The Wise Consumer

"We use reusable bags so fish don’t eat the plastic bags. That means there’s less plastic in the sea." - Anabelle, 5 years old

Meet Anabelle! One of the smartest 5-year old girls I know (I was her nanny for a few months before officially launching The Wise Consumer). 

In this episode we talk about:- The importance of using reusable bags and water bottles.- Why eating clean and using non-toxic skincare products is important. - The challenges of being a military kid.- Life-lessons Anabelle has learned over the course of her life.

This was a priceless conversation — Anabelle is hilarious and full of insight and ideas. I think you'll really enjoy hearing what she has to say. Happy listening!

"It’s an adventure. I think the challenges always turn into opportunities and so I’ve just learned to have this mindset of “it’s just ups and downs and it's OK." And, I’ve really settled into that and I am just really happy with it. So, I am enjoying the journey but yeah, it’s an adventure and I am just going to keep at it." -- Shannon Mann

Meet Shannon Mann, Founder of Ripe Skin, an all-natural, raw, and vegan skincare company based out of Los Angeles Ca.   

In this episode we cover:

• The journey that led her to launching RIPE Skin
• The importance of using natural and raw ingredients in skincare products 
• How her minimalist & waste-free lifestyle inspired her to shape and pivot her vision for RIPE
• Why she decided to live a nomadic lifestyle and how it benefited RIPE
• Challenges of the start-up

Think you’ll enjoy this episode! Happy listening. PS: Use the discount code WISE1 at checkout and receive $10 off any single product.

"Shopping ethically and sustainably is not always the easiest, nor the most accessible or affordable option…but, you know, no one is expecting anyone to be perfect, we’re all learning here. The brands are learning, the consumers are learning. Anyone who says they’re perfect is obviously lying. There’s no way in our current economy and society you could be perfect." - Elizabeth Joy

Meet Elizabeth Joy, the face and voice behind Conscious Life and Style blog based out of Chicago, Illinois. 

In this episode we cover: - The journey that led Elizabeth to launching Conscious Life and Style blog. - The learning curve she faced as she transitioned into living a more sustainable lifestyle.- Tips on how to become a more informed and conscious consumer. - Some of her favorite ethical brands and resources - How she selects which brands to collaborate with and promote. 

Had a great time chatting with Elizabeth and think you'll enjoy this episode. Happy listening! 

PS: Links to articles I mentioned during this interview. Forbes: The Problem With The Term "Ethical Fashion"

Eluxe Magazine: Why I think ethical fashion is a  privileged white girl thing

“Growing up, I used to sell chocolates…I would sell them “illegally” in school. I wasn’t allowed, the principal would always catch me and give me a hard time but I would always go back and sell more.  I used to say “I have to go to the bathroom,” then I would take my little bag and I would actually go meet the other kids at their breaks so they could buy my chocolates. I was actually very well known for my chocolates… So, it was really funny when we started our own chocolate company!” — Sandra Bedoya

Meet Sandra Bedoya, Co-Founder of Nibble Chocolate, a bean-to-bar chocolate company based out of San Diego California.

In this episode we cover:

• The trials and errors of creating the perfect bean-to-bar chocolate
• Why it was important for Sandra and her husband & co-founder, David, to source their cocoa beans from high quality and fair-trade farms
• The challenges of becoming a new mother while simultaneously running a business
• The health benefits of cocoa

This was such a fun episode to record and edit. I hope you enjoy it! Happy listening!

"The best time to start was yesterday, the second best time to start is today. Whatever your dream is, whether it’s launching a business or it’s to get super fit, or travel the world, etc., start today. There’s no better time. I think people are always waiting for the right time but, life never gets less complicated. In ten years don’t tell me your life is going to be easier for you. So, if you really want it, there’s no point in waiting." - Samir Goel

 My guest today is Samir Goel, Co-Founder of Esusu, a mobile platform designed to empower users to better save their income, access larger sums of capital, and build credit and financial identity through rotational savings.

In this episode we cover:- The journey that led Samir, and his co-founder Abbey Wemimo, to founding Esusu - The entrepreneurial challenges they’ve had to overcome to get to where they are today - How Esusu is building a pathway to financial access and opportunity for typically marginalized communities. - The history & culture around the financial system of rotational savings (what and how it works) - The importance of a healthy work-life balance - Samir's passion for hip-hop 

Had a wonderful time chatting with Samir and I think you'll find this episode to be really interesting and fun.

Happy listening! 

My guest today is Gayatri Datar, Co-Founder of EarthEnable located in Nyamata, Rwanda.

In this episode we cover:

- The journey that led her to co-founding EarthEnable - Why earthen floors + how they're created - Her passion for international development work - What it's like to run and manage a social enterprise in Rwanda - The positive social and environmental impact she and her team are making 

"My parents raised us to be really grateful for what we had and really aware of what other people did not have. I learned at a very early age to not take anything I had for granted. Every time I tried to waste food I remember my mother saying something along the lines of  “remember all those kids you saw in India!” and I remember feeling guilt about that. I think a really important value throughout my whole life has been to try to do everything we can to level out the opportunities. Because at the end of the day so much is driven by luck. And obviously that’s not fair. There’s no version in the world where that’s fair. And sure some people can work harder, some people can work less hard, but I really believe that the initial deck you’re handed at the beginning of your life influences almost everything." -- Gayatri Datar

Had a great time chatting with Gaya and think you’ll really enjoy this episode.

Happy listening.

"We will be a kilometer back in the cave and the walls will have those little thank you bags. You know the ones you get at the grocery stores, those little white ones? They’ll be stuck to the walls floating in the current. It looks like there are ghosts lining the walls…they end up in these sink holes and they make our way into our ground water. But, that’s not the only thing we see back there. You also see tires, you see 55 gallon drums of who knows what, etc. And as you’re swimming past this stuff you’ll see  someones water pipe coming down through the ceiling of this cave going directly to their well, directly to their house in fact, and that’s what really brings home how connected we really are to our ecosystem in ways we really don’t realize." -  Kenny Broad, National Geographic Explorer and Chief Exploration Officer Virtual Wonders

Meet Kenny Broad! Deep sea cave diver, 2011 National Geographic explorer of the Year and Chief Exploration Officer for the 3D imaging company Virtual Wonders.

In this episode we cover:

- The journey that led him to where he is today

-The environmental changes he’s seen over the course of his career

- The lessons he's learned from deep sea cave diving and how we can apply them to our everyday lives

-The power of visual storytelling when it comes to conservation and preservation of our planet

-The challenges of his first entrepreneurial venture with Virtual Wonders  

Had a great time chatting with Kenny. I think you’ll really enjoy this episode.

Happy listening.

“Social entrepreneurship isn’t a fad, I think it’s here to stay. I hope if we are successful it will just become business as usual and companies that aren’t doing the right thing will suffer in the marketplace because of it...because as consumers, we give a shit and that’s great.” - Daniel Kurzrock

My guest today is Daniel Kurzrock, co-founder of Regrained a company based out of San Francisco, CA.

In this episode we cover:

• The journeys that led Daniel, and his co-founder Jordan Schwartz, to launch Regrained.
• The trials and tribulations they overcame to develop the product we know and love today.
• What edible upcycling means.
• How social entrepreneurship is changing the way business is done today.
• And, how his experiences at summer camp shaped the life he leads today.

Had a great time chatting with Daniel and think you’ll really enjoy hearing his story. Happy listening!

Discount code: THEWISECONSUMER is good for 15% off at regrained.com

“My mom played a huge role in my life. she passed away when i was 22. I get choked up talking about it. She was the light in the room. She was a connector, more than anything she loved to connect people … everyone wanted to be around her." -- Ben Kander

In this episode we talk about:

- His grieving process and the importance of finding gratitude, even during the toughest of times.

- The hardships of the startup grind.

- Why collaborating with Charity Water, a nonprofit that provides clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries, was so important to Ben’s overall mission.

Discount Code: WISECONSUMER15