On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Lydia Brearley, a sustainable fashion advocate, about fashion, legislation, and how we can make changes together as an industry.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• While I was living and working in Shanghai in 2016 the Chinese government was focussing on pollution levels and a lot of the factories had restrictions imposed on them in terms of their output. At the same time mills were closing down which meant that orders were going late, prices were going up and this started affecting my business.
• Occasionally a siren would go off in the city, which was panicking for me having never had it explained. It was a pollution siren indicating that the pollution level was so high that school kids couldn’t play outside. In that moment my business didn’t fell aligned with my own personal values and I started to pivot my career toward sustainability.
• When was first consulting and speaking to directors it felt like they had intentions, but trying to move the dial and impact change was quite difficult. A lot of us in the industry need to almost unlearn all that we’ve learned in our careers because it’s not fit for the future.
• Whether your business is impacted or not you need to have an understanding of what these legislations are about and why they’re being introduced, what the challenges and risks are in the textile industry and why they’re being implemented in the first place. Even if you don’t need to officially comply, it’s important that you understand the principles behind it and start to adopt that in your business.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Enkel means ‘simple’ in Swedish, it’s all about simplifying sustainability.’

‘There’s so much happening in legislation, it’s really overwhelming. Everyone’s talking about it but there’s very few resources where you can identify what things mean, the differences between different acts and what acronyms mean.’

‘It can take seasons to implement change, when you look at the reports about where we’re going, we don’t have that much time.’

‘I appreciate how challenging it is for bigger brands to do a lot of this stuff, but I’m very much in the mindset of: You can’t just tick a box, it is a journey, start with the biggest impact and go from there and make sure that everybody in the business is aligned with that vision.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Lydia Brearley is a Fashion Buyer and sustainable fashion advocate, with over 20 years global experience, having lived and worked in London, Brussels, Shanghai and Sweden. She now specialises in Sustainability and Circularity @thisisenkel, and supports brands and businesses to drive meaningful change within the Fashion Industry.

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ABOUT THE HOST

Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.

In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.

Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.

Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.

CONTACT DETAILS

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On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Dr Teri Baydar, a leadership development coach & author, about her book, ‘Flip The Switch’.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The book is about the 2 forms of consciousness that most humans experience (only 3-4% of us don’t). We live in a state of almost perpetual conflict, inner and outer, which I call ‘war consciousness’ and it stems from the structure of the left brain where we spend way too much time trying to fix things, tactically/practically figure things out, where we feel like we have to capture, contain and control something out there. Systemically we’ve pushed ourselves as a species more and more into that kind of consciousness which is really bad for us.
• The other form of consciousness inhabits the right brain and that is where we take a step back, relax and know that pretty much everything is OK. From that state of mind we seek to comprehend, we want to connect with people, with life, we build relationships and solve problems. We’re open to not needing to be right or wrong and to solving the problem from a higher sense of consciousness.
• We have created a system – economically, socially – that has certain outcomes that are undesirable, such as trashing the planet, but we keep doing it. Why? Because we can’t get out of our own way to think differently. Any leader that wants to disrupt or change anything has to first understand that you have to do it in your own mind.
• We mistakenly think strategy is going to solve a problem. I can strategically destroy someone, but strategy is only applying very good tactical, practical techniques from a higher level, but what’s missing there is connectivity to life. Understanding that if I want to destroy something or someone that’s destructive, not creative, healthy or beneficial.

BEST MOMENTS

‘In order to change things, to solve problems, to think critically, we have to get out of our left brain and into our right mind.’

‘The book is the MC2 of absolutely the thing you have to do as an entrepreneur, a leader, a person in order to solve problems from a higher level.’

‘Instead of disrupting in order to create better we end up disrupting and destroying and doing the same things over again, just in a slightly better, less toxic wat.’

‘A lot of high achievers think even of themselves as units of productivity, you’re not.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr Teri Baydar is the CEO of White Lily Individual Development, LLC. Dr. Teri is a leadership development consultant, executive coach, and personal development expert who educates and supports C-suites and high achievers towards their personal path of self-actualizing growth for the greater good. During the decades she has spent coaching high-potential individuals, she has filled the role of mentor, friend, confidante, counsellor, healer, educator, the “CEO Whisperer,” and even “my own personal Yoda.”

Website

ABOUT THE HOST

Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.

In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.

Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.

Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Facebook

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LinkedIn

On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Dr Teri Baydar, a leadership development coach & author, among many other things, to talk about her journey and consciousness.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• My book, ‘Flip Your Switch’ is about the 2 forms of consciousness that almost all of us experience – only 3-4% of us don’t experience this. We live in a state of almost perpetual conflict, both inner & outer, which is what I call ‘war consciousness’ which stem from the structure of the left brain where we spend way too much time trying to fix things & tactically/practically trying to figure things out, where we feel like we have to capture, contain & control something that we’re fixated on. Systemically, as a species, we’ve pushed ourselves more & more into war consciousness & it’s becoming really bad for us.
• The other type of consciousness stems from the right brain/mind, which is where we take a step back, relax & know that everything is pretty much OK. From that state of mind, we seek to comprehend, we want to connect with people/life, build relationships & solve problems. This is ‘love consciousness’ which connects with life in a deep way personally & a larger way for solving problems & understanding things.
• We’ve created a system, economically, socially, that has certain outcomes that are undesirable, like trashing the planet. But we keep doing it. Why? Because we can’t get out of our own way to think differently. Any leader that wants to disrupt or change anything has to first understand that you have to do it in your own mind.
• If you’re living in a valley, you don’t know what’s going on in the next valley. The only way to see & understand is to rise to the mountaintop & look around at the different valleys & have a viewpoint where you can comprehend, on a wider scale, what’s happening. This leads to critical thinking, but we have to go a little father than that, we have to simultaneously contrast & compare with the left brain which is this logistical, statistical functionality, but it needs to be in service of the higher values that are coming from the right mind.

BEST MOMENTS

‘To change things, solve problems, think critically, we have to get out of our left brains into our right mind.’

‘No problem was ever solved at the level of consciousness that it was created.’

‘We have a destructive mindset. Instead of disrupting in order to create better, we end up disrupting & destroying & doing the same things all over again, just at a slightly better, slightly less toxic way.’

‘We can only see other solutions once we elevate our consciousness.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr Teri Baydar is the CEO of White Lily Individual Development, LLC. Dr. Teri is a leadership development consultant, executive coach, and personal development expert who educates and supports C-suites and high achievers towards their personal path of self-actualizing growth for the greater good. During the decades she has spent coaching high-potential individuals, she has filled the role of mentor, friend, confidante, counselor, healer, educator, the “CEO Whisperer,” and even “my own personal Yoda.”

Website

ABOUT THE HOST

Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.

In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.

Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.

Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Vincent Avanzi, the world’s only ‘chief poetic officer’ about how being poetic can change the world.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• I’ve had a real passion for poetry since I was a teenager, firstly from hip hop & then to a broader sense of playing with words & being able to speak to everyone. I studied at business school, worked 5 years in Microsoft, created 2 startups online, but I also did self-development work & spiritual exploration by travelling around the world for 2 years which changed the trajectory of my life.
• My life’s mission is to re-enchant the world with poetry to create a world of harmony. I work with corporations on climate change, how to elevate your leadership, I also work with schools & prisons. The idea is to elevate yourself, find a more poetic path & live a more poetic life.
• Poetry allows us to contemplate an ideal or a common future for tomorrow & also allows us to speak from our heart to another heart, which means you can speak to anybody. I want to deliver a message of harmony.
• There’s nothing more beautiful than somebody is aligned with what he or she does. Through this you see the blossoming of a human being, it’s the basis of what I do: You can write a speech with universal reach. People say you can’t please everybody, but I think there’s a thin line where you can express yourself in an inclusive way where you can touch people’s hearts because you’re speaking from the heart to the heart. You can do this for you team or your audience.

BEST MOMENTS

‘Poetry will save the world, & we’re all poets.’

‘A poet is not just a dreamer, it’s also a changemaker, a creator of new worlds.’

‘Poetry allows you to take another look at life & allows you to be dazzled by things, you can see the subtle, the good, the kind, the beautiful in people & things.’

‘Poetry is a language of peace & freedom where we can find the right word in our communication to have a peaceful conversation & relationship.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Vincent Avanzi is a Chief Poetic Officer, TEDx Inspirational Speaker, speech writer, globe trotter and founder of A Human Odyssey - The Ink Of The Future. Former ESCP graduate, Microsoft manager and author of 10 books including "Harmony and The Genius Spot of Mankind" and "Trouver son Point Génial" (Hachette), he is also a journalist for the business newspaper Les Echos, a co-founder of the University of Happiness at Work and a Residential Artist at the Institute for Desirable Future.

Website

ABOUT THE HOST

Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.

In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.

Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.

Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

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On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Aparna Agarwal, a student of sustainability management to talk about life as a student as well as culture within sustainability & sustainable fashion.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• I have a strong interest in storytelling, I’m especially interested in social media & how brands want to communicate their sustainability & social impact story to their audience.
• When something is ‘cool’, you need to understand that it’s going to stop being cool eventually, when it comes to sustainability & climate change, it’s the exact opposite; we can’t afford to have sustainability & climate change as things that are ‘cool’. It’s something that we all need to work towards on a daily basis until we die. It shouldn’t be a trend.
• It’s great that young people are so passionate about it & posting about it on social media. My biggest fear is what happens when sustainability stops being cool, which might happen in the next 2-3 years. Will we then go back to hyper-capitalism & going back to fast fashion.
• Most people look at shopping as a way to de-stress, as a leisure activity, to chill, take a break from work & not think about serious things. If a brand is shouting at me for buying so much & giving me so much factual information about climate change, I’m not going to buy that product! It’s important for a brand to make that communication cool, & working on climate change a nice & great thing to do.

BEST MOMENTS

‘It’s cool to think about the climate on a daily basis. That’s something I really focus on by humanising the whole problem.’

‘Climate change isn’t just a flood that might randomly destroy your house, it’s thousands of people working with unethical brands & getting products made at less than $1 a day.’

‘I want to make sure that when brands are genuinely working towards sustainability or social impact, they shouldn’t lose out on an audience because they can’t communicate it in the right way.’

‘The communication has to be drastically different for an Eastern audience compared to a Western audience because the culture is so drastically different. You need to really understand the audience & what they want to hear.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Aparna Agarwal is a a mission-driven Communications professional, helping brands deliver impact through meaningful storytelling. With global experience in Sustainability, Luxury and Fashion in my pocket, based in Delhi.

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ABOUT THE HOST

Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.

In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.

Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.

Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Gareth Benson, an IP lawyer, to talk about purpose and how he applies purpose to his work.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If you are a purpose-driven business it is still a business & it has to run like one. You cannot change & save the world unless it is providing an opportunity for everyone, including yourself. So, it has to be treated as such. You can only amplify this brilliant idea & take it to the masses by employing millions of people.
• Your ideas are valuable & they’re worthy of your protection. If you’re going to create an idea that changes the world then it’s got to be protected. It’s not incredibly expensive, you can get a trademark insured for around AUS$2,000, & that protects you for 10 years.
• Mark Getty, of Getty Images, said that IP is the oil of the 21st century, except that it doesn’t harm the environment. Ideas are priceless but the opportunity to bring them to market needs to be respected because your ideas have value. The more you share your ideas with others, the more you treat them as assets, the further they will go & the more people they will touch.
• Education has value. Universities are some of the most powerful brands in the world: Melbourne University, number 1 in Australian, Stanford, Stokholm. Thes institutions licence their IP for very capable people to earn a very good education & they licence it for a fee. Most people don’t realise, but education is a massive business in the world, we pay a premium for it, & we pay for the certificate that you get at the end. The second biggest industry in Australian is education.

BEST MOMENTS

‘IP is essentially about ideas. I believe in the power of ideas, & I believe the best ideas can change the world.’

‘Purpose & profit do go together because they make the most impact.’

‘You’re not an entrepreneur unless you’re providing a sustainable business that can affect thousands of people.’

‘We now live in an ideas economy that’s being accelerated by AI in front of our eyes.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Gareth Benson is a qualified lawyer with the Law Institute of Victoria, admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2003 Gareth commenced his articles with boutique media entertainment practice Hebert Geer and Rundle (now Thomson Geers) and for Bradley Allen lawyers in Canberra, Australia’s national capital.

Website

ABOUT THE HOST

Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.

In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.

Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.

Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn