Out There with Lorraine Sanders

Sometimes business is grueling and challenging and frustrating to no end. But then, sometimes things begin to fall into place and you come up for air to realize you are in exactly the right spot for right now. That's what happened to multi-hyphenate actor-musician-artist-activist-entrepreneur Nikki Reed (you will remember her from the Twilight series and many others) when she stepped beyond Hollywood to launch a business focused on sustainability. Joining with Freedom of Animals founder Morgan Boyle, Reed launched Bayou with Love, an ecommerce company that has evolved into a modern fine jewelry destination for those seeking ethical options for engagements and special occasion pieces.

The resulting collecting truly sums up what we mean when we talk about fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability + tech (a space I call FEST) — with gold reclaimed from old Dell Computer motherboards and cultivated diamonds made through wind and solar power, their pieces are dually beautiful and ethically made.

With Bayou by Love bringing the dreamiest of baubles, Reed's latest is strictly down-to-earth. Like actually on the earth. That's because it's a new footwear collection from Reed and LOCI, the luxury vegan footwear collection handmade in Portugal with bamboo linings, cork insoles and recycled ocean plastics.

Listen to the episode to hear how Reed moved from one career to entrepreneurship, how she's approaching building a sustainable business, fielding collaborations to make sure they're a fit and staying true to her vision and values along the way.

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Linkage

See the Nikki X LOCI collection here

Connect with Nikki Reed

Instagram: @nikkireed

Website: www.bayouwithlove.com

Connect with Bayou with Love

Facebook: @bayouwithlove

Instagram: @bayouwithlove

Pinterest: @bayouwithlove

Pay It Forward:

Earth + Element Ceramics @earthandelement

Poppy & Someday Apothecary Spa @poppyandsomeday

Dazed but Amazed @dazedbutamazed

Summer & Storm @summerandstorm

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com.

This week's guest turned her pain personal point — her husband's stinky workout shirts — into product that's now fueling not one, but multiple businesses. On this week's episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, you will hear how Texas entrepreneur Megan Eddings left a corporate career while at the top of her game to risk building an activewear brand aiming to solve for stinky shirts. But she didn't just create an apparel line — she put her college chemistry degree and sales acumen to work and ended up creating an entirely new fabric to fight odor.

She didn't stop there. Listen to the episode to hear how the pandemic opened the door to new revenue streams and new business and what's happened since.

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Linkage

Calm

Kolbe.com

Connect with Megan Eddings

Linkedin: Megan Eddings

Instagram: @megand1431

Website: www.accellifestyle.com

Connect with the Accel Lifestyle

Facebook: @AccelLifestyle

Instagram: @accellifestyle

Instagram: @megand1431

Twitter: @accel_lifestyle

Pinterest: @accellifestyle

Pay It Forward:

Khaliah O. Guillory

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com.

What can product businesses in FEST (fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability + tech) learn from content marketers in the current digital landscape? As a content creator, producer, consultant and entrepreneur who works primarily with product businesses, I'm here to tell you the answer is so much, especially right now — a time when every business is being asked to become a publisher in order to stay visible and connect with new audiences.

From simple social media communication tactics to the easiest email marketing tip ever, listen to this solo episode for the shortlist of ways I'm advising clients to embrace content marketing wisdom and make it work for your product biz.

If you're looking for more ways to get visible and grow, you'll find our new, limited-time DIY PR Masterclass for ethical and sustainable fashion brands waiting for you at spiritof608.com/masterclass.

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<3 <3 <3 HOW TO LISTEN:

Listen online: Just press play above or subscribe via RSS to receive all new episodes.

iOS, iPhone, iPad: Subscribe via iTunes or download the Apple Podcast app and subscribe by searching for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Android: Download the free Stitcher app and search for Spirit of 608 in the app.

12 Ecommerce Conversion Rate Statistics (Updated 2021)

164 Best Email Subject Lines to Boost Your Email Open Rates (2021)

Spirit of 608 Specials: Try personal faves Madison Reed and NakedWines

Find ethical and sustainable fashion jobs

Spirit of 608 DIY PR Masterclass

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com. This post may contain affiliate links that will send a small commission to the Spirit of 608 for recommending products and services we love and use.

On this week's show, we brush up to (sorry not sorry) the story, tips and advice from an entrepreneur building a luxury vegan nail lacquer company that's out to make an impact in the beauty world with high-quality, cruelty-free products and a tech play that stands to increase inclusivity in more ways than one. Plus, and this is no small feat, Auda.B founder Samara Walker is doing it all while holding a full-time corporate job at one of the world's best-known companies.

Sam's story is one that's honest about the ups and downs and waiting game that can come with building a business and also full of heart — you will love the story of how her single mom inspired her to start the brand. We were lucky to talk to her just before the announcement of her Nordstrom partnership — so be on the lookout for more Auda.B in your world soon.

Listen to this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast for inspiration that will help your business journey, as well as the way to save 15% off your first purchase from the biz.

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Listen online: Just press play above or subscribe via RSS to receive all new episodes.

iOS, iPhone, iPad: Subscribe via iTunes or download the Apple Podcast app and subscribe by searching for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Android: Download the free Stitcher app and search for Spirit of 608 in the app.

💅

Don't Miss This!

Use code Love608 for 15% off your first Auda.B purchase.

Linkage

15 Percent Pledge

Aurora James

Sephora

Nordstrom

Bloomingdale's

Coresight

Women's Wear Daily

Fast

Connect with Samara Walker

Linkedin: Samara Walker

Website: www.audabbeauty.com

Connect with the Auda.B

Facebook: @Audabbeauty

Instagram: @audabbeauty

Twitter: @Audabbeauty

Linkedin: Auda.B

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com.

In this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, we get seriously material about the future of fashion with guest Nicole Rawling, co-founder of the Material Innovation Initiative. Their mission? To make it easier for next generation textiles and product materials to make it into the marketplace in meaningful way. To that end, MII is betting collaboration and communication are key to their goal and, as such, act as connectors in a complex, global web of entrepreneurs, innovators, suppliers and manufacturers.

An attorney who spent time growing the Good Food Institute and a former director with the Animal Defense Fund, Rawling brings her expertise on the intersection of food, agriculture, animal rights and social justice to this latest venture focused on not only on changing the way the fashion, automotive and textile industries use materials in their products — but what they fundamentally have access to.

Listen to this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast for her experience moving from food to fashion and building a multi-player network aiming to bring next generation materials to today's current and future consumer brands.

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<3 <3 <3 HOW TO LISTEN:

Listen online: Just press play above or subscribe via RSS to receive all new episodes.

iOS, iPhone, iPad: Subscribe via iTunes or download the Apple Podcast app and subscribe by searching for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Android: Download the free Stitcher app and search for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Connect with Nicole Rawling

Instagram: @nicole.a.rawling

Twitter: @nicole_rawling

Linkedin: Nicole Rawling

Website: www.materialinnovation.org

Connect with the Material Innovation Initiative

Facebook: @materialinnovation

Instagram: @materialinnovation

Linkedin: Material Innovation Initiative

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com.

In this solo episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, I get personal about my own anxiety and offer up 5 tried-and-true ways to revive your mindset when you're suddenly hit with a wave of anxiousness, imbalance or overwhelm. I'm pulling the inspiration for this episode directly from my own super anxious day earlier this week, but the advice I'm offering up comes from figuring out what works for me through years of grappling with mindset highs and lows during life transitions, entrepreneurship, parenting and good old-fashioned, semi-ridiculous bouts of comparison-itis. I hope what I'm sharing here today can help you revive your mindset the next time you're feeling less than your most confident, powerful self so you can get back to the amazing, impactful things you are up to in the world.

Listen to this solo episode for the shortlist of ways I'd advise a client or a close friend to move forward on a tough day — and if you already know these, let this be one of those reinforcing episodes to help bring your mind back into alignment with where you're truly headed.

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<3 <3 <3 HOW TO LISTEN:

Listen online: Just press play above or subscribe via RSS to receive all new episodes.

iOS, iPhone, iPad: Subscribe via iTunes or download the Apple Podcast app and subscribe by searching for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Android: Download the free Stitcher app and search for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com. This post may contain affiliate links that will send a small commission to the Spirit of 608 for recommending products and services we love and use.

For Amira Rasool, The Folklore is far from just a business. Not only that, this female founder travelled far from her home in the U.S. to discover the origins of her current business while studying in South Africa. After dedicating her life to African-American studies, Amira has realized that being visible as a black female entrepreneur and being able to shine the spotlight on luxury African fashion brands was a calling and a way to bring economic power to Black people and the design talent she saw while living abroad.

With a focus on social justice and empowerment that runs to the core of her entrepreneurial ethos, Amira Rasool is changing both consumer access fashion brands from Africa and aesthetic stereotypes about African culture and the diaspora, one piece of clothing at a time.

Listen to this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast for her experience as an entrepreneur bridging the gap between two continents, what she's learned about hiring while building a mission-driven startup and the reason she decided to join an accelerator this year despite promising growth created all on her own.

<3 <3 <3 Oh hey there! Please help the podcast out and leave us a rating and review on iTunes. This stuff is key to the show's success, and I appreciate you helping me play the game.

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Listen online: Just press play above or subscribe via RSS to receive all new episodes.

iOS, iPhone, iPad: Subscribe via iTunes or download the Apple Podcast app and subscribe by searching for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Android: Download the free Stitcher app and search for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Linkage

The Read by Kid Fury and Crissle

How I Built This Podcast

Superwomen by Rebecca Minkoff

Techstars

Connect with Amira Rasool

Instagram: @amirarasool

Twitter: @amirarasool

Website: amirarasool.com

Connect with The Folkore

Facebook: @TheFolklore

Instagram: @TheFolklore

Twitter: @TheFolklore

YouTube: The Folklore

Website: The Folklore

Pay It Forward:

Tastemakers Africa

Topicals

T. A. New York

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com.

In my neck of the woods, the switch suddenly flipped to spring mode and, with that, I've been thinking A LOT about growth, abundance and all the things that help cultivate those in life, as well as the things that, yup, get in the way. As you know if you've listened to the Spirit of 608 podcast for any length of time, you know that I am possibly the world's unlikeliest mindset junkie. And if you didn't know that about me, I hoping that tidbit helps put a big fat underline underneath my promise to you that the five things I'm sharing are capable of making a significant impact in how you can access joy, reduce anxiety and increase the opportunities that come to you with every little effort.

Listen to this solo episode is the shortlist of things I want you to have as you move into the coming weeks and months and keep getting at the year with momentum and inspired action — and if you already have them, which is likely for many of you, let this be one of those reinforcing reminders to bring your mind back into alignment with where you're truly headed.

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Listen online: Just press play above or subscribe via RSS to receive all new episodes.

iOS, iPhone, iPad: Subscribe via iTunes or download the Apple Podcast app and subscribe by searching for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Android: Download the free Stitcher app and search for Spirit of 608 in the app.

LINKS

Kolbe A Index Test

Rewire for Wealth by Barbara Huson

Get Rich Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield Thomas

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com. This post may contain affiliate links that will send a small commission to the Spirit of 608 for recommending products and services we love and use.

If there's one luxury in life that money can't buy, it's a good night's sleep. Except, well, after you hear this week's guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast, you might think differently.

That's because Catarina Dahlin, co-founder of Swiss sleepwear brand Dagsmejan, is here this week to let us in on her journey from a successful corporate job that included lots of international travel (translation: lots of jetlag) to founding a sleepwear brand that's backed by scientific research and approved by, well, my mom. Those of you who have listened to the show for years know that every once in a while, my mom makes her way onto the show for stamping her extremely discerning approval on a FEST-ive product. When that happens, I always take notice because she's got way better taste than I do and standards to match.

But back to Catarina, who has built her company alongside her partner and with funding from the Swiss government (food for thought U.S. government, just sayin') into a brand with an international reach thanks to its sleep-promoting fabrics that are ethically produced using materials that help regulate body temperature and reduce friction against the skin. There's more to the product, but I'll let you hear it from Catarina.

Listen in to get inspired by an entrepreneur who admits she knew nothing when she started out, but has approached a problem in her own life with curiosity and a willingness to look to likeminded brands for advice and receive their help in ways that have boosted their trajectory on the entrepreneurial sleep train (sorry, couldn't help it).

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Listen online: Just press play above or subscribe via RSS to receive all new episodes.

iOS, iPhone, iPad: Subscribe via iTunes or download the Apple Podcast app and subscribe by searching for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Android: Download the free Stitcher app and search for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Linkage

Connect with Catarina Dahlin

Facebook: @dagsmejan

Instagram: @dagsmejan_sleepwear

LinkedIn: Dagsmejan Ventures

YouTube: Dagsmejan

Website: dagsmejan.com

Resources from the show:

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

Pay It Forward:

On - Performance Running Shoes

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com.

It's the 250th episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast! For this milestone episode, I'm getting all analytical on you and checking in on the status of the first 25 brands to be on the show. I tallied up how many are still operating, who has shut down, who's pivoted or shifted and who's IPO'd — and it's more than one! That would have been pretty unbelievable to me back in 2015 when I started the show. But the FEST space has come a long way, and it's showing no signs of slowing down. Want to know how business in FEST has performed versus business in general? Oh yes! Then listen to this episode — I was really surprised at some of the things I found when I compared the fates and current states of the first 25 businesses I covered, and I think you will be too!

With that in mind, after dropping the numbers on how many businesses persisted, pivoted, IPO'd — and how that percentage stacks up against businesses across industries — I break down the common characteristics of the ones thriving today and the reasons I see for the others shutting down.

Then I'm giving you predictions for the next five years. I see a couple of undeniable trends that have been coming down the pipe for a while finally approaching feasibility when it comes to the infrastructure needed to support them not only as concepts but as viable business models — and that means these ideas that have been pretty impossible to build businesses on are finally coming to fruition (one is even being touted as a potential $5T market — wut?! See my Instagram for more on that). Plus, I walk you through two distinct brand ethos buckets that I think you're going to see most of the successful consumer-facing companies of the next five years swimming in.

The TLDR? Listen in for the numbers, the common threads in the successes and failures and my predictions for what's next.

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Listen online: Just press play above or subscribe via RSS to receive all new episodes.

iOS, iPhone, iPad: Subscribe via iTunes or download the Apple Podcast app and subscribe by searching for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Android: Download the free Stitcher app and search for Spirit of 608 in the app.

Find more episodes featuring women at the forefront of FEST online at www.Spiritof608.com.