GillHB & Friends GillHB

This quote came to mind as I was chatting to Mitty -  “People who say it cannot be done, should not interrupt those who are doing it", George Bernard Shaw. My 'friend' on this podcast is defintiely the person doing it! 
Meet Mitty who, not only decided to start her business  www.bridieandbert.com 3 years ago in covid, but also turned 60 this year which she celebrated by going to India  - not just for pleasure also for business.  
I'm very keen to discover how it all started, where did she get the idea from and find out what her great motivators are for growing her business - it involves a big kitchen! Her story starts way back when she was a little girl and she had her mother who kept their childhood clothes wrapped up in tissue paper. 
Since covid she's built an online and wholesale business and now has 3 shops opening in St Mawes, Salcombe ad St Ives which she is eager for everyone to pop into and say hello if you're in one of those towns. She's also got great plans for the future (if you know anyone who lives on the East coast of America or involved with cruise companies she'd like your help) including expanding her range of clothes and her number of shops. Watch out Lymington and other seaside towns Bridie and Bert are heading your way! 
Mitty knows who she is, how she works best and has learned to do things her way and ignore other people's fears. WARNING: Her enthusiasm, passion for life and all she does is very infectious!! 

In this episode it's all about 'sustainable fashion'
Gill chats to Sarah Franken a young entrepreneur about how she came to set up the online magazine 'Lumera'. The focus of the magazine is to highlight sustainable brands and Gill finds out what is sustainable fashion and how complicated it can get! 
Sarah explains that at university she wasn't particularly passionate about sustainability but how, a few years later, she accidentally walked into a panel talk all about sustainable fashion and it gave her a whole new perspective and passion to pursue. Lumera was born. 
They discuss what constitutes as 'sustainable fashion' and what are the bigger challenges involved? Sarah explains what the 3 main sustainability categories are.
Gill mentions about how when she was younger it was normal for families to have a 'button and zip box'. Sarah uses a great quote as an example as to why we now simply discard clothes: "Clothes have gone from being a valuable item to becoming a disposable item". 
The discussion widens out to look at: how do you get people to change their mindset / perception around their fashionable clothing buying habits when large cheaper brands target them in their marketing? How does the industry overcome the dilemma of what would be seen as sustainable fashion for one group of people is viewed differently by another. What is 'greenwashing' and how does the consumer know if a brand is doing this? 
They both agree that with anything in life it has to be easy for the consumer to navigate.  
Links to the articles mentioned in the podcast:
Resale on the Rise - Brands Selling their Pre-Loved Garments https://lumeramag.com/articles/resale-on-the-rise-brands-selling-their-pre-loved-garments  5 Tips to Spot Greenwashing https://lumeramag.com/articles/five-tips-to-spot-greenwashing  To subscribe to the magazine: https://lumeramag.com/  or follow them on social media @lumeramag. Or if you are a sustainable brand or know of one please contact Sarah by email info@lumeramag.com so she can add it to her list or Gill to do a podcast! 
 
 

I don't know many entrepreneurs, let alone someone of Holly's age, who does literally everything in their new business - from building the website, to making the bespoke items to taking the photographs of her products.
She explains how rêvedesalpes.com came about from an idea / dream her Mum and Aunt had many years ago. On gaining her Masters and realising she didn't want to remain in marketing she picked up the idea and started the business.
Holly is very keen on sustainability and it is at the heart of her business and everything to do with it. The bespoke items she makes as the orders come in to avoid wastage, she sources other items from vintage shops and even her packaging can be recycled. 
As well as running her own business Holly also writes for the online magazine Lumera which is about educating people on sustainable fashion. 

Clare and Catherine met at the school gates when their children were young and started  running an after school club together for many years before deciding it was time to do something new.
Gill finds out what made them decide to star a new environmentally friendly business. What were the driving forces behind it? How do they decide what to stock and how much to stock when starting a new business? 
She dsicovers that they test all the products themselves to ensure they work and really are environmentally friendly. As Clare tells Gill they realised that one downside is that because a lot of things they sell are long lasting customers don't need to keep returning to buy them! This is just one of the challenges because inevitably the products are more expensive than the equivalent suppermarket item as they last longer - like their bamboo kitchen roll - so it's getting customers to make the mindset switch that in the longer run they do actually work out much cheaper. 
We chat about everything from green bleach to ragbags (remember them? and yes I still have one) to terry nappies. @planetfriendlyliving.co.uk

How would you cope for 13+ yrs on 4 hours sleep a night normally, let alone whilst raising a family of 3 children one of whom has non verbal autism plus additional sensory processing needs? 
Katrina shares her very practical approach to, what she describes, as the very contented family life they now all have. She tells of the challenges they have had to face with Clayton, now 16yrs old, along the way. How they've moved many times and as he grew up his 'meltdowns' which could go on well into the night would bring complaints from neighbours and the police knocking on their door. 
The move to their own home in Scotland brought about a dramatic change in Clayton and all he needed was a very quiet environment and to be out in nature. It took Katrina and Peter 2 years of kidding themselves, when he became of secondary school age that a new teacher, support worker, term, classroom... would make school better for him before realising that it was never going to be right and taking the decision to homeschool him. 
Now not only does Katrina home school Clayton as well as supporting his younger brother and sister but she writes books and articles, designs and sell merchandise, grows their own food, recycles or upcycles everything they can, cooks and bakes with Clayton, crochets, is active on social media...the list goes on!

Have you heard of breast implant illness? Serena hadn't and put her symptoms of not feeling 'quite right' then 'very ill' down to the peri-menopause / menopause. She went for tests and was told all was well but she certainly didn't feel it was. One day she came across another woman's story and realised that the symptoms she was experiencing were those of breast implant illness. 
Serena shares the hurdles she faced to be able to have 'explant' surgery, what that actually means and involves and why it's important to have the capsules removed as well. Post surgery she discovered she had actually had the PIP implants. It is still early days for Serena and she is finding out more about what the lasting implications are for her going forward.  
She reflects back on why she had implants originally and what she has learnt about herself as a result. She is one of thousands of woman suffering from BII but luckily could afford to go privately to have them removed. She advises anyone thinking of having implants to ensure they also have the funds in place to have them removed. We discuss the role of the NHS when things go wrong and should it 'pick up the tab' for those that have chosen to have implants.