Whether you want to admit it or not, you have fears. We all do. Maybe its a fear of bees or being chased in an alley by a masked man (okay, so those are my fears), or maybe it’s a fear of failure… or maybe it’s a fear or public speaking or getting rejected. Or maybe it’s a larger fear like being in fire or a plane crash… The thing is, we can’t let those fears take hold of our lives. We can’t let those fears dictate how we operate or how we interact with others… sometimes we have to take control ...
Apr 25, 2018•44 min
I remember when John and I were planning our wedding... it literally feels like yesterday. We were on a pretty tight budget, and we were doing almost everything ourselves… And while the details of the wedding day, the florals, the pictures, the dress, the music… It was all important... But the thing I really looked forward to the most was the marriage. Preparing for our marriage was the most important thing to me… My guest on the podcast this week is Adrienne Rolon, the founder of Hearts Content...
Apr 18, 2018•53 min
Did you know that nearly 703 million people around the world are blind… simply due to lack of access to glasses. That’s 703 million people who are blind but that blindness could have been easily prevented if one person, or a group of people stepped in and helped. Well…my guest today is doing just that.. My guest this week is Dr. Travis Zigler, the founder of Eye Love, an eye wellness company with a mission to end preventable blindness. Along with his wife, Jenna, they continue to work part time ...
Apr 11, 2018•41 min
There are SO many people (me included), that love to travel. I know I have a list of about 100 places I’d love to see in my lifetime… but there are so many factors that can hold us back from actually getting on a plane and going somewhere. You know, things like time, money, and JOBS. Those pesky jobs keeping us from being a jetsetter… it’s as though we have to pick one or the other. A job or travel… But what if you could do BOTH? What if you could travel and see the world, AND make a positive so...
Apr 04, 2018•37 min
At some point in our lives, we all experience a feeling of loneliness. It’s a natural human experience and for some, the struggle is worse than others… but it can be a struggle nonetheless. And loneliness doesn’t discriminate based upon age… but I’d venture to say that for kids and teens today, the feeling of loneliness can be crippling. I know for me, I struggled with feeling lonely a lot growing up. I was bullied in elementary and middle school and I never felt like I fit in. There were days w...
Mar 28, 2018•46 min
Each one of us has a gift. Whether you know it or not, and whether you want to believe it or not, I believe deep down that every single person on this earth was given a gift by our Creator… and how we use those gifts to serve others can really impact not only, well, other people, but also ourselves. As adults, I believe the way we use our gifts can also impact the next generation - we can show them what being a good steward of those gifts really looks like. And truthfully, I am continuously insp...
Mar 21, 2018•48 min
In today’s world, it can be really overwhelming when we see so much hurt and pain around the world. There are humanitarian crises all over the world that are horrific… whether it’s the Syrian crisis, the Rohingya refugee Crisis in Myanmar, or the Central African Republic crisis… we get to the point where we feel bombarded by these stories of pain and suffering around the world and we just want to help. We want to do SOMETHING, anything, to make a difference. And more often than not, the easiest ...
Mar 14, 2018•52 min
What if you had the next, world-changing, business idea? Your business could change the trajectory of someone’s life or impact the way people interact or have an impact on the environment or give people access to clean drinking water or create urban farming and give people more access to affordable, real food? But, the reality for you is, you don’t have the resources to implement the idea. Maybe it’s the money, or the support, or the technology… you know the idea is gold, and you know you can do...
Mar 07, 2018•36 min
For years, there’s been this strange distaste for business. People kept thinking business was bad and business owners were greedy and money grubbers. But the truth is, business is and can be a HUGE force for good. Business can change lives, communities, and countries. Business isn’t the enemy… business can change the world. My guests this week are Nick Barigye and Greg Urquhart of Karisimbi Business Partners. What Nick and Greg are doing at Karisimbi Business Partners is incredibly unique and th...
Feb 28, 2018•48 min
Giving. What does that word mean to you when you hear it? Does it mean someone who is giving with their time, giving with their talents, giving with their money, a giver of gifts... what does it mean? For years, I was the most reluctant to give with my money. It wasn’t until I was at my absolute brokest, if that’s even a way to describe it… that I realized that giving of my money, in addition to giving of my time and talents and those things, was actually the most valuable and important thing I ...
Feb 21, 2018•48 min
There’s a really difficult conversation that happens often in the ethical and fair trade space… and it’s a conversation around respect and getting rid of that savior complex when it comes to sharing the stories of artisans and men and women in vulnerable situations. It’s a fine line to walk. The stories of these beautiful people are important and they should be heard… but they should never be exploited for sales or personal gain. Seeing these artisans for the PEOPLE that they are - the HUMANS th...
Feb 14, 2018•54 min
I remember the first time I consciously wanted to quit. I was 7 and I had a big school science fair project I was working on. I was so excited about my project idea (I was talking about different kinds of rocks because, you know, that’s what 7 year olds do, or something). And really, I just wanted to talk about the pretty rocks that I had gotten on a recent trip to the gift shop at Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia. I thought they were pretty and sparkly and I wanted to talk about them in my scie...
Feb 07, 2018•48 min
It is estimated that there are nearly 150 million orphans worldwide. There’s a worldwide orphan crisis… maybe you’ve heard or maybe you haven’t. But it’s a crisis and it’s not getting better. one of the harsh realities of the orphan crisis is that many children, are not actually orphans… but their parents have had to surrender them or give them up because they simply cannot afford to care for them. Adoption is beautiful and adoption is amazing, but adoption is just one solution to the orphan cri...
Jan 31, 2018•49 min
Have you ever had a dream as a child, or heck, even as an adult, and you had your mind set on that dream? How you thought life was going to certainly take you in one direction, and then an event, or a trip, or an experience completely shifts everything for you and you realize that the thing you thought you were supposed to do is now no longer the thing you thought you were supposed to do? I mean, for me, I spent nearly my entire life first quarter of my life DREAMING of being on Saturday Night L...
Jan 24, 2018•51 min
Did you know that only about 1 in FIVE plastic bottles are ever recycled? And that it can take between 400 and 1,000 years to decompose. It’s actually estimated that humans are purchasing one million plastic bottles… PER MINUTE. Let that sink in. One million bottles PER MINUTE globally. And with 91% of those bottles never being recycled… that’s a lot of plastic that’s going to just end up in landfills, streams, creeks, and the ocean. I’m not trying to sound like some crazy tree hugger, but that’...
Jan 17, 2018•44 min
For years, I hated my body. I’d look in the mirror and I’d notice every flaw. Every roll, every stretch mark, every bit of cellulite… I’d say, “I can’t run” or “I’m not strong” or “I have no upper body strength” or “I’m so out of shape.” I never thought I’d ever enjoy working out. I told myself I’m never going to be one of “those” fitness people. At the end of 2016, I was in a very low place mentally. I was coming off of suffering from pretty severe postpartum depression, I felt terrible, and I ...
Jan 10, 2018•1 hr 1 min
People like to ask me when and how I got started talking about ethical and sustainable fashion. It’s definitely been a process for me over the years and I don’t claim to know it all or be perfect by any means. When I really started learning about the ins and outs of the fashion industry and how harmful it is and how WE are just contributing to it... I knew I had to do something. I knew I had to do my part. Because, believe it or not, one person can make a difference. The ripple effect we all hav...
Jan 03, 2018•49 min
I love being a mom. It’s one of the most difficult and rewarding and all the things jobs I’ve ever had in my life. I’m simultaneously a nurse, a cook, a cleaner, a bedtime singer, a teacher, a caregiver, an errand runner, a boo boo kisser, you know… basically every job on earth rolled into one. But if I’m honest, sometimes being a mom is a really lonely job. I so badly want to connect with other moms, but it can feel like other moms are just going to judge me. Those “mommy wars” are real and har...
Dec 27, 2017•46 min
I can pretty much guarantee that any business owner will tell you that running a business is hard. Unless you went to business school, there are so many details and unique facets about running a business that it’s honestly kind of hard to be prepared for. And many business owners are really just creatives and when they get to the nuts and bolts part of business, it can be overwhelming! But, one of the best characteristics of a good business owner is understanding when and HOW to get help. It’s i...
Dec 20, 2017•50 min
One of the reasons I spend so much time talking about fair trade goods and ethical fashion is not just because I think they’re nice products or pretty things or they’re unique - sure - those things are all well and good… but the fact of the matter is… I care about the people and the stories behind the products I buy. Fair trade is not about charity. It’s not about a hand out. It’s not about having pity on someone. Fair trade is about empowerment, giving someone opportunity and a sustainable inco...
Dec 13, 2017•52 min
A common question I hear these days is, “How do I turn my PASSION into a career?” There’s a lot of talk about PASSION. Everyone has a passion. We all have passions. But is it POSSIBLE to turn that passion into a full time income? Is it possible to not spend every day going through the motions, but to wake up every day looking FORWARD to getting to work? Can we do work that both fuels our passion while also making a profit? Yes, I truly believe the answer is YES. My guest this week is Marisa Flac...
Dec 06, 2017•50 min
To many people, a dress symbolizes things like fragility, weakness, inequality, outdated dress code rules, societal pressures, gender roles… There was a time when a woman would be literally scoffed at for wearing anything OTHER than a dress. And for centuries, women have fought to press on and buck trends and fight stereotypes, and obviously a woman wearing pants or wearing shorts isn’t thought of as anything crazy or remarkable today… but could a woman wearing a dress actually change the world?...
Nov 29, 2017•1 hr 13 min
We can all agree to two truths.... Life is beautiful and life is also tough. We all spend time trying to figure out what our purpose is or what we are supposed to do or what job we were meant for. We work hard, we do our best... and then life happens. Maybe it’s a broken relationship, a financial crisis, a death of a loved one, a divorce, or getting fired from a job... and we get into this mindset that life is awful and all these bad things are happening TO us... but have you ever thought that m...
Nov 22, 2017•1 hr 7 min
To say I am excited about today's post and BONUS Business with Purpose podcast episode is a bit of an understatement. I AM SO EXCITED. This has been in the works for awhile and was SUCH a fun project to put together. I knew I wanted to do an ultimate ethical holiday gift guide together this year and I also knew I wanted to incorporate it into the podcast. I ALSO knew that I wanted my dear friend Emily Sexton, the founder of The Flourish Market , to co-host it with me. So, we created a seriously ...
Nov 20, 2017•1 hr 28 min
There are two types of people… people who say and people who do. I’ve spent a good portion of my life trying to be someone who does… not just someone who says. Let’s be honest, this isn’t always easy. When we see a problem in the world, it can be really easy to say, “gosh, someone should really do something about that.” It’s a whole lot more difficult to actually be the one to say, “Maybe that someone is me…” Is there something in your life or in your world that is heavy on your heart? Is there ...
Nov 15, 2017•51 min
I think every business owner at some point has thought to themselves, “Am I an entrepreneur, or am I just unemployed?” My guest this week is Jen Lewis, the founder of Purse and Clutch! Jen is so hilarious and we had the BEST conversation. She shared some of her real struggles when it came to starting an ethical fashion business and what those early days looked like for her - but she also shared why working in this space matters and why she is passionate about it and lifting up OTHER ethical busi...
Nov 08, 2017•54 min
There are people that come into our lives and completely change us. Maybe it’s a teacher or a coach who really believe in us and encourage us in ways others haven’t. Or maybe it’s a friendship… a friendship that starts under unusual circumstances or in a place you’d least expect… but that friend becomes someone who changes your life. That friend teaches you something about the world around you and teaches you something about yourself. That friend challenges you to do something radical… not in li...
Nov 01, 2017•49 min
"If we can't be FOR each other, then we are not confident in who WE are and all we are confident in is questioning our success." -Jamie Ivey. To say I was honored to interview Jamie Ivey for this week's episode of the Business with Purpose podcast is an understatement. I have listened to Jamie's podcast, The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey for years. The way that she is able to connect with her guests and really minister to her listeners is such a gift. She has used her platform of podcasting, bloggi...
Oct 25, 2017•1 hr
Imagine a situation in which you are literally in the middle of the Gobi desert (AKA: the middle-of-nowhere OF the middle-of-nowhere) and you are carrying two million dollars in cold hard cash. Seems crazy, right? Not too crazy for Matt Scanlan and his business partner Diederik. To be honest, Matt's story of how he ended up in Mongolia, stuck in the middle of the Gobi desert with a group of strangers ( who didn't speak English ) for a MONTH, getting to know them, learning their lifestyle, and ul...
Oct 18, 2017•52 min
Picture this: I am a year out of college and I'm having a full-blown panic attack on the floor of my room because I suddenly realize that I'm $36,000 in consumer credit card debt . I realized the gravity of the financial mistakes I'd made and I was embarrassed, ashamed, and I had no idea what to do. Over the next few years, I had to work hard ( so hard ) to get myself out of the financial mess I'd gotten myself into... and today, I'm thankful that my husband and I remain debt free and we are dil...
Oct 11, 2017•1 hr 2 min
