My Commitment to Sustainability

What sustainability means to me

As most things in life, there is a lot of nuance with sustainability. The word sustain has layered meanings:

To give support or relief; supply with sustenance, nourish.
Keep up, prolong.
To buoy up, to bear up under.
Suffer, undergo.

I recognize that my actions directly affect other people, the planet and living ecosystems. Everything is interconnected.

This means I try to be mindful as possible with how I operate my business and the choices I make throughout my life. My intention is to add nourishing energy into the living systems around us.

Professionally

sustainable practices within my business

Ethical Values

Reciprocity — I believe in contributing back within relationships; with clients, humanity and the planet. I desire to create a sense of balance and fairness with my relationships and interactions.

Stewardship — My life and business uses resources from the earth and the people that create them. I am committed to reducing my digital footprint, as that is the main way my business operates.

Consciousness — Being aware and paying attention to the systems all around us, within business and society impact communities and individuals. Advocating for social and environmental justice, access to basic resources and security. I am continually learning more about intersectionality to be a more effective advocate.

Accessibility — It’s important that my services, and resources are readily available and usable by all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds, abilities, or circumstances. Being mindful of what each individual needs and willing to accommodate where necessary.

Other values that guide my work — autonomy, consent and transparency. I respect that each person can make choices for themselves. I do not use manipulative sales tactics or coercion. I have pledged my commitment in The Ethical Move.

Examples:

Note - some of my practices blend between categories

Prioritizing the time and energy of others

I check color contrasts, font sizes and add image ALT texts in my marketing materials and website.
Diverse imagery on website to reflect that my business supports, accepts and is inclusive of all women.
Pricing information and details are available in my services page.
Different points of contact are accessible — scheduling for coffee/tea chats, contact form, provide explanation of thought partnership service and direct booking of service from website. Intentionally planned out so that potential clients can follow the path that feels most comfortable to them.
Free resources are available in addition to my offerings: blog and resource page for sensitive solopreneurs.
Client services thoughtfully planned and automated to provide ease of communication and access to information. I also include videos for extra warmth and further explanation to ensure quality of instructions.

Reducing my digital footprint

Regularly delete emails in my inboxes, along with removing unnecessary data from my computer files.
Size my images appropriately for my website to reduce the data involved with having them on my website.
I use the Ecosia browser for internet searches.

Mindful marketing

Thanks to Renee Garcia, I have beautiful branding which helps me connect even better with my potential clients. This also helps me be more intentional when I create marketing materials. I have a clear plan to follow so it takes me less time and able to create reusable content.
In 2024, I am prioritizing blogging, SEO and Pinterest instead of social media. My goal is to eventually phase out using social media altogether. It does not feel good to churn out content that gets lost in an algorithm after 24 hours. Also the addictive qualities of the app are not good for my sensitive soul.
Anyone can join my email community. I do not use lead magnets. I trust that if solopreneurs resonate with my blog writings and website content, they will join my list if it feels good to them. Also, I do not do the traditional weekly newsletters. I care more about connection than the classic “nurture your audience” type of marketing. This way my subscribers know when I send a message it is meaningful and genuine.
Completed The Green Marketing Academy course in July 2023. Continually learning and implementing my Green Marketing Action Plan.

3 Sustainable Focus Areas

As a white cis woman, I acknowledge the (unearned) privileges I have because of the systemic advantages within our society. With this awareness, I am committed to actively engaging in the ongoing work of social justice for BIPOC and LGBTQIA people.
I have taken anti-racist courses from Monique Melton. Her work has expanded my knowledge of how white supremacy impacts my own identity (i.e. perfectionism) and harms BIPOC folks. Monique is an incredible anti-racist educator, talented woman and inspiring. Highly recommend investing in her work.
Early in my business, I took courses from Toi Marie Smith to build my understanding of the financial aspect of business. Toi is passionate about everyone having a thriving life, advocates for Black mothers and explains a lot of the challenges with capitalism. I have learned a lot from her about the impacts of capitalism, and that white people have collectively more wealth than BIPOC folks. I encourage you to check out Toi’s work and invest in learning from her!
Organizations I’ve donated to:
2022: The Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde to support their native language program.
2023: joined 1% For The Planet for a year, which advocates for environmental justice and access to nature for BIPOC folks; donated to One Tree Planted for each client project; donated to Depave PDX to support local access to nature in the city.
2024: this year my intention is to donate to The Confederate Tribes of Grande Ronde and local organizations that support BIPOC folks. I’m still deciding! There are so many incredible organizations out there.
As my business grows, I am committed to being mindful of how much wealth I’m generating and will prioritize sharing it. When possible, I will also invest in learning from BIPOC and LGBTQIA folks as I can.
Mindful consumption extends beyond tangible goods to the information and stimuli we absorb daily. As a highly sensitive woman and a solopreneur, I’m finally accepting how much I’m impacted by certain interactions such as social media. I am accepting that it is not that beneficial for me in the long-term. Social media has added to my feelings of inadequacy – which has contributed to me spending beyond my budget to get help in my business. It also requires a significant amount of time and energy.
I’ve also noticed how sensitive I am towards the email newsletters that flood my inbox as well. While I have enjoyed some of them, they are more sensory experiences to process. All of these interactions add up and become emotional layers.
As a sensitive woman, I recognize the power of each scroll and click, understanding that what I consume shapes my energy and creativity. This can also lead to me spending more money than I really want to and lead to feelings of guilt later on. In understanding this, I am choosing to:
Reduce my time on social media this year and not prioritize it within my marketing efforts. By the end of 2024, I hope to phase it out completely.
I’ve unsubscribed from many email newsletters. I now have a folder that filters the ones I get so they skip my inbox, then I can look at them when I feel ready.
Carefully track my expenses – so that I am honest with myself about how much I’m spending and have more for donations in the year.
Being a more mindful consumer is part of creating a gentle business. When I can quiet the noise out in the world, I can have more energy to thoughtfully create from my heart. I care deeply about helping sensitive solopreneurs live a meaningful life that also positively impacts others.
I deeply resonate with the need for a shift in our sales culture. Instead of using capitalistic tactics like urgency and scarcity to make sales, I care more about creating genuine connections.
I envision a world where the pressure to buy is replaced with a space for thoughtful consideration and intentionality. I believe it is possible to be successful without using these high pressure tactics. These are also the same tactics and patterns that have led to a world with exorbitant waste and debt – I cannot participate in that way of selling.
Instead, my intention is to empower my clients to make choices aligned with their true needs and values, rather than giving into fleeting impulses. We can cultivate a culture of mindfulness in consumption, where each purchase is a conscious act of support and contribution to a better world.
As a solopreneur there are true limits as to how many people I can work with at a time, but I will make sure to communicate this honestly. I will only mention limits if absolutely necessary but not as a reason to get someone to make a purchase.

Personal Life

sustainable practices within my daily life

Examples:

In 2022, we (my husband and I) transformed our front yard lawn into a wildflower garden. We love creating a safe haven for bees. Every year the garden looks a little different. It’s amazing to watch it evolve from seed to end of season.
Buy in bulk when possible and have reusable bags.
We do not buy from Amazon and minimize the act of purchasing “things” as much as possible. When we do, we try to purchase directly from shops and support local small businesses.
Enjoy supporting our local farmers market.
Carefully research companies, politicians and products prior to spending money or voting.
Frequently contact our representatives about issues in our state and beyond, especially if they negatively impact BIPOC and LGBTQIA folks.
We use natural cleaning products and reusable containers.

We’re working on:

Continually learning about how to be better social justice advocates, we both listen to diverse perspectives for news and books we read.
Trying to minimize household waste even more and eliminate paper statements.

A path goes through a yard that has lots of growing wildflowers. — Front yard turned into a flower garden. First year. July 30th, 2022.

Land Acknowledgement

Angela respectfully acknowledges the Tualatin Kalapuyas (who called themselves Atfalati), who have stewarded this land – now known as Beaverton. This tribe was removed from this land in the 1850s by white colonizers. Today, Kalapuyans are part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. We are committed to learning the history of the Kalapuyan people whose land we are on, financially contributing when possible and listening to them as they share their experiences.

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Statement crafted with help from these resources: Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Pacific University Land Acknowledgement Examples, Pacific University Indigenous History of Oregon & NEEF. This is my full land acknowledgement statement versus what is on the website footer.