In today’s episode of ‘Spirit of 608’ podcast host, Lorraine Sanders talks with guest Joie LaFrentz telling us what she has been up to and sharing the real deal behind how she has been building Jola.
Welcome! Come along with me on my journey into the metaverse and what's next. Kicking off the first season of the Making it in the Metaverse, here's How to Start Making it in the Metaverse without Spending Anything At All. Consider this your toe-dip into the landscape from a journalist-turned-ethical-fashion-advocate who got crypto curious in '18 but didn't fall all the way down the rabbit hole until mid-2021. Let me make your journey easier, more fun, less scary. Special bonus: Couples & Cr...
Welcome! Come along with me on my journey into the metaverse and what's next. Kicking off the first season of the Making it in the Metaverse, here are 6 Ways Regular Folks Can Start Making it in the Metaverse. Consider this your toe-dip into the landscape from a journalist-turned-ethical-fashion-advocate who got crypto curious in '18 but didn't fall all the way down the rabbit hole until mid-2021. Let me make your journey easier, more fun, less scary. Special bonus: Couples & Crypto. None of...
Welcome! Come along with me on my journey into the metaverse and what's next. Kicking off the first season of the Making it in the Metaverse, here are 5 Things I Want You to Know About Crypto Culture. Consider this your toe-dip into the landscape from a journalist-turned-ethical-fashion-advocate who got crypto curious in '18 but didn't fall all the way down the rabbit hole until mid-2021. Let me make your journey easier, more fun, less scary. None of this is financial advice y'all. Just a girl w...
Oh hey we have a brand new series coming out this spring (and beyond). A head’s up on what’s happening is waiting for you in today’s episode. More to come so soon. The TLDR: come with me on my journey into web3, blockchain, crypto and all things metaverse-y. There’s so much happening. Let’s figure it out together. <3 <3 <3 Oh hey there! Please help the podcast out and leave us a rating and review on iTunes . This stuff is key to the show's success, and I appreciate you helping me play t...
Mentioned in the show: Thanks to our episode sponsor Magic Mind! Boost your productivity and get 20% off your next order with code SPIRIT at checkout . Ethical Fashion Insiders' Response and Proposed Amendments New York State Senate Bill S.7428 Why A Beloved Ethical Fashion Startup Closed Up Shop To Embrace An Entirely Different Future in FEST with Helpsy's Rachel Kibbe The Mavericks Repairing & Revamping Patagonia, Prana & Other Ethical Apparel Brands with Nicole Bassett of The Renewal ...
In this episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, we dive into web3 and why ethical fashion should be paying attention to the possibilities in this rapidly unfolding space. If you’ve wondered how web3 technology and everything under that umbrella (cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and the Metaverse for a start) could be relevant, useful and game-changing for fashion brand and entrepreneurs seeking to create positive change in the space. You’ll hear how web3 is not to be ignored — and how you can...
Our lives are not lived in linear paths. The zigs and the zags are often what allows the most magical, unexpected and impactful moments to bubble up and become a reality. Such is the case with this week’s guest, Danielle Salinas, co-founder of popular sustainable fashion brand Maison de Papillon and, most recently, New York-based retail store and — as you’ll hear — a whole lot more: Project Gaia. Starting out in advertising and moving on to build a thriving dental practice with her then-husband,...
Ethical and sustainable fashion has become a conversation with global reach and proportions with entrepreneurs around the world building businesses seeking to create positive social impact through carefully-made clothing. One such founder is this week’s guest, Shahd AlShehail, whose Abadia clothing brand delivers sweeping, feminine silhouettes inspired by the traditional artisan craftsmanship of the Saudi Arabian peninsula and made in partnership with female makers across Saudi and the UAE. List...
Need inspiration for your evolution as an entrepreneur? Well that’s coming to your ears in this week’s episode, which features a conversation with Arkansas-based designer and maker Alyssa Bird. Well-known in the indie design scene that’s bubbled up online in recent years, Alyssa has garnered fans with her brightly-colored, upbeat accessories and jewelry — not to mention her fun, authentic personality that comes through in her regular Instagram videos and social media. When you’re entrenched in o...
Curious how to use community and events to generate buzz and reach new audiences for your sustainable fashion brand? On this week’s show, I am excited to bring you Costa Rica and L.A.-based designer Diana Ganem for a conversation that’s one-part story and one-part live media strategy coaching. Like many professional designers who’ve worked in the fashion industry for years, Diana left the corporate world to launch Nightswim, a company that aligns with her values and devotion to sustainable and e...
If there’s one thing I truly believe about getting visible through DIY PR and earned media (i.e. media you didn’t have to pay for, a.k.a. advertising), it’s this: there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. There just isn’t. Yes, there are a ton of best practices and standard strategies, and they are great, but there are always questions that come up about people’s individual businesses. That’s, in fact, exactly why I created the PressDope DIY PR course program and set it up the way it is. The goal i...
Launching a magazine is not for the faint of heart. Sure, content is crucial for most businesses right now (especially those in the sustainable fashion arena). But consistently creating high-quality, thought-provoking, change-making content? It’s a hugely intensive endeavor, one that this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast knows well. During our conversation, ESJ magazine (a.k.a. Ethical Style Journal) founder Katie talks frankly about the complexities of building a media business in the ...
Sometimes you fall in love with vintage, and sometimes you fall so hard you start a business. The latter is the case for this week’s guest, who launched a line of jewelry born out of her love for antique lockets and went on to grow the company into a mixed collection of modern fine jewelry pieces and unique antique jewelry from her network of sources. In this week’s episode, we get the inside story of Suzanne’s journey from the corporate world (she’s an alum of J.Crew, RedEnvelope, Victoria’s Se...
What happens when your product unexpectedly lands in the hands of a Hollywood costume pro who happens to be working on the sets of a film destined to become the next big thing. Ask this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast, whose fashion business career spans decades and six different companies — some of which she ran at the same time. A multi-hyphenate creative and serial entrepreneur, Sarah Shaw lets us in on her journey from her early days in Los Angeles as an almost accidental handbag d...
The future of secondhand fashion is unfolding in front of our eyes. For many of us who’ve thrifted for years and loved vintage and new-with-tags treasures long before they became big business, it’s easy to wonder: what’s next? How will the rise of billion dollar companies slinging secondhand style affect not just the mainstream fashion landscape, but the legions of local shops and sellers who see secondhand as so much more than the latest trend. To get some answers, our fabulous summer intern Ev...
If you’ve ever stressed about live video — or any video content for that matter — you need to listen to today’s episode with Alicia Henderson of Empirenista and the Video Visibility with Alicia Show. That’s because she’s bringing us her completely down-to-earth and no BS approach to video content and why it’s time to get over your fears and hesitations and use this ultra-powerful way of communicating to reach new audiences and grow today. In her work with female entrepreneurs, Alicia helps women...
No matter what kind of content you’re creating for your business, I’m willing to bet one thing. There are times you’re totally overwhelmed. And maybe those times are pretty much all of the time. And if that’s the case, it’s for good reason: given today’s marketing landscape and the realities of what’s required to get visible as you grow, almost every brand — whether you’re a product-based DTC ecommerce business like the many I’ve interviewed on the Spirit of 608 podcast or the founder of a tech ...
Designer, neuroscientist and community leader Sharmon Lebby is back with us on the Spirit of 608 podcast for a second episode updating us on how her journey building a an ethical fashion brand as a side-gig ultimately led her to become an activist and community leader pushing creating connections among ethical businesses and pushing for change in her native San Antonio and well beyond. As president of the Ethical Network of San Antonio, Sharmon is dialed into the social and economic issues impac...
When was the last time you sent a pitch email to the media? With even a small amount of outreach, you can significantly increase your visibility through more outreach to journalists, bloggers and content creators. Oh yes, anyone can leverage media coverage and positive PR to elevate their business, build credibility, boost search engine rankings and reach new audiences with your message, products and services. The thing is, so often people let the pitch email get in the way. Instead of starting ...
This week, we welcome Rae Joseph to the Spirit of 608 podcast to let us in on her journey from corporate law to starting a business at the intersection of luxury and vintage fashion. Listen to the episode for a dive into what it’s like to leave a lucrative, successful career in order to turn your passion into a business, how she’s educating shoppers in her native Saudi Arabia about the joy of luxury vintage clothing and accessories and what’s next for the business of secondhand style. <3 <...
We’re kicking off this year’s second season of the Spirit of 608 podcast with an inspiring woman helping to pioneer responsible fashion in Colombia — and as you’ll hear in the episode — far beyond that, thanks to her role leading the responsibility efforts and media outreach for men’s footwear brand Beckett Simonon . I was already well aware of the Colombia-based purveyor of made-to-order shoes, boots and sneakers before I met Adela earlier this year when she joined the PressDope DIY PR course p...
In the final episode before our annual summer break (we’ll be back with all-new interview episodes in August), I’m talking about the thing we’re not talking about enough in the sustainability space. Especially when it comes to business. It’s been on my mind for a while, and I am sharing it all in this episode. Plus, a bunch of things I want you to know about where the podcast is headed, what’s changing and what to expect from us while we’re on break (hint hint, if you have wanted to be a part of...
Oh the joy and challenge of amazing photography. Visual imagery is queen today, especially considering every brand aiming to grow is basically tasked with becoming its own mini publishing house. Honestly, just think about it: it used to be that brands, well, they sold things. And the media, well, they published things about the things other people made and sold. Today, every brand reaching new audiences is using content to make it happen — and churning out magazine-sized volumes of copy and phot...
Want inspiration for building a design-driven business with sustainable values and rethinking single use daily habits that seem so, well, normal until you realize they’ve only been common for the last 50 to 100 years? Then you’re going to be all ears for this week’s guest on the Spirit of 608 podcast, Danish designer and Last Object co-founder Isabel Aagaard. Even at the helm of a fast-growing company (look out for their retail presence in U.S. Anthropologie stores soon) with a baby in a global ...
Power moves, y’all! Yes this episode is making me drop the yalls. Why? Because it’s full of ideas and encouragement I want you to hear right now: so many of us struggle with money mindset, simplifying and taking full advantage of the resources and amazing things we have right in front of us. And that’s not because we’re unworthy or doomed to failure — absolutely not. It’s because of how our minds work — in part two, you will hear that explained quite literally in thoughts drawn from my recent co...
Sometimes business is grueling and challenging and frustrating to no end. But then, sometimes things begin to fall into place and you come up for air to realize you are in exactly the right spot for right now. That’s what happened to multi-hyphenate actor-musician-artist-activist-entrepreneur Nikki Reed (you will remember her from the Twilight series and many others) when she stepped beyond Hollywood to launch a business focused on sustainability. Joining with Freedom of Animals founder Morgan B...
This week’s guest turned her pain personal point — her husband’s stinky workout shirts — into product that’s now fueling not one, but multiple businesses. On this week’s episode of the Spirit of 608 podcast, you will hear how Texas entrepreneur Megan Eddings left a corporate career while at the top of her game to risk building an activewear brand aiming to solve for stinky shirts. But she didn’t just create an apparel line — she put her college chemistry degree and sales acumen to work and ended...
What can product businesses in FEST (fashion, entrepreneurship, sustainability + tech) learn from content marketers in the current digital landscape? As a content creator, producer, consultant and entrepreneur who works primarily with product businesses, I’m here to tell you the answer is so much, especially right now — a time when every business is being asked to become a publisher in order to stay visible and connect with new audiences. From simple social media communication tactics to the eas...
