We were lucky to catch up with Rebekah Miel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rebekah , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Our mission is to make beautiful sense out of a complex world. This shows up in lots of different ways in our work, but the seed behind this work started in 2004. I was reading the NYTimes online, and the masthead read, “Thousands of People Missing in Southeast Asia.”

I couldn’t comprehend how that was possible. This was before social media, so it took a bit to piece together that there had been an earthquake and tsunami. But in that space of trying to piece together what happened, I was thinking about all of the families that had been impacted by the devastation. I picked up the phone and called my university and asked what they had planned to do to help. Two weeks later, I was on the plane to Sri Lanka.

Over the next few years, I sat and listened to community members as they explained what they really needed to be able to move forward. It wasn’t at all what I expected. The fishing village was seeing the impact of overfishing and pressure from tourism to give up valuable shorelines. The women’s group wanted to form a sewing cooperative to provide workforce development. The elementary school needed better safety measures so that they could be more resilient in the face of future climate disasters. The orphanage needed English lessons to provide more opportunities for their futures.

In those cinder block rooms, I started to see how social impact, climate, public health, and justice all came together. And, more importantly, the alarming degree to which it was impacting those who are the most vulnerable.

I obviously couldn’t fix all of those issues, but I could lean into my strength and communicate with others about the urgency of need. I made a short documentary, took photos, wrote about my experience, and shared it all when I got back home. Through that work and the hard work of many others, we were able to raise over $200,000 to provide a foundation for those community-based projects.

I knew from then on that I wanted to use my skill as a designer and communicator to listen to stakeholders and amplify their messages. I’ve been grateful to have continued that work ever since.

Rebekah , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Miel Creative is a full-service marketing and communications studio that works with B corps, non-profits, and other purpose-driven organizations. We are a HUB certified business, a B Corp, and members of 1% for the Planet. Our work has been featured in Bust, Thrive Global, and Nasdaq.

To date, we’ve raised over 1 million dollars for non-profits, movements, and causes, donated hundreds of probono hours, and advocated for racial equity and climate justice in all of the work we do. Clients include the Pauli Murray Center for History & Justice, Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, and Save the Children.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

In my experience, the most important aspect of creating a sustainable business is to actively listen. This means listening to all stakeholders, including those directly impacted, my employees, and our community. I have learned to let go of my preconceived ideas about what can bring about real change which has also meant becoming more flexible, resilient, and committed to building relationships. This commitment to relationship building and prioritizing stakeholders sometimes means that growth is slower. However, I have noticed that when we have deviated from this path, there has been an immediate negative impact on the business.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Our current focus is to work with clients who are focused on climate possibilities. This sometimes means that we are working on food systems or regenerative agriculture, and sometimes it is workforce development or a community safety project. But like my experience in Sri Lanka, it is all connected by communities and individuals. In order to build a more regenerative future, we have to be able to understand and communicate with one another.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mielcreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miel_creative_studio
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mielcreative
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebekahmiel/

Image Credits
Radian Photography