is they mean!

A couple of things I wanted to share with you before we go over the terms and definitions…

After over 3.5 years of doing this podcast, I continue to be blown away by your encouragement and support. I know I can talk all day about this show, but I wanted you the listener to hear from FELLOW LISTENERS on which episode is THEIR favorite and why they love the show… so here are a few:

[TUNE IN TO LISTEN TO THE LISTENER TESTIMONIALS!]

What Does "Conscious Consumerism Mean?" and More... All your ethical terminologies explained!

Conscious consumerism Conscious consumerism is a way of saying that we are able to retain the awareness of our purchasing power no matter what is going on in the world around us. ... The conscious consumer is one that seeks out ways to make positive decisions on what they buy, and solutions to the negative impacts caused by consumerism.

Fair trade vs. fairtrade When used as "fair trade," as two words rather than one, this refers to the general movement advocating for trade on fair terms for the environment and people involved. However, the largest and most globally recognized fair trade organization is Fairtrade International, the umbrella organization of the international system that our partner Fairtrade America belongs to.

Listen to episode Episode 139 with Marc Choyt - right around the 31:50 mark we talk briefly about this!

Ethically made / ethical fashion Ethical fashion is an umbrella term that includes fashion design, production, retail, and purchasing. The exact definition is vague but overall ethical fashion is understood to indicate an active approach to creating goods that positively impact the environment and the lives of those making them, reducing poverty through non-exploitative (fair pay, good conditions) employment. In reality, it's virtually impossible for a brand creating new products from new materials to ever be completely ethical as it just does not positively impact the environment. It is, however, a good reference point for brands to have in an attempt to better their production practices.

Zero wasteZero Waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused.

Social enterprise A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being—this may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners.

Slow fashion As you would expect, slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion. It's about rejecting consumeristic impulses and embracing a slower, more mindful model of consumerism. While this doesn't eradicate shopping entirely, it refers to only buying things you actually need and items of quality that will last.

Circular fashion Circular fashion refers to the entire lifecycle of a product and centers on a circle of create, use, recycle, rather than create, use, dispose. It looks at products beyond their original function and timespan and focuses on how their materials can be consistently utilized and repurposed. Circular fashion takes in to consideration everything including the design, sourcing, transportation, storage, marketing, sale and disposal of the product.

Closed loop In fashion it means that all new clothes are made from preexisting clothes and textiles, The Guardian explains. Once an item has fulfilled its use, it can be broken down through an environmentally sound process and turned back into yarn/fabric and then recycled into another garment. This forms a "closed loop" in that an item would have an eternal life cycle and therefore eliminate waste.

Cruelty free Cruelty-free means that companies did not test ingredients or products on animals during the production phase. Cruelty-free, therefore, also means that no animals were killed or harmed anywhere in the world during production. Items that meet this standard normally carry a heart symbol. Cruelty-free does not mean, however, that animal ingredients are avoided.

Eco friendly Eco-friendly, like sustainability, is an all encompassing term that takes many factors into account. "Eco" is short for ecology, the study of interaction between organisms and the environment. Therefore, eco-friendly is about minimizing anything that would negatively affect that balance.

Fast fashion Fast fashion is the term used to describe clothing that is produced quickly and cheaply. Brands and retailers that engage in fast fashion often create products based on seasonal trends directly inspired by the runway. Fast fashion brands are generally associated with overproduction, low retail prices, mass waste, poor working conditions, and negative environmental impact.

FSC certified If an item is FSC-certified it means that the fabric is made from tree fibers that come from sustainable sources in that they do not originate from endangered or ancient forests. TENCEL and MONOCEL products, for example, are often made from FSC certified eucalyptus and bamboo.

Living wage Paying someone a living wage is to pay workers from all aspects of the production process a fair salary so they are not trapped in poverty. A living wage varies greatly from country to country and that is also taken into consideration.

Organic Standards differ as to what "organic" means from country to country but generally speaking, organic fashion refers to the materials used and how they're grown. Basically this means that the materials are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), sewage sludge, ionizing radiation, or other chemicals.

Social responsibility Social responsibility means that a company adheres to a business framework that values people and the planet as well as profit. It's about benefiting local communities and their environment. Unfortunately, brands claiming social responsibility can't always be taken at face value. This term is often used in greenwashing.

WRAP certified Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), formerly Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) organization dedicated to promoting safe, lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing around the world through certification and education. The WRAP certification program mainly focuses on the apparel, footwear and sewn products sectors.

Certified B CorpB Corporation certification is a private certification issued to for-profit companies by B Lab, a global nonprofit organization with offices in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a partnership in Latin America with Sistema B. To be granted and to preserve certification, companies must receive a minimum score on an online assessment for "social and environmental performance."

Okay! That's it! I hope this was helpful to you! And remember, if you have ANY questions at all, you can email me - [email protected] or find me on social media - @stillbeingmolly or @businesswithpurposepodcast. And if you share the show on social media, you can use the hashtag, #businesswithpurposepodcast.

Be sure to head on over to iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Radio Public, or wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure you are SUBSCRIBED to the show. Clicking that subscribe button helps ensure that you NEVER miss a new episode of the podcast! And while you are there, would you mind taking a moment to leave a review of the show? Leaving a review of the show helps me to know what you are liking and how this show is personally impacting you.

This show is edited by my amazing husband and "executive producer" John Stillman and the music is by Marc Killian of Third Wheel Media.

Thank you SO much for listening and go do something good with purpose on purpose!

My guest this week is Liz Bohannon, the CEO and founder of Sseko Designs, a fair trade, socially conscious fashion brand that is providing dignified jobs in developing nations around the world. Sseko Designs also gives university scholarships to the brightest, young female leaders in East Africa. This is actually Liz's second time on the show! You can hear our first conversation all the way back at episode #28 in March of 2017! Over the years, Liz and I have become dear friends and it was so great having her back on the show! Join me to hear about Sseko Designs, Liz's first book Beginners Pluck, and how Liz has lived a life of purpose, passion, and impact.

4:53 – The Liz 201 (A Business Model Change)

• Liz has been running her ethical fashion brand, Sseko Designs for ten years. Three years ago, the organization experienced a fundamental shift as a company when they decided to shut down their wholesale channel.
• They knew they were creating change for women all over the world with fair wages, education, and strong communities, but recognized that they were not fostering the same community on the retail side of their business yet.
• When Sseko started 10 years ago, the term "social enterprise" didn't exist. Sseko started to wonder if they could take the "business of good" and put it into the hands of regular, everyday consumers.
• They launched Sseko Fellows, a social selling model to put products in the hands of women to sell Sseko products. It was a very small-scale beginning, but taught Sseko how to build a better model for women to earn a legitimate income. Liz knew that there were more women who also wanted to dream big to help women who also want to build their own businesses.
• Sseko Fellows evolved into a social enterprise with teams that create full-time, fair-waged jobs for a year for artisans across the globe as well as university scholarships for the brightest female scholars in East Africa.
• When people are provided dignified, fair-wage opportunity, they are far less likely to be trafficked into an illegal labor market. Often those who fall victim to these crimes are answering fake job ads, desperate to get out of poverty and unaware that it's a trap until it's too late.
• When basic needs are met through safe jobs, the cycle of evil and abuse can be stopped.

15:49 – A Woman Connected to Her Purpose

• While there are so many volunteer and non-profit causes that help make the world better, Liz and her team also recognized that women have more time and energy to contribute without burning out when they are equipped with a competitive salary and business resources.
• If the way a woman contributes to her passion and purpose also generates an income, you free her to focus on social change work while making sure her childcare needs, bills, mortgage payments, car payments, groceries, etc. are not going to be a burden.
• Something really magical happens when we know that there are others who want to show up and cheer for us. That is the atmosphere Sseko strives to create.
• When people, particularly women, start new endeavors, the world often sits and waits for them to fail. Sseko women are encouraged to dream big with support from a like-minded sisterhood that helps set them up for success!
• In the last few years, the Sseko community both in the United States Fellows Program and the Scholarship and Business programs in Africa have fostered a global family of women supporting women and championing each other through community, not competition.
• If you don't find community and make an impact, Sseko will fully refund your starter kit investment, which is only $150 for $400 worth of product. Working with Sseko not only brings financial freedom, enjoyable work, and finding a purpose, but the most common response from Sseko women about what they get out of the program is that they've found genuine female friendships to help in hard times and celebrate in the good.

29:48 – Become a Sseko Fellow

If you are interested in learning more, you too can join me as a Sseko Fellow! All you have to do is go to https://ssekodesigns.com/mollystillman and click the "Join Now" link at the top menu bar!

32:05 – Fun Bonus:

You should probably all check out Liz's cooking show with her two-year-old son, Theo on Instagram (@lizbohannon)

33:05 - Beginner's Pluck: Build Your Life of Purpose and Impact Now

• Liz just wrote her first book called Beginner's Pluck. I read it in a day and a half. It's not your typical book on business, it's much better. This is the book you'll want to help you truly grow right where you are rather than just hearing feel good mantras.
• Finding your passion isn't a magical, one-time moment. Your life matters and you can make a difference, but it doesn't just happen naturally for anyone.
• Liz shares new ways of thinking about things that leaves people relieved and removes the pressure around achievement and shifts it to waking up to one's own voice.
• It's a model of tapping into people's lives and meaning rather than their fears and emotions for short-term bursts of engagement.
• We can combine our faith with action and work. When you put in the work, God will bless that work.
• It applies to goal setting and risk taking as well. Complacency and fear-driven desires for safety to keep from looking ridiculous or taking risks that are too big removes the opportunity for God to show up and do things we couldn't dream up on our own.
• If we're always playing it safe and our primary concern is survival, we limit our potential. If you spend all your time dodging failure, you'll never chase after the "what if" dreams.
• Don't forget that failure is a necessary and unavoidable process. That experience leads you to the moment when your dream finally "clicks."
• If you're stuck in overwhelm, this book is for you. Your dream is within your grasp right where you are, whether in the good or the messy.
• Liz has hopes that leaders will subscribe to this way of thinking to help their teams, employees, clients, etc. There is even a prison using Beginner's Pluck to turn lives around!
• You've got to start. Even if it's an ugly start. You don't get to evolve until you put yourself out there for the first time. An immature and over-inflated sense of ego happens we think we'll automatically be successful right out of the gate.

55:55 - Getting To Know Our Guest

• Find out what stunt Liz pulled off after her talk at the Global Leader's Summit. At 1:07:52 to learn walk Liz would choose as her "walk up song," what she thinks we'll be nostalgic for in forty years, her favorite lipstick color right now (because it's so much fun) and of course, what it means to Liz to run a business with purpose.

Memorable Quotes:

15:51 - "A woman on a mission who is connected to her purpose, who is connected to her passion, can literally change the world."

28:22 "We are going to be a community of women who are collectively ambitious. You do not have to worry about too much or dreaming too big. You get to be surrounded by people who say: 'This is how I can support you.' "

38:03 - "Once you have peace and an understanding of what it actually looks like to build a life of purpose, passion, and impact, that actually propels you forward."

55:14 – "Me messing up doesn't mean I'm broken; it doesn't mean I'm not the right person for the job. It means that I'm trying to do something that is difficult."

"You only have the opportunity to fail when you choose to do something that is a little bit out of your reach."

"We started to wonder if Sseko could be a company that pioneers this idea of democratizing social entrepreneurship and business for good."

Connect with Sseko Designs:

• https://www.instagram.com/ssekodesigns/
• https://ssekodesigns.com/mollystillman
• https://www.facebook.com/ssekodesigns
• http://www.instagram.com/lizbohannon

About Liz:

Liz Forkin Bohannon is the founder of Sseko Designs and the author the book Beginner's Pluck: Build your life of purpose, passion and impact now.

Sseko Designs is an ethical fashion brand that works to educate and empower women. By providing employment and educational opportunities, Sseko enables women to continue their education and become leaders in their country.

Liz graduated from the University of Missouri with a Master's degree in Journalism. In 2008, she moved to Uganda where she met an incredible group of talented young women who were struggling to finance their higher education.

After traveling the country by motorcycle to find raw materials and learn how to produce footwear by hand, Liz hired three young women and started Sseko Designs. Since then, Sseko Designs has grown from three women making sandals together under a mango tree, to an international fashion brand that provides employment, educational opportunities and entrepreneurial training to hundreds of women in East Africa and across the globe.

Using her unlikely story of a journalist-gone-shoe-maker, Liz shares her passion for social enterprise, conscious consumerism, social justice, creative leadership and gender-equality.

Liz and the Sseko story has been featured in dozens of publications including: Vogue Magazine, Redbook Magazine, O Magazine, Inc, Fortune and others. Sseko has appeared on national broadcasts including ABC's Shark Tank and Good Morning America.

Among other notable honors, Liz was recently named a top three Transformation Leader by John Maxwell and Bloomberg Businessweek named Sseko as a top social enterprise. Forbes named Liz one of the top 20 public speakers in the U.S. Liz's powerful, disarmingly authentic and witty voice captivates and inspires her audience.

She now splits her time between Uganda and Portland, Oregon, where she and her husband Ben run Sseko Designs and raise their two young sons.

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Can you guess which country in the world is the largest exporter of tea? Did you guess Kenya? That's right, Kenya provides for tea drinkers all around the world from black tea to green tea, and now a new delicious purple tea that has more antioxidants than any other type of tea and has only 40% of the caffeine. Unfortunately, a large part of the tea industry is using exploitative labor on their farms. My guest this week is trying to change that. Paul Bain is the "Tea Captain" of JusTea. JusTea is a company that represents family tea partnership with small scale Kenyan tea farmers. Paul has traveled from Vancouver to Kenya every year for the past seven years. Aside from Canada, Kenya is the country Paul has spent the most time in. In many ways, it's become home to him as he works directly with small scale farmers and living with them on the tea gardens, processing tea together. Paul is passionate about connecting you back to the farmer who made your cup of tea possible. Join me as I hear more from Paul about the ways that small scale tea farms are changing lives and communities in Kenya.

4:09 – The Paul 101

• JusTea is a family business with Paul, his wife Sally, and their three-year-old daughter, Cleo. They started JusTea in 2012, not long after Paul graduated from university with a focus on East African Studies and International Development.
• Paul had spent time in Uganda doing charity work as well, and after talking to his family about the needs the witnessed for projects on the ground, he wanted to find a way to raise awareness and create more impact on the ground.
• There wasn't enough money raised for the projects that local Ugandans were trying to help with in their communities. Paul went back to Uganda in 2012 to try to find partners to help up a social enterprise. Their intention was to focus on trade rather than aid and to create sustainable wages.
• Their first partnership was with tea farmers, and Paul and his team learned all about the ins and outs, the joys and struggles of working on a tea farm. After researching for about a year and a few trial runs, JusTea was born in 2014.

6:53 – The Largest Exporter of Tea in the World

• While Kenya is relatively new as a tea growing country, as a former British colony, the country has a huge demand for tea exports to the UK. Tea farming has been passed down from generation to generation, and there are now over half a million small scale tea farmers.
• Tea is also a regular part of Kenyan culture. When you visit a Kenyan household, you'll always be greeted with a cup of hot Chai. The country has become a powerhouse in the industry is just 100 years. They also have the perfect conditions for growing tea: the farms are chemical and pesticide free and they're right on the equator at a high elevation.
• Even though Kenya is the largest exporter of black tea, no one really knows about it because the story of the farmers in Kenya isn't told. JusTea is trying to change that to present a whole-leaf, flavorful cup of tea directly from farmers who have sustainable employment and stories that are known.

11:14 – Partnering with Farmers

• Larger, well-known tea brands have cut corners to down grade the product. Both farmers and the environment can be hurt when big corporations want to obtain their tea as cheaply as possible.
• When researching the Tea Act in Kenya, Paul quickly discovered it's not set up to benefit the small-scale farmer. Massive factories and corporations are the ones allowed to produce the tea. It was actually illegal for farmers to pick the tea and make it into a finished product. JusTea worried they might even be shut down at the very beginning of their business.
• JusTea was able to present to the county governor and Tea Board of Kenya about the quality of their tea and their goals to tell the Kenyan story and put Kenya on the map. Farmers loved the plan because they were earning more without having to go through brokers, distribution houses, tea shops, etc.
• Kenya actually changed their Tea Act to make it legal for farmers to set up a cottage industry license to set up a tea producing factory on their own farm or in a cooperative.
• Kenya and Kenyan farmers face an uphill battle for independence as a former British colony. Whether farmers own their own few acres of farms or are tea pickers working for larger corporations, there is little opportunity for people to leave the industry. They have their basic needs met but have no way out of the cycle.
• Farmers only earn a portion of the amount of pay for tea leaves that they drop off at the factory. They typically receive a bonus at the time of year when school fees are due, but when there is an oversupply of tea, they receive very little bonus or no bonus at all.

19:00 – Shifting from Trade, Not Aid

• JusTea realized that farmers were not able to sustain their families as tea pickers or small-scale farmers. JusTea set up the first small-scale farmer owned farms with loans and training on how to make their own tea. Farmers pick the tea and process it themselves and JusTea buys it directly from them as a finished product and farmers earn more that way.
• JusTea is creating awareness at the same time as they're creating demand, so there's still a long way to go. Most of the world still doesn't know that Kenya is the largest exporter of black tea, so JusTea is focusing on Purple Tea to draw attention to Kenyan tea.

Purple Tea!

• Purple Tea is completely delicious and completely unique to Kenya. The purple pigmentation you see in Purple Tea and in foods like cabbage, eggplant, etc., is created by an antioxidant called anthocyanin. Purple Tea also has the lowest amount of caffeine out of all the different types of tea.
• JusTea is the first company to bring this healthy Purple Tea to North America and have won numerous awards for it already.
• Purple Tea is also helping JusTea's mission of helping connect farmers to consumers by introducing the farmers on the packaging of Purple Tea tins. Even the wooden scoops included in the tins employ carvers in Kenya!
• Paul is also a professional Tea Taster. Technically, a Tea Sommelier. What a job! He's tasting JusTeas Kenyan teas at least once a week. They're constantly doing tea cupping (tea tasting) and even offer small classes for local businesses to learn more. All you need to know about tea tasting is whether you like the taste or not.

The Exciting World of Tea!

• Tea is the second most widely consumer beverage after water in the world. When Paul hears that someone doesn't like tea, he thinks they just haven't tried very much of it. He loves helping people explore the wide variety of flavors and health benefits of high-quality tea.
• If you'd like to explore tea on your own, Paul recommends you take a friend to a tea shop or tearoom and ask to smell the different teas they have. If you a tea smells good to you, you'll probably like the taste as well. Follow your nose and find your own tea adventure!
• Paul recommends adding a little milk and sugar to your tea. If you're trying to cut back on caffeine, Paul recommends a Black Tea Breakfast Blend or Earl Grey. They still have caffeine but won't have the crash that comes with coffee thanks to an ingredient called allithiamine that balances out caffeine. You won't get the jitters either. Black teas also hold milk and sugar well.
• In Kenya, tea is prepared by boiling a pot of water and add 1/3 tea, 1/3 milk, and 1/3 sugar. It's traditionally a sweet, milky treat in Kenya. Paul also likes to drink it pure with nothing added. JusTea isn't a tea bag tea, they are whole-leaf ingredients. There are many teas that are sweet enough on their own without milk and sugar. You typically only add milk and sugar to tea that is intense and strong on its own.
• It's also fun to experiment by adding honey or almond milk or steaming milk and making tea lattes! There's no wrong way to do it, it's such an eclectic and creative beverage!

35:15 - Getting To Know Our Guest

Find out what most influenced Paul to what he's doing today with JusTea. At 38:16, check out Paul's answer to some light-hearted get-to-know you questions like "What is something I'd never guess about you?", "What makes you feel most alive?", " and of course the question I ask all my guests, "What does it mean to you to run a business with purpose?".

Are you ready to try that PURPLE TEA?! I know I am! Paul is even giving you a discount code!

• Use Molly15 for 15% off at https://justea.com/
• You can also find JusTea on Amazon!
• Here are the other ways you can CONNECT with JusTea!

Memorable Quotes:

8:43 – "We want to present a whole-leaf quality cup of tea with incredible flavors that are fresh and farmer direct, and creating sustainable employment for farmers and allowing the tea drinker to know who made the cup of tea possible."

17:45 "How the industry is currently set up for these small scale farmers is that they (farmers) suffer when the corporation that's selling the tea doesn't find new markets."

19:45 - "We're creating awareness at the same time as we're creating demand for this product since no one really knows about Kenyan tea, even though they are the largest exporter of black tea."

24:55 - "I take pictures of the farmers and add their profiles to the Purple Tea tins. When we bring some extras back to Kenya and extras to give to their friends they get so excited and say "I'm a celebrity!"

ABOUT PAUL BAIN:

Paul Bain is the Tea Captain at JusTea, the first farmer-direct tea partnership between Kenya and Canada. Born and raised in Vancouver, Paul is passionate to connect tea drinkers with the small-scale farmer who made their cup possible. JusTea's healthy new Purple Tea won the top food and beverage award in BC in 2018: Gold Medal for "Product of the Year".