Scams, Cash, and Fake Friendships with Lauren Gordon

Unless you have a career in fashion, we solely participate in fashion as consumers. Clothes and accessories are things that we buy. And that’s it.  In this episode, I sit down with Jesse Boga, a journalism-trainer writer who has extensive work in news and lifestyle media, PR, and science communication.  We talked about… What is sustainability in fashion, and how it differs in terms of shared realities across different countries  Our journey towards fashion as we change job situations, locations, budgets, and economic status How we process the emotional rewards of buying new items (dopamine) and the feeling of helping the environment (also dopamine!)  How we buy clothes to communicate status but how we should also navigate the fangs of conspicuous consumption  Surprising ways we can inculcate sustainable habits in our daily lives (hint: it’s MORE than just going to Goodwill and buying second hand clothes!) I really enjoyed this conversation because it tackled fashion in a different light.  As entrepreneurs who dabble in fashion merely as consumers, we were able to discuss angles that would never come  up in our day-to-day lives.  After this episode, I mindfully donated a few of my clothes and chose to be more intentional with the things I buy. :) [Don’t worry! This is not a podcast about minimalism! Haha!] *** Jesse is a 2023 fellow of the Next Gen Assembly, an advocacy program led by non‑profit organization Global Fashion Agenda and Fashion Values, a sustainability education program developed by the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the UAL-London College of Fashion. He convenes voices from fashion, sustainability and beyond in the Unstitch: Sustainable Fashion Forum.  As a member of the WEF Global Shapers Community, Jesse takes leadership roles in convening youths and communities for inclusive conversations about sustainability. He believes in the power of writing and creating storytelling-centered platforms to achieve global goals. He is @thegamejay on Instagram. Check out his works on: Fashion Revolution Fashion Values Unstitch: Sustainable Fashion Forum

20 Mai 20241h 10min

I've always wanted to share a lot of the behind the scenes of my life, so here's a start! Check out this neat list of 15 of my favorite items and purchases under $100. They're absolutely life changing -- at least for me!    (Teaser: They're mostly health and productivity stuff!)   If you have any item that springs to mind, please let me know so I can get em for myself too. Also, if you know anyone who works for these companies, tell them they are very welcome to sponsor me, haha!   Follow me on Instagram: @karlastefan for more behind-the-scenes moments through #LifeByDesign

29 Apr 202448min

Breakups are such a b*tch! Especially when you're running a business. Today I sat with Eliza Vi to talk about this^. She's a Mexican Medicine Woman, Sacred Intimacy Coach and a Feminine and Masculine Energetics expert. She leads a movement of powerful women who choose to defy all odds against them and strive to live a deeply fulfilling life of abundance in love, connection and wealth. In this episode, we talk about how to equip yourself when navigating through grief, getting to know how to regulate your nervous system, how to be open for support, how to fully accept and know that you deserve to continue moving forward, and how to avoid the common traps that we might get into when trying to get over a breakup (e.g. overspending, workaholism, wanting to be desired or dating immediately. All of these, told through the lens of entrepreneurs, living the holistic experience of also running a business, and being present for yourself in the whole process. She also shares the ONE MAGIC PRINCIPLE that kept her grounded: The human comes first, and what this means as it unfolded in her life as a woman and as a coach. Follow Eliza's adventures and truth bombs: @iamelizavi

8 Apr 20241h 8min

After his viral Shark Tank stint -- with Marc Cuban calling him a charlatan and Mr. Wonderful dropping the F bombs pretty hard -- all the hate came rolling for Maneesh Sethi, Founder of Pavlok.  (Pavlok is a wearable device company that helps people eliminate bad habits and form positive ones.)   People were emailing him hate messages, messaging him on social media, calling their home phone, and sending threats to his family members. Even though he didn't expect how bad it would be, he decided to take the best of this "fame" and used it to forward his business.    Tune in to listen to his story of frustration on the human race, if "all PR is good PR" is really true for everyone, what it was like putting himself out there in this way, how this can be a lesson to all Founders who are thinking of doing the same, and how to turn this hate into something positive.    Now an eight figure business, Pavlok continues to change lives all over the world with their new product rollouts and new features. Check them out on Indiegogo and of course, the official Pavlok site, both linked below.    P.S. Did you know about Maneesh's story about hiring his assistant to slap his face to stop him from procrastinating? He tells that here, too.    Indiegogo: https://indiegogo.com/projects/shock-clock-max-alarm-clock-that-shocks-you-awake#/ Pavlok site: https://shop.pavlok.com/

1 Apr 202442min

"It's lonely at the top" "Entrepreneurship is not sexy" "This is so hard that's why people don't do it!" These are just some of the most common thoughts that people have about entrepreneurship. And painfully, I admit they're all true! However, you may be wondering, why do we, entrepreneurs, keep doing this business thing? How do we deal with all of its ugly parts? Sit with me and Alex Snider, a well known coach for seven and eight figure entrepreneurs. She goes on a deep dive about her experience, how her clients have dealt with these, and shares interesting insights about the difficult times that we all go through! Peep her best work here:  Website: https://alexsnider.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asyetunknown P.S. Check out my TOP 6 Ugliest parts of entrepreneurship in this episode too! P.P.S. Follow my adventures on Instagram @karlastefan.

25 Mar 20241h 21min

A lot of people come to me with problems.    I don't know; maybe I look like I have solutions. That's not true though, I still fumble life sometimes. However, over my years of experience as the eldest child of an Asian family, a corporate event planner, and a consultant, I've found a handful of ways to solve problems better.    Get your notebook out or maybe go for a thoughtful walk with this podcast in your ear. Presenting: my best ways to solve problems.  (Got more to add? DM me on Instagram @karlastefan.)

18 Mar 202438min

Hear ye, hear ye! My money mistakes are here for you to feast on! Sharing my best money mistakes in my last 15 years in business, and the stories and lessons that came with it. Guaranteed you'll learn a thing or two, and if you have something to share, shoot me a message, I'd appreciate it! :) Follow me on Instagram for positive money adventures, led by life design: @karlastefan.

29 Jan 202444min

As I navigate through the decision of being a mom, I realized that a lot of women may have the same questions, fears, feelings, and musings! So I decided to invite my supermom bossbabe friend, Lauren Gordon to talk about this topic. She had 3 kids back-to-back, ran her business fulltime, and moved to a foreign country while at it! She successfully runs a multi six figure coaching business and generously shares her a-ha moments with us. Listen intently so you can learn about qualities to look for in a life partner, her top 3 tactical things about balancing motherhood and business, the ONE WORD to kill in your vocabulary, how to repair the situation when you loose your sh*t, and how being a mom helped her in business.Follow Lauren’s wonderful mompreneur adventures on Instagram (@laurengordonofficial) and make sure you check out her amazing journaling prompts called “The Self Love Guide”.

22 Jan 20241h 23min