Incerpt taken from VoyageLA Magazine at: http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-monica-richards-ecobabe-santa-monica/

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Richards.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started on an eco-friendly farm in the middle of Michigan, in a super small town with one little stoplight. My childhood is my biggest blessing: We had tons of animals, every fruit tree you could imagine, and our garden was ginormous, especially to a kid. I grew up green, with collecting eggs and growing my own veggies as my daily chores. It was on this farm that I learned the value of Mother Earth, how we should respect and care for Her and how we must give Her the Voice she so much deserves.

But as a farm girl, I also grew a wild heart. So after graduating with an Interior Design degree, I practiced at a boutique firm in London, England. Then I moved to Los Angeles, where I worked as a sustainable interior designer. Not long after, I trained as a TV Host, pitched some shows. Produced and hosted a fashion/beauty show for AOL and reported on rounds of red carpets and press junkets. After a few years, I decided to pursue that heart of mine and do something that felt more meaningful to me.

So, I married my experiences together to create ecobabe, a tight-knit community where we empower people to live more sustainably by focusing on individual impact. Under the ecobabe brand, I’ve founded a Sustainable Living Consultancy, where I green up homes and offices – the most efficient way for busy homeowners and those in the workforce to detox their space. Additionally, I’ve recently launched The Collective, a membership platform for committed ecobabes where we really lean in and master effortless sustainable living while creating powerful change, together.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’d like to meet the person with that smooth road

My best qualities have been my biggest struggles: I’m strong, I have a big heart and I like taking care of people. But that same strength and maternal-ness has allowed toxic people to set up shop in my life. And because I’ve loved them, I’ve listened to them: telling me that I’m not worthy and I can’t do it. And because I’m thick skinned, I don’t prevent emotional damage until it’s too late. After many years of feeling like I was being anchored underwater while trying to ferociously swim to the surface, I picked myself up – with the help of my family and my best friend – and enlisted help. I started working with a therapist and an intuitive business coach to determine my WHY, which was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I’ve learned that once you truly know and believe in your WHY, then you’ve got your drive. All that noise fades away (some requires removal) and THAT’S when you gain clarity.

That wild heart of mine has also posed its own problems. I’ll never settle. I’ll never settle for ideas that are less, for a life that is less, for love that is less. And I’ll never become stagnant or give up the fight for what is right and just. It’d be a whole lot easier if I just went along with things. But that’s just not how I was raised.

And you know what else has been a struggle? Getting people to care and to take me seriously. Nothing makes me more angry. And you know what an angry woman does? She gets shit DONE.

Please tell us about Ecobabe.
Ecobabe is all about collective individual impact. For example, you’d be shocked to know just how much you can lower the global carbon footprint by simply reducing your own paper towel habit to one less sheet per day. This is exactly why our motto is: because what we do MATTERS.

Our mission is to make eco accessible and exciting for all. So ecobabe is known for baby steps, meaning it’s most effective to start small. Once you break up with plastic snack bags, you can move onto swapping out plastic produce bags. Then, you can conquer walking to the grocery store. Then, you can consider an electric car. And THEN, you can think about charging your electric car via solar panels on your home. Starting small has such a beautiful domino effect.

Being an ecobabe means living more sustainably without missing a beat in your daily life. It’s effortless, it’s cool. The fact is, we can all make easy, conscious choices every single day that deeply benefit the crises our Earth is facing. We just have to know how to start.

And that’s exactly why I created The Collective: from streamlining recycling processes to detoxing beauty cabinets to forming food waste plans, we make sure our members know exactly how (and where) to start their eco-journeys. Everything you need to start living more sustainably, boost your health and wellness and improve the state of our Planet is right at your fingertips, in the form of one easy-to-use app for a like-minded community who knows just how essential this movement really is.

As a company, I’m most proud of our community. Our pillars are education, inspiration and action. As our community continues to blossom, the green actions these ecobabes take are what truly keep me going: in The Collective, seeing a member pick up truck loads of litter on #SustainableSunday or asking awesome questions during one of our Live Video Chats with an eco-expert or setting up a compost bin to eliminate food waste… On the ecobabe IG and blog, seeing an ecobabe spread awareness about a reusable eco swap or volunteering at a local organization or receiving a sweet message about wanting to switch to clean beauty… Every one of these actions has a direct impact on the health of our Planet and Her people. My heart beats louder every time I experience our ecobabes taking one of these actions because I know humanity is on its way to the legacy we are meant to leave behind.

What were you like growing up?
I think I’ve always been a bit of an oxymoron – to be honest… a feminine athlete, an introverted leader, an organized mess. I’ve always been a little mom. I’ve always found solace in music and fun in food. I’ve always had a Light for life and the beauty you can find in it. I’ve always found the most value in connecting with animals and with nature. And I’ve always loved the humility found and growth in experiencing worldly culture.

I know one day I’ll have a daughter just like me who loves hard, plays hard and gives her parents a really hard time. And I hope one day I’ll be able to raise her just as my parents did me: kind and resilient with big heart and soul.

For Full VoyageLA Article & Photos

Go here: http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-monica-richards-ecobabe-santa-monica/

+ + For an Eco Swap Show n’ Tell on the We Gotta Talk Podcast with Sonni Batta, go here

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