Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?

In 1950, the world's population of 2.5 billion produced just over 1.5 million tons of plastic. Today, with a global population of more than 7 billion people, we product over 320 million tons of plastic… and it's estimated that this number is set to DOUBLE by the year 2034. And every single day, approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution finds its way into our oceans. 8. million. pieces. E...

Do you have an item or two (or seven) in your closet that you've held on to for a long time and you're not sure why? It doesn't fit or it's out of style but it holds some type of significant meaning to you… whether we realize it or not… a lot of our identity, personal history, and even sometimes our self-esteem can have a significant connection to what's hanging in our closet… we hold onto things...

Corretta Scott King was quoted as saying "The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." Sometimes, when we think about community, we focus solely on our neighbors. Yes, we should be participants in our community, but we should also think about community in a broader sense. Consider our online community, our ancestral community, and those wit...

How do you approach tragedy? What do you do when the bad things come in life? How do you handle pain, sorrow, and sadness? Today's guest used a period of suffering to make herself better, give herself strength to carry on, and inspire others to do the same. Nancy Solari is the founder, creator, and host of Living Full Out . She wants to encourage you to overcome disappointments and strive for your...

This episode is for the guys. When it comes to fashion and style, what's your perspective? Do you have a personal style, or do you go through the motions each morning. Additionally, what do you think of ethical fashion? Do you think it only applies to women, or does it resonate with you. Let's be honest, in the ethical fashion realm, the voices are primarily female. On today's episode, we'll hear...

In the last year, I've been open in sharing about my faith journey and it's impact on my life. Through grief, my faith has been stretched and grown, and through scripture, my faith has been transformed. However, memorizing scripture can be a challenge. Meet Vera Schmitz, the founder of Dwell. Dwell is a membership service that helps people to connect with God through scripture verse memory. On tod...

It's no secret we live in a time of heightened social tension. There are issues all around us we're inundated with through the media and around the dinner table. It's overwhelming to consider how we should address issues including racism, foster care reform, recidivism rates, and healthcare. Today's guest is tackling these issues with a unique kind of ammunition: human-centered design. Durell Cole...

In the last year, big brands like Nike, Athleta, and J.Crew have entered the fair trade industry. It's a big win for the fair trade movement, but it leaves small business owners with daunting challengers. Mom-and-pop shops are no match for companies like Target. No longer is it enough to market the story of your artisans and expect to generate revenue. If you want to compete, you must put your cus...

Ethical issues surrounding the jewelry industry are often vague and misunderstood. Movies like Blood Diamond   examine these problems, but we need to go deeper to fully understand the ethical issues surrounding gold and diamond purchases. Marc Choyt is the president of Reflective Jewelry. He joins us to answer all of your questions on ethical jewelry and show you how your jewelry purchases impact...

The minutia associated with owning a small business can be excruciating. Especially if you run a non-profit, you're probably more interested in your passion than you are managing day-to-day activity. Today's guest is Stephanie Skryzowski, the founder and CEO of 100 Degrees Consulting. As an expert in management and finance, she equips motivated organizations to execute their vision while managing...

We often hear on the news how we're a divided nation. Tensions run high as political, racial, and cultural divisions lead to hate, prejudice, and fear. Amidst the turmoil, one woman in an under-resourced community in Detroit, Michigan is taking small steps toward creating meaningful, cross-cultural relationships and bridging the divide. Rebecca Smith is the founder of Better Life Bags, a company t...

Join me for a special edition of the podcast as we feature exciting moments from the Fair Trade Federation Conference in Austin, Texas. I'll recap my favorite stories, brands, and personalities from the week. Things You Don't Want To Miss: Llenay Ferretti, Acting CEO Of Ten Thousand Villages . 2:41- Llenay Ferretti has been involved in fair trade for years. She gave a presentation outlining the re...

It seems like out of nowhere, eating healthy has suddenly become trendy. People like to talk about eating Organic and Non-GMO foods. It's funny because our grandparents and ancestors did this for years, yet somehow, it's come onto the scene as this trendy, new concept. Regardless, our guest today wanted to make clean, healthy food more accessible. Join us as we speak with Kat Eckles, the founder o...

Maybe you want to get into ethical fashion, but you're not sure where to start. Meet Amy Ann Cadwell, the Co-Founder and CEO of The Good Trade. The Good Trade is a digital media and lifestyle brand publication that covers sustainable fashion. Amy Ann joins us to tell her story and share with you how your purchases can truly work toward alleviating poverty and suffering for marginalized communities...

At ten years old, most of us were exploring the outdoors, riding bikes, and maybe playing with dolls or legos. However, today's guest was busy growing his family's business; Perkins Orchard. Join us as we interview Donovan Alexander Watson about the importance of buying local, supporting local farmers, and connecting the community with farm fresh produce. Things You Don't Want To Miss: Meet Today'...

We often contemplate the origins of our clothes and shoes, but purchasing with purpose even includes notepads, sticky notes, pens, and paper. Jillian Ryan is the founder of the Marie Mae Company. She joins us to discuss the tremendous social impact you can have by purchasing items as simple as office supplies. Things You Don't Want To Miss: Meet Today's Guest. 00:54 - Jillian Ryan is the Founder a...

Charity doesn't end poverty. Jobs do. Resources and money give you freedom; the give you dignity. Charity is important, but work is empowering. Jane Mosbacher Morris joins us to discuss how job access could end global poverty. Things You Don't Want To Miss: Meet Today's Guest. 1:22 - Jane Mosbacher Morris is Founder and CEO of TO THE MARKET . She's also the author of the newly released book,  Buy...

The Marie Kondo craze has swept the nation with her new show on Netflix , Tidying Up With Marie Kondo . A good purge can be cathartic, but what will become of your things that don't "spark joy?"  Give your clean-up a purpose, and consider how you'll develop new habits amidst your clutter-free lifestyle. Things You Don't Want To Miss: Who Is Marie Kondo?  00:00 - Okay, most of you are familiar with...

The Fair Trade Federation is an association that works to elevate and strengthen fair trade partners in the United States and Canada. It's a key partner in the global fair trade movement. On this edition of the podcast, we catch up with the organization's executive director, Chris Solt. Things You Don't Want To Miss: Come To The Fair Trade Federation Conference!  1:20 - I'm going to be speaking at...

I do not have a green thumb. The past few years, I've tried to start a garden in my backyard and it almost always ends up overrun with weeds, or one year all of my cucumbers ended up just eating everything else in my garden. I had no less than 50 cucumbers that year, and then the next year I wasn't able to grow anything, then the next year I tried to grow things with plants, and maybe had a couple...

Let's pretend for a second that you have a dream of starting an ethical fashion brand. You want to start this brand, you know the designs in your head, you have a clear vision for it, but you have no idea where to start when it comes to the manufacturing component. You look online, you do some Google searches, and you find factories literally all over the world, and you have no idea if they're eth...

Our lives are filled with defining moments. Tragedy shakes us, suffering changes us, but it's how we take tragedy, and how we learn from suffering that determines the next phase or trajectory of our lives. We can choose to use that suffering as an excuse, and become bitter, and disheartened, and withdraw from the world, or we can use it to grow.  We can use it to make ourselves better, to make oth...

There is a cliche saying that says, "a picture is worth a thousand words." I know we hear it all the time, but really, have you ever thought about the priceless value of an image? I don't like to think that I have regrets in life, but there is one regret that I have. To be honest with you, it sticks me with every day, and that is that I have very few photos of my mother and I together, in my teena...

If I'm being honest, I don't even know how to introduce today's episode. Back in the Fall, my husband and I had the opportunity to screen a documentary called Letter from Masanjia , and I'll get into the details of the documentary, and we'll be talking about it throughout this episode. But, after I saw that documentary, it affected me in ways I can't even begin to explain. I knew that I wanted to...

The average american woman is a size 14/16. I'm a size 14, so I'm pretty average, but I will say that ever since having kids, I have noticed how much the fashion industry does not cater to average women like me, and women who are above a size 14. One of my biggest challenges as an ethical fashion advocate has been to find clothing that is ethically made and size inclusive. And I get it, ethical fa...