For today’s edition of my #GirlBoss Interview series, I am excited to be introducing you to Molly Stillman. Molly is a podcaster, blogger, and busy mom of two. She is sweet & funny and I know you will be inspired by her.
Molly lives in North Carolina (somewhere I am not likely to be anytime
soon) but I wanted so badly to interview her for this series that I
decided to do our interview over FaceTime. We had a great chat with lots of laughs and I learned a ton. Read on for her interview!
Q: What do you do for a living?
A:
I am a blogger, podcaster, wife, and mom
Q: How did you get into it – tell me about your path?
A:
I got into blogging
first. I started my blog right after college because I wanted to have a creative
outlet. Originally I wanted to be like The Onion; I was really into comedy.
That didn’t last very long! That was back in 2007 and over time it
ebbed and flowed as my life changed. It’s so funny to look back at old posts and cringe. I even once did a post on bubble wrap!! *side note for my readers: don’t worry I did tell Molly she had to find this post and re-share it with us lol, this needs to see the light of day again! haha
In 2010-2011 it became more of a lifestyle blog. In 2013 I was able to leave my day job and pursue it
full time. My podcast, Business with Purpose, launched in Sept 2016. I worked in radio previously so I
kind of always wanted to do a podcast and in September I finally decided to do
it.
I created Business with Purpose because I am really passionate about companies and people who are trying to
make a difference in the world through what they do for a living. I think
people want to see good things in the world, they want to see more kindness, and
I think it can be overwhelming for people trying to find a way to make a difference
in the world… but I think its a lot easier than we make it. So; I wanted to
interview business people and entrepreneurs. My original intention
was to highlight ethical fashion brands but it expanded when I realize there are
so many other people in totally diverse industries – from wedding photographers to relationship coaches – who
are using their different fields and finding unique ways to give back.
Q:
What
motivates you / inspires you / makes you keep doing what you do?
A:
The
biggest thing that drives me (in addition to my family) is that I am incredibly
passionate about ending human trafficking. That’s my heartbeat – and that’s what
drives everything I do. Educating people and having conversations about it. I try
to let people know in anyway that I can that this is a reality still today and
its connected to so much in the world that we don’t even realize. I really do
believe that we can see human trafficking end in our lifetime. When it companies to companies and brands I support, I think about whether or not this is a brand that’s doing good in the world – ie. that they’re not engaging in That there’s no human trafficking,
no child labour, etc.
Q:
What is the biggest
struggle with what you do?
A: Right now its
balancing work and motherhood! I try to do the best I can to work when my kids
are at pre-school but its hard! Kids get sick or theres a field trip, so much
unpredictability! It’s a lot of work. Balance is a real challenge.
Q:
What
does being a #GirlBoss mean to you?
A:
You
know; I’ve always been one of those people that’s questioned that term a bit. It’s been a tough term for me.. the way I see it; I’m
just a BOSS!!! I don’t call my husband a man boss right!? Basically, I find it fascinating that we don’t tell men they’re boy
bosses, but we call women girl bosses. I want women to know that we are a powerful force in the business
world. period!
When it comes to bloggers, my thoughts on this are that bloggers can be seen as vapid and materialistic, and not everyone
is like that. Most bloggers that I’ve met are savvy, smart, hard-working business women
and yes the industry were in is weird and unconventional but when you’re a
blogger you’re your own boss, your own employee, a photographer, a content creator,
a copy editor, a web developer, a social media manager – the list goes on! As a blogger you have to wear all these
hats and I think that there are a lot of incredible women doing all this and they deserve recognition for being the hard working women that they are.
For a long time I had a hard time when people asked me what I did for a living. I would sort of shyly add that I have this blog – I was
almost embarrassed to tell me – Men aren’t like that- they’ll fake it till they
make it! Women are so much more likely to discredit ourselves and not toot
our own horns. I think it’s important for women working in any industry to recognize this and be proud and confident.
So, back to idea of girl boss (or just a boss as I’d like to say!) I think its being confident and saying proudly that I am a blogger and a podcaster!
On to some fashion questions!
Q: What is your favorite trend right now?
A: I love big earrings and I think they’re so in right
now. I also like that I think there’s a move right now in going back towards classic pieces and making
them feel modern with your accessories. We’re seeing a lot of jeans and t-shirt looks
with great boots or a modern scarf or fun earrings and I really like that! It’s
so much more sustainable to have these classic pieces.
Q: Any thoughts on fashion & your career? A: Hmmm. Well, I think as someone who works from home, fashion can be really interesting.
I try and get dressed most days – which can be hard for women working from home. I
workout first thing in the morning and it’s nice because it does almost force
me to come home and shower and great dressed up. Some days of course I’ll be working in
sweats, but I’ve been working from home for 4 years now and I’ve found that the best
thing for my productivity is getting dressed, doing my makeup, generally feeling like I’m put together. It helps me be productive. I’ve notice a massive change in how I feel and my productivity if I’ve gotten ready for the day.
Q: What is an item that makes you feel empowered?
A: I
always feel great in a great dress. Like a really flattering dress that is
comfortable – nothing that you have to wear spanx with; no spanx allowed! Just that
comfy dress that hits you in all the right places in a beautiful color. It just makes you feel awesome.
Addition: The Zara Situation
Q: As an ethical fashion blogger, I think you would have a lot of insight into something that has been on my mind – and I know a lot of other fashionistas minds lately. That is the business practices of Zara and what we are learning about their horrendous treatment of the people employed to make our clothes. What are your thoughts on this?
A:
I actually spoke at a luncheon yesterday about this very thing. It came as zero surprise to me, because I have been studying and learning about this for a while now. There are a couple of organizations that do work to hold brands accountable and Zara has ranked horribly for years. In a lot of ways I'm glad its coming out now in a public forum. It was so brave of the workers to do what they did; as doing so is risky for them, the consequences can be severe. People say that slave labor doesn’t exist – and sadly that’s not always the case. People are not always paid to make your clothes, and this is finally coming to light in a public forum.
A lot of these factories used by big retailers like Zara are incredibly unsafe with unsafe working conditions. It's all in the name of cheap fashion and that makes me so sad. I will be really interested to see how Zara responds – if they change things and if other big retailers follow suit.
A bit of history about this issue - A lot of things have changed since 2013. In April 2013 there was a tragedy called the Rana Plaza disaster; and this was a situation in which a complex of garment factories in Bangladesh (who made clothes for brands like gap, dillards, h&m, jc penny, etc) collapsed; killing over 1500 workers who were inside. In the months leading up to this, the workers had been saying to their mangers that the buildings were falling apart and noone would do anything. Over 1500 people were killed and 1000s more were injured. It is considered the worst garment factory disaster in history. Following Rana Plaza we did see some positive change come to the industry; but of course there is still a long way to go. The biggest thing is that Zara is not the first and they wont be the last but the more that we as consumers become educated about where and how our clothes are made and then put pressure on brands the more change we will see. I can only hope that the public Zara situation at the moment does raise awareness and in turn create change. Side note for my readers: I did some research myself on the Rana Plaza disaster and found this article on the changes since Rana Plaza a very good read.
Thank you to Molly for being interviewed today. Be sure to check out her blog for more ethical fashion (and to seriously melt over the cuteness of her children) and her podcast to learn about inspiring people making postive change in the world.
