You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)
Cheryl and Eileen explore different topics around the limited time we have on this earth to create a fully layered life. Because...You Only Go Once!
You Only Go Once (Y.O.G.O.)
Sowing Seeds of Sustainability: Shila Wattamwar on Eco-Conscious Living and Social Equity
Embrace a life where every choice is a step towards sustainability with Shila Wattamwar, a beacon in the realm of eco-conscious living. Our conversation with Shila, a former financial strategist turned sustainability advocate, proves that passion can forge pathways to meaningful work, encouraging us all to thread sustainability through the tapestry of our daily routines. Discover how you can start with the passions that stir your soul and watch them bloom into a legacy of ecological mindfulness and social equity.
Shila sheds light on the significance of informed consumption, urging us to consider the ESG scores that reveal the hidden impacts of our favorite brands. Through SustainableMeToday, she simplifies the jargon-laden world of eco-friendliness, offering perspectives as youthful as a 12-year-old's podcast on the subject. The insights gained here remind us that sustainability isn't singularly an environmental pursuit, but a multifaceted endeavor that intertwines with economic growth and societal advancement, particularly as we nurture burgeoning businesses in this vital sector.
Our episode culminates with the harmonization of personal wellness and environmental responsibility. Together we explore the emotional odyssey of creative endeavors, such as writing a book, while weaving in sustainable practices that resonate with our family values, like the humble switch from paper to cloth napkins. This conversation offers a reflection on the mantra 'this is happening,' inspiring us to live with intention, teach our children the ethos of environmental care, and embody the change we hope to see, ensuring that every meal we eat and every example we set reverberates with the spirit of sustainability.
Hello, I'm Sheila Waddemoir and I hope when you look back on your life, you had the opportunity to appreciate all the good you had in your life, because you only go once.
Speaker 2:Hello, hello, hello everyone. Welcome back to you. Only Go Once podcast. I am joined by my fantastical co-host, eileen Grimes, and we're here today to explore stories around the limited time we have on this earth to create a fully layered life. We have a fantastic guest today, eileen. Kick us off.
Speaker 3:Thanks, cheryl, and, as always, so nice to see you. Not that anyone else can right now, it's just us on the audio but, yes, we have an amazing guest tonight. So Sheila is a proven leader in sustainability and strategy. She's the founder of Radiant Global Advisory, an advisory firm that works with companies to accelerate the sustainability journey, as well as Sustainable Me, a platform that helps people understand sustainability in the context of their everyday lives. Finally, she sits on the board for Chefs for Impact. It's on the Fast Company Impact Council, as on the Fast Impact Company Council, is an active member of GoldHouseorg. Sheila is committed to working with companies in the impact space by helping them grow their solution and amplifying their impact. I have to say we had already started a conversation before this. I'm actually very excited, sheila, to have you here and, first and foremost, welcome, welcome, welcome. We are so glad to have you.
Speaker 1:Thank you. So excited to have this conversation, eileen and Cheryl. I always love to thank people for shining a light on sustainability, because it's just so important and it's a topic that many people don't really understand. So, yeah, thank you for taking the time.
Speaker 3:Absolutely so. Well, I mean, let's just dive into it then. So what does sustainability then mean to you? Right, there can be it's a pretty wide range of things, right, and what that can mean. What is your definition and sort of? Where is your focus in the sustainability space?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a great question.
Speaker 1:I love that you called out that it's a wide range of things, because it really is.
Speaker 1:I think initially people kind of looked at this ideal of sustainability as good or bad so doing something good or doing something bad, or a company doing creating something good or something bad and, like most concepts, as it's evolved, as it's matured, it really has become a more umbrella term.
Speaker 1:It's broad and underneath that there are so many different concepts and different themes and most of them do fall under kind of the themes of environmental sustainability and social sustainability.
Speaker 1:So you think, climate change and reduction of fossil fuels and biodiversity, and a lot of people really focus and strive to sustain those areas. But under the S side, under the social side, there's also a number of areas such as equality, raising diversities and even in diversity there's socioeconomic diversity and gender diversity and racial diversity that we want to create equality and inclusion around, and so there's so many things packed under there and I think the one thing I always say to everyone is to kind of get started thinking about sustainability or how they themselves want to be more sustainable is actually not to try to capture it all because it becomes overwhelming and hard, but it is to really find those areas that are most important to you, that kind of resonate with your values and your ideals. Start there and I think it'll get the ball rolling. You'll start respecting more concepts and more people and this world and eventually you'll start really kind of formulating your own definition under that broader umbrella.
Speaker 3:Oh, I love that idea to have your own definition around what sustainability means to you. I've never thought about it that way, but it really is incredibly helpful and, like you're saying, it's like telling someone to go work out or get healthy. Okay, I'm going to go to this gym and I'm going to eat all of these foods and learn how to cook all of this. If you're not passionate about it, if it's not like a food that you enjoy, or if it's not a type of exercise you like, I guarantee it's not going to stick.
Speaker 1:That's exactly right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that concept of sort of having your own version and definition of what sustainability means to you. My mom's a beekeeper and we've had her on the podcast before and so that's one of those sort of pieces. For me is like increasing biodiversity and all of those kind of things and that side. So I also love the social side. I guess I didn't put two and two together. That sustainability is. The social side of sustainability is a piece of that as well. I'm highly passionate and do a lot of work in that space. Just didn't necessarily bring the two of those together. So I appreciate you helping me find that. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, look, it's like we want to sustain a world that is environmentally sound and socially just, and so maybe that's my definition, but I do think that those are all important things as we kind of strive for a better world.
Speaker 3:For sure. I don't know. I've had this conversation. I have my background in education and part of the emphasis on that was in social justice, and so thinking about the sustainability of humanity is in all of those right, it is in inclusion, it is in belonging and diversity and all of those pieces too. So I just I do really like that. You helped me put that together, cheryl. I saw you were jumping off.
Speaker 2:This is such a fascinating broad Topic, right and again, I I didn't. I also did not put together the social element, and I and I work in the DNIB space, so awesome. So how did this start for you? I mean, were you like age seven, going like, yep, I'm gonna go save the planet? How did this all? How did this all start for you? Because it's it to me it's fascinating that you started in like financial services, focusing on investments for sustainability. So could you just kind of walk us through that, like how this became a passion for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I wish I could tell that story where you know I was. I was trying to save the world from age seven, but no, I was. I was causing like terror for my parents instead of instead of that. So, you know, when I was in financial services, you know I worked for an index company and you know, not not to make this too boring, but you know, was working with a pension plan, a public pension plan, who wanted to, you know, essentially poor millions of dollars into a Sustainable strategy or an investment strategy that captured companies that were doing well, that were helping reduce waste and create alternative energies and, you know, conserve water. That was kind of the thesis of that strategy. And I thought, wow, you know, I wonder why they're pouring millions of dollars into that. And so, you know, fast forward, a couple years later, you know, I started looking into it. I said, well, you know what, there's some real merit here. It's, of course, great for the world, but also, you know, it's probably it's a good investment choice From a performance standpoint, because you know, a lot of these companies are really preparing themselves for the next future, that that this world is going to become, and so interesting, yeah, and so when I, when I, after I had my second son, I thought to myself well, you know what I, if I go back to work, I really wanted to matter, you know it's.
Speaker 1:I wanted to do something that really supported the the world for my kids, and so I went back into sustainability now. I went back to work, to work in sustainability. Now my background was in financial services, so I kind of married the two Pieces and I went to work for a company that actually rated companies, large publicly traded companies, on their environmental and social initiatives and then sold that research and data to investors, large institutional investors, so that they could include that in their investment thesis and so they could say, well, is this company well positioned for that future, for any taxation, for fines, for, you know, for Changes in consumer demand? That's kind of the way we looked at it as well as okay, how are they impacting the world. So we sold this to investors and that's how I got a real, real close look at how investors were thinking about this and in fact, I sat on the executive team of that company and we grew it from about a hundred people when I joined, hundred fifty people Maybe globally, to about three thousand people as I left, and so that rapid growth over eight years was a real testament to, yes, of course, our business.
Speaker 1:I'm pretty proud of that, but also because of the market. I mean the market was starting to embrace this idea of sustainability and investors were starting to Use it more and more in their investment thesis. They were Reporting out on it more and more. We saw retail investors, people like us who put money in their kind of 401k start talking about it and again that that in Bracing of it from that investment side, really kind of Grew grew the market, but certainly my interest as well.
Speaker 3:I can imagine that's so it's really interesting. I've never thought about that, but right, if you are being so intentional about what it looks like to go into the future from that sustainability point of view, you probably have a pretty good long-term vision, a pretty good strategy for being able to get to that point and really that forward thinking mentality that is going to increase your longevity as a business. And I just that's. I Think the financial side of things is just so fascinating and some of the, the forecasting and understanding, all that I don't know much about it. I have a major in math but I still don't know that much about it and I'm fascinated every time I learn just a little bit more.
Speaker 1:So and look, it's double materiality. It's, you know, yes, these E&S initiatives Help a company in the way we just talked about, like positioning itself for long-term growth and profits, yeah, but the other, the second materiality, is the materiality for Society, for communities. Right, absolutely. And so I think, bringing that in and I have to say Europe is a little bit further down the line in embracing this concept of kind of thinking about that investment Holistically under that lens of double materiality, then maybe the US, but you know, we're getting there. We've come leaps and bounds compared to where we were about 10 years ago, and I think that's, you know, I think that's a really nice way of looking at. Let's save this world and, you know, make sure that we're contributing to a sustainable economy as well.
Speaker 3:As someone who might be sorry, cheryl, let you go on next. No, it's someone who might be interested in Learning about the different companies that are really putting this first and foremost on their, their map and their priority list. Where are places that you can, as an informed consumer, what is a great way to find those companies and those organizations that are doing this really well? One to be able to continue to support those organizations that are right. If there's places that are that are doing this and I want to be someone who is Buying or, you know, taking part in in an organization that's delivering goods or services when is somewhere that I can find that information? Yeah, it's a great question.
Speaker 1:Um, it's a part of it is just being a conscious consumer and Looking at the companies, learning a little bit about the companies that we're buying from. You know, we live in a culture where we're just real consumers and we're consuming a lot, and so sometimes we do that at such a fast pace that we don't get the time to really sit down and think about what we're buying, why we need it and where we're buying from. So if you can slow down that pace of consumerism to some extent, I think we can really be a little bit more thoughtful about that. But oh as well, there's lots of places, like even my old company, sustainal Linux Morningstar. They post kind of their data and ratings right on their website.
Speaker 1:You know not, it's not like every consumer is going on there, but if someone what really did want to know, they could go on there, look up a Company, especially if it's one of the larger companies, and see, well, how are they doing on their ES and G score, environmental, social governance score, to get an idea of you know how this one company is doing versus another. I think you can find those things on, like Yahoo Finance and Maybe even Google and I'm not sure where it's kind of expanded, but there are. There are absolutely sources even when you're investing like, like I said, you People like us who are investing in mutual funds, maybe versus individual stocks. Most of the brokerage houses now have some type of transparency around their sustainability score of each of the mutual funds.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that's fascinating. So, again, it just gives me more places and things to look for, because for me it was like shopping for organic or like gosh. You look at eggs and it's like, okay, there's organic, there's good free range, there's like grass fed which one's the right one or which one am I supposed to understand or know? And just being able to educate myself more in that space is really really helpful. So I appreciate that, yeah.
Speaker 1:And maybe I should also say that I actually run a website myself called sustainablemetoday and what it's meant to do, because, again, I know that this is a really overwhelming topic and it's a lot.
Speaker 1:So what I try to do on the website is actually bring these ideals of sustainability and even some you know examples of stores they're really examples just of companies and brands and stores that allow you to be more sustainable in the everyday pillars of your life. So what you eat, what you wear, the makeup you wear, the produce that you buy, it's just kind of bringing that right to you and demystifying it. And in fact, I even have my 12 year old son in this little venture with me where about every two weeks, he does a podcast where he presents a topic of sustainability and tries to demystify it at his kind of comprehension level in less than five minutes. So we talk about things like the ozone layer, mushrooms, the sustainability of mushrooms, plastic bags versus cloth bags. You know those things that we hear about in our everyday life, that they, even at that age, hear about in their everyday life.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So that was going to be the question that I asked you, because I was looking at your website as you were chatting and I was like, oh, this is great. You have kids contributors and I love that. Not only are you contextualizing for the grownups, but you're also empowering the next generation to kind of learn more and have them understand what this means and how they can contribute to the sustainability. I just I think that's it, it's great, and I love that he has a podcast. So I love that you and you do it in a way that it's digestible and like five minute topics, and so that's just, that's great. When you made the switch into this right, looking looking at this, when did you know that you had something like what was your like? What was your first? Yeah, this is. This has teeth.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm going to run into it. How does that? How did that work for you?
Speaker 1:I recently, a few months ago, made a bit of a switch. So it's still within the realm of sustainability, but I made the switch from large corporate into my own venture and I just thought that that was. It just felt right because, again, we were working with investors and with companies that were large, which is great and it's really important, but at the same time, equally, we needed to focus. I think there needs to be more of a focus on the smaller companies that are actually creating the innovations in sustainability, as well as the consumers. And that's why I kind of switched, because I thought, well, look, no one's, you know again, no one's, not nobody.
Speaker 1:I should say that there, this is an area, especially these small venture backed companies. They're the ones that need the support to be able to grow and scale their solutions so that they're not just a niche, so that they can actually scale and their product can be at a price point where it's accessible to people, so that they get. They can get to a point for when they are acquired by a larger company, they're well positioned to carry on their product. And so that was kind of the switch, and speaking to a lot of companies of that nature small companies. I can see that they have so much passion they know their product really well, but sometimes you know they're so focused on that product that they don't have the time or the background on the business side. And so you know where I'm helping them do is actually grow their business so that they can focus on their product a little bit more.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the thing that I also find interesting about that is that I think sometimes when you bring up the words not you, you, but generic you bring up the word sustainability and things like that there are some people that just view that as tree hugging or whatnot.
Speaker 2:I'm trying to put this delicately. I love that you put the business impact as well as the social and environmental impact into your message and you help people forward in that too, because, as you said, people have passion and they want to go and run and sometimes the passion might get away from them and you still have to meet the needs of investors and innovators that come through. I'm going to switch gears a little bit because I am very interested in hearing more about your board role on chefs for impact and that. So I like to eat quite a bit. I love this and you've got on your website that this are. On the chefs for impact website it says educating children and adults on the environmental and personal impacts of sustainable eating. Can you talk a little bit about sustainable eating and what that means?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean sustainable eating is really making sure that we're eating fresh, good foods that are local. Local for a couple of reasons Local one because we're reducing the emissions that come from supply chain and transportation of food from far away places. But also local because when you eat local you're also helping the soil and biodiversity of those locations, so that's part of it. It's also meant to, just from a wellness standpoint, provide kids especially with the education around eating healthy, fresh food, and so that's what the ideal is around sustainability. It gets pretty specific. There's a whole curriculum that the program teaches children in either the New York City public school system or community system. That goes into like the beauty of mushrooms and composting with mushrooms and how to take certain food waste and upcycle them and recycle them and compost them. So it really does teach them about all aspects of how to respect food and make sure that they're eating in a way that's most responsible for both the environment and for themselves.
Speaker 3:I love that. When I was living out in Philadelphia, I was a member of the board of the Philadelphia Orchard Project, also affectionately known as POP, and so they would build with the community and their support. Right, they would take these just lots that were abandoned or whatever and nothing was happening in them and build these orchards within that space, and then the community was also educated on how to sustain them and how you have to do all of the entire year of care for these orchards that will then also bring in fresh food and things like that throughout. So it was just a really interesting and amazing cycle of this and the education piece that needs to go into it. So I love that there's even an additional piece that you're taking in with the schools and everything like that too.
Speaker 3:So all of these spaces and initiatives are fantastic, and I'm trying my hand at some vertical gardening and things like that. So there's, I think you can see, behind me. I like plants a lot, but, yeah, learning some of that, I think, in permaculture and some of those things too, is a lot of fun to see that you don't have to have a ton of space either, even if you are starting your own journey into even growing it yourself right. There are possibilities even in some of the smallest spaces.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, and I think something that you said just now was really important it's feeling a connection to that, because it reinforces a lot of the action that most people know that they should take, and most people know they should recycle or try to reuse things, but sometimes feeling the connection to it through either the education or through doing it with people, makes it more tangible. It gives them an instant gratification and I think it reinforces that action as well.
Speaker 3:Definitely. And, like you said, with what you're doing too, I think there's a when you add in the connection, but also the human connection of community spaces. Doing this with other people and learning about it with others and developing that sense of community and that social support structure with it too adds into that sort of wanting to continue to do that work. It's like, okay, now I know other people that are doing this, this is something we have in common now and I can keep building on that. I think that's just, it really is a key component. I mean, we're humans, we're social creatures, so it's all a piece of that too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I know, and this actually and I want to thank you for this conversation, especially about this is going to be a complete weird tangent. But just stick with me is that I finally understand now why mushrooms are having their Renaissance moment, because everybody's talking about them. Like you've got top chefs who are using oyster mushrooms to make vegan fried chicken. You've got people that will forage for mushrooms and make all different sorts of things and build it into the soy. So just from what I've seen on social media, I'm like what is this obsession all of a sudden with mushrooms? This makes so much more sense. So thank you for sharing that. And also, mushrooms are just, I feel, like they can grow in all different environments, which also makes it such a sustainable crop.
Speaker 2:I also live not too far from a town called Kennett Square, which is they're known for mushrooms. All year round, they have a mushroom festival. They're very much into the mushroom scene, so I might need to go visit there at some point and understand what their practices are and stuff like that. So this has been. Thank you for educating me on this, because I thought it's been going on for a while now. I see a whole bunch of people going like, oh, I found the most interesting mushrooms.
Speaker 2:I'm like, all right, good for you, but now I know it is good for them because they're using it for good things.
Speaker 1:Cheryl, I have to just sorry, I have to just quickly introduce or interrupt and ask you one more question Do you know what my celium is? No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just going to add two persons to that education. So mycelium is actually the plant that grows underground that mushrooms fruit off of. So they're an actual fruit of this plant called mycelium, and while mushrooms are fantastic and amazing and have so much kind of sustainable power to them, the mycelium the actual plant is something that you'll have to look up and you'll have to have another conversation about later because they true.
Speaker 1:It truly is a wondrous plant that contributes to sustainable fashion and sustainable construction and all sorts of things.
Speaker 2:Oh good, it's going to be another internet rabbit hole for me. This is very exciting.
Speaker 3:Yes, it is, and you'll get to learn. So I'm actually I'm taking a psychedelic practitioners course right now, so that's the whole thing. It's a whole year long piece Also learned about how it was all. They were all pieces of the rooting system before plants, prior to plants having roots, so there's a lot of really cool stuff about like how important the fungi system has been to the evolution of the world actually really. So it's very, very cool, learned out, if you will please.
Speaker 2:I will. I learned something new every time I get on these things, so that's great.
Speaker 3:So anyway, that was that. Yeah, that was all right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know. I you know I went down a rabbit hole with the whole mushroom thing, so that's great. Now, how did you get involved with Chefs for Impact? I know you're a board member, but are you? So I didn't get that far. Are you a founding member of Chefs for Impact, are you? You know? Did you? Did you make a connection point with somebody there, like, how did that all come about?
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, if you're asking if I'm a chef, I'm not. I love cooking.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm certainly not a chef, I had connected with the managing director or the director, who's Theodore Afantes, and you know we just hit it off. And because I came from a sustainability side that was so different from the restaurant industry or the chef industry, you know, she thought it'd be really additive to have a new perspective on the board. And so I sit on the board, I work very closely with her. She's obviously operating and execution, but we work quite together to kind of talk about the directions of the organization. I mean, you know as much as we do with the schools and the community.
Speaker 1:Why it's called chefs for impact is it because it brings together a whole community and ecosystem of chefs that teach the school but also put on these fantastic events food and wine events around New York City to raise funds for that school and community initiative, and so it gives the opportunity for chefs themselves to participate, show off their work and really learn about how to be more sustainable in their practice as well. So you know it's kind of a twofold, but no, I've had the luxury of tasting a lot of the great chef foods, but no, I'm not myself a chef. Okay.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 3:I mean that sounds like a pretty amazing spot to be in. I'm not going to lie, right, yeah. Yeah, I mean that space too, just thinking about us actually having conversation this weekend in terms of food waste and all of those kinds of things. So you know, from a being in that in the food industry and the, you know, in the restaurant space and things like that, there's got to be a lot of conversations that happen around the sustainability side of things. Right, what happens at the end of the night? Where does stuff go? Because you know, obviously there's also health considerations with anything. But then how do you, how do you run something that's sustainable from that perspective as well when you have any kind of food industry or in the food industry space?
Speaker 1:You know, I think it's community giving, it's using all parts of the food. You know, here's a little fun activity that I had read about is like when you're finished with the banana, you could use the peel you could soak. If you soak the peel in water, you know that water becomes very fully full of nutrients that can then be used to plant water your plants for an extra additive, a lot of nutrients.
Speaker 1:So you know, just a quick example of ways to upcycle or ways to kind of further the ability of reducing food and reducing waste. But you know again, it's about also just being mindful of, you know, just not reducing as much waste and being in composting and again using all parts of that food.
Speaker 3:I use my coffee grounds and my plants, so I'll put those. Yeah, I'll put those in there when I'm done having my cup of or having my pot of coffee. For the day I don't have a whole pot of coffee. That sounded really bad. But when I'm done, after I brewed some coffee, what I have left of my grounds I use in my plants. We'll just leave it at that. Yeah, yeah, but there are different ways. And so from your website then is there stuff like that that people can kind of look up and figure out from a normal consumer background. That's what people can kind of find and see on that website what they can do.
Speaker 1:Yep, it's on the website and actually early 2024, I'm going to be have. I am going to have a book out in the market.
Speaker 2:Awesome.
Speaker 1:That is essentially. You know, it's simple, it's 52 facts and 52 actions that someone can take around sustainability. And so, just as we were speaking, I was trying to look up a quick fact, and you know, food waste. For example, you know approximately one third of the food produced that is intended for human consumption every year, which is about 1.3 billion tons, valued at $1 trillion, is wasted or lost, and so 1.3 billion tons of foods are wasted or lost, and that's enough to feed 3 billion people.
Speaker 1:And so that's kind of the fact, and I'm hoping that when people read that they're like, oh wow, what can I do about it? And it's followed by an action that says you know, soak the banana peels overnight and use that for water Instead of throwing away wilted greens. Blend and freeze them into ice cubes for smoothies, or make your home this is a funny one Make your own facial masks with leftovers of fruits and vegetables. This is actually one my cousin actually does, and so I thought I would throw it in the book. But you know those are not bad yeah.
Speaker 1:Those are the types of things that you know I certainly have on the website, but kind of putting it together in a book where, once you know the hope is, once a week someone implements or integrates one of those actions.
Speaker 3:Got it. Yeah, there's a YouTube channel that my kids love watching where this guy just makes different kinds of face masks so you can get light, you can use those like reusable things and like you fill them up and put that kind of stuff in. So it's all kind of candy Like if you have leftover candy and mix that with other things and you mush it up and put it in there and then it's a face mask and so, yes, that is an option and there are some examples, too that you can look up.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, so when is the book coming out Early 2024. So like, February.
Speaker 2:January Okay, all right, we'll be looking for it.
Speaker 3:But that's exciting. So, being an author, you know, has that been something that you expected on the bingo card of life?
Speaker 1:It's something I've wanted to do, sure, and after I had kids, I would write storybooks for them all the time and get them published on Shutterfly Sure.
Speaker 2:Oh, totally, that's great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So it was certainly something that I really always have enjoyed. But no, this is I wasn't planning for this and I just think it's so needed. You know, I've talked to people about it and, like I said, when you link action with fact, it just feels complete. I think there's a lot of things out there that just talk about the facts and a lot of things out there that just talk about the actions. But to make it stick, I think you need to kind of feel that connection, like you said, eileen, and that's what I was trying to do there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it helps it really does and especially when you can see that sort of tangibly in front of you where it actually creates, that link is really, really helpful. So how is the process? So it's just having been through this, that was the process going for you in terms of release. There's something about getting that book out into the world. That is it's big. I'm curious as to where you are right now in that that it's not been released yet. But I know there's sort of a flow of emotions at different points. So how are you feeling, at least in this moment, about it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I'm at a point where it's just going to the editor and you're right, it is a flow of emotions because I'm like, well, maybe I should do this and maybe I can add this, but then I'm going to. You know, you could keep going.
Speaker 3:Yeah, totally.
Speaker 1:But it's going to extend the timelines by two to three months every time you come up with a good idea. So I'm trying to figure out the right balance there, and you know, ultimately I want this book to come out by January, February latest, so that people can actually pursue one action per week over the course of the year. And so I've had to kind of say to myself well, I'll save that idea for next book.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's great, definitely.
Speaker 3:Just know that in like, I would say like a month, if you get the feeling like you shouldn't be doing this and like, oh my goodness, what am I doing.
Speaker 2:Push forward, push forward, push forward.
Speaker 1:Okay, good advice.
Speaker 2:Thank you, yes yes, it is something that I needed desperately when I wrote my book. I myself published, but I, when I tell you about imposter syndrome if you looked it up in the dictionary I was waving high to people because I literally was like I don't think this is a good idea anymore. I probably shouldn't do this, and I had Eileen and a host of other people going what are you doing? Go forward, go do it. So surround yourself with people, too, that will be your cheerleaders for this as well. So, yeah, I'm excited for you as a person that collects a lot of books. You can't see the mess that is behind me. That are all books here, but like that's one bookshelf. But I love it and I always love to learn something new and definitely, at least from this podcast, I have definitely learned quite a number of things. What was the first lesson in sustainability you taught your kids?
Speaker 1:I would say one of the first things we did was move from paper, like paper napkins in our kitchen, to cloth napkins oh neat okay and I didn't know if it would stick because we were accustomed to using paper napkins, but they keep me real.
Speaker 1:So even if I'm kind of reaching for paper napkin, they'll run and grab a cloth one now, and so I think that's one of the things that really it was a bit of a wow factor for me how easy it is for those kids, for the kids, to adapt to these new behaviors.
Speaker 1:So, it's just like you have to show them, we have to tell them, and then it's easy for them. It becomes their norm with the snap of a finger. And that's actually one of the reasons why I wanted to involve my kids in this whole sustainability side, because I do believe that while we have to actively think about it and we're in the midst of kind of as adults right now, fixing the world for their generation, it's gonna be something that they have to think about and face and live and breathe all the time, like every job they have is gonna have some element of sustainability. Everything they do, it's gonna be hopefully the norm for them, rather than an active change or choice they have to make. So that's what I'm trying to do. But yeah, the napkin thing is always funny because they just really keep me real on that one. I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:So we're already running up on the hour, which is amazing, and I really can't wait to get this book because I really wanna know a lot more and I'm excited to do one thing a week, but outside of that.
Speaker 3:So we come up to this last question, and I mean, sheila, you already doing so much, like you really are doing the world and our kids and each of us this incredible service by the work that you do. Right now, however, you're still here and living and doing all of the things in life. So we have this last question, or sort of a concept called this is happening, and it's really about, when we look back on our lives, to say I haven't left any page unturned. I haven't. I've done all the things that I felt I needed to on my heart and to make the impact that I wanted to make while I was here. Is there anything you feel in this moment, or coming up soon, that might be happening for you in any of the spaces that you're in, or any of the impact that you wanna make with literally anything that you're doing, because it's all hugely impactful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, great question.
Speaker 3:And the book counts too. Yeah, certainly the book was a big one for me.
Speaker 1:I'll be honest, I think part of it is making sure that, with everything going on, I'm still creating sustainability in a little bit of a different context, with sustainability for myself and my family, specifically for my kids, and so I wanna make sure that not only am I pushing information on them, but anything right About sustainability or school or life, but that I'm actually getting the opportunity to experience it with them. Experiencing it yeah, making sure that I'm showing, leading by example for the type of people that I hope that they become, and actually I'm taking the time to learn from them, because that generation my older one is 12 and my younger one is nine Okay, their life is different, so different than how I grew up or how we all grew up as adults in this generation, and so there is a lot to learn from them.
Speaker 1:So I think that sustainability of me I sometimes use that term my own wellness, the way that I'm creating that environment for my kids, my husband, that's what I'm really wanting to kind of make sure I do well in over the next decade, two decades, however long I can.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, it's funny because I was actually like, if you were gonna say something for one of the organizations, totally fine, so great. Also, how are you taking care of yourself? Yeah, so you're answering it and that's fantastic yeah yeah, no, I look I've had.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you why. I thought about that. Like, one of the questions that you had was about what's a trip I've taken that's been impactful. And when I was thinking about that question, I was actually thinking about how, two summers ago, we did a family trip to Italy, and, sure, italy was fantastic, it's beautiful, we did the Amalfi Coast, but what I really got out of that was recognizing that my kids are really my kids and so they had very similar interests and perspectives.
Speaker 1:But what was amazing about it is that I was able to see my perspectives through their eyes and through their enthusiasm and through their animation and I was like, oh man, I really wanna experience more of this with them and create those connections. So that's gonna be what gives me energy to do all the rest of the stuff.
Speaker 3:Sure, absolutely, yeah, definitely. Well, because for you too, I mean very similar to me, and some of the things that I'm doing, at least like they are another piece of the spire that lights that right that there would help ignite what we're doing and what we want to, and so looking back at that and think, okay, no, yeah, this is my why, this is a part of my why, and to keep pushing forward, having those moments is really incredible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2:So, sheila, how do people get in contact with you? How do they connect with you online? You had mentioned sustainability me dot today. Are there other places social media, linkedin where people can get connected to you and learn more?
Speaker 1:Absolutely so for companies. I don't know if they're listening. They can certainly find more information at wwwradientglobaladvisorycom. For everyday people, like you mentioned sustainablemetoday and I'm on social media. It's at sustainablemetoday, so a lot of that same information from the website where they can just email me. Again, going on any of those websites, you can find my email. But, really happy to speak to anyone, I think this is a topic and this is an area where the more people can share stories and collaborate, the better positioned we all are.
Speaker 2:Sheila, thank you so much for your time On behalf of Eileen Grimes and myself. This closes out our episode of you Only Go Once. Thank you, listeners, for continuing to tune in and we'll talk to you next time. Bye.
