Mindful Consuming

Episode 20: John Goods

Episode 20: John Goods | John Goods is a chemist and inventor who is interested in the ways humans interact with energy and materials and how the unseen chemical world around us influences our experience.  He is currently the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Ravel [https://www.ravelfuture.com], a startup that is working to make synthetic textile recycling a commercial reality. John talks with Ruth about his initial interests in chemistry, the power of mindfulness in his life, the nuances of critical decision making, and the role that technology can potentially play as we push toward a more sustainable way of living.  They discuss the ongoing environmental crisis related to clothing waste, highlighting that the USA has the largest textile waste footprint in the world by far.  John and Ruth are excited about Ravel’s pursuits in tackling the difficult challenges of recycling blended fabrics and have hope that their efforts toward textile circularity will help transform the culture of fashion and provide viable options for recycled materials in the marketplace. Visit: mindfulconsuming.com [https://www.mindfulconsuming.com/] Follow: @mindful.consuming [https://www.instagram.com/mindful.consuming/]

Episode 19: Kristen Albrecht

Episode 19: Kristen Albrecht | Kristen Albrecht’s most recent venture was running Nube, a local sustainable apparel business.  Nube partnered with artists to help create their designs, focusing on recycled materials and being fully US-made.  She recently graduated from Presidio Graduate School with an MBA in sustainable solutions and is now starting a new role heading up sustainability and operations at a textile recycling startup called Ravel.  Outside of work, Kristen lives on a small family farm on Whidbey Island caring for pigs, chickens, and her pup Scuppers.  She is passionate about US-manufacturing, the circular economy, and trying to live a life aligned with her values. In the wake of the recent decision to close/pause Nube (for now), Kristen and Ruth talk about the challenges they have faced as a small business within the sustainable apparel marketplace.  They discuss how they had to define their own principles of sustainability, the phases and vast lessons they learned through the Nube journey, and the deep desire to positively impact textile infrastructure through circularity.  This conversation gives the listener a vulnerable look into their ongoing emotional processing of Nube’s closure and the hope they have for the future with their next collaborative project, Ravel. Visit: mindfulconsuming.com [https://www.mindfulconsuming.com/] Follow: @mindful.consuming [https://www.instagram.com/mindful.consuming/]

Episode 18: Jude O'Reilley

Episode 18: Jude O'Reilley | Jude O'Reilley is the CEO of VolunteerMatch [https://www.volunteermatch.org/], a non-profit platform matching inspired people with inspiring causes.  He has a lifetime of experience as a volunteer and more than 25 years of experience in technology, leadership and entrepreneurship in the private sector and in the world of social change.  A seasoned organizational leader in social innovation, he has launched more than 100 consumer and enterprise products. Before joining VolunteerMatch, Jude was responsible for the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and funding within the Skoll Foundation community.  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he led his team to quadruple grant making in one year in 2020, sustained those high levels in 2021, and redesigned and launched their flagship Award program. Jude talks with us about his journey into social entrepreneurship, starting with the incredible influence that his resolute mother had in helping him think differently at a young age.  He shares statistical insights into the decrease of social connection the last twenty years, with volunteer participation also being on the decline.  Jude hopes to see these numbers reverse, stating that volunteering has a regenerative power to bring “greater feelings of self-efficacy, purposefulness, a sense of connection to community, and overall happiness.”   He has hope for the future, as studies have shown that both Gen Z and Milennials have demonstrated an increased desire to volunteer for social connection.  Jude also discusses the battle against performativism, the positive potential for building more robust corporate volunteer programs, and the power in pairing volunteers with a program that best fits their skillsets. Visit: mindfulconsuming.com [https://www.mindfulconsuming.com/] Follow: @mindful.consuming [https://www.instagram.com/mindful.consuming/]

Episode 17: Pele Bennett

Episode 17: Pele Bennett | Pele Bennett has dedicated over a decade to philanthropic endeavors and fostering positive change in underserved communities, particularly among Pacific Islander and Indigenous peoples. With a strong commitment to breaking systemic barriers, Pele has recently embarked on a transformative journey, focusing on fostering systems thinking and empowering marginalized communities. Through her work, hosting charitable events, she’s launched two groundbreaking platforms, Tupu Times and Vā Beauty. These digital publications unapologetically center on Pasifika life, Indigenous storytelling and showcasing all aspects of people's lives, including culture, dancing, design, rooted health beliefs, and overall wellness. Pele aims to educate people from around the world about Polynesian customs and culture, ensuring that their rich heritage is celebrated and understood. To further her contribution to challenging the status quo by bringing her Pacific Islander heritage to the forefront, Pele is developing her own beauty brand, Minoi, dedicated to celebrating natural beauty and bringing power to those whose hair was once considered unmanageable and unruly. She coined the phrase “T.H.I.C.,” which stands for Texture-rich, Hydrated, Individualistic, Curves or “The Hair In-between Curves.” She’s on a mission to address all aspects of hair care, focused on treatment, hydration, quality ingredients, proper cleansing, and empowering customers with knowledge to own their crown of curls. Pele resides in Hawaii with her husband, Michael Bennett, and her 3 daughters. She is currently furthering her career as a beauty entrepreneur and spreading her knowledge and power of her Polynesian culture. Pele sits down with us to talk about her inspirations, the power that gratitude has in her life, and the sense of community she felt on her recent trip to reconnect with family in Samoa.  She shares about the current direction of her projects, as well as the passion she has for holding spaces that foster conversation among women. Visit: mindfulconsuming.com [https://www.mindfulconsuming.com/] Follow: @mindful.consuming [https://www.instagram.com/mindful.consuming/]

Episode 16: Dave Ferris

Episode 16: Dave Ferris | Dave Ferris is an academic in philosophy, a restless dabbler, and a native of Vashon Island who has recently returned after a couple decades bouncing around the east coast from school to school and project to project.  As an undergraduate in Social Studies at Harvard he threw himself into activism with the Harvard Fair Trade Initiative, then worked with a radical political economist in Washington, DC.  While completing a masters in Humanities and Social Thought at NYU, Dave found himself living in a Brooklyn cooperative and starting up a cooperatively owned and run bed and breakfast.  He went on to pursue a PhD in philosophy at Emory University, teaching courses from symbolic logic to philosophy of law for undergraduates there and at Agnes Scott College, as well as women incarcerated in north Georgia.  He is finishing up his dissertation on how we should understand, value, and embody humility in our character in order to cultivate a democratic society. Dave joins Mindful Consuming to chat about his paths within academia, the practices that support him on his journey, and how the DIY self-sufficiency of his Vashon upbringing nurtured his spirit of mutual care and collective local action.  He sees great potential in harnessing the correctively healing power of appropriate and humble judgments as we all fight to cultivate a better world for the future.  We were happy to pick up some of the conversations we’ve had since his return to the island and are excited to open up new threads of dialogue and new schemes for organizing together. Visit: mindfulconsuming.com [https://www.mindfulconsuming.com/] Follow: @mindful.consuming [https://www.instagram.com/mindful.consuming/]