Slow Stories

Sometimes, to affect real change, it comes down to starting over and building anew. Ali Kriegsman understands this idea in more ways than one.

As an inherently curious and creative person, Ali has been building a life and career that encompasses her varied interests, ranging from writing to music to community-building. These passions eventually culminated in her role as the co-founder and COO of Bulletin—a curated wholesale marketplace with a mission to democratize retail for brands and optimize retail for stores.

Like Ali’s journey, Bulletin’s path is also one that is built on evolution. But despite its many iterations, storytelling remains a constant for Bulletin and has provided a foundation for the business to endure with each of its exciting chapters. In fact, Ali recently chronicled this and more in her forthcoming book, How to Build a God-Damn Empire. This dual memoir-meets-guidebook outlines Ali’s experiences and features varying perspectives on the realities of modern entrepreneurship. 

In this interview, Ali shared more about her relationship with storytelling, her observations as a B2B founder, and what she’s learned about establishing boundaries both online and offline. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Alexandra Fine.

Storytelling has always been inherent to Dianna Cohen, and now more than ever before, she’s breathing new life into the narrative around what it means to build a brand with intention.

From her varied in-house experiences at global start-ups to servicing emerging players across fashion and lifestyle through her consultancy, Levitate, Dianna eventually found herself seeking refuge in self-care rituals and, more specifically, haircare. That said, it was Dianna’s off-duty routines that ultimately caught the attention of friends and family. The culmination of her interests in brand discovery, wellness, and storytelling paved the way for Dianna to start Crown Affair—a next-generation haircare company rooted in ritual and community.

The latter has become especially important to Dianna and her team over the last few months as the world has reckoned with the effects of COVID-19, dismantling systemic racism, and enduring political tumult on all fronts. But for Dianna, this period of crisis has only strengthened her resolve to write a new and more inclusive chapter for the beauty industry.

In this interview, Dianna shared more about the people who have shaped her conscious approach to storytelling, where she plans to take Crown Affair’s narrative next, and what she’s learned about changing her pace to push important conversations forward. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Samaris Pagán.

The catalyst for change often arises when you recognize that your days don’t feel complete. For Vanessa Barboni Hallik, this realization was two-fold.

When the former finance executive turned fashion founder made the entrepreneurial leap, she refocused her ambitions to not only reshape her individual career but to recalibrate the future of an industry that is overdue for change. Enter Another Tomorrow, which is the embodiment of Vanessa’s enduring commitment to fostering both environmental and social sustainability.

While the road to sustainability is not always clear, Vanessa contends that leading with thoughtful storytelling and tapping into technology to create more transparency are critical details in building resonance with a new generation of interconnected consumers. And as we collectively work together to build a new and more inclusive world, Another Tomorrow has arrived just in time.

In this interview, Vanessa shared more about her leap from finance to fashion, how she defines slow content, and why she believes bringing nuance back to storytelling is essential to making progress. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Liz Breuer.

With an inherent talent—and love—for all things business, Julia Hunter's tenure as the CEO of Jenni Kayne has poised the brand to become a leading fashion-lifestyle destination.

In this role, Julia has been able to channel her past experiences at other global companies to guide Jenni Kayne on its journey. And while the industry itself is on the precipice of (necessary change), Jenni Kayne continues to champion its quality over quantity mentality under Julia's leadership.

Storytelling has also endured as a critical vehicle for inspiring connections around these topics. In fact, some of these stories have even inspired Julia to rethink her perspective when it comes to approaching both business and life.

Like many other leaders, Julia was forced to fully lean into Jenni Kayne's penchant for conscious living as the world came to a standstill due to COVID-19. In this interview, she shared more about the important role slow content has played in facilitating mindful conversations and why valuing kindness above performance has been one of her most transformative career takeaways. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Eleanor Turner.

NOTE: This interview was recorded in April 2020. We are conscious of the current state of the world, but we hope this episode gives you a bit of respite and inspiration. Thank you for listening!

The intersection of creativity and problem-solving has proven to be a vital combination as we collectively endure global crises. Perhaps no one understands this better than Eryn Danielle, a New York-based creative professional, movement artist, and founder.

From her enduring love of dance to spearheading social and brand initiatives for some of the most admired companies in the world, Eryn understands how stories move people. As the most recent devastating stories and actions of egregious racism ignited outrage around the United States, Eryn called upon her creative prowess and activated her love of community-building to create Allies Doing Work—a digital destination that provides a "community-driven space for intersectionality, radical accountability, and active allyship."

While social media can only yield so much change, the access platforms like Allies Doing Work provide allow people from all walks of life to work together to dismantle racist systems. But if Eryn’s work has taught us anything in recent weeks, it is that the most profound work begins far beyond the confines of our digital devices: It starts with our individual decision to create a more equitable world for all, once and for all.

In this interview, Eryn shared more about the intersection of creativity and activism, the importance of intersectional allyship, her relationship with movement, and why she thinks slow content is a critical component of community-building. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Karina Castrillo.

If you were to walk in Cheryl Kaplan’s shoes, you’d be inspired by the sartorial innovation she and her team are spearheading daily. As the co-founder and president of M.Gemi—a direct-to-consumer Italian shoe brand based in Boston, New York, and Italy—Cheryl is rewriting the business playbook by creating a modern shoe brand that values storytelling at every touchpoint of the brand experience. As a seasoned business executive, Cheryl’s past professional experiences have allowed her to take the company from an emerging brand to a leading player in the footwear industry. In this interview, she shared more about her career trajectory and the importance of slowing down to stay focused and ahead of the curve both personally and professionally. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Olivia Wright of Rallier.

NOTE: This interview was recorded in February 2020. We are conscious of the current state of the world, but we hope this episode gives you a bit of respite and inspiration. Thank you for listening!

Emily Schildt’s appetite for life has created the foundation for a life well-lived—and well-traveled. Emily is the founder of Pop Up Grocer, a traveling grocery store that showcases hundreds of products from over 150 innovative food, beverage, home, pet, and body care brands.

Since the shop’s inception, Emily has brought Pop Up Grocer around the country and, in turn, has been able to fuse her love for food, discovery, and storytelling to create a one-of-a-kind destination. But as the world was upended by COVID-19, Emily was forced to assess her relationship with food and the important role Pop Up Grocer can play in bringing value to her community—both online and off. 

Naturally, storytelling has played a role in this shift. In this interview, Emily kindly shared more of her own story, what living and working on the road has been like, and the questions she hopes people ask her more often. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Olivia Gossett Cooper.

NOTE: This interview was recorded in April 2020. We are conscious of the current state of the world, but we hope this episode gives you a bit of respite and inspiration. Thank you for listening!

Ariel Kaye understands that home is where the heart is. As the Founder and CEO of Parachute—a modern bedding and bath essentials brand—she is committed to creating space for moments of self-care to happen in the spaces that matter most to us. The brand’s storytelling-driven approach has inspired a loyal community who also value the importance of making space to enjoy simpler moments. And while the road to building Parachute hasn’t always been simple, she maintains that quality and focus are the key pillars that have continued to propel her forward on her entrepreneurial journey. In this interview, Ariel graciously dove deeper into Parachute’s thoughtful brand storytelling approach and shared some of her personal insights on the importance of slowing down at key times, both personally and professionally. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Ali Alquiza via our segment, Soul Stories.

NOTE: This interview was recorded in February 2020. We are conscious of the current state of the world due to COVID-19, but we hope this episode gives you a bit of respite and inspiration. Thank you for listening!

As we enter a new era of Slow Stories, we're excited to keep relaunch week going by introducing the second installment of our segment, Soul Stories. If you've listened to past episodes of Slow Stories, you might be aware that we begin each episode with a "slow story" contributed by a member of our community. These stories have inspired each of our contributors to stop in their scroll or slow down and unplug. All of the contributions we've received have set the tone for each of our episodes. After the response from the first installment of Soul Stories in March, we're following up with a few more new voices who share both slow and soul stories that they return to not only when looking to slow down but when seeking out happiness and peace. A special thank you to our newest contributors: Kara Zawacki, Alessandra Angelini, Eleanor Turner, Austen Tosone, Molly Crossin, Lexi Tollefsen, and Emily Dinowitz.