The New Seeking Center + Wellness Brands You Need to Know About - Episode 89

We have a big announcement! Just as we have always brought together the very best trusted practitioners...now we have a new Seeking Center destination for you to explore and find the best wellness products, people and experiences on the planet!

TheSeekingCenter.com is here! We’ve launched the very first version of our platform where we share the best wellness products, that are made by companies that are both good for you and good for the world. At this very moment, we have approximately a 1000 products from 300 companies, that have their own remarkable story for being. They have the same passion that we do when it comes to their why. We look forward to introducing you to many of their founders!

In the very near future, we will not only be featuring our trusted practitioners, you will be able to book sessions, experiences, classes, and more. Plus we’re sharing mega Inspo every week, which means you’ll find our podcast, plus articles, videos and spiritual downloads from all of our Seeking Center contributors.

We’re dedicated to being your wellness and spiritual go-to. We are obsessed with finding everything good for you to help you live your fullest life from practices and products you’ve never heard of, to unpacking the latest trends. We’re here to guide and inspire you to navigate your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual journey your way. Think of us as your 24/7 seeking BFF.

On this week’s podcast, we’re highlighting some of the remarkable products and brands already available on theseekingcenter.com. We’re talking all about them with Nicole Lerner, Seeking Center’s Product Curator and the Head of Marketplace and Brand Partnerships with our partner, Maavee. Maavee is a total wellbeing app for employees that makes it easy to discover and connect to the best of wellness.

We’ll continue to talk to magical practitioners and experts from all over the world, plus now we’ll add founders and makers that are a part of theseekingcenter.com to the mix!

BRANDS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE

• Agni - “Nourishment for life’s major moment." Food for women at all different stages.
• Indwell - The Indwell Guide
• Komuso - Breathing and anti-anxiety tool
• Shakti Warrior - Mother/Daughter yoga brand. Plus, they turn old yoga mats into flip flops for underprivileged communities.
• Wishbeads - Intentional jewelry (Plus we've featured founder Alexa and the brand on our podcast in the past!)
• ettitude - Bamboo bedding, bath and sleep essentials.
• Grounded - Plant brand based on the mental + health benefits of plants. Each plant has their spiritual interpretation listed.
• Parker Clay - Ethical leather purses and empowers women in Ethiopia.
• TRIWA - Transforming the Industry of Watches

Visit theseekingcenter.com for more from Robyn + Karen, plus mega inspo -- and the best wellness + spiritual practitioners, products and experiences on the planet!

You can also follow Seeking Center on Instagram @theseekingcenter

Transcript

I'm Robyn Miller Brecker and I'm Karen Loenser. Welcome to Seeking Center, the podcast. Join us each week as we have the conversations and we, through the spiritual and holistic clutter for you, we'll boil it down to what you need to know now, we're all about total wellness, which to us needs building a healthy life.

On a physical, mental, and spiritual level, we'll talk to the trailblazers who'll introduce you to the practices, products, and experiences that may be just what you need to hear about to transform your life. If you're listening to this, it's no accident. Think of this as your seeking center and your place to seek your center.

And for the best wellness and spiritual practitioners, experts, products, experiences, and inspo, visit theseekingcenter. com.

Robyn: Karen and I are so excited to have this conversation. Just as we have always brought together the very best trusted practitioners, now we have a Seeking 

Nicole: Center destination for you to explore and find the 

Robyn: [00:01:00] best wellness products, people, and experiences on the planet. Theseekingcenter. com is here. Yes, we've launched the very first version of our platform and today we will be talking to you about some of the best wellness products available that are made 

by companies that are both good for you, and good for the world. At this very moment, we have approximately 1, 000 products from 300 companies that have their own remarkable story for being.

They have the same passion that we do when it comes 

Nicole: to their why. We look forward to introducing you to many of their 

Robyn: founders through our podcast and on the seeking center dot com. And in the very near future, we will not only be featuring our trusted practitioners, you will be able to book sessions, experiences, classes, 

Nicole: and more with many of them.

Robyn: Plus we're sharing mega inspo throughout every week, which means you'll find our podcast plus articles, videos, 

Nicole: and spiritual downloads from all of our seeking center contributors. We're dedicated 

Robyn: to being your wellness and [00:02:00] spiritual go to. We are obsessed with finding everything good for you to help you live your fullest life from practices and products you've never heard of to unpacking the latest trends.

We're here to guide and inspire you to navigate your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual journey your way. Think of us as your 24 seven seeking BFF. Without further ado, we're ecstatic to introduce you to Nicole Lerner, who is a curator at Seeking Center and is Head of Marketplace and Brand Partnerships with our partner, Maavee a total wellbeing app for employees that makes it discover and connect to the best of wellness.

There is so much to discuss, so let's get started. Hi, Nicole! 

Nicole: Hi Robin. Hi Karen. I am so happy to be here. I'm just really excited to dig into all of the amazing brands and stories that we're working together on. 

Karen: we're so excited to have you here. I think of you as our 24 7 seeking BFF now.

Me 

Robyn: too. I agree. And honestly, I just have to [00:03:00] say to the two of you reading that intro, it makes me... Want to cry with joy because this has really been such a long time in the making And really we've all become a team and there's so much goodness To bring to the world. It's so true. 

Karen: And also so magical to discover people who also have the same passion for bringing products, experiences, people together that are good for them and good for the world.

And I think the minute we met. With you at Maavee. It was like we met more of our soul family. So I agree with Robyn this is such a monumental moment for us. We're so excited and we're just excited to be able to share more about what's there on the site 

Nicole: with everyone. 

Robyn: So we have had Frank, who is the founder and CEO of Maavee 

Nicole: on our podcast last year, But 

Robyn: for those who didn't listen to that podcast Can you tell everybody listening about Maavee mission, which helps them to understand why you are such an important and integral [00:04:00] partner to 

Nicole: Seeking Center? Absolutely. And I'm sure Frank did an incredible job giving you the full lowdown about Maavee

and there are so many ways our partnership that Maavee can be used and utilized, in short, really, we're a digital platform that makes it easy for people to connect with their own wellness journey and allows them to discover what we consider to be the best product services and brands of wellness along that journey.

And Nicole, 

Karen: tell us a little bit about you and your journey why Maavee became your place 

Nicole: and why you wanted to work there. Absolutely. And I think this is another reason why we're just so excited about our partnership with you guys is.

We absolutely share I think that same passion and admission when it comes to being and for me personally, I think, as I'm sure a lot of people share for most of my life, the concept of wellness has been It's really important and really big, but it's also just an incredibly challenging journey.

And luckily, I think we find ourselves [00:05:00] in a day and age where things like therapy, homeopathic medicine, meditation, all of these pieces are really becoming a lot more mainstream than they used to be, which is so great. Trying to figure out what wellness means. Especially in this insanely saturated area where there's all of these brands and people and products that are promising to fix your problems is just impossible.

And, more than that, wellness is very much a journey, right? What worked for me 10 years ago, 5 years ago, what's going to work for me in a decade is constantly different. And I think it's important for people to understand that, it's not about becoming. A monk or a superhero overnight, It is a million different things that we're doing and using in our everyday lives that are hoping to work together to create a better life. So Maavee for me, the mission that makes me really excited is the hope that we can help create a better life for any of your users. 

Karen: you're right. There's so much out there. The idea that Robyn and I [00:06:00] had from the very beginning is how do we curate the best of the best? How do we make a destination for people to discover and explore whatever is right for them? And I think this partnership with you all and all the curation that you've done already has just already gotten us way further than we thought we would ever be when we launched 

Nicole: our website.

So that's exciting. 

Robyn: Yeah, and Before we get into some of your favorites and some of the favorites we feel that everyone listening will really relate to, what would you say has been a common thread amongst the companies that have become part of Now Seeking Center and 

Nicole: Maavee?

Yes, and it's so funny just when I was thinking about all of my favorite brands I found so many pieces that I hadn't really. Thought about before that they really do share with all I'll touch on down the line but in general I think something that's really important to us when it comes to the marketplace is that like you said there are Thousands of brands products people out there, but that also means that there's a lot of crap out there as well.

So something all of our [00:07:00] brands are going to share. Is that they not only are great products, but they all shared really similar mission and ethos about making the world a better place. And, besides, of course. Being a wellness brand. We vet all of these brands and even down to the individual product when it comes to what are you doing as a brand that's going to be good for the environment, good for society, good for just the people and communities that live on Earth.

so Overall, that's really the biggest piece that I think we make sure that they share. And one of my favorite parts of the job, and I think you'll very much get this when I'm talking about all of these brands, is Hearing all of the founder stories and just people who've created these incredible products or services, and a lot of it comes down to the fact that it was something they needed that didn't exist, or it was something that, they saw a loved one or people in general, struggling make So I'm very excited to be able to share some of the stories and just reasons that I love these brands. should we start at the [00:08:00] top of the list? Yeah, 

Robyn: let's start talking about these products and companies that people need to know about.

So the first one 

Nicole: agni? So Agni actually means digestive fire in Sanskrit, which is really just a process by which the foods we eat are broken down and actually sustain us. And they really position themselves as digestive fire .

nourishment for life's major moments. And it's all around this concept of viewing food as medicine and they target basically women at different stages of their lives. Conception, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause. And originally, I think the concept that I love is that they're bringing Awareness, education, and really the kind of positivity to the fact that as women, we go through so many different stages in our lives, and some of them are just really often very overlooked, and their goal is understanding that it's not just taking a pill or, opening the freezer during a hot flash, but understanding that the foods we eat Are so important to the way that our bodies actually [00:09:00] function, and their product assortment are things that you want to eat and drink in your daily lives.

So anything from, an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie that has ingredients that help with milk supply to. Sesame nori seasoning that helps with hormone imbalance. So it's all just these really fun products that you want to eat that are incredibly beneficial. The other big piece that we love about Agni is that they really follow this kind of environmentally and socially responsible mission.

Everything is organic. They only work with farmers that use regenerative farming practices. Everything's compostable. Even on the tea, they take off the string and the staples so it can be completely composted. And they actually launched a program right when they founded called 50 Founding Couples.

And it's where they support 50 couples all trying to conceive and they give them monthly boxes, recipes, they get access to speakers every month and really ultimately just a community they can all be part of. And [00:10:00] you'll see the community really is this running thread in all of the brands that they focus on, which is something that we, and I know that you guys are really focused on as well.

Wow. such a unique to me to think about 

Karen: a market of women at the different phases in their life and what they need. 

Nicole: Love that. 

Robyn: Okay. So let's talk about 

Nicole: Indwell. Yes. Indwell is actually one of my favorite products and brands for a lot of reasons. And it is one of the books I have here always in my house.

The brand was actually started by three women. One was a marriage and family therapist slash brain spotting practitioner. One is a certified life coach and the other is a visual artist. And their hero skew, which is this guide book, journal, everything in between all around mental health. the other special piece about it is that it looks like A stunning coffee table book, just something that you want to have in your home and the visual artistry in it makes you want to pick up this book and just work on yourself, work on these different prompts and practices.

And I think what makes [00:11:00] it really special to me is that I've picked up so many different skills, meditations. Practices that I've added into my toolkit that I can actually practice every day and their impact angle, of course, is also amazing. It's printed by a Canadian printer that's committed to sustainability.

It uses non toxic ink, FSC recycled paper. They donate so many books to non profits to help especially younger people with mental health and kind of bring awareness to it. I cannot say enough good things about Indwell. I think I've bought four of them so far for, myself, for people I love. it's an incredible book. They are. They're beautiful. 

It's stunning. 

Robyn: aNd it's a useful tool ? For everyone to get more in touch with themselves. I cannot wait to have those founders on to talk. With all of these companies, you're also highlighting 

Nicole: the people 

Robyn: behind them finding out the why.

Will be so interesting. Because all of the people that we're talking about today have created products to help the 

world 

Nicole: in some way. . [00:12:00] Yeah. And I think what's so great, and you'll notice when you speak to these founders is that they are all just so excited and passionate about what they do.

And , it's not just about, Hey, how many sales are we gonna get on, it's really, we love what we do. And as much as we can get out permission, how people really all they care about. So it's just something really special that they all kind of share in common. 

Karen: Should we go to the next one? I know is one of 

Nicole: Frank's favorites. 

Robyn: Yes. Let's talk about Komuso. 

Nicole: Yes, I was going to say if you've ever had a meeting with Frank, I'm sure you're at least partially familiar with them. So Komuso is, they have a few, but their hero item is a necklace called the shift.

And it looks just like a beautiful piece of jewelry, but it's really a natural way to help calm your anxiety. And the whole concept is that it helps you naturally reverse stress by slowing your exhale and it's one of those things that. It's such a simple concept that no one really knows unless you're in that world.

And, I think this is one of those brands where I personally [00:13:00] learned so much within 30 minutes of talking to the founder for the first time. And what a lot of people don't understand is that your brain and your breath are so connected. And there's so many use cases, but shallow breathing, which a lot of us do just.

Unconsciously actually triggers your fight or flight response, and that then creates stress, anxiety, panic attacks. And so using the necklace essentially slows your exhale and it triggers your vagus nerve to calm the mind and the body. And something that I think is so awesome about this brand is that it has both the science, but also this really cool history that I think a lot of people don't know, which is.

In the 17th century Kamuso monks in Japan would do what they call blow zen into bamboo flutes to achieve inner tranquility, to help with meditation, and beyond just being a really cool tool to use it's one of those things that just serves as a constant reminder even if you're not stressed, you're not, having some sort of panic, it [00:14:00] sits on your chest close to your heart and just reminds you to Take a breath, Take a moment, breathe. And I think from a personal point of view, this was one of the first brands that we actually had worked with on the platform. It strikes a chord because I was someone who used to suffer. Oh my God, a lot of panic attacks. And it turned out that a lot of it had to do with my breath and the way I was breathing.

And so when I was younger, I had all sorts of different breathing exercises that I would use. And. A lot of it actually came down to my exhale, having a much longer exhale than, the inhale and that kind of quick breathing. So finding Komuso and it's really like the original tool was so awesome.

And once again, Todd, the founder, so incredibly intelligent and passionate about what he's doing. I think Frank has five of them. 

Robyn: so versatile. That's for anybody at any age. And in this world that we live in right now, 

Nicole: everybody needs 

Robyn: that reminder 

Nicole: and that tool 

Robyn: to learn how to breathe exactly. 

Karen: Even if you're not using it all the [00:15:00] time, Mindr is such a wonderful tool in itself. They come in all 

different finishes as well. And all such 

great.

Nicole: Holiday gift giving. 

Karen: so reasonable. Love that. Let's go to the next one 

Nicole: about Shakti Warrior. , 

Yes, so Shakti Warrior is actually another, one of our brands that we've been working with for a really long time, and it's a mother daughter yoga brand with just an incredible story and mission.

Starting just on how they, create their products, think 90 percent of all of the packaging, but 90 percent of the yoga mats themselves are completely biodegradable. Their factories are emission free and this brand actually taught me something. That I thought was so cool, and I had never known, which is that harvesting cork is actually incredibly sustainable.

So the cork is basically harvested from a tree, which then regrows the bark. So you can continue to harvest bark from that same exact tree without tearing it down. And the regrowth of that bark. Actually sucks up [00:16:00] five times more carbon from the atmosphere, just in the way that it fuels photosynthesis.

So I love this brand because they've actually taught me a million things that I had no concept of. But what I also love is The foundation of this company is built on is completely around empowering women and giving back. They work with economically challenged women in India to ensure that they have, high paying jobs, access to education for their family.

And my favorite part is that they have a recycling program where you send back your old mats, they turn them into flip flops, and then they distribute those shoes in underserved communities. So literally from obtaining the materials to end of life, it is a full service sustainable model. They're incredible.

Not to mention beautiful. Those really beautiful designs. Beautiful. 

Robyn: Totally agree. What a beautiful company and products that they're creating it's like when you know when you come at things. Yeah. With that 

intention, 

that product is carrying [00:17:00] vibration. Yes. that high vibration.

So then you, as the customer buying it, or if you're someone who's receiving it as a gift, you're getting 

Nicole: that gift of high vibration. Absolutely. And you'll see each unique design, they're all hand sewn by these women in India the profits go back to them.

So it's just, they do amazing things. 

Robyn: and you can really feel good about yoga practice. It gives you that extra, oomph or something. Yeah. 

Karen: yeah, you're supporting a wonderful 

Robyn: cause, but I love this whole 

Karen: life cycle of the product itself.

They've really thought it 

Nicole: through. So cool. 

Robyn: Really smart. 

Karen: And then the 

Robyn: next, company that we want to talk about is. One that we've already supported even before we had the seeking center. com Which is wish beads by our friend alexa fisher who? We adore you want 

Nicole: to talk about that a little bit?

Yes, and I think One of the reasons I originally fell in love with Wishbeads is because I met Alexa, who, like you said, has been on the podcast before, and Frank and I both fell in love with her and her energy and everything she was putting out there. I [00:18:00] am actually wearing my Wish So we, once again, Everyone at the company is such a big fan, and the concept is wear your wish on your wrist, and they're beautiful, unique pieces of jewelry, they have necklaces, bracelets, they're all different stones, and they have, this kind of brass locket cylinder, where, it's such a kind of intuitive practice you unscrew it, you have your little wish inside, and then, it could be, your goals, your manifestations, screw it back on, and you're wearing it as this daily reminder to stay present, live your life in accordance with what those goals and missions are. And it's similar tKomusoso in the sense that regardless of if it's something that you're thinking about at that point in time, it's on your body.

It's this kind of constant reminder. Another thing I love is that each stone, depending on what you buy, holds its own meaning. Amethyst is known for trust and intuition and connection to the mind, whereas jade is known for prosperity, wealth, and wisdom. So each one, beyond your actual kind of [00:19:00] wish or manifestation, holds a whole other separate kind of spiritual meaning as well.

And Alexa's She's such an amazing person, but all of their gems and stones are harvested from ethically approved sources and they work with, she's got a list of so many different organizations and programs for underserved girls, which is just icing on top of the cake. For, all that she does and all that her products do as well.

Oh, 

Karen: I love this too. Another gift that you can give to someone when we had her on the podcast, she also wrote a book that kind of goes with the 

Nicole: bracelet that, that really lets you 

Karen: put your wish into practice. She really gives you tangible tips on how to action your wish in your every day.

Nicole: 

She is a magical person, incredible, and she is another, founder who is just so invested in. It's not just about, hey, I made these products and they're great by them, right? She is so invested in the community. I know Frank has been to a wish circle that she hosted, and he could not stop talking about how powerful and beautiful it was, right?

She. I almost feel like [00:20:00] I have Alexa as part of my bracelet so yeah, it's incredible. Yeah, 

Robyn: I agree with that, and that energy is infectious. I think to Karen's point, she's created a process for you to really action 

Nicole: your wish, and 

Robyn: she herself is such positive light and energy in this world, and so to your point, you are carrying that, and It motivates you on that daily basis. To make whatever wish you want to come true 

Nicole: Totally. Yeah. Oh 

Robyn: my goodness. I'm so excited. We're highlighting wish beads. So let's now talk about ettitude which i'm so grateful to have been introduced to because talk about Beautiful products now. I can't wait to hear a bit more about their story.

Nicole: Yes ettitude is actually one of the bigger brands So you'll notice a lot of these brands tend to be Newer, smaller ettitude is one of the larger ones, and it actually, the name means Eco attitude, and they are as you said, beautiful, sustainable home brand, and they created, basically, An innovative material called [00:21:00] clean bamboo, which I'll get into as well.

But they are a b corp 1 percent for the planet. And every year, which you can find back to 2020 really in depth impact reports that show their commitment to everything they're doing. Working with them, I learned that the textile industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, which I had no concept of and what is so amazing about their clean bamboo is that it's a regenerative grass that constantly reproduces itself.

And while it's growing, it enriches the soil, removes toxins. It's just another one of those incredible ingredients or materials that I think people don't know that much about but it's so powerful and they've created patented closed loop water systems where they, reuse water up to 200 times they donate to all sorts of different environmental nonprofits.

It's incredible. And their traceability is one of the highest in the industry. So they're essentially in [00:22:00] tiers. Most companies will show traceability up to tier three and their tier five which is right at the farm level. And that's not even mentioning the products themselves, which are the dreamiest fabric.

They have a few different lines, but they're iT's also infused with naturally antimicrobial charcoal that, reduces bacteria, absorbs odor. Wix moisture actually 50 percent quicker than cotton, so their material is just amazing and they have all sorts of different products from bedding, they have robes that are insanely cozy, wellness kits, eye masks, everything that you touch is just the most incredible material and knowing that everything they make is so impactful is incredible.

It's the best feeling. It'll make you sleep better. Exactly. Sleep better for a lot of reasons. Let's talk about the next one. triwa Yes, Triwa is one of our newest brands, and I am so in love with them because they are a brand that's just absolutely changing the game. [00:23:00] Triwa actually stands for transforming the industry of watches, and basically what they realized is that for a really long time, watches have been associated with status, tradition, money, and their goal is basically to use These pieces as a modern statement and actually highlight really important issues of our time.

You'll see there's all sorts of different collections and each one represents basically a different social issue. Time for Oceans is, you guessed it, all about ocean conservation. The watch case and the actual strap are all made from recycled ocean plastic. And then what's so great is that each watch that you click on, it gives you the entire breakdown of its carbon footprint by, the case, the strap, the battery.

But it's not, just around the ocean. So one that I love, one of their collections, it's called Time for Power. And they're these more classic beautiful [00:24:00] looking. Almost traditional watches, but it's all around empowering women. Every once in a while, they donate to Girl Up. It fights gender inequality, empowers women and young girls everywhere, and Time for Peace is...

Everything is made from melted down, confiscated, illegal firearms from war torn areas and really developed as a statement against gun violence. And they've also made the first fossil free steel watch. So they, and I think they actually just launched maybe one or two other collections, but another one of those things where, number one, they took something that's just been the same for on this for a very long time and realized we can actually use this for something really positive and great.

And for each collection, they donate a certain amount of profit to charities that kind of fit within that mission. But they're just constantly innovating with new materials and finding new partnerships that just create really beautiful products. 

Robyn: we're going to go on to another incredible brand. Let's talk about 

Nicole: [00:25:00] Grounded. Ah, yes. Grounded Plants is actually another one of our newer brands and they are a BIPOC and women founded plant brand all around creating and basically educating people about the connection between houseplants and just a happier, healthier life and home environment.

And... Beyond just, making your space more beautiful, there's actually so much scientific research that explores how the natural environment benefits our health and our well being. And, it comes from both the physical properties of plants, like Fresh oxygen, air cleaning and filtering properties, but also increasing our mental health by being surrounded by earth and just the act of actually taking care of something.

And something that makes Grounded really unique, especially for a plant brand, is that it's not just about the plant. Every single plant has its own spiritual interpretation. So for example, the fiddle leaf fig symbolizes fertility, abundance, and good [00:26:00] luck. But each one really clearly states what is.

. And then something else I love about them, which I think has come up, in multiple of these brands, which is Their investment in the community, and they've actually created something called hike club where they host monthly meetup, and it could be hiking bouldering yoga breath work. 

They're all basically events to help people reconnect meet with people be immersed in greenery, which I think we could all use a little bit more of, so anything that they can do to get people together and get them outside, they are hosting. anD it's not, paid events. It's really just wanting to connect people. 

Robyn: I love it. And I had no idea about the spiritual component. That they tie with each one. Yeah. Okay, I think we have a time for a couple more.

 But not everybody listening understands what a B Corp is. Can you explain what that is? 

Nicole: Yes, 

Okay. So a B Corp is, one of really the highest standards you can need, especially when it comes to our criteria, where [00:27:00] we're really vetting brands for being not just good for the consumer, but good for the environment and good for society.

So a B Corp certification essentially means That they have verified your performance, accountability, transparency, all sorts of different factors from employee benefits, charitable giving, supply chain green and sustainable practices. So they're actually and auditing companies on all different levels to make sure that they're essentially serving the highest good of us as people and just for the world as well.

Robyn: you for that. Okay. So Parker Clay. Let's talk about what incredible products that they've created and their company. 

Nicole: Yes. So Parker Clay, I think their mission is a better bag for a better world. And it's another one similar to ettitude in the sense that, off the bat, not even thinking about the impact that they have, you look at their products and they're beautiful.

They're incredibly made. And then you actually get to dive into the impact they have. And it's like this whole second. Mind blowing [00:28:00] level their material in and of itself is a whole different version of sustainable leather, but they show on their website, the. Insane impact that they have for specifically empowering women.

And the talks, they give you so much education really around how women reinvest so much more of their wages into their families. And so what they want to do is essentially create opportunities for women to build a better world. And So a really big reason that they work with these women is that they realized actually the amount of women that end up either unemployed end up in prostitution. 4. 6 million children that are orphaned in Ethiopia. And it's because of how few opportunities for education and professional skills actually exist there.

And a really big piece of what they want to do is actually help these women by not just Funding them or, giving money, but actually giving them the [00:29:00] opportunity to support themselves and their families and learn skills that they can take to any other opportunity. And they have amazing stats that you can see. everything is 100 percent made in Ethiopia and 80 percent women employed b corp in and of itself covers. All of these really important pieces around, benefits, they get living wage meals, they plant trees with every purchase. So they just do incredible things. And there are another brand that actually provides their impact report really clearly on their website.

So you can actually see, all of the things that you're supporting when you're buying a product from them. And I think, The education piece to the consumer is so much more important than I think a lot of people give consumers credit for. they do a really amazing job at actually giving the consumer information about what they're supporting beyond the fact that it's just beautiful.

Robyn: Oh, and especially when you are buying a bag, let's say. Yeah. You're going to use for a long time, probably on a daily basis. [00:30:00] Again, it makes you feel better as you leave your house or your apartment, or wherever you are. having that on you, there's just that small reminder, plus it holds the energy of all 

Nicole: those incredible moments that make it happen.

So you can just feel better. 

Karen: even be able to share with other people if they compliment your bag. 

Robyn: That's right. You're passing along the 

Nicole: story. Absolutely. Yes. And I think, Almost all of these brands. They're just kind of reminders. And like you said, it's the ability to not only support them yourselves and support their vision, but anyone that you talk to, Hey, I'm wearing this.

I'm wearing this. I, have this bag. But here are the incredible things that this brand and company are doing that. You can also get involved in and educate yourself about yeah, Nicole how 

Karen: do you find all of these incredible products 

Nicole: and

all over. I think, a lot of it does come from just my own. Research into wellness. What's funny is I actually had, for example, wish [00:31:00] beads years and years ago, and then I connected with Alexa and was like, I actually have your bracelet and I'm obsessed with it. So a lot of it is from personal need.

A lot of it's from recommendations from family and friends who are really involved in wellness. And then A million different sites and, blogs. A lot of them happen to be around sustainability. I think Made Trade, Sustainably Chic, there's just all sorts of really great information out there where I'm finding these incredible brands.

One of my favorites is actually ThingTesting, and their whole concept is allowing consumers to test and share what they love or what they don't love. About certain brands. And all of them are really a new, cool, innovative brands. And what I love about them is that And this is nothing against, a blog post or, any other articles, but it's not just, Hey, here are the things we love it is.

Here are all of the things that we have found and tell us what you like about them, tell us what you hate about it, what they can improve. So it really feels a [00:32:00] bit more honest, organic they have really cool brands. And it's all over the 

Robyn: map of different categories.

Yeah, that's really cool. I'm sure people are going to ask for that link so we'll have it within our show notes. Along with everything else today that you can find on theseekingcenter.com. com. I love everything about our conversation. And what I especially love is that what is so important to Karen and I is helping to reconnect people to who they really are and also connect them to like energy, to higher frequencies. And now with. Your help, Nicole, and Frank's help, Tom, and everyone else that's part of the Maavee family that's now a part of the Seeking Center family. You're bringing in these products and other partners that are doing that in a slightly different way, but also are helping people reconnect back to themselves as to who they really are, and then also connect them To the entire world.

And there really is nothing more important, right? then bringing us together in this [00:33:00] positive way. 

Karen: these makers that are out there putting their life and souls into these products for good. The opportunity just to amplify what they're doing so people can discover them and find them and support them.

That's what we want to continue to do and what we hope the Seeking Center platform will do for everyone. These are beautiful products with beautiful stories behind them. And I know they're going to really inspire people when they see them. So thank you for the job that you do. And sourcing them and finding them, discovering them and bringing them to Maavee and now to Seeking 

Nicole: Center.

Of course. Without people like you, we would not be able to get them out and discoverable in such an awesome way. So as you can tell, I could talk about our brand. All day long, they're doing incredible things in the world, and we're really excited that they now get the chance to be seen at Seeking Center as well.

And I'm 

Robyn: sure that we'll be having more conversations with you about all of these different products and companies, in addition to talking to some of these founders and [00:34:00] makers. So everybody listening just stay tuned and definitely go check out the seeking center. com That's the seeking center. com We'll also have all of the links to the products and companies we talked about within our show notes, and then you can also follow us at the seeking center 

Nicole: on Instagram. So 

Robyn: thank you so much, 

Nicole: Nicole. Thank you both. It's always such a pleasure to be able to connect with both of you.