Can I Laugh On Your Shoulder?

I love meeting people who see a need and they fill it. They see an area that they can specialize in or an area that is underserved in this world and they just do it. They don't make excuses, they don't come up with reasons why it won't work, they just go for it. They find solutions, not excuses. They make a way instead of just saying that it can't be done. My guest today saw a need to elevate the...

There is an ongoing refugee crisis in our country and in our world. Millions of men, women, and children are making the incredibly difficult and impossible journey to a country they don't know, with a language they don't speak, to seek refuge and a better life for themselves and their families. The stories are heartbreaking, yet there are glimmers of hope in the darkness. Often these families come...

It is episode #120 of the Business with Purpose Podcast: "How to Shop Ethically on a Budget." A couple of episodes ago, actually at episode #110, I started introducing my solo episodes. Now every ten episodes, you get an episode with just me, on topics requested by you ! So if you have a topic that you would like me to talk about, you can email me at molly@stillbeingmolly.com , you can find me on...

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole, that was said by photographer Roger Karris. Maybe you are, or aren't a dog person. I'm a dog person. We have two dogs at home, Tater who is a pitbull cattle dog mix, and Audrey Hepburn who is a cavalier king charles spaniel. I will let you all figure out which one was my husbands when we got married. Whether or not you're a dog person, th...

  Were you ever one of those kids who always felt like your parents were forcing you to do something? Maybe your parents made you go to church or they made you take piano or they made you learn Spanish or whatever… it was something that was important to THEM and they, in turn, wanted it to be important to you, too. Maybe for years you did whatever it was begrudgingly… as a teenager you would kind...

Did you know that there are literally hundreds, thousands of toxic chemicals that you are being exposed to on a daily basis? I really hate being the bearer of bad news, but in everything from air fresheners to cosmetics to bath and body products to cleaning products, there are so many chemicals we are exposing ourselves to, often without even knowing it. Our cleaning products are some of the worst...

Visit http://stillbeingmolly.com/giftguide  to get all the shownotes and details on all the products and coupon codes mentioned in the episode! Thank you to Cultivate What Matters for sponsoring this episode. Thank you to Emily Sexton of The Flourish Market for being my co-host!

When I open up an episode, my goal is to give you a personal connection--some type of fact or interesting tidbit--that is kind of a general statement, but is loosely or directly related to the upcoming conversation. But this week, as I sat down to work on the post-production for this episode, there was not a phrase or a catchy saying or a fact (or anything like that), that could really put into pe...

Whether we realize it or not, our culture, our background, our upbringing, our childhood, the way we have lived our life up until this point, influences how we make choices on a daily basis. Maybe we realize it--or not, maybe it is conscious--or not, but those things that we have experienced in our life, they impact the decisions that we make today, and tomorrow, and going forward. I love when I c...

Global poverty is at the root of so many things. So many things. From hunger, to the orphan crisis, to human trafficking, to drug trafficking, to homelessness, to disease and HIV/AIDS - global poverty is at the root. Reducing or even eliminating global poverty is the key to reducing and eliminating so much hurt and pain in the world. But this issue is so complicated, as most issues are. But it is...

We know life is short. We say life is short but, do we really believe it? Do we live that out? Do we make the most of every single day? You know, that cliché? For many of us, we go through the motions--we go through the daily grind of life, not realizing what's happening. Then, when all of a sudden we are struck with a tragedy or hardship, we're reminded of the preciousness of life. Those moments...

We love rags-to-riches Cinderella stories. They inspire us. Personally, I love learning about people. I mean really learning about them. What makes them tick? What drives them? What fuels their fire? What's their why? What's their reason for doing what they do? How do they work so hard to get where they are? Are they an actual overnight success or are they an overnight success that actually took l...

April 24, 2013. That's the day that the Rana Plaza Building in Bangladesh collapsed. 1,138 people died and another 2,500 were injured. It was the fourth-largest industrial disaster in history. There were actually five garment factories in the Rana Plaza--all manufacturing clothing for big, global brands, and the victims were mostly young women. The thing is, is that the fashion industry is actuall...

We all love a deal. You know what I'm talking about. When you walk into a store, and you see something on sale, and you're like "It's only $4.50! Yes! What a deal!" Or if you're in a thrift shop and you find a designer handbag, or a pair of designer shoes for like, $3.00, you think you won the lottery. We get a thrill out of a deal. It's that hit of adrenaline. It's exciting. But for others, maybe...

When you hear the term "ethical," what does it mean to you? When I ask different people, different people give me different definitions. I think everyone's idea of "ethical company" may mean something different, like maybe how they treat animals, or the materials they use and how it impacts the planet, or maybe it's about how they treat the people that work for them. I think that the definition of...

I talk all the time about the importance of having a "why" in your business. Having a "why" is that foundation that every business owner should build their business upon. Simply because, when the rough patches come (which they will) and when the business gets hard (which it will), having a strong "why" behind what you do helps push past those challenges. A lot of businesses can struggle with this,...

A common thread I've discovered through interviewing so many social entrepreneurs is that they worked at a particular field that isn't inherently social conscious and they realized, something had to be done to change it or make it better. They weren't just going to sit back and say, "Oh that's a terrible problem, someone should really do something about that." So, more often than not, they left th...

I love cultural history. I love it. I soak up details and facts and information about the history of different cultures anytime I can. I listen to podcasts, I read blogs, watch documentaries, and when I meet someone from a different culture--especially if they are a seasoned person, if you know what I mean--I ask questions. Or if I meet an older person, from my own culture--I ask questions. I thin...

You may be one type of person. You may be the type of person who, you are currently working in a job and you have that side hustle that you really enjoy, but it just kind of supplements whatever you do for a living right now, and you're happy where you are. Or, you might be the person who is currently working a job and you have that side hustle, but you have a bigger dream, and you are pushing tow...

The term millennial gets a bad rap these days. Millennials are thought to be entitled, lazy, self-serving, wasteful, but here's the thing, let's be honest: those types of people exist in every generation, ever. That is not a new trait that's unique to the millennial generation. In fact, the more I learn from and speak with people in the millennial generation, the more I'm finding the opposite to b...

For years, the downtown area of Harrisonburg, Virginia had an eyesore that its residents had to drive past each and every day. It was a run down, bright pink pornography shop in disrepair. It was a place of hurt and pain and despair. It was a place of so much darkness. It was a place that once closed down, no one thought anything good could ever come of that building. The residents of Harrisonburg...

It's a fact - when the unemployment rate is high, the first people to be hit are women and children. Whether it's in a developing nation or here in the United States, women and children are the first ones affected by any type of unemployment. I have talked about this before, but when a woman is provided a job in a developing nation, she invests about 80-90% of her income back into her community. W...

Alright guys…. I'm shaking things up this week for the 100th episode extravaganza! My executive producer, also known as my husband John, is here to help me co-host and we're talking about basically everything you could imagine. Getting to this 100th episode has been such a journey and to celebrate this milestone, we're showing you John and Molly like you've never seen us before! Like I said, we ta...

One of the things I talk about a lot is the fact that there are a lot of layers to the ethical and fair trade fashion world. It's not just about pretty, handmade clothes. There are so many complex issues that really hide beneath the surface, or sometimes maybe they're brought to the surface. Everything from the orphan crisis to human trafficking to child and slave labor, all those types of things...

I believe in my heart of hearts that everyone, yes, everyone , is born with a gift. Now, I don't know what your gift may be, but you, listening right now, you have a gift that was given to you at birth. Maybe you can sing, or dance, or you love to organize, or you really love spreadsheets (that's my husband), or you love to cook. Maybe you're good at math. Maybe you're a good writer, or you love t...