Rise Regardless

There are obstacles intrinsic to being an entrepreneur scaling your business amidst a global recession, and there are obstacles inherent to running a sustainable fashion business — in particular, you want your customers to buy less, to consume less, but that also means less revenues for you. Now, let’s combine the obstacles from both of those circumstances and instead of one global recession, let’s make it two. There we have it: Stephanie Ostler’s entrepreneurial journey thus far. In this episode, you’ll learn more about how Stephanie, the founder of Devil May Wear, has not only resiliently survived but also thrived as a business owner during the 2008 recession AND current COVID-19 pandemic. * 3:57 About Stephanie & Devil May Wear * 5:34 Difficulties associated with running a sustainable business * 8:10 How Stephanie’s vision for Devil May Wear has changed over 17 years * 11:43 Concept: the circular economy * 13:00 How to start a business with ethics & sustainability as a priority * 14:29 How to shop more sustainably * 17:21 Parallels between the 2008 recession & today * 24:03 Key lessons learned * 27:00 How to deal with pandemic stress & financial strain * 30:14 Easy ways to support small business right now * 31:14 Staying in touch with Stephanie & Devil May Wear More about Stephanie: Stephanie launched Devil May Wear, straight out of high school immediately attracting international attention and sales. By the time she was 30, she had 3 successful retail locations in Vancouver and Victoria, Canada. In 2013, she delivered a TEDx talk called “The Luxury to Buy Better” where she spoke about the value of buying fewer things you love more. Stephanie currently teaches a course at Simon Fraser University in business and design based on textile sustainability called "Make Change Studio". * Get in touch with Stephanie via email: devilmaywear@gmail.com [devilmaywear@gmail.com] * Check out Devil May Wear: https://www.devilmaywear.ca/ [https://www.devilmaywear.ca/] * Follow Devil May Wear on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devilmaywear/ [https://www.instagram.com/devilmaywear/] * Like Devil May Wear on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devilmaywearstore [https://www.facebook.com/devilmaywearstore] * Keep up to date with Stephanie’s work: https://stephanieostler.wordpress.com/ [https://stephanieostler.wordpress.com/] More about Katy: Katy is passionate human rights, animal welfare, and environmental activist, and the founder of Attire Media, an online platform that educates consumers about making ethical and sustainable fashion choices while promoting values of diversity and inclusion.  After working in the fashion industry as a marketing specialist, business consultant, and model, she recognized that there were still major gaps in the fashion industry relating to diversity, ethics, and sustainability. Taking initiative on the problems plaguing one of the world’s largest industries, Katy started Attire to alleviate the gaps and help consumers adopt conscious fashion practices. Katy is also currently studying Commerce at the UBC Sauder School of Business, and is passionate about using business tools to alleviate social and environmental issues. * Follow Attire Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attiremedia/ [https://www.instagram.com/attiremedia/] * Subscribe to Attire Media’s Newsletter: https://www.attiremedia.com/ [https://www.attiremedia.com/]

Would you buy a t-shirt for $10? Would you still buy it if you knew that over 1,000 people were killed in the process? In 2013, Bangladesh's Rana Plaza collapse accentuated the dire working conditions of labourers (read: victims) of the fast fashion industry to the global community. Knowing this human cost is enough to stop all of us from buying such goods, but the fast fashion industry’s persistent detrimental effects don’t stop here. It is also notorious for its overwhelming disservice to the environment. One example: Because of excess clothing production and the brevity of its use, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Having seen these staggering statistics (and more), Selina Ho has made it her mission to right the wrongs of the harmful fast fashion industry. Even today, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Selina continues to resiliently scale sustainable brands and educate consumers about slow fashion through the Recloseted podcast, e-book, and social media channels. More about Selina: Selina is the Founder & CEO of Recloseted, a consulting agency dedicated to collectively marching towards slow fashion with both businesses and consumers. Outside of sustainability, Selina also applies her business acumen in consumer health as a marketing manager at TELUS. When she's not working, you can find her on the mountains skiing and snowboarding, unwinding at a yoga class, or trying out new restaurants. * Connect with Selina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/selinaho/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/selinaho/] * Follow Recloseted on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recloseted/ [https://www.instagram.com/recloseted/] * Download the Recloseted Handbook: https://www.recloseted.com/handbook [https://www.recloseted.com/handbook] * Listen to the Recloseted Radio Podcast: https://www.recloseted.com/podcast [https://www.recloseted.com/podcast]

Selling is draining. Selling is egocentric. Selling is manipulative. Many people have these negative associations with selling, and yet, they feel that it’s nonetheless an integral component to being successful, whether it is advancing themselves in their career or growing their business. But what if you didn’t need to sell to achieve your version of success? In this episode of Rise Regardless, Farnoosh Brock makes us privy to succeeding by eliminating the selling mindset. Instead? Adopt the serving mindset. Having felt compelled to leave her successful engineering career at a top tech company to pursue her greater purpose of helping others raise their impact, influence and income, Farnoosh made the audacious move knowing that she would accept only half the income she and her husband once had. In doing so, Farnoosh pursed purpose over paycheck and embraced the serving mindset along the way. More about Farnoosh: Farnoosh went from electrical engineer and rising leader at a Fortune 100 company to business coach, trainer, and speaker at Google, Fidelity Investments and others. She has helped many individuals and businesses adopt the mindset of serving over selling to build deep trust, meaningful customer relationships as well as sustainable profits. In addition to her latest book, The Serving Mindset: Stop Selling and Grow Your Business, she is the author of the author of three health books as well as the  creator of Crack the Code to Get Promoted - a leadership & career advancement course for corporate professionals. * Connect with Farnoosh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fbahram/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/fbahram/] * Follow Farnoosh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prolificliving/ [https://www.instagram.com/prolificliving/] * Learn more about Prolific Living: https://www.prolificliving.com/ [https://www.prolificliving.com/]

For many individuals coming from non-traditional and intersectional minority backgrounds, landing a corporate job at top companies, such as Google and JP Morgan, seems far out of reach. However, it doesn't have to be. That’s why Jonathan Javier sheds light on how he’s leveraged rejection to redirect himself and his career trajectory. From persistently reaching out to recruiters to befriending his airplane seat neighbour, Jonathan shares what has been effective for him in achieving both personal and professional success. Ultimately, he’s turned himself from an underdog into a winner and continues to help others do the same through Wonsulting – his career consulting community. More about Jonathan: Since graduating from UC Riverside, Jonathan has worked at Snap, Google, and Cisco in Strategy & Operations. Outside of work, Jonathan has led over 39 Career Development workshops, runs his own career consulting firm, Wonsulting, and leads the ALPFA National Ambassador Program. Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanmjavier/ Follow Wonsulting on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/wonsulting/ Follow Wonsulting on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/wonsulting/ Email Jonathan for workshops, speaking engagements and more: mailto:wonsulting@gmail.com

We’ve all heard of glass ceilings before, but do you know about bamboo ceilings? The term “bamboo ceiling”, like “glass ceiling”, addresses underrepresentation in leadership roles, but as opposed to highlighting women, it accentuates Asians in the Western workforce. Given stereotypes of being intelligent, hard working, and humble, Asians are often dubbed the “model minority”. Though really, “sticky floor” discriminatory employment practices are applicable to women, LGBTQ2+, and other minority groups alike — Asian people of colour included. And Jerry Lee is fully cognizant of this stark reality. As a young Asian professional climbing the American corporate ladder, Jerry shares his journey breaking the bamboo ceiling and beyond. From humble beginnings of independently funding his college degree, Jerry elaborates on how core Asian values, such as respect and hard work, have propelled him in quickly scaling the corporate ladder irrespective of the accompanying inevitable and paradoxical challenges he’s faced. And as accomplished as Jerry is, he attributes his ability to thrive and not only survive to more than just his merit, but to his communities of support as well. More about Jerry: Jerry is currently the youngest Strategy & Operations Manager at Google. He is from Torrance, California and graduated summa cum laude from Babson College. Outside of work, Jerry hosts workshops on financial literacy & professional developments and is starting his own Korean tapas food business. Follow Jerry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jehakjerrylee [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jehakjerrylee]