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Kestrel on vulnerability, personal health, podcast evolutions & a question to sustainable fashion folks: are you OK?

Conscious Chatter

Release Date: 10/15/2024

Fashion circularity leader Nicole Bassett on why running for office shouldn't be considered a *leap*, why we need more everyday people in government and how policy can be a significant lever in creating change in fashion and beyond show art Fashion circularity leader Nicole Bassett on why running for office shouldn't be considered a *leap*, why we need more everyday people in government and how policy can be a significant lever in creating change in fashion and beyond

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 345, Kestrel welcomes Nicole Bassett, a leader in circular economy innovation and Oregon State Senate candidate, to the show. In the past, Nicole served as the Social Responsibility Manager at Patagonia, Director of Sustainability at prAna (where she led the launch of Fair Trade certified apparel in the US), and in 2015, she co-founded The Renewal Workshop, a factory that gave unsold products a second life. Today, she runs Citrus Circular, where she helps companies rethink how they operate from the inside out — to waste less and create more value. And in Oregon’s 26th District....

info_outline Beth Esponnette of Unspun on 3D weaving, how this technology could reduce textile waste, costs and emissions, and what that could mean for systems change across fashion show art Beth Esponnette of Unspun on 3D weaving, how this technology could reduce textile waste, costs and emissions, and what that could mean for systems change across fashion

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 344, Kestrel welcomes Beth Esponette, the Cofounder and CPO at Unspun, to the show. A fashion-tech company, Unspun has built the world’s first 3D weaving technology for apparel. Their enables woven products to be made locally in California, on demand, and with almost zero waste. “Sewing machines are incredible things and can make products in a really great way. But what if we went to the drawing board and kind of started from scratch and took inspiration from nature and took inspiration from the concepts of growth and decay? And when you get very conceptual and you peel back...

info_outline Adam Taubenfligel of Triarchy on digitally dyed denim, how this new technology goes beyond Adam Taubenfligel of Triarchy on digitally dyed denim, how this new technology goes beyond "reducing impact" in the making of jeans, and how it could really shake up the sustainable fashion industry

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 343, Kestrel welcomes Adam Taubenfligel, the cofounder, creative director and responsibility lead at Triarchy, to the show. With the goal of restoring integrity to the word sustainable, Adam drives innovation in denim, advancing mindful materials and responsible production at . “How many millions of pieces of clothing are we stuck with because the factory had a minimum, the store only ordered this many, that was the cost of doing business, we had to do it, and so here we are. And so, you know, this scale question is influencing everything and creating mountains of garbage so that...

info_outline Designer Olivia Cueva of Oakland Style Lab on the overlapping of biomaterials research, fashion design, & community-centered education as a multifaceted approach to rethinking fashion's systems show art Designer Olivia Cueva of Oakland Style Lab on the overlapping of biomaterials research, fashion design, & community-centered education as a multifaceted approach to rethinking fashion's systems

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 342, Kestrel welcomes Olivia Cueva, a radical dreamer, designer, technologist, and researcher, to the show. bridges creative technology, fashion, biomaterials, and storytelling to explore transformation, regeneration, and collective care. Her practice moves fluidly between community-centered education, speculative design, and research into sustainable and bio-based materials—always with the aim of sparking dialogue, nurturing resilience, and envisioning more just futures. “A lot of the research that I do now is focused on natural dyes and working with plants and seeing how the...

info_outline Dr. Joanne Brasch of the California Product Stewardship Council on SB 707 The Textile Recovery Act Of 2024 - the nation's first textile EPR bill show art Dr. Joanne Brasch of the California Product Stewardship Council on SB 707 The Textile Recovery Act Of 2024 - the nation's first textile EPR bill

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 341, Kestrel welcomes Dr. Joanne Brasch, the Assistant Director at the California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC), to the show. A network of local governments, non-government organizations, businesses, and individuals supporting policies and projects where producers share in the responsibility for managing problem products at their end of life, is California’s thought leader and expert on Product Stewardship and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) movement. “We're most proud of our textile EPR program because we achieved a lot in SB 707 that set a new level, a new...

info_outline Constanza Gomez of Sortile on the questions we should be asking around EPR policy, a tool to support textile recycling, and the need for more research and data in the textile sector show art Constanza Gomez of Sortile on the questions we should be asking around EPR policy, a tool to support textile recycling, and the need for more research and data in the textile sector

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 340, Kestrel welcomes Constanza Gomez, the cofounder and CEO of Sortile, to the show. is a company focused on empowering the textile recycling industry with technology that enables the identification, sorting and traceability of textiles. “I was a much more hopeful person when I started this company and I've slowly become more of a skeptic. But that means I've leaned more heavily on the need for regulation versus people acting of their own free and good hearts. And so I think the opportunity is great. You can redefine and set real incentives to manage end of life better.”...

info_outline Beth Jensen of Textile Exchange on fashion's complex history with data, how the organization is addressing it through their open-source reporting and the need to ensure the search for *perfect data* doesn't hinder real action show art Beth Jensen of Textile Exchange on fashion's complex history with data, how the organization is addressing it through their open-source reporting and the need to ensure the search for *perfect data* doesn't hinder real action

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 339, Kestrel welcomes Beth Jensen, the Chief Impact Officer at Textile Exchange, to the show. Leading the organization’s efforts to achieve beneficial climate and nature impacts, Beth oversees key functions at including impact data and Life Cycle Assessment studies; impact tools and reporting mechanisms; reports and research; fundraising; and public affairs/policy. “A big part of vulnerability is really admitting that you don't have all the answers. So in sustainability, in fashion, apparel, and textile space, this is just the way we have...

info_outline Miranda Green of Atmos on disappearing climate data, how it's impacting journalists & their ability to tell important stories, and what we can do about it show art Miranda Green of Atmos on disappearing climate data, how it's impacting journalists & their ability to tell important stories, and what we can do about it

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 338, Kestrel welcomes Miranda Green, an investigative journalist focused on politics and climate change, to the show. As the author of Atmos Magazine’s weekly newsletter, , Miranda takes a weekly look behind the climate headlines to question how decisions are made, why they matter, and what they reveal about this moment. “I think data to me is, they’re facts. It's hard facts. It's looking at points that have been, you know, they're determined by scientists. They've been measured. They are proven points that then, I can use as building blocks to tell my story.” -Miranda THEME...

info_outline Gail Gallie of THE NAT on their inaugural gala and the need to focus on galvanizing global capital to close the nature finance gap show art Gail Gallie of THE NAT on their inaugural gala and the need to focus on galvanizing global capital to close the nature finance gap

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 337, Kestrel welcomes Gail Gallie, the founder of THE NAT, to the show. A new convening force for Nature, is primarily focused on galvanizing the private capital needed to close the nature finance gap; they just held their inaugural NAT Gala “Night For Nature” in September 2025. From working in advertising to co-leading the creation of the UN Global Goals Campaign, Gail has an extensive background in global advocacy and campaigning.  “I was pretty blown away that you could quantify the amount of money that was needed to fix where we are now to where we need to get to in...

info_outline Carry Somers on her new book Carry Somers on her new book "The Nature Of Fashion" and the importance of both restoring fashion's connection with nature and repositioning fashion in the broader narrative of ecology as a mirror of who we are

Conscious Chatter

In Episode 336, Kestrel welcomes author and visionary changemaker, Carry Somers, to the show. Co-founder of , the world’s largest fashion activism movement, and the author of a new book – , Carry has worked across the fashion space in various capacities, advocating for a shift towards transparency, fairness, and sustainability in supply chains. “Textiles reflect our connection with the natural world, but they're not just about utility. They're definitely about beauty as well. But they're also really an echo of our disconnection from it. And I realized during my research that that rift...

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More Episodes

Episode 323 features Kestrel (just me!) in the first-ever solo episode of the show. With a primary focus on vulnerability, Kestrel shares some of the rollercoasters she has faced personally over the last year (from health to finances), why she and Nat are parting ways when it comes to regularly hosting the show, the true costs of producing a podcast, as well as a question on whether performative vulnerability is what we are seeing too often from the industry.

“To all of you interested in sustainable fashion or those of you who work in the industry - I want to ask you a question: are you ok!?”-Kestrel

OCTOBER THEME — MAYBE VULNERABILITY IS WHAT FASHION REALLY NEEDS

As you can see, Nat is not here. It’s super bittersweet, as doing the show hand-in-hand with someone I love, a best friend, and someone I admire deeply was truly magical. At the same time, realities happen, things shift, and sometimes what you anticipate doesn’t actually work out in the end. 

Being honest about the journey is, and always has been important to me.

Nat is amazing as many of you already know. Moving forward, she won’t be cohosting with me on a regular basis, but she will jump back in as a guest or cohost on the show on and off down the line. 

I know this might be confusing for you since there have been a lot of shifts on and off throughout the year. First of all, thanks for sticking around, for caring deeply about the show, and believing in the potential power of change in the fashion space.

This episode is all about vulnerability — I hope you can feel my hope to tear down some of the curtains that often separate us for connecting on a deeper level. 

Here’s what you'll hear from me:

  • A bit about my person health stuff I’ve gone through over the last year

  • Why it wasn’t possible for Nat and I to continue co-hosting together - hint, hint: independent media is hard

  • A little insider info on what it costs to run a podcast 

  • Some musings on whether it’s possible for the sustainable fashion / fashion realm as a whole to get vulnerable and what that could look like