Right After Breakfast

Kestrel Jenkins is a storyteller and conscious style maven who believes fashion with ethics can jive, and maybe even thrive together. For over a decade, she's been enthralled with asking questions about where our clothes are made, what they are made of and who made them. She got her start interning with People Tree in London, and from that point on, she knew the only world she wanted to live in was one where she could embrace her style without sacrificing her values.

Kestrel is the founder of the Conscious Chatter podcast, an inclusive audio space, that opens the door to conversations about our clothing and the layers of stories, meaning and potential impact connected to what we wear. It's a venue that allows us to continue to learn more about the garment industry and how we can all be a bigger part of positive change in the industry.

Find Kestrel Online:

Website - http://consciouschatter.com/

Facebook - @consciouschatterpodcast

Instagram - @consciouschatter

Twitter - @consciouschatt

Some Questions I Ask:

• Did you escape from yourself into fashion or was it self discovery?
• Are the male and female gender connections to fashion changing?
• Are big changes happening in fashion with the main stream?
• How do you balance three jobs at once and put positive energy in each one?
• How is feeling evoked through fashion?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• Fashion and the identity connection
• Finding positivity through fashion
• Society's view on fashion and women
• Changing the perspectives you've created based on what people wear
• Learning lessons from each experience you have available

Music Composed by John Zarcone

Erin Dollar is the designer and maker behind Cotton & Flax. With a background in fine art printmaking, Erin brings a simple, modern aesthetic vision to Cotton & Flax, which she founded in 2012.

After studying fine art printmaking at UC Santa Cruz, Erin continued her studio practice and produced artworks on paper in Portland, Oregon. She began a series of experimental printmaking projects on textiles in 2010, and spent two years refining her aesthetic vision and perfecting printing processes before founding Cotton & Flax as a permanent home for her designs.

With Cotton & Flax, Erin approaches textile design as a blend of fine art and fine craft. By using traditional methods to print each textile piece, Erin hopes to share her love of printmaking, and to promote greater public interest in owning unique, handmade home goods.

One of my favorite topics of conversation with Erin was about the tug and pull of transparency around your business. On one hand Erin sees a huge importance in sharing the process of her business with her customers or fans, allowing them to see the inner workings of the business that can make them feel more connected. But Erin is also not one to make things all about her. In fact she'd rather make most of it about her work, products, and what she's looking to accomplish on a bigger scale.

Social media has certainly created a borderline expectation of revealing your personal life or personality to market your brand. Something that can work great if done well, but not all people are interested in giving up that type of privacy. Erin is firmly in the camp of finding ways to be authentic that work for her. Dictating how she reveals that personal transparency is something very important for her, and can also be a great asset. It's a fantastic reminder that the most "popular" way is not always the best way for you or your business. And usually what's best for you will always be the right choice in helping your business thrive.

Find Cotton and Flax Online:

Website - https://cottonandflax.com/

Facebook - @cottonandflax

Instagram - @cottonandflax

Some Questions I Ask:

• What made lightbulb go off creatively for you?
• Do you enjoy the process or the end product more?
• How has marketing and advertising changed as social media platforms have changed?
• Do you ever struggle with being genuine vs being trendy?
• What's a word you would use to describe your work and what you're trying to get across?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• What's special about running a product based business
• The slow natural process of Cotton and Flax
• The importance of sharing the process
• How to be successful without making it all about you in this day and age
• Finding ways to be authentic that work for you

Music Composed by John Zarcone

Alex Michael May is a speaker, writer, and creative director. She's a style, travel, and beauty expert. And according to Instagram, she's also your virtual bff. Alex seems to do just about anything, and if she hasn't done it yet I can guarantee you she'll be doing it soon.

I would describe Alex as honest and bold. But that doesn't mean that her confidence was always through the roof. In fact it wasn't until just recently that Alex has started to own the things that she wasn't always that confident about. In doing that she started to discover that the things she was worried about were some of her biggest attributes.

Alex is a believes in a greater power, something bigger than ourselves. A force that drives us to be what we are destined to be. Knowing that gives her the freedom to be herself and trust in the process. A process that started a long time ago but continuously adds to her skill set and ability. The snowball effect has worked wonders in Alex's life. Growing bigger and bigger even if the path was never completely clear. But the snowball eventually created it's own natural path and Alex has found herself in a place that couldn't be more perfect. It's an incredible lesson in trusting that if we work hard we'll get to where we're meant to be.

Find Alex Online:

Website - http://alexmichaelmay.com/

YouTube - @alexmichaelmay

Instagram - @alexmichaelmay

Twitter - @alexmichaelmay

Some Questions I Ask:

• Do you step outside the bounds of your life to make things happen for you?
• What has finally brought you to a place of self confidence?
• How do you get over failure?
• Was there a point that everything came together and you realized your path?
• How do you discover your "why" and merge it with your ideas?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• The snowball effect
• Believing in something bigger than yourself
• Why who you know and the work you create is the foundation of everything
• When it's more uncomfortable being yourself than growing
• The importance of staying in the moment

Music Composed by John Zarcone

Lorraine Sanders is the founder of Spirit of 608 and host of the podcast. She's also a longtime fashion journalist with a special area of interest in the intersection of fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability and tech. She calls it FEST, and she believes it's the combination of those things that will drive the future of the fashion industry.

This episode with Lorraine touched on something that I've noticed to be such a HUGE quality of entrepreneurs that are successful. Listening to your audience. Lorraine's interest in fashion is the main priority for her. For her it's all about achieving her goals within that world and creating a positive impact. I think it's important that we not lose sight of the fact that our purpose IS the point. We may love creating plans of action and figuring out strategy, but at the end of the day you're gonna be wrong a lot. You're going to fail and feel like you didn't know what you were talking about.

The fact is that most of us don't know what we're talking about. Or at the very least we don't know who we're talking to. Lorraine has found success through figuring out what her audience wants and listening to what they say. It seems simple right? But our egos or doubts get in the way. Once we realize that change and failure is inevitable, listening to our audience suddenly doesn't seem like such a crazy idea. In fact, it's one of the best ideas you can have.

Find Lorraine and Spirit of 608 Online:

Website - http://www.spiritof608.com/

Facebook - @spiritof608

Instagram - @spiritof608

Twitter - @spiritof608

Some Questions I Ask:

• Were you worried about getting serious about fashion?
• What are the challenges people are facing now because of how easy it is to become an entrepreneur?
• What tools are working best to make life easier for small business owners?
• Is there a way that you hope people spend their money towards fashion?
• How can you discover your style?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• How easy it is to start a business - sorta
• Alleviating risk with business costs
• Eliminating distractions
• Creating something sustainable and setting yourself up for future success
• Allowing your audience to tell you who they are, and being open to listening

Music Composed by John Zarcone

Irma Hardjakusumah is the founder of Studio Left, a design studio that she recently launched out of the success of her career. Irma is an award-winning designer with a wide range of design vocabulary and over 15 years of experience in Multidisciplinary Design marked with achievements in all fields related: Exhibit Design, Event Design, Experiential Marketing, Retail/Interior Design and Furniture Design. She is a well-rounded design professional who not only is capable of driving the design process from a macro perspective but is also skilled, knowledgeable and detail oriented to be intimately involved in every step of execution. Naturally talented in both creative and technical sides of design, Irma is able to take a project from its first phase of ideation, through engineering and all the way to its final phase of production.

Irma has designed environments for clients such as Sequoia Productions (The Oscar's Governors Ball, The Emmy Awards Governors Ball), Havas Luxe Events (Swarovski, Audemars Piguet), Jumpline Group (Costume Designers Guild Awards), James Beard Foundation, Hollywood Wax Museum, Hollywood Guinness World of Records Museum, The New York Times, USC Pacific Asia Museum, LACMA, SKYY Vodka, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Nine West, Starwood hotels, Wolfgang Puck, Chrysler, Bentley, Audi, Patek Philippe, LG, Walmart, MTV, Google, Universal, Hearst Publications, Saks Fifth Avenue, LA Music Center, and many more.

Irma is all about putting herself in other peoples shoes. That's her job after all. When people walk through one of Irma's exhibits or event environments, she wants them to feel something deeply. That feeling is an emotion, which creates a sense of wonder or amazement. Irma is clearly really good at delivering those emotions in people, because she is constantly asked back to do it again. But emotions just don't happen, and provoking them can be incredibly difficult. Through storytelling Irma is able to bring people into a moment or a succession of moments that create these emotions. Just like a director does with a film, she does with design. People never forget her immersive experiences because people never forget when an emotion has shifted them so deeply.

Find Irma and Studio Left Online:

Pinterest - @irmahardjakusumah

Instagram - @studio_left

Twitter - @IHardjakusumah

Some Questions I Ask:

• What triggered your passion for design?
• Is there a different feeling you get when designing something temporary vs. permanent?
• How important is it for you to move on from what you've done last time vs. learn from what you've done last time?
• Have you become a better storyteller over the years, and how have you become better?
• Have you ever had to sacrifice creative control on a project because other people think they know better than you?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• Taking a destructive moment and making it reusable
• Formulas are the death of creativity
• Becoming one with your work
• Learning how to put yourself in your customers shoes
• The importance of constantly pushing boundaries

Music Composed by John Zarcone

CYL was founded by Grace Gulley, an empowerment coach and community architect who's on a mission to help women create a life (and business) they love and don't need an escape from. The CYL community was started as a potential avenue in which to make some creative female friends, and rekindle her creative ambitions. It quickly turned into something far greater than imagined, and set Grace down a new life path. Through this community Grace has discovered her own love of creating genuine connections. She has also gained confidence in herself, and built a network of amazing ladies and developed lasting friendships. Her biggest hope is that this community can do for others what it has done for her.

It was incredible to be able to sit down with Grace and talk about why she ACTUALLY created CYL. I quickly realized it started from when she was lost and didn't know what her purpose was. Something that many of us are either dealing with right now or have dealt with in the past. But Grace made some dramatic changes in her life to try and shake things up. After moving to the "woods" of Portland and realizing that it was really just another city to be lonely in, Grace started to focus inward on the things she could control.

But nothing came easy for her. Every time she felt like something was working, there was another breakdown around every corner. Nothing felt right and nothing seemed to stick. But as she created CYL, and continued to battle doubt, there was a growth that was forming through sheer persistence. Every detour created a different door, that molded CYL into something better. The journey was certainly a rollercoaster of anxiety, but things were happening. Grace is now at a point where she is working extra hard on herself and on her business. A balance that she knows needs to lean in the direction of herself. For Grace, success for CYL will happen. But it was finally finding inner peace that was the last piece of the puzzle.

Find Grace and CYL Online:

Website - https://www.cylcommunity.com/ and https://www.gracegulley.com/

Instagram - @cylcollective

Some Questions I Ask:

• How have you dealt with CYL maybe not becoming anything more than a side hustle?
• Do you think the journey is always an anxiety rollercoaster. How long might that last?
• Are you your biggest enemy sometimes, or even most of the time?
• Why is it so important for entrepreneurs to be apart of a close knit and supportive community?
• Do you need to be extraordinary or have an extraordinary idea to be a successful entrepreneur?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• Running away into the "woods" to fix your problems
• Personal growth
• Building a community
• Learning to be open and vulnerable for your own health and success
• Putting yourself before your work

Liza Moiseeva is one of the co-founders at the helm of GlobeIn, the leading social enterprise subscription box company - and the only subscription box company to achieve official Fair Trade designation for its work supporting artisans from around the world and in developing countries where, after agriculture, artisan goods are the second largest source of employment. Through her work, GlobeIn has invested more than $2 million in fair wages into artisan communities over the last two years alone.

Liza was recruited from her native Russia to swim at the college level for Old Dominion University, where she began her social impact work before graduating. She went on to found the first online community for social entrepreneurs in Russia before joining the GlobeIn team as co-founder. She has a tenacity of spirit and a notable mix of strength and empathy that have made her a rising star in the social good space, leading her to speak at such industry events as the groundbreaking 2017 Haiti Tech Summit, among others. Both her personal journey and her professional work make her an inspiring founder to watch.

Liza has a real passion for Artisans, their work, and giving them the opportunity to get a fair wage for what they produce. According to Liza these people don't need handouts or charity, they just need to be paid fairly for the work they produce, no different than any other entrepreneur. Her goal of making the average consumer change their buying habits to support these people is a bold one. But Liza thinks it is absolutely possible through educating the public about what they are buying and who is being impacted on the other end. Every dollar we spend is a ballot cast toward the world we want to live in. The time is now to put the pressure on Big Box stores and tell them what we want, and what the average Artisan deserves.

Find Liza and GlobeIn Online:

Website - https://globein.com/

Facebook - @GlobeIN

Instagram - @globein_world

Twitter - @GlobeIn_World

Some Questions I Ask:

• Do people understand and enjoy the human uniqueness in these products?
• Do you ever get discouraged at how big the problem is you're trying to change?
• How many Fair Trade items should a household try to shoot for?
• What is the importance of taking the emphasis off charity?
• How is purchasing a product and spending your money similar to casting a ballot?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• Artisans
• Subscription boxes
• Fair Trade
• Making small progress toward a bigger goal of making substantial change
• Starting a company with multiple co-founders

Music Composed by John Zarcone

Linh Nguyen is the owner and operator of Âu Lạc. A plant based restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. But this is actually the second Âu Lạc location. In 1997 Linh's mother Mai Nguyen began operating Âu Lạc in Fountain Valley with a special mission in mind. Her experience in overcoming serious illness with a plant-based diet fueled her desire to promote healthy eating to her community. Driven by her passion for good food and good health, she put a plant-based twist on traditional Vietnamese cuisine. And although their menu began with traditional Vietnamese cuisine, it has grown to include more dishes and flavors to accommodate every diet.

Linh grew up living with her mother Mai while she was just starting her new restaurant in 1997. At a young age Linh grew fond of the restaurant business and what her mother was trying to accomplish with her food in the community. She began working at the original Âu Lạc location and quickly had ambitions that went outside of Fountain Valley. Eventually the decision was made to open a new location in the heart of Los Angeles.

Although Linh knew that starting a new location wouldn't be easy, the success of the first location was always something that made the decision seem like a smart one. But with original success comes additional pressure, and the expectations needed to be adjusted at times. Right after launch expectations were certainly not being met. It was hard for Linh not to have serious doubts about all the time, energy, and money that was on the line. But when you know you have a winning formula all you can do is have persistence. That is what got her through the tough times, and it will continue to be a key to success moving forward.

Find Linh and Au Lac Online:

Website - http://www.aulac.com/

Facebook - @aulacrestaurant

Instagram - @aulacrestaurant

Twitter - @aulacrestaurant

Some Questions I Ask:

• What were the struggles of your mom starting a restaurant when you were young?
• When did you start to play a bigger role in the restaurant business?
• How do you know you're ready for a second business location?
• Was it easier to get customers in the door because you already had a first location?
• How have you been able to get the community to rally around your business and gain exposure?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• Plant based benefits
• Starting trends
• Creating two business locations
• Trusting in the process and not giving up after missed expectations
• Being flexible and adjusting your plan as things change

Music Composed by John Zarcone

Folayo Lasaki is the head of marketing at SoulPancake. It is a digital media and production company that creates content that explores life's big questions, celebrates humanity, and champions creativity with integrity, heart, and humor. It's mission is to open hearts and minds through smart and hopeful content that uplifts, inspires, and helps us all figure out what it means to be human.

Folayo is the first guest I've had that doesn't work for herself. She's not an entrepreneur or a small business owner, but she's doing meaningful work that means something to her. She works for a company in SoulPancake that she truly believes in. For many people this can be a tough thing to find, and Folayo has certainly put in the work before getting to this position. She's shifted industries, jobs, positions, and coasts multiple times. But her experience and ability to know the right time to make a change landed her in the perfect spot.

Folayo describes herself as weird, at least growing up. But weird is something that she has no problem embracing. She exudes a confidence in knowing who she is and not being afraid of what others think. For many people, being your true genuine self means that you must be an open book for everybody. And although Folayo is an open book, some people may only know the first chapter or two. Her genuine self is just that. Marching to the beat of her own drum with the people and places she loves most.

Find Folayo and SoulPancake Online:

Website - http://soulpancake.com/

Facebook - @soulpancake

Instagram - @soulpancake

Twitter - @soulpancake

Some Questions I Ask:

• What is the difference between being the head of marketing at SoulPancake vs. other companies?
• Did your weirdness drive you toward a specific career path or job?
• Why have you kept moving from job to job?
• How do you manage moving from coast to coast multiple times and maintaining relationships?
• Are there any ways to help get your resume near the top of the pile and stand out?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• Cathartic crying
• Spreading the good in the world
• Working somewhere that has a mission you truly believe in
• Being weird and embracing it
• The importance of learning from your environment

Music Composed by John Zarcone

Best-known as the creator of pop star Katy Perry's iconic fruit-inspired ensembles, fashion designer Julie Mollo is the go-to stylist for rockstars and party girls looking to make a brazen statement. Her witty, inventive take on retro fashion guarantees a standout look in a sea of similarity. Since getting the gig to dress Katy Perry while still a student at Pratt Institute, Julie's designs have been widely featured on television and in print. Glamour, Nylon, Entertainment Weekly, MSNBC and The Boston Globe are only a few of the notable media outlets that have documented her style legacy.

Julie's theme: Fun, Flirty, Retro, Rock & Roll! It's a style that she has been crafting since she was young. A style that has given her an identity and confidence to do incredible things. One of those things was to create outfits for Katy Perry. For many people it was Katy's distinct style that first caught their attention. An impressive musician, but also someone who stood out as fun, flirty, retr…wait. So maybe a lot of people didn't know it, but they were being introduced to Julie for the first time as well.

But as quickly as things can rise, there's always some sort of fall on the other side. Julie was still in college at Pratt Institute while this madness was going on. And there were so many things that this newly found popularity was forcing her to think about. All of a sudden Julie needed to start a business, fulfill orders, and do it all from her dorm room. It wasn't easy, and couple years later things didn't get easier when she felt like a washed up star in her early 20's. But Julie hasn't let this one moment define her, she's used it as fuel and moved on. An incredible story about how one email and a lot of hard work led her to where she knew she would be.

Find Julie Online:

Website - https://juliemollo.com/

Facebook - @juliemollo

Instagram - @juliemollo

Twitter - @fashionosaurus

Some Questions I Ask:

• Did you find your style in high school?
• Did college make you a better designer?
• Was there a tough time to go through after the Katy Perry moment ended?
• How important is it to have different options and price points for your work?
• What would you say to people about attacking what you want?

In This Episode, You Will Learn About:

• Being fun, flirty, and retro
• Proving people wrong
• How Julie dressed Katy Perry
• How to rebound after having success and having a lull
• Creating a business on the fly

Music Composed by John Zarcone