Ep. 71: Risha Walden of Walden Interiors -- Taking the Vegan Conversation Off the Plate and into Homes

Pivot! A Vegan Business Interview Series

"I feel like every single decision I make is empowering me because I get to decide how I spend my money. I get to decide what businesses I'm going to support, I get to decide what kind of world I want to create. I get to do that not only with my food choices but with every single choice I make in my business. And if I don't like a company’s practices, or how they're sourcing product, I can make a decision about [how—or whether—to work with them]. And through that decision, I can influence how companies are going to move forward. Because it's all about the bottom line for them—it's about keeping a viable business. And that means gearing the business toward consumer choices." ~ Risha Walden

🤩 Vegan interior design is Risha’s passion. 02:17

🤯 The interior design industry commonly uses animal products, but as a vegan interior designer Risha has managed to align her personal ethics with her business. 03:03

💪 “Every single decision I make is empowering me because I get to decide how I spend my money.” 07:03

🤔 Being a vegan designer means asking questions about furniture not many people have asked before. 09:52

❓ The power of questions: change will not come by wagging a finger at people. 12:13

🌱 Why is it important to ask so many questions? “I’m planting a seed.” 13:38

🤷‍♀️ People warn, “You're going to alienate your clients.” But believing in my own work is more important than that risk. 16:34

😇 Risha talks about raising awareness about food to byproducts of all other animal industries. 19:52

🙌 Vegan Interior Design Week is a free panel event in November. 21:16

👍 Meeting so many people and communities online has been instrumental for Risha and her work. 25:28

👑 Risha’s advice: Don't be afraid to use the word “vegan” in your business and messaging. 27:36

💎 We can change the world and we can create the world we want through our choices. 28:57

Thanks for listening to Pivot, our vegan business interview podcast. This is recorded as a live streaming session so I hope you’ll join us for future interviews as well! If you are feeling inspired, but wondering how to take some actionable steps to improve your business, I invite you to explore our two premium paid podcasts, Going Solo or Fix It.