On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Adela Mei, founder of Jackdaw Coaching, to talk about ecology, conservation, business coaching, the rainforest, and more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
I was running a bar, watching people drinking and I had this moment where I asked myself what I was doing. I ended up seeing a counselor by accident and he asked me what it was I wanted to know, and I said I wanted to find out how it all works. He said that was called ecology and I went off to university at the age of 25 to study ecology and conservation and went on to do a master's.
Over the last 20 years, things have got better and worse. Eco-tourism, the idea that by bringing tourism to the rainforest you also bring income to indigenous villages, in theory, was fantastic: Villages worked in the biological research stations making handicrafts to sell, and some were taught English and worked as guides. The downside of that is that local people were earning significantly more money than they’d been used to and they spent it on alcohol, so it had a devastating impact on the communities, especially the young.
While I was in Peru I got interested in web design and marketing because I was doing that while I was there. When I came back to the UK I started building websites for other wildlife conservation projects. That side of my business grew for quite some time and though I couldn’t get back out to the rainforest I really love technology and I bring all of that into my work now.
We are intrinsically connected to the planet. It may not be obvious to everybody, but the air we breathe, and the water we drink, are all connected and underpin that belief. We must protect the planet and do our best.
BEST MOMENTS
‘For my dissertation I went to Peru for three months with a friend to study emergent trees in the rainforest, and I got the bug. Over the next three years I was out there most of the time.’
‘When people talk about “nature bathing”, this was full immersion in the rainforest.’
‘Seeing clear-felling broke my heart. What was pristine rainforest that was thousands of years old decimated in days.’
‘I work mainly with positive impact projects – businesses or business owners who deeply care about the environment and who want to be a forced for good.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
https://jackdawcoaching.com/10-steps-to-build-a-sustainable-business/
Adela Mei helps business owners take simple steps to sustainable business success, with digital strategy and business coaching.
With her wealth of experience in web design, digital marketing, and online platforms, she helps business owners streamline their online presence, creating consistent and clear messaging, so they can attract more clients.
Adela set up her own company Jackdaw Coaching Ltd in 2020 to support small businesses grow sustainably, through digital strategy, personal branding and business coaching.
ABOUT THE HOST
Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing & home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.
In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools & colleges.
Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring & digital marketing company.
Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people & planet.
CONTACT DETAILS
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