We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Waddell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?
I launched The Honest Consumer during my sophomore year of college. At the time I was studying Social Entrepreneurship and incredibly passionate about the idea of using business as a tool for good. I was volunteering with a small social enterprise that worked with survivors of trafficking to make jewelry. I loved going to the craft fairs with them and connecting with other creative small business owners.
I realized that I wanted to spread the word about businesses that cared about people and the planet. So, I started writing about small businesses in my community. It was such a meaningful experience to connect with small business owners over their stories and missions behind their businesses. I knew other people would find their stories just as inspiring as I did and want to support these brands with a purpose.
Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
On The Honest Consumer, I create easy guides for people interested in mindful living and better buying. My guides help conscious consumers find approachable ways to live more sustainably and shop more ethically. Being a conscious consumer can seem overwhelming, but my guides help people understand that every little step towards mindful living makes a difference. I recognize that we’re all learning and learning how to be mindful is an ongoing journey.
When I first entered the conscious consumer space, I felt like I was doing everything wrong. I felt like I would never identify as zero waste because that seems out of reach. I felt like the minimalist style wasn’t for me. I wanted to buy everything from small businesses, but also had to work within my budget. The shift to being a conscious consumer can be a lot and I wanted to be honest about my journey to show others that the shift is an on-going process.
Knowing where to start can be challenging and I believe my approachable guides can help people identify simple places in their life to make a mindful change.
I’m really proud of the community I’ve created with people who are all at different places in their sustainability journey.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I first started The Honest Consumer back in 2016 and there were not a lot of bloggers or content creators in the conscious consumer space. I think being honest in my journey of shifting how I live and the ways I buy was key. By sharing a bit about my struggle such as feeling like I wasn’t living sustainably enough or doing things the right way, I think this really helped build my following and trust with my audience.
I was also able to connect with a lot of the sustainable & small businesses I was working with through craft fairs and I think that face to face relationship was really helpful when first getting started.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The freedom to create resources to help people do better is really rewarding to me. It’s always so meaningful when my audience reaches out to say they found that sustainable swap helpful or have taken actions to become a more ethical shopper because of my guides.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thehonestconsumer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehonestconsumer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honestconsumer/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/honestconsumer/
Image Credits
Olivia Bush Photography