The Social Impact Startup

Jacklyn Shenvar is the Founder of NUPRAVA, a yoga mat & yoga essentials company. With a background in Sales & Marketing at Fortune 500 companies, her strategic mind paired with a need she saw firsthand in the wellness industry created the foundation of which her company is built upon.

During a time in her life that consisted of a jam-packed daily schedule, Jacklyn’s hour long yoga practice was the time when she could “return to herself”.  Despite being a saturated industry, Jacklyn hadn’t found a mat that checked all of her boxes around cleanliness, sustainability, durability, functionality and design. So, she made one that checked every box.

In our conversation, we discuss:

• Why customer satisfaction is vital to any business
• How to up-level the standard in a saturated industry
• Why it’s important to do the research and find all of your options so that you’re always making the most informed decisions
• The process of sourcing sustainable materials & finding the right supplier
• The importance of validating your claims around your product
• The positive and negative impacts of the pandemic on her company
• Whether or not sustainability is becoming a more accessible space
• The importance of networking as you build a company
• And how she balances working full-time while starting a company 

With a vision of eventually becoming a circular company, Jacklyn’s aspirational growth for her company starts with the concept of returning to self. At a time when the need for self-care is at an all-time high, NUPRAVA is leveling up the standard of products that are being sold in the yoga space.

Connect with Jacklyn:

https://nuprava.com/

https://www.instagram.com/nuprava/?hl=en

Our intro theme song is “Pico & Westwood” by Esbie Fonte. Check her out here:

https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Dr. Amanda Long wants you to invest in your relationship with your self. Amanda’s journey to becoming a mental health professional had ups and downs, but ultimately brought her to where she needed to be and taught her both the benefit of being patient and resilient in this world. Throughout her training she noticed the lack of diversity within her colleagues and recognized the clients that weren’t being served because of it.

Amanda created TRUE Space Counseling and Psychological Services to bridge this gap and offer comprehensive care that empowers individuals to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Her approach to therapy is integrative and comprehensive, acknowledging the person as a whole being from a multicultural lens.

In our conversation we discuss:

• What cognitive behavioral therapy is
• The lack of diversity in the mental health field
• The concept of “weathering” and why therapy is a means of self-preservation, especially for women of color
• How to navigate the fear of pursuing therapy
• How to prioritize your mental health for every budget, including free resources you should start using now
• How to mindfully engage in social media
• Why you should set boundaries and practice self compassion
• How she takes care of herself as a mental health professional and
• What her vision of the future is

Amanda is bridging the gap of representation in the mental health space and helping to build a future that is both inclusive and accepting.

Connect with Amanda:

https://www.atruespace.com/

https://www.instagram.com/atruespace_/

Our intro theme song is “Pico & Westwood” by Esbie Fonte. Check her out here:

https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Rukayatu “Ruky” Tijani is the Founder and Chief Esquire Officer of Firm for the Culture, which is a virtual law firm designed to help social entrepreneurs and innovative founders protect their brand as they scale their social impact.

Drawing on her extensive experience as an intellectual property attorney in Silicon Valley, Ruky provides extensive, detail-oriented and comprehensive trademark education, strategy, and application services  at accessible flat-fee prices.

As a Social Entrepreneur herself, Ruky knows what it’s like to seek social change while learning to protect a business’s assets. Ruky is the Founder and Creator of the First Generation Purpose Project ("FGPP"), an initiative designed to help First Generation Professionals and Entrepreneurs navigate life and career by utilizing the grit and tenacity that is already on the inside of them.

We discuss her life story, how she shows up authentically in the spaces that she navigates and how she leads by example in the impact space.

You’ll learn:

• Why your history is integral to the person you’re becoming and to own it
• How to authentically show up in the spaces that you navigate, especially as a woman of color
• Why it’s important to protect your brand in order to scale your impact & examples of those who did / didn’t protect their brands and the outcomes
• The timeline of the trademarking process
• Low cost alternatives to hiring an attorney
• Self care, mental health and how it’s intrinsically tied to how you show up in your work
• The power of delegation, letting go of control and setting your team up for success
• Ruky’s advice for social entrepreneurs & what her vision of the future is

As her love letter to the culture shifters and creators, Ruky’s impact is leading the way to help us scale up social impact and raise the standard of how our society operates.

Connect with Ruky:

https://www.firmfortheculture.com/

https://www.instagram.com/firmfortheculture/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rukayatu-tijani-a7821114/

https://www.facebook.com/firmfortheculture/

Text “Culture” to 33777 for free resources on Trademarking, protecting your brand & more

Our podcast theme song is "Pico & Westwood" by Esbie Fonte. For more info, visit https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Helen Phelan is a body neutral pilates instructor, Usui Reiki practitioner, intuitive eating coach, prenatal + postpartum corrective exercise specialist, and the creator of the Helen Phelan Studio app. Featured in Well + Good, HuffPost, Bustle, InStyle, Gotham Magazine,and more, Helen specializes in breath centric, high sensation, athletic workouts that strengthen every type of body and calm the mind.

She began her movement journey as a dancer and received a BFA in dance performance and psychology from Elon University. After college, Helen moved to NYC to pursue dance professionally. Teaching pilates started as a side job while attending auditions but eventually it was pulling her attention and became her main focus. Helen is a breath of fresh air in the wellness industry as her method promotes body acceptance and emphasizes the importance of exercising for functionality and mental health versus solely the physical outcomes.  In our conversation we discuss the power of words, our fat phobic culture and how she balances her energy when giving so much of herself to the health of others. We also discuss why movement should be an empowering experience, why bodies shouldn’t be viewed as ‘business cards’ and her advice for others trying to make a positive impact in the Wellness industry.

Although her method is rooted in the concept of body neutrality, Helen’s legacy is anything but neutral.

Check out Helen’s 5 Steps To Stop Using Exercise as Punishment + Learn To Love Your Movement Practice

Special Offer for TypA Podcast listeners to Helen Phelan Studio

1) Go to https://tv.helenphelanstudio.com/

2) Choose monthly membership (not valid on annual)

3) Enter code: TYPAPOD at checkout (on right side of page, under the image) for 50% off your first month after a 10 day free trial 

Connect with Helen

 @helenvphelan

helenphelanstudio.com

Our podcast theme song is "Pico & Westwood" by Esbie Fonte. For more info, visit https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Daynelle (Day) Bibb is creating inclusivity within the wellness industry while simultaneously supporting survivors of domestic violence. The founder of Om Thrive Foundation, their mission is to provide wellness services to under-served and under-represented communities to support healing from trauma and abuse. The idea for Om Thrive came from Day’s personal experience of coping with health problems that resulted from physical and emotional trauma. Yoga had a profound effect on Day, helping her to heal and find her strength, an element that she wanted to share with those who are underrepresented in the wellness community. In order to sustain the operations of Om Thrive, Day launched Helen Rose Skincare, named after her late mother in honor of living her life according to her own terms - and being happy along the way. With organic, vegan and handmade products that are beautifully packaged and celebrate the diversity of all skin tones and body types, it’s no wonder that her business has been able to scale from being solely e-commerce to opening a store front - all in the midst of a global pandemic. Not only are her products successful, but she is changing the landscape of self-care by showcasing people of color in ways that have never been done before. In our conversation we discuss her career trajectory prior to becoming a founder, the difficulty of raising capital, especially as a Black woman, and how she is making yoga accessible to all. We also discuss the biggest advice she has for founders and why it’s important to invest and take care of yourself so that others want to invest in you.

Bonus: Day gives us the ultimate skincare routine - simple and effective, as demonstrated by her glowing and flawless skin!

Helen Rose Skincare is currently crowdfunding until October 31, 2020 in order to scale their operations and to expand Om Thrive into having a physical space, providing free yoga and wellness classes to survivors of domestic violence and 200 hour Yoga Teacher Certification classes for people of color.

Support the crowdfunding campaign here:

https://ifundwomen.com/projects/natural-skincare-fighting-domestic-violence

https://helenroseco.com/

https://omthrive.org/whoweare

https://www.instagram.com/helenroseskincare

Our podcast theme song is "Pico & Westwood" by Esbie Fonte. For more info, visit https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Brittany Edwards and Khiana Lowe are the Cofounders of IncorpHERated, a diversity and inclusion agency that bridges the gap between communities and representation within creative spaces. Friends since middle school, their friendship developed naturally into a business partnership as they were both passionate about making the world a better place. Their mission with IncorpHERated is to create equitable and lasting change for underrepresented communities by facilitating partnerships with brands that have the resources to invest into these communities in an impactful way. In order to achieve sustainable change, their business model is focused on creating an opportunity pipeline that will eventually sustain itself rather than procuring solely monetary investments. By removing barriers of entry, the foundation for the future will be more equitable as the members of the community, specifically youth and women, build a future filled with opportunities rather than limitations. Brittany and Khiana emulate this equitable framework within their own company by empowering their team to take ownership and valuing each team member’s opinion. We discuss how they are able to maintain their friendship while growing their business, why communication and boundaries are crucial to both, and why there is always an opportunity to be responsible with the influence that you have. We also discuss how they take care of themselves, their plans for growth and why in 15 years they hope a company like IncorpHERated won’t have to exist because it will be the new normal for business. As they build a new standard of business that supports real change, Brittany and Khiana are emblematic of the social impact entrepreneurs we need more of in order to build a better future.

https://incorpherated.com/

https://www.instagram.com/incorpherated/?hl=

Our podcast theme song is "Pico & Westwood" by Esbie Fonte. For more info, visit https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Lauren Petersen is the founder of Travel Patterns, a fair trade lifestyle brand focused on traditional global textiles, economic empowerment and long-term sustainable change. Lauren grew up in a creative household and followed her father’s footsteps (he had his own architectural firm) by pursuing interior design in college. Post college and the start of her career was also the Fall of 2008 - which we all know was the year the economy crashed. Having to go back to the drawing board, Lauren moved from Chicago back to Alabama and eventually landed a job with the army for almost 10 years. This job enabled her to travel around the world where she developed partnerships with local artisans. She originally founded her company in 2014 while working full-time, but it was hard to give her company as much attention as it needed while working full-time. Leaving her job was not an easy decision because she actually loved her career, but she knew that she wanted to make a bigger impact. She finally took the leap from a stable job she loved to becoming a founder. She then re-branded and re-designed her business model in a way that could be more economically sustainable for the artisans she was partnering with. In our conversation we discuss what it was like to leave a job she loved to pursue something bigger, why pivoting and learning should always be integral to a social impact business model, and why she is passionate about the preservation of traditional textiles and patterns from around the world. We also discuss the importance of setting boundaries as a form of self-care, and why this is includes setting boundaries with technology. With big goals for growth, Lauren is helping to create sustainable change on multiple levels in the textile industry.

https://www.shoptravelpatterns.com/

https://www.instagram.com/shoptravelpatterns/?hl=en

Our podcast theme song is "Pico & Westwood" by Esbie Fonte. For more info, visit https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Deanna Cook is the founder of LIYA Collective, a sustainable fashion accessory brand. Canadian born, Deanna was always curious about the world and different cultures and pursued a multidisciplinary degree in International Management, International Development, French and Spanish. After college, she taught English in Taiwan, but felt more drawn to working to support international educational initiatives rather than being a teacher herself. She worked for a non-profit in rural Tanzania, followed by a US aid project in Southeast Asia. Her travels and work experience allowed her to learn about brands, global supply chains, as well as the negative effects of globalization, like where the things that we discard end up. With an increasing interest in sustainability, the seeds for LIYA Collective were planted. Deanna wanted to build a company that promoted sustainable living on the side of the consumer, but also maintained beneficial partnerships with the experts in production around the world. Wanting to find the balance between modern and traditional, her first collection of Thai silk scarves embodies that balance beautifully. In our conversation, we discuss the parallels between traveling and building a social impact company, how to develop sustainable partnerships, and what it’s like running a startup with global supply chains remotely. We also discuss the value of routine, her advice to other founders in the ecommerce / social good space, and why it’s important to stop overthinking, and start doing. In Deanna’s words, “Something I suffered from was just spending time thinking about it, and not actually doing, but it’s in the doing that we learn and grow.” If you’re looking for inspiration to start making an impact, this is the conversation for you.

https://liyacollective.com/

https://www.instagram.com/liyacollective/?hl=

Our podcast theme song is "Pico & Westwood" by Esbie Fonte. For more info, visit https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Ayarpi Reganyan is the founder of BodyBar Protein, a wellness company simplifying nutrition to offer healthier and convenient options for people living life on the go. Born in Armenia, her family immigrated to the US in 1988. Their work ethic demonstrated for Ayarpi the importance of hard work, solidifying her own mentality towards her goals. Her original goal was to become a registered nurse, one of which she is still working towards while building a company, working full-time and being a mother. Her health journey began in 2007 when she was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Learning what allowed her body to be successful boiled down to a simple formula: exercise, limiting stress, and eating well. She realized that most protein bars are filled with additives, chemicals and sugars - ingredients that can slow you down rather than sustain you. She started doing her own research on how to create a protein bar that gave people a better option at a similar price point. A feat that proved to be more difficult than she initially thought, rather than conforming to the mediocre standards that currently exist in the food industry, she decided to set a new standard by providing an organic, health-conscious and affordable option for people living busy lives. In our conversation we discuss the process of creating a healthier alternative for people, her personal wellness routine and how COVID-19 has had a positive impact on her company. We also discuss why it’s important, especially as an impact entrepreneur, to constantly re-position yourself to evaluate if you are truly in alignment with your goals. In Ayarpi’s words, “you really have to find your purpose - and stick to it”, a mantra she applies to not only her company, but to the way she approaches life in general.

https://www.instagram.com/bodybar_protein/

https://bodybarprotein.com/about-us

Our podcast theme song is "Pico & Westwood" by Esbie Fonte. For more info, visit https://www.esbiefonte.com/

Stephanie Courtillier’s journey began with burnout - a situation many can resonate with. She found herself stuck in a place of striving for the typical ideas of success (i.e. money & material things) versus striving what she really wanted in life. Once Stephanie began asking herself the bigger questions, like what her purpose was or the reasoning behind what she was doing, her outlook began to change. She transitioned from striving for success to striving for significance, an idea intrinsic to what she is building with Integrous Women.

Her mindset in her professional career switched from serving a specific business model to thinking of serving a person instead. Integrous Women was founded as a safe space for women to ascertain their personal power, develop professionally and engage in philanthropy. They aspire to create lasting impact that supports independence and growth. Community is number one and their sustainable business model emulates that with a 10/20/30 model, a concept Stephanie elaborates on in our conversation. As a membership platform, the women who are part of this community have a collective vision for a greater world. Stephanie not only is creating this space for women to give to themselves and to others, but learned along the way the importance of giving back to herself as well. In our conversation we discuss her personal journey, her experience with burnout, self-care and awakening the resilience she always had internally. We also discuss the power of sharing stories, her advice for founders in the social impact space and why things often align when you get out of your headspace and into your heart-space.

A powerful story of resilience, redefining success and leaving a legacy of integrity, Stephanie’s journey and what she has built will inspire you to start building your own legacy in a way that makes the most sense for you.

For more information about Stephanie and Integrous Women, check out

https://integrouswomen.com/

Our podcast theme song is "Pico & Westwood" by Esbie Fonte. For more info, visit https://www.esbiefonte.com/