CI Magazine - July 2020

J ULY 2 0 2 0 I S S UE N O . 0 6 £3.50

WA S A R A K IY O P O P O e s fo r Ev e r y d a y p ra c ti c g s u s ta i n a b l e li v i n IN C LU D IN G

s S l o w fa sh io n ic o n en Ze ro w a st e k it c h

s P l a st ic fr e e sw a p ti n g Lo w w a st e p a re n

PRO SE CTI ON

PINTEREST D o u b l e we bs i te tra f f ic

a n d b o ost yo u r co nte nt WO R K S M A R T E R r u n yo u r Pi nte rest o n a u to pi l ot

FOREWORD

GOING GREEN Over the past 12 weeks, the world has experienced a global pandemic.

As we slowed down collectively, encouraging new conversations, refreshing perceptive, and truly thinking about the world we want to live in, the conversation around sustainability and what we can do to protect the earth we live in has become a priority for many — not just the zero-waste warriors out there.

As a company, we took part in the first Plastic Free July challenge in 2018. This year, we want to share with you how you can make a difference, including over 30 tips and hacks you can engage in for the next 30 days to be part of the change.

We talked to cover girl Sara Kiyo Popowa about her journey to becoming a champion and advocate for sustainability. I had the pleasure to (virtually) sit down with Emma

Ross from Mamalina to discuss low waste, family life and reflect about the overall impact of lockdown: “I think people are wanting to return to kind of a simpler, more nostalgic way of being and celebrating.”

Small little nuggets of news have been appearing online, including how almost two months of the lockdown have left the waters in Venice looking clearer. Will this be enough to inspire a bigger change and a wider conversation about sustainability?

To quote our contributor Charlotte Watkivs: “Pick one ‘eco’ switch and do it really well. It’s far better to focus on acing one habit than it is to try and change too many things.”

I truly hope you’ll love reading this issue as much as we loved putting it together.

May this be the catalyst for a greener future.

Fab Giovanetti Editor in Chief

FAB’S FAVES BOOK “More Plants, Less Waste” is a great cookbook by Max La Manna with great waste-free cooking ideas.

BBQ ESSENTIAL I am a massive fan of Rubies and the Rubble beetroot ketchup on my vegan burgers. Find out more about them on page 68

GOOD ON YOU Good on You is an app that rates fashion brands based on a series of ethical criteria.

Download the app and browse their directory!

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 03

CREATIVE IMPACT

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Fab Giovanetti Contribution Editor Amy Lanza

CONTRIBUTORS Columnist Charlotte Willis; Hannah Wallace Special thanks to Noora Parssinen, Charlotte Watkivs, Bettina Campolucci Bordi, Ash Martins, Alexandria Maria, Becky Pink, Melissa Megginson, Sara Kiyo Popowa

SUBSCRIPTIONS Creative Impact is the ultimate tool and resource for creatives and conscious entrepreneurs. We offer a single issue purchase as well as a yearly subscription with access to our back catalogue Website http://bit.ly/creativeimpactmag Current members of the Creative Impact Collective will be able to download each issue directly for free via the member section on the online platform.

VISUALS & MORE Lead Designer Michael Cavalli Stock photography Pexels; Rawpixel; Unsplash Affiliate links Amazon Associates

Creative Impact Mag

is part of Creative Impact group For inquiries or suggestions, contact us at: Website creativeimpact.group Email info@creativeimpact.group Advertising brands@creativeimpact.group

FOLLOW US Facebook Facebook.com/creativeimpactc Instagram Instagram.com/creativeimpactco TikTok Tiktok.com/@creativeimpactco Twitter Twitter.com/creativeimpactc

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MAGAZINE s s i m r e v Ne issue ! an SPECIAL PRICE

12 ISSUES FOR THE PRICE OF SIX

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CONTENTS

16

I N TH I S I SSU E S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

|

J U LY 2 0 2 0

26

ISSUE NO. 06

37

ESSENTIALS 03

|

53

FEATURES

WELLBEING

16

Cover feature

54

06 Good News

24

Low wastes family living

56 How to reduce plastic

09

Calendar

30

Slow fashion

58

One man’s trash...

11

Mission statement

62

Hannah Wallace column

12

Charlotte Sophie column

64

Get fit with Movin London

13

Podcasts

38

14

Expert profile

44 Help with Tailwind

28

Founder Series

46

Behind the Analytics

68

Products to look out for

34

Behind the content

48

Pinterest engagement

70

In the Kitchen: No Waste

61

On the bookshelf

50

Set up a Pinterest list

72

Recipes

Editors notes

PRO SECTION

Creative Impact top picks

Pinterest Beginners’ Guide FOODIE

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 05

Good

IN THE NEWS

NEWS As we are consuming news more than ever, we thought we’d bring you our very own special roundup of happy news from across the globe.

Swans in the canal ENVIRONMENT | ITALY

Almost two months of the coronavirus lockdown have left the waters in Venice looking clearer. Marine life which hasn’t been seen in the city for many years, is now visible. Some critics have said the waters are not cleaner, but the sediment usually stirred up by boats has simply settled at the bottom.

The ecological benefits of the lockdown are there, even if they are not easy to spot. While there are no dolphins appearing in the canals (and the swans reported to have “returned” to the city have actually lived there for many years), other organisms could profit from the lack of turbidity in the water and lower levels of overall pollution in the lagoon.

YOU CAN HELP We have decided to dedicate each month’s lead image to a different animal that is facing difficulty during these times. This month we’ve gone with dolphins, in a hope of seeing them in the canals again. Online you can find information from WWF, and many zoos around the world that need your help.

ADOPT A DOLPHIN FROM WWF

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IN THE NEWS

A record to be proud of RUBBISH | HONOLULU

Ocean Voyages Institute says it made history in June 2020, returning to the port of Honolulu Tuesday, after successfully removing 103 tons of fishing nets and consumer plastics from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Known as the ‘Ghost Net Buster,’ Mary Crowley is renowned for developing effective methods to remove significant amounts of plastics out of the ocean, including 48 tons (96,000 lbs.) of plastics during two ocean clean-up voyages in 2019, including one that scooped up nets that had trapped garbage around the Hawaiian islands.

Never too young to start ACTIVISM | GERMANY

Ever since he was 9 years old, Felix Finkbeiner has been an international figurehead for saving the planet. In 2007, the German youngster founded a global youth movement called “Plant for the Planet” – an initiative that trains and recruits kids from around the world to plant trees as a means of combating climate change. Since its creation, the movement has already made significant progress with the help of over 100,000 enthusiastic youth between the ages of 9 and 12—and he planted his onemillionth tree in Germany when he was just twelve.

Slow fashion for dummies BOOKS | GLOBAL

Detoxing The Fashion Industry For Dummies is a new freely available manual to empower fashion brands big and small - to get the insights and information needed to detox their supply chains. And it enables you and me to differentiate a greenwash from a stonewash when it comes to our textile choices. Find out more about the book here; www.detox-fashion.club

Embracing Pura Vida

TRAVEL | COSTA RICA

Leading by example, Costa Rica is set to become the first plastic and carbon-free country by 2021. Costa Rica, home to six percent of the world’s biodiversity, is leading the way in the race to slow global warming as it aims to be the world’s first single-use plastic and carbon-free country by 2021.

Got milk?

FOOD & DRINK | UK

While we’re in uncertain times for the farming and dairy industry, Cornish dairy has embraced new technology and consumers’ desire to move away from single-use plastic pints of milk. Trewithen Dairy has unveiled 25 self-service, pour your own (semi-skimmed) milk machines at independent stores across the southwest.

Want a pint of milk?

Pour your own pint of Cornish milk and use one of their glass refillable bottles, and just take it back and fill up again when you’ve run out.

Or take your own bottle to fill up, it’s all the same to them.

100 ideas to reduce your carbon footprint EDUCATION | GLOBAL

Giki Zero created a revolutionary free tool that gives you an individual assessment of your carbon footprint - and comes up with ideas to reduce it. The new consumer-friendly website, Giki Zero, helps you define your personal environmental impact across your home, transport, food, purchases and other services you use.

Once you have that, it offers 100 easy steps you can take to reduce your impact by up to 50%. Steps are rated in terms of ease and impact, with benefits such as savings on time and money also featured.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 07

Try Canva Pro for Free

08 | CREATIVE IMPACT MAG

COMING UP

JULY07 CALENDAR

July | PLASTIC FREE JULY Take the challenge, Discover solutions and ideas to help you reduce plastic waste.

Fri 3rd | INTERNATIONAL PLASTIC BAG FREE DAY 5 STEPS TO THE PERFECT FLATLAYS Mon 6th July | 4pm If you’ve ever found yourself standing on a cafe chair, iPhone hovered over your brunch while you fend off judgemental stares, you know that to take a great flatlay – you have to commit. Flatlays are a simple, aesthetic way to display a brand or product. Looking for simple steps to make your flatlays shine? Our friends Matt and Tom from Club Backdrops are coming to the rescue.

FIND OUT MORE HERE

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REATIVE IMPACT MEMBERS: C CONTENT CALENDAR MASTERCLASS Thurs 9th July | 4pm In this masterclass, you’ll learn how to set up marketing systems that work for you – all you have to do is to book in 30mins on your social media, and you’ll constantly get an influx of users to your website all day (even when you are asleep).

FIND OUT MORE HERE

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Tues 14th | BASTILLE DAY

Fri 17th | WORLD EMOJI DAY

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Mon 20th | NATIONAL MOON (LANDING) DAY

21 22 24 25 27 28 29

Thur 30th | INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FRIENDSHIP

GROUP MASTERMIND AND ACCOUNTABILITY Tues 7th July | 1pm & 5pm Monthly business planning and review a monthly group coaching call to create a clear action steps based on your own business journey with your accountability buddy from the collective. FIND OUT MORE HERE

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26 Sat 25th | NATIONAL WINE & CHEESE DAY

Tues 7th | WORLD CHOCOLATE DAY

15

23 Fri 24th | INTERNATIONAL SELF CARE DAY

CREATIVE IMPACT MEMBERS SOCIAL: SELF-CARE FOR CREATIVES Thurs 2nd July | 4pm The “live members social� is an interactive networking session including ice-breaker questions and activities.

For the self-care roundtable we are joined by life coach Rebecca Kimberley, Lily Samii, Mira Manek, and coach Alexandria Maria. FIND OUT MORE HERE

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CREATIVE IMPACT MEMBERS SOCIAL: CONTENT CALENDAR MASTERCLASS Wed 22nd July | 1pm In this masterclass, you’ll learn how to set up marketing systems that work for you – all you have to do is to book in 30mins on your social media, and you’ll constantly get an influx of users to your website all day (even when you are asleep).

FIND OUT MORE HERE

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Fri 31st | NATIONAL AVOCADO DAY [We at Creative Impact will be celebrating! ]

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 09

COVER FEATURE

START MONETISING YOUR EXPERTISE

Teachable Create and sell online courses and coaching services with the best online business platform

Used by the entrepreneurs to sell $500m+ to over 18 million students

FIND OUT MORE

MISSION STATEMENTS

WHAT’S YOUR MISSION? We asked our collective members what’s their mission and how they are looking to make a positive impact on other people and the planet, and here’s what Becky had to say.

I ’ M PA S S I O NA TE About Becky

aka Pinkscharming Copywriter and Eco Lifestyle Blogger

Milton Keynes, England

As an eco-warrior as well as an eco-warrior, I’m worried about the kind of earth my children and their children will inherit. My mission is to gently educate people about the environment and the easy ways we can all tackle climate change, and show that living a more eco-friendly life doesn’t mean missing out.

I try to inspire readers about the simple, small changes we can all make to be more eco-friendly, and surprise them with the easy and often affordable ways they can make a difference.

Many people find being eco-friendly quite daunting, so I try to break the greener lifestyle down into smaller, more easily manageable steps, so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming.

A B O UT HEL PI NG

REA DERS F I ND W A YS

TO MAKE A POS I TI VE DI F F ERENCE TO TH EIR LI VES , W HI L S T

MINIMIS ING THEI R EF F ECT O N TH E ENV IRO NM ENT. M Y B L O G HOUS ES S E VER A L THEM ES

CONNEC TE D B Y S US TA I NA B I L I TY: EC O-FRIEN DL Y L I VI NG , CL EA N BEAUTY, C R EA TI VE I NTER I O RS AND S US TAI NA B L E S TYL E.”

Becky Pink pinkscharming.com

C lic k h er e to se e m o re a b o u t B ec ky o n In st a

I encourage my readers to go beyond just recycling, to actively avoid single use plastic by giving them ideas for easy alternatives. I challenge them to consider who made their clothes and beauty products, and what materials they contain, to consider the impact their shopping habits are having on the environment and other people, all along the supply chain. It’s so rewarding when readers message me to say they’ve bought and love a sustainable beauty product I recommend, or have made eco-friendly changes inspired by my blog – that’s what makes the hard work worthwhile.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 11

COLUMNIST

CONTEMPLATING WITH CHARLOTTE

About buying stuff Understanding the psychology behind materialism and unpacking the endless cycle of buying more ‘stuff’

F

or most of us, it’s not until we move home that we come to realise just how much stuff we have accumulated over our elapsed time on the earth.

There’s clothing bundled into closets (some still waiting to see the light of day), oodles of gadgets, copious furniture items, and an extensive collection of decorative accessories the likes of Ikea would be envious of. During our modern adult lives, we begin to saturate ourselves with stuff, owing to an innate drive to appear enriched, successful, comfortable and happy.

But oh, what a fabricated reality this is.

Buying stuff has become ingrained in our psyche. You need only look at the queues outside clothing stores upon post-lockdown reopening to see how invested we are in spending money on stuff. We are attracted to all things new, and as a result, we spend so much of our time working ourselves into an exhausted state of social isolation, playing catch-up with the everevolving, ever-rotating retail conveyor belt of stuff for us to buy. But where does that leave us mentally?

It’s true that money doesn’t buy you happiness.

But it does get you a whole host of stuff. And whilst we rejoice in purchases new for a few days, we soon find ourselves seeking external happiness from newer items before we even have the chance to appreciate what is already around us. As our materialism grows, we become entrapped in a cycle of working harder and longer to earn more and buy more, resulting in burnout, dodging our reflective practices, emotional unavailability, and a tendency to avoid enriching our lives through priceless moments spent with loved

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ones. How many times have you turned down a friend or family member, simply because you had too much work?

In the book “You Can Buy Happiness, and it’s Cheap”, Tammy Strobel outlines how a connected and conscious life enables happiness through the act of living. Happiness begins by taking affordable microactions every day to rid your life of excessive stuff. By removing psychological connections to items around us and ridding ourselves of excessive stuff, each item we keep begins to take on a practical role in “We are too materialistic, daily life, rather than and not materialistic burdening us with its enough in the true presence. By distancing emotionality from stuff, sense of the word.” we open ourselves up to personal development. It’s like cutting the umbilical cord to our working lives by ditching cyclic work-spend routines, freeing up our resources and time, and enabling the enrichment of wellbeing and connectivity with others. In other words, goodbye emails at 10.01pm, and hello to dinner dates.

With minimalism in mind, I will condense this contemplation into one poetic quote:“We are too materialistic in every sense of the word, and not materialistic enough in the true sense of the word.”

(Juliet Schor: PhD. Economist and Sociologist) Something to bear in mind before you rush back to the shops. @charlottesophiewrites

WHAT WE’RE FOLLOWING

THERAPY FOR BLACK GIRLS 165+ EPISODES

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is a licensed psychologist and speaker who shares her work on mental health on the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. The weekly chat focuses on making mental health and personal development topics more accessible for Black women and uses pop culture to illustrate psychological concepts.

Click on podcast artwork to get link

PODCASTS

FOCUSING ON POC AND AMPLIFYING THEIR VOICES

SLAY IN YOUR LANE 5+ EPISODES

The Podcast comes from multi-awardwinning authors Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené. Their pioneering guide to life for young Black Women explores topical news and popular culture from a Black British female perspective while also chatting about workplace, finances, education, health, and dating.

EAT CAPTURE SHARE 45+ EPISODES

Kimberly Espinel, founder of The Little Plantation and the Eat Capture Share podcast, is a food photographer, stylist and blogger. While the podcast is dedicated to food, photography and social media, she interviews inspirational guests to share expertise and stories from a diverse and varied perspective.

IN GOOD COMPANY 25+ EPISODES

Women Who founder, Otegha Uwagba, hosts In Good Company - a podcast for working women. It is full of practical advice and interviews with smart, successful women from a variety of backgrounds. From issues of pride, race, mental health and feminism, this podcast will refresh your mindset.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 13

IN PROFILE

EXPERT PROFILE

Alexandria Maria I help thousands of women make their dream life a reality. I am a transformational coach and wellness business mentor helping you shift out of stuck and into clarity and action. I help women move from overwhelmed, stressed and lost to feeling aligned, motivated and driven by a clear vision. Whatever life or business it is that they want to create; I can help them achieve it. I’m all about women unleashing their fullest life What is the biggest mistake people make when it comes to your field?

Whenever I start working with a client launching their coaching business, one of the biggest struggles that comes up is comparison. I get it – I had a real moment at the start of my transition into coaching where the fear was real- I felt like there were so many coaches doing amazing things and no room for me. This leads to self-sabotage in the form of procrastination or not even bothering to begin!

How can people feel more confident about improving in your field of expertise?

All that time spent comparing yourself to other coaches is time and energy wasted that could have

TOP TIPS ON...

YO

UR EXPERTISE

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CV ALEXANDRIA MARIA Job title:

Transformational Coach & Mentor Skills that help you:

Certified coach, 400hr yoga teacher INSTAGRAM WEBSITE

INVEST IN YOURSELF You can only take your client as far as you’re willing to go yourself. Keep doing the work, learning, and growing. You can’t expect your client to do the things you aren’t willing to do.

been used towards building your own coaching business and serving your clients better. Bring the focus back to what you are offering your clients and don’t be afraid to get support. Consistently investing in coaches and mentors has helped me supercharge my impact in less time.

What is your favourite thing about being part of Creative Impact?

My favourite part of being part of Creative Impact is the focus on collaboration over competition.

There is such an incredibly supportive feel to the community and it’s amazing being part of a group that cheers each other on. I’m really looking forward to getting to know more of the members so please feel free to reach out and tell me more about what you do!

BE AUTHENTIC No-one has it together 100% of the time and trying to portray to clients otherwise isn’t healthy. Find the learning opportunities and allow them to see your humanness.

CHOOSE CAREFULLY Instead of focusing on what other people are offering, focus on what you can offer your ideal clients. This will help you find the right clients, increasing what they will get out of your coaching!

INSPIRATION

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”

E.E. CUMMINGS

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COVER FEATURE

A conscious vision for the future WITH SHISO DELICIOUS

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COVER FEATURE

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COVER FEATURE

ara Kiyo Popowa is founder of Shiso Delicious and co-founder of The Food Studio in Hackney, London. She is an artist, photographer and passionate advocate for creative, conscious and low waste living and eating as @shisodelicious on Instagram. She is someone we consider a true friend of Creative Impact. From being a guest in our podcast, to recording videos and featuring on our blog, Sara has been an integral part of our journey over the past 6 years.

Her cultural background is Swedish Japanese Bulgarian and so everything she does is a crossover of many different things, as she likes to say she is “born that way”. Her cultural background is also what has influenced her philosophy when it comes to sustainability: “I grew up in Sweden where one’s connection with, and respect for, nature was part of everyday life. I’ve always had a heightened awareness of the damage we are doing to our planet, and in effect ourselves and this has always motivated my behaviour.”

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She’s written a couple of books, Bento Power and An opinionated guide to Vegan London. Out of the numerous spots she enjoyed, a few stood out for their policy and actions around minimising waste and plastic: “The Fields Beneath come from a real heart place and I could tell their ways of dealing with their waste was really integrated in how they run their business.” recalls Sara “Cub is a high end version of dealing with waste, where the waste itself and its reduction has become the actual concept and menu.”

COVER FEATURE

“We can really change

our habits by practising and giving ourselves

an achievable amount of time to REALLY go for something”

wellbeing, and reassess you own wellbeing as you go: “Do you really need a handful of fresh raspberries in a plastic box all the time – and in the middle of winter to top that?

Do you even need them if they come in a bigger bag, frozen?” she explains “It’s about visualising the constant use, adding one plastic bag at a time to that giant mountain of waste that each one of us will produce throughout our lifetimes.”

Not being distracted by energy bars, small snacks and bits and pieces when out and about was a gamechanger. Being off limits is liberating, she explains: “I felt incredibly liberated moving around in public,

Sara is the proof that we can really change our habits and giving ourselves an achievable amount of time to REALLY go for something. In 2019, Sara challenged herself to a year of ‘minimal plastic’: “I started with 3 months, and then realised I needed to carry on, slightly adjusted but my attitude and habits had changed. That you have to learn to be ok without certain ‘luxuries’.”

A big lesson for her was that you need to prioritise things in order of what’s truly essential to your

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COVER FEATURE

Wrapping a bento box in a furoshiki WITH SHISO DELICIOUS

Furoshiki is a square, thin, strong cloth (40-60cm square), often in a beautiful colour, which goes back to the days when there were no plastic carrier bags and you needed to carry your shopping in. Below is a step for step guide on how to wrap your bento box.

➊

➋

➌

➍

➎

➏

➐

➑

since I stopped shopping for small things in shops on the go. If I forgot to bring my own snacks then I’d just suck it up and realise that maybe I wasn’t so hungry after all” When it comes to tips to bring sustainability into your home, Sara suggests to reduce the number of toiletries you use and use a few multi-use products instead: “I have

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ONE type of soap (Dr Bronner) which I use for everything – diluted in pump bottles for hand wash, and as ‘shower gel’.”

“I use one oil (I love Argan) with a few drops of essential oil (Vetiver) which I use for both body and hair” she continues “Those kinds of products are pretty easy to buy in larger volumes too.”

COVER FEATURE

Same for food, get familiar with the type of ingredients that are available in larger packs and that have multi uses: “Get LESS of highly specialised products (like a ready-made sauce) and MORE of stuff that’s easy to turn into many different foods yourself (seeds, dry pulses, oils, Japanese natural condiments, dried fruits).” she explains. Another perk? You’ll save loads of money too, as this is exactly how businesses make money out of ‘nothing’: “mixing a few things up and sticking it in a (plastic) packet then charge multiple times what it actually costs to produce it.”

In January 2020 she decided to go to a yoga class 5-6 times a week for a month and a half: “When lockdown kicked in, I’d reached enough of a level to keep going at home, which

I’ve never managed to do before.

I’m still practicing every day, only taking breaks around my period. Even a blast of 15 minutes counts, other days I will practice for an hour or more, or practice in spurts throughout the day. It’s changing me, it’s making me more into the person I want to be.”

She soon realised that practicing at that intensity was changing her so much that she could achieve anything she wanted: “So I decided to keep going until I’d reached certain personal goals. One of them was to have my own studio, and look at what’s happened” she continues, hinting at her new venture, the Food Studio.

“Lauren and myself are super excited to co-create The Food Studio – a creative home for our individual

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COVER FEATURE

missions as well as a place to combine our powers.” Over the next months they will be transforming a large, bright studio in Hackney, London to a photo and video studio kitchen and a space to host classes and events – online and in real life.

They will be sharing our journey over on their Instagram feed, so make sure you check it out.

Food Studio will be their space to reach out to the world “to collaborate, innovate and dream from, where creativity runs wild and is nurtured.” A place from which they can support the nation to embrace a sustainable food system. “To inspire the future of real food”, she concludes.

About Shiso Delicious Follow Sara Kiyo Popowa and her work on Instagram @shisodelicious

Recipes SHISO DELICIOUS

SERVES 1

Pan Granola

PREP TIME 10 mins | EQUIPMENT Frying pan

INGREDIENTS • 75g (½ cup) nuts of choice • 100g (¾ cup) pumpkin seeds • 100g (¾ cup) sunflower seed • 75g (½ cup) sesame seed • 75g (¾ cup) rolled jumbo oats • 2-4 tbsp syrup of choice • A good pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS 1 | Toast the nuts in a dry frying pan on low-medium heat and set aside.

C li c k o n the books to get s a le s li nk

2 | Toast the seeds going from large (pumpkin) to small (sesame), as the larger need longer time. Stir, taking care for them not to burn. Add the oats last and give them a minute or so to toast.

3 | Add the toasted nuts, take the pan off the heat, add the syrup and stir. Use enough syrup to make everything look moist and start clumping together – but you don’t need a lot.

4 | Tip onto a baking sheet and sprinkle sea salt over. Let cool and immediately pack in an airtight container. Keeps for at least a month.

SERVES 1

Creamy Hemp Oat Milk PREP TIME 1 mins | EQUIPMENT Blender

INGREDIENTS • 5 tablespoons hulled hemp seeds • 2 tablespoons rolled oats • 400ml water (1 2/3 cups) • A pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS 1 | Blend on high till super smooth, or soak overnight and blend in the morning for extra creaminess and digestibility.

No need to strain this milk.

Optional Any sugar or syrup to taste, I like using coconut palm sugar or Okinawa

2 | Fill in a glass bottle and keep in the fridge – will keep up to 3 days.

It can be used both in sweet and savoury recipes and is awesome added cold to coffee. If heated, it will get a bit thick and slimy because of the oats.

Hungry for more? Go to our Foodie section! P67

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LOW WASTE LIVING

Low waste living for the

Whole family with Mamalina

Low waste living swaps to kick off your zero waste journey

T

Interview by Fab Giovanetti

here is something to be said about meeting people online for the first time. I am a massive believer in personal and physical connections - I am a hugger, sue me - yet I also find that these days, more than ever, the “new normal” has pushed us to find connections even when miles apart.

As a fellow lover of dungarees, I knew as soon as I met Emma I was in for a great ride.

Despite getting slightly carried away with our love of coffee - another pleasant surprise - the reason I had a chat with Emma was to get a true understanding of the trailblazer behind Mamalina, the slow and sustainable parenting site.

and then did Instagram. I think I did it in the opposite order to how most people do it!”

Overall, creating consistency in her schedule has helped her massively, plus a few cheeky hacks along the way, including making the most of the time that her sons are asleep.

“I really like to wake up early before everybody else and just have like an hour on my desk. I just find it so productive in the morning - at night I can’t do anything! I can just sit and get ahead of the day” Her passion for low-waste living sprung up when she was at an antenatal class, during

The website focuses on living and parenting slowly and sustainably with a big dose of yoga, cooking, travel, and much more: “we try to live as low waste and sustainably as possible, in various different ways.”

“We don’t give children enough credit for how much they can absorb and learn.”

As a seasoned creative, Emma started her channel first and jumped on Instagram only more recently as she started documenting her first pregnancy (she now has three sons): “I started with YouTube, and then did a blog,

a conversation about nappies: “they teach you how to put nappies on a child or baby, and the teacher at the end shoehorned in this little bit about reusable nappies” that was a proverbial lightbulb moment for

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LOW WASTE LIVING

“I think it’s hard to find the time for anyone wanting to become a parent as your free time just evaporates!”

Emma as she recalls “in my head, I thought... that makes loads of sense and that sounds really interesting to me. I went up to her at the end and I started talking to her about it.

It was through the environmental impact of nappies that I first became interested in this new kind of parenting. A bit differently I guess, a bit more sustainably.”

When it comes to a more sustainable approach to family life, a big hurdle is our relationship with, well, stuff. When you have a new baby there’s this expectation that you need to get so many new things, you know, new clothes, new bed stuff, new furniture, new buggy, new pram new stretch mark cream - there’s so much stuff associated with being a new mom. As you fall pregnant, you supposedly have to get new maternity clothes, yet there is so much you already own you can truly use: “I think I bought one or two pairs of trousers and they’ve lasted me through all three pregnancies and everything else I just wore what I had. Baggy tops or leggings, or even sometimes something that belonged to my husband.”

So much of what you already own is absolutely fine - you don’t need a specific new piece of furniture to change your baby or a special chest of drawers that acts like a baby change table.

Talking about things, Emma outlines how there’s everything from charity shops to baby clothes rental systems where you can rent out clothes for six months to 12 months and then you return them and you get a new bundle of clothes. “Most of my kids’ favourite

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clothes are the ones that my mum kept from when we were younger” adds Emma “when we were babies!”.

What about prioritising self-care as a mother?

The term self-care is a loaded one as it means something different for everyone, depending on circumstances, personality, and overall health. As someone who struggles to prioritise brushing her hair every morning, Emma is not here to preach about self-care, yet her approach is very honest and highly

relatable: “I’m somebody that does not crave that as much, there are women who really need time alone or moms that need time without their kids - yet, I do enjoy my work, and I find it strangely energising. The only thing I’d say that I do are pockets of exercise, like a yoga class, or a run.”

Being able to balance business and family life is also something Emma has been working on throughout the evolution of her family life: “I’ve brought our kids up to be

LOW WASTE LIVING

pretty independent, so I would set them up with stuff to do. They’re pretty good, just hanging out and doing their own thing, which means I can tick off small tasks like doing an Instagram post or replying to some comments” which she tries not to do in front of them. Instead she leaves them to it and works next door.

Yet, with homeschooling, spending time together 24/7, and adapting to a new normal, every family has seen a shift in the way we approach celebrations.

Celebrations bring joy, connection, and ritual, and help us raise up those that we love and allow us to see them for one whole day. It’s a special thing. Emma points out as she’s seen a rise in a more conscious way of celebrating “one that doesn’t involve lots of waste, bulging beanbags, and leftover

food or unwanted presents. I think that that resonates with people especially now being in lockdown when they haven’t been able to celebrate in such blown up ways.”

It’s time to move (back) to a time when a simple game of pass the parcel and a homemade cake is what makes a day special: “I think people are wanting to return to kind of a simpler, maybe, more nostalgic way of being and celebrating.”

Her relationship with her kids has surely strengthened, especially since spending time with them homeschooling and at home “each night even each day but like each hour is so different. So many emotions are happening all the time so one minute you might go ‘oh my gosh I feel like I want them to be at home forever’. Other moments, you’re like ‘okay, great, they can go back to school now’.”

When it comes to herself and her relationship with her kids and family, it’s clear that honest and open communication is at the forefront of the way she is looking to raise her children “I think I’ve just become even more in touch with their needs, and where I can do better as a mum”.

Being able to educate her children about a low waste and more sustainable life also proves her commitment to honest communication with them, treating them as ‘mini-adults’: “We don’t give children enough credit for how much they can absorb and learn.”

Find out more

Make sure you follow Emma and her work on Instagram @mamalinauk

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 27

ANNA SAMUELS

FOUNDER SERIES

Knocking out the competition with Anna Samuels

A

nna is a mama of 2 and Founder of Boxx. She started her career as a Chartered Accountant. But when on maternity leave with her first child, she came up with the idea for Boxx so left accountancy to pursue the dream of having her own business. Boxx aims to make Boxing workouts inclusive and accessible to all via our online and studio-based workouts.

My eureka moment When my daughter was 6 weeks old. It suddenly dawned on me that I wasn’t going to be able to go to a studio to do boxing classes for a long while, so I began looking online. However, all the workouts I found were dull and couldn’t seem to find any boxing ones. I finally stumbled across a boxing workout in a book so I decided to give it a go. I love it BUT working out from a book wasn’t ideal so I thought why don’t I take this online. So I did, that’s when Boxx was born.

Validating the idea My business partner and I worked out a format for the workouts, found a production company, filmed the videos, built a website and launched. We only started with 6 videos but quite quickly we realised that people were really loving the concept and from there we grew and haven’t looked back!

The failure I am glad I experienced In 2018, when I was heavily pregnant with my son, we tried to raise investment but were unsuccessful.

This was largely due to the process being rushed to secure funding before my due date but also in hindsight it was definitely not the right time.

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CV ANNA SAMUELS Boxx Founded: 2017 Job title: Founder INSTAGRAM WEBSITE

However, I am grateful to have gone through the process, as all investors were impressed with what we had achieved despite our limited resources which definitively boosted my confidence. But what’s more is they gave us direct feedback on what we needed to improve on, which will no doubt prove invaluable for our future fundraising plans.

Going against the tide Despite boxing workouts being hugely popular, there are still many misconceptions that boxing is for men or just works your upper body or you have to be a pro to start (which doesn’t make sense!). Boxing really is for everybody and like with everything, you have to

3 TOP TIPS FOR...

ANYONE STARTING A BUSINESS BEGIN Without sounding like Nike, Just do it! You can plan/research/ procrastinate forever, the best thing you can do is to just start!

start somewhere so just give it a go. There are so many benefits besides the physical ones, boxing is great for the mind too, it boosts confidence, helps with stress and anxiety and for anyone who has tried will agree, it really does make you feel like you can conquer the world!

The role of social media As a small business we don’t have massive marketing budgets. Social media has been key to help raise awareness of our brand giving us flexibility of how/when we allocate spend. Not only that, as an online business, we don’t get the chance to meet our customers face to face, so

BE A DREAMER Dream big but break it down into actionable steps.

Each day think: what one thing can I do today that will bring me closer to my vision and repeat every day!

social media has been amazing in allowing us to connect with our customers and build an online community.

Plans for the future In the past few years the fitness industry has seen rapid growth so it has always been an exciting industry to be involved in. COVID-19 has shaken everything up and forced everyone to rethink their businesses and how they operate. We have definitely welcomed this change. The past few months we have been working super hard on some really exciting plans, which we can’t share just yet but are looking forward to when we can. So watch this space!

BE BRAVE Don’t be afraid to reach out for advice from those who have walked your path. You will be surprised how many people are happy to share their knowledge.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 29

SLOW FASHION

SLOW

[Fashion Icons]

When was the last time you questioned your consumer habits? And what makes your choices fair-trade, ethical, or sustainable? There is a wave of influencers sharing their passion for the slow fashion movement and showing us the delights of vintage stores and of our own wardrobes. Here is a round-up of our favourites:

jemmafinch _

venetialamanna

4,256 follower

s

94k followers

Venetia La Manna Slow and ethical fashion campaigner, she is on a mission to change fashion policies and share her most-loved wardrobe pieces. She started the #OOOTD (Old Outfit of The Day) hashtag back in summer 2018 to inspire us to showcase the amazing clothes we already own and “encourage a slower approach to fashion consumption�.

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Jemma Finc h Jemma is th e co-founder o Behind Things, f The Stories an online platf o rm that celebrate sustainable fa s shion and con su m p ti o n .

She is also a B Earth ambassa BC dor and she sh o w s o ff her ethical and sustainable fa shion choices online, too.

SLOW FASHION

hea rtzeena

jasminehemsley

43.1k followers

Zeena Shah Zeena is an art directo r, stylist, author and illustrator who is also a self-confesse d interiors addict sharing her finds on interiors accoun t. Zeena also shows off the most amazing vintage finds as we em ll as showcasing the brands who are making changes in slade dmondson the realm of fashion.

Click on all the posts to find out more about our lovely creatives

113k followers

under of Hemsley Hemsley Jasmine Hemsley Co-fo o is ayurvedic food, Jasmin als as ll we as , ter sis r he th wi style o-friendly fashion and life an avid campaigner for ec th eco-conscious garments wi choices. She has a line of iseusing recycled and otherw Needle and Thread London disposed-of materials.

“Transparency and traceability are enablers of change�

Leslie Johnston

18.1k follower

s

Emma Slade Edmonson E mma is a quee sustainable fa n of shion, with a b ackground in re and marketing tail, branding , she also work s cl o se ly with charities. founded Chari She ty Fashion Live w h ic h offers a charity version of Lon shop don Fashion W eek, hosted in also co-produce real-time. She d Love not Lan dfill.

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SLOW FASHION

dominique

77%

drakeford

of people would like fashion brands to tell them where the materials used in their products come from.

Fashion Revolution

liviafir th

Click on all the posts to find out more about our lovely creatives

41.6k follow

ers

Dominique Drakeford Across her s Dominique, ocial media who is base , d in B ro o for sustaina k ly n , car s rys h aom resers bility spread her passion ing across c also the fou o m munities. Sh nder of @su e is stainablebk on a mission @ m e la n inass and is for Blacknes s and Ecolog ical Equity.

102k followers

ctor of under and Creative Dire Livia Firth Livia is the Fo ouraging n Carpet Challenge (enc Eco-Age and of the Gree events). al designs at high profile hic et ar we to ies rit leb ce of le as executive producer ro r he r fo n ow kn llwe She is for True Cost” on her mission 2015 documentary “The ethical fashion.

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11.5k followers

Carry Somers Carry is the founde r of @Fash_Rev which is the world’s largest activist movem ent calling for greater transparency in the fashion industry.

She is also about to undertake a two-year trip around the world to raise awareness of the environmental and health implications of single-use and oceans’ plastics and toxins.

INSPIRATION

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.”

ANNE LAPPE

INTERVIEW

BEHIND THE CONTENT

@ a shmartins_ AKA ASHLEY MARTINS

Hey my friends call me Ash. I’m an Online Lifestyle Coach, Photographer & Lifestyle Blogger. I was a Personal Trainer for 10 years and in December 2019, I decided to leave the gym and live my dream of travelling the world and working remotely. My mission is to help everyday people, bring value to their lives and become the best version of themselves.

(Below L-R) Instagram page and website portfolio, including portraits and lifestyle shoots.

ASHMARTINS.CO.UK

Behind the content If I’m honest I try not to over think my content too much. I’m a perfectionist, so when I think about my content, I tend to over analyse it and end up not posting at all. I’ve learnt to choose the content that inspires me at the time.

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On making a bigger impact By trying to help and inspire as many people in the world as I can. If that’s 1 person, then I’m ecstatic!

In the 10 years of my personal training career, I wanted people to succeed. I wanted them to be

ASHMARTINS.CO.UK

INTERVIEW

happy within themselves. That will always be the same for me. Forget the exterior things that are associated with coaching. I’m happier if my clients live fuller lives, more than the aesthetics of training.

Aesthetics are just a buy product of the process.

Fulfillment and quality of life are the things that truly matter.

Lessons and achievements I think when I first started, it was definitely not being honest about the type of content that I enjoyed creating. I would force myself to create content that everybody else thought I should be.

As a result I lost motivation and ended up not creating at all for over a year. My biggest achievement is deciding to follow my dreams, work remotely and create. I’m 35 and still feel like I have something to offer. I have so many things I want to achieve. Now is the time when I can finally achieve them.

Nuggets of gratitude Fab Giovanetti, HANDS DOWN! She’s one of the reasons why I started creating again. She has been one of my biggest cheerleaders throughout my blogging journey. Her energy and passion for this business is unmatched. I appreciate all the information, guidance that she has taught me along the way. Thank you Fab. From the bottom of my heart.

[Ed note: Fab did not conduct this interview! But appreciates the kind words]

FUN FACT I actually have 2.

When I was 11, growing up in central London, I discovered a hidden

About being a Creative Impact member The community for sure. I’ve never seen such a group of more passionate and talented individuals in one place and I haven’t even met all of them. Creative Impact has always been a place where I could bounce ideas, meet new people, learn and come to when I was feeling uninspired or unmotivated. I would always leave with new energy, motivation and the creative juices flowing.

talent…horse riding.

I also have a secret love for Country Music.

CLICK HERE...

You can find out more about ash and his work, on his Website here

Join the family

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E V I T C E L COL CLICK HERE

ERCLASSES ST A M R FO TH N O M H C JOIN US EA LLENGES A H C | S TE A PL M TE | G IN COACH

FREE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ISSUE

CREATIVE IMPACT

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Pinterest’s active user base grew 26% to 335 million last year

THIS ISSUE

Pinterest

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Guides & tutorials

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creativeimpact.group creati eimpact.group

Beginners guide to Pinterest Fab Giovanetti 22.3k monthly unique viewers

D

ubbed the underdog of social media, Pinterest has been a platform to watch over the last 18 months. Personally, Pinterest is the second biggest driver to our website, and it has been constantly for the past year.

A small change that proves we are heading toward the right direction.

At first, I thought it was mainly because our main audience is made of creatives, solopreneurs, and personal brands.

However, I quickly came to realize that it wasn’t just us. Pinterest has been growing in popularity in the last 12 months, and it’s showing no sign of slowing down.

While its user count may not blow you away, compared to Facebook or Instagram, Pinterest is seeing steady growth and is now up to 335 million users, a 26% rise from last year.

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Follow

In October 2018, Pinterest debuted product pins that show up-to-date pricing and inventory information and also have direct links to a checkout page on a retailer’s site to make a purchase (just like Instagram’s stoppable feeds). In February, the company automated the curation of its shop the look feature to reduce dependence on human employees to match images with the appropriate product links.

Research shows that some 57% of weekly Pinners use the app in-store while shopping, while it’s also the leading social media platform in terms of product discovery.

Also, video pins are currently booming, with searches for “inspirational videos” increasing over 31% since last year

What Is Pinterest Anyway?

Pinterest is a search engine and should be treated like Google with good SEO,

TOP TIP A little hack Always repin from your articles directly and not from the smart feed itself so that your posts are always connected to your website.

You can also keep posts in circulation on Pinterest by pinning them at least once a month.

Save

Home

A selection of Pins curated by the Pinterest algorithm.

Today

Daily inspiration categorised by topic.

Following

Feed including only people you follow.

Search

Search tab showing inspiration and popular.

Updates Inbox Profile + Boards Settings A user menu including latest notifications, messages and your profile tab to access your setting.

Descriptions

Descriptions

Descriptions

Descriptions Descriptions

+ Button Help

Descriptions

Descriptions

Download the Pinterest browser extension via the + button. Click on the help button to access support.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 39

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Three top tips

Save

www.rebelrecip pes.com

Creating the perfect Board:

by Melissa Megginson Best of Rebel Recipes 937 Pins

Best Vegetarian Recipes 485 Pins

keywords, and proper linking. While there are a few “social” aspects to the platform, being social won’t get your content and pins found.

While every other “social network” is designed to get the user to stay on their platform, Pinterest is designed to get users to click through to your website.

Pinterest functions on keywords, just like Google or any other search engine, to help users find what’s relevant to them and what they’re looking for. Pinterest rewards users who consistently pin relevant content by

1. The Boards you create depends on the content you create! For example, a healthy-food blogger could create different Boards for healthy desserts, dinner ideas, and 30-minute meals.

2. Use keywords in your Board names and descriptions.

Which keywords? Start with Pinterest’s search bar. Type in a keyword that’s important to your business and look at what comes up with autocomplete. Next, hit enter and look at the tiles under the search bar. Both the autocomplete phrases and the tiles show what people are actually looking for on Pinterest!

3. Keep the content relevant to your Boards. If you find you have Pins but don’t have the perfect Board for them,, go ahead and create a new Board.

boosting their posts in the algorithm.

So it takes some daily activity to really make good use of it. Pinterest allows you to create visual pins, graphics that typically link back to a specific URL. Yes, your Medium articles also fit in that category.

People use Pinterest to plan activities and areas of their lives

It’s not too surprising to hear that 85% of women users use Pinterest to plan “life moments.” This is according to a

“Pinterest functions on keywords, just like Google, to help users find what’s relevant to them” 40 | CREATIVE IMPACT MAG

study Pinterest commissioned to better understand its American women users aged 25–54. Only 53% use Facebook to plan these moments, and Instagram 44%.

What are “life moments,” according to Pinterest? These might include decorating a new home (43%) or going on vacation (50 %). Small ones are more like meals (67%), gym routines, and party planning.

Is Pinterest really for me?

Some business owners think if they’re not a food blogger, in the wedding industry, or in the DIY space that Pinterest won’t work for their marketing. But that’s so not true.

If you solve a problem, help someone improve an area of their life, and/or help your audience dream/be/aspire to do something better, Pinterest can work to showcase both products and expertise.

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Updates

When using Pinterest on your phone, you can quickly access a selection of updates from the notification button on the bottom right section of your mobile menu.

Updates include recently saved Pins by people you follow, as well as recommendations for Pins based on your preferences. Updates also includes a tab for your private messages.

Pin shortcuts

When hovering an individual Pin, you can head to the source link by clicking on the arrow on the left handside, or even send Pins by clicking on the share button.

OF WOMEN USERS USE PINTEREST TO PLAN “LIFE MOMENTS Getting Started With Pinterest What is one great way to use Pinterest?

Before even looking at sales, we need to talk about traffic. Truly, Pinterest is one of the best free marketing tools.

There’s an active audience on Pinterest always on the hunt for recipes, marketing, and inspirational articles, and after Facebook, it has the highest level of user engagement.

Even dormant articles can get high traffic volumes from Pinterest by doing zilch. A little maintenance on your profile and knowing how to create your images effectively will go a long way with helping to attract a steady stream of new visitors.

When creating a Pin, choosing the right visuals and the title is essential. As a visual person, I don’t want to clutter up my beautiful feed with things that look like an

infomercial. In my opinion, it’s way better to visually communicate and provide minimal text on the pins.

Creating a recognisable style of Pin, that reflects your website, will help your followers recognise your Pins in their feed. That will also help readers connect Pins to where they have seen your website on other platforms and just create a stronger brand impression across all of your networks.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 41

1:2.1

Three top tips

Save

blog.tailwindapp.com

Creating the perfect Pin:

by Melissa Megginson Original

1:1

1. Create Pins that are taller than they are wide, around a 2:3 image ratio (equal to 1000 x 1500px). You can go up to about 1:2.1 before your image gets cut off in the feed.

Taller images take up more room in the feed and give you more room for legible text.

2. Use text overlays to provide context to the Pin, but make sure the font is easy to read and visible on mobile devices.

3. Including subtle branding, by using your logo or your website URL right on the Pin, will help build brand awareness increase conversions.

Melissa bio

Melissa Megginson is Community Manager and resident Cat Lady at Tailwind, the leading visual marketing tool for brands.

Find her on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram at @MelMegg.

You’ll have space on your title and description section to use the right keywords for your content. A Pin for this article, for example, should contain the word Pinterest in both its title and description, but that’s not all.

Nevertheless, do not forget to use relevant hashtags and keywords so your posts are found by people searching on Pinterest.

Focus on your most popular posts — Pinterest knows they are popular by how many times they are repinned. Basically, if you are highly invested in your writing and want to get your own content in front of more people, investing time in Pinterest is pretty much a no-brainer.

With Pinterest video features, video network Tastemade has driven traffic through inspirational content, and grown their Pinterest following 100% year over year.

It seems like videos on Pinterest work

incredibly well in specific areas. Pinners can discover an increasing number of how-to videos related to their interests, particularly in the areas of food (video searches for lasagna recipes are up 3,462%), style, beauty, and learning a new skill (searches for videos about painting on a canvas are up 3,636%).

More trending searched videos on Pinterest include, for example, overnight oats videos (+3,712%) and makeup tutorial videos (+2,063%). Videos can become a great opportunity for recipe bloggers and creators, fitness as well as lifestyle, and DIY projects and how-to’s. With the rise of sustainability, it’s a matter of time before those educational videos crop up on Pinterest.

Set a Clear Goal for Yourself

Once you are sold on Pinterest, it’s time to work on your Pinterest goals. I see a lot of people actively growing their accounts, but if

it doesn’t actively lead to their bottom line in some way, it’s a waste of time and energy.

It makes me so sad to see new business owners try it without an understanding because they ultimately give up thinking it’s not for them. When in fact it’s exactly for them and it’s a crazy powerful tool. If they knew how to use it properly.

I’ve found that being crystal clear on who you’re trying to attract and knowing exactly what you should share to attract that person is key. It’s absolutely essential that people know what to expect from you and you know what your followers want to see from you.

All in all, everyone can benefit from using Pinterest as a traffic driver for their content, so it may be the right time to ask yourself: how can I use Pinterest to best achieve my overall marketing goals?

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 43

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Running your Pinterest on Autopilot With Tailwind

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PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

PINTEREST is built to send traffic to your website - who doesn’t love that? However, manually Pinning every single day makes it hard to be consistent. Not to mention, it’s time consuming and takes you away from doing other things you love.

Consistency is key when it comes to Pinterest, which is why I stopped pinning directly via the platform ages ago. In this piece, I ask for ideas and tips to Melissa Megginson, Community Manager and resident Cat Lady at Tailwind, the leading visual marketing tool for brands. As Community Manager at Tailwind, it is her job to make Tailwind’s members look good and find success in their marketing efforts.

She is my personal go-to expert for everything Pinterest, and the woman who truly taught me how to harness the platform.

As Creative Impact, we make sure we engage and reshare fellow pinners’ pins weekly, yet we have been scheduling our pins for the past half-year, and I truly believe that is what completely changed the way we supported our Pinterest content.

We personally love scheduling our pins via Tailwind, and it’s been a game-changer for us. When interviewing the head of marketing for Tailwind, Melissa, I asked her why it’s

important to set boundaries on Pinterest. “Pin scheduling helps you not be tied to your computer or phone all day so you can set — and stick to — those boundaries” Tailwind is a Pinterest and Instagram scheduling and analytics tool. Creatives want to focus on what they’re passionate about - creating content. “Tailwind’s scheduling tools help busy creatives focus on their passions while still maintaining a presence on Pinterest and driving traffic back to their website” adds Melissa. “They can time box their work by scheduling Pins ahead of time then going back in monthly to check on their progress through Tailwind’s analytics.”

Tailwind helps brands of all sizes save time and grow their engagement on various platforms. On Pinterest, they offer Pin scheduling as well as amazing tools like Smartloop and Tribes. SmartLoop makes it easy to reshare your best Pinterest Pins at the best times for engagement. You can also dive deep into analytics, Melissa’s favourite feature: “I’m a data nerd, so I have to say my favorite feature in Tailwind is our Top Pins report. This shows you which Pins from your website have generated the most clicks, so you can understand what’s resonating with your audience.”

Making sure your Pinterest runs on auto-pilot could truly be what sets you apart from everyone else on the platform.

CLICK HERE to find out about www.tailwindapp.com

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 45

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A NUMB3RS GAME The complete guide to Pinterest analytics Written by Fab Giovanetti

W

hen it comes to Pinterest, a very important question to ask is: why are you using Pinterest in the first place?

Pinterest can be an incredibly useful tool for attracting a bigger audience, as well as consumers to your products. In fact, 66% of Pinterest users make a purchase after seeing a brand's Pins.

Because of Pinterest's power to influence purchases and taking action, you want to maintain a strong Pinterest presence.

Keeping an eye on analytics is critical for ensuring your strategy is successful.

Additionally, JD Prater, an Ads Evangelist at Quora wrote: �Keep in mind Pinterest is all about discovery. Understand the Pinner's journey and how it's influencing future purchases -- and not necessarily today's."

Pinterest Analytics is Pinterest's completely free, native tool that you can use to help measure your performance on Pinterest.

Pinterest Analytics lets you collect traffic insights - including impressions and link clicks - so you can modify your strategy to better meet your users' needs.

This is where analytics come in. To access Pinterest Analytics, you'll need a business

account. Business accounts must have a verified website listed, allowing Pinterest to track traffic between the two sites.

When you go into Pinterest Analytics, you'll see the dashboard divided into three major sections - Profile, Audience, and Website.

The Website section includes a very special metric called unique pins.

This is the number of unique pins created from you website using the Save button, Pinterest browser extensions, or manual pin uploads. Learn how to make sure your website is pin-friendly here.

With unique pins, you’ll get an idea of how much unique content is being added to Pinterest from your website. Original pins are a good measure of how your website content rates in terms of shareability.

When looking at your data, there are a few key metrics you want to keep in mind. If you want to have a glance at your overall performance, the All Time metrics will allow you to quickly spot patterns over time, giving you a better picture of your account.

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THE MOST IMPORTANT METRICS

TOP PINS Your Top Pins will be useful in determining your best content over time. You want to see which posts have proven to be incredibly successful?

Top pins are our best bet. You can use that information to inform the strategy of your next campaign.

IMPRESSIONS Pinterest impressions include the number of times your content appears in a user's feed, search results, or a different category feed. To get a sense of what your audience is searching for, look for patterns within your content to see which categories and keywords gain the most impressions.

SAVES Saves are the number of times someone saves your pin to one of their own boards.

It means that the user found your post both interesting and shareable: this can show you which content people love, and which one you should keep on putting out there.

Save

CLICKS As I mentioned before, clicks are one of my favourite analytics to look out for. Clicks are the metric that determines whether or not your content is driving your audience to your website. This metric is extremely important if your goal is to increase traffic with your Pinterest presence.

TOP BOARDS This is 30-day look at the boards Pinners are seeing your pins from, pinning your posts to, and clicking your pins from. Knowing how Pinners are sorting and discovering your content is invaluable intel for your content strategy.

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PRO SECTION

ENGAGE How to

Written by Fab Giovanetti

T

here is no surprise that Pinterest is still considered the underdog of social media. With both Pinterest and LinkedIn skyrocketing in popularity, traffic and conversions, it’s no surprise that more and more content creators and bloggers are using these platforms to drive traffic back to their websites.

board. They’re great for reach but do ensure they’re well run and on topic. Note the number of saves and the number of editors - usually under 100 is great. Finding them is tricky, but a Google search can work, or look out for Pinterest Group Facebook pages.

When it comes to Pinterest, community and sharing with other people is one of the key aspects of bringing more traffic back to your website, and you can do that by simply making the most of engagement on Pinterest.

If you'd still like to join a board, compile a polite note/message requesting access and cross your fingers. It can be hit and miss so don’t despair if it doesn’t work, just move onto the next one.

When most people think about engagement on Pinterest, they think about group boards.

A group board is one where multiple pinners/ editors collaborate to create a niche-focused

Benefits Tribes ● You’ll

have a steady stream of great content to share

●

Reaching your target audience

●

Everyone in the Tribe focuses on aggregating content (also known as sharing content as a group)

●

Different Tribes aggregate different content (topics, themes etc) to build traffic

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One thing has to be said. As someone who believes strongly in the power of branding and sharing beautiful quality work, you can’t control what your followers see if you’re participating in groups. I don’t take follow lightly and I care too much about my followers to expose them to content I don’t personally approve of. My feed is beautiful and purposeful and I want to keep it that way.

Instead of spending time on group boards, I'd recommend you focus your efforts on Tribes, a free feature from Tailwind.

board in your life. Tailwind Tribes are likeminded groups of trusted peers helping each other grow their Pinterest reach and traffic.

Tailwind Tribes is a feature that Tailwind offers, and it may become your little secret for skyrocketing Pinterest reach and traffic to your blog. Everyone can benefit from Tailwind Tribes – whether you are a seasoned Pinner or you’ve never touched a Pinterest

They do this by helping each other to discover the best new content for their audience while amplifying the reach of each other’s content.

To get started with Tribes, you can pin by

PRO SECTION

The best tribe for you

using the Tailwind extension, or simply when you are scheduling pins for yourself. They both will give you the option to add to Tribes.

If you’re pinning other people’s content, you can pin directly from your scheduler.

Tribes than 5 or 10, you can purchase a membership to more Tribes using “PowerUps”. Tailwind itself is free to trial here or you can upgrade for as little as $15 per month to start using the features of Tailwind.

When it comes to submissions, you’ll see a “little blue flame” in the right-hand corner of the pin image, which represents the social sharing stats of the blog post on your website and Pinterest.

I believe there is nothing wrong with groups, however, Tribes are much more powerful since they have been created with the aim of amplifying traffic - something that is not really proven for group boards.

Please do not obsess over this, and make sure you focus on pinning the best content possible. We have been consistently using Tribes for months now, and we can absolutely see a difference in the way Pinterest has been performing for us, in terms of content.

Exposure and growth, more often than not, means paying for promotions. With Tailwind Tribes, the exposure is organic and keeps growing over time - like a snowball effect.

You’ll log in next week and see those numbers have continued to grow - and so will your blog traffic.

Tailwind Tribes do not require you to be a paid member of Tailwind to use them – though you do need to open an account with Tailwind. As a free user, you get to be a member of 5 Tribes and make 30 content submissions per month. If you need more

The easiest way to join Tribes is to use the “Find A Tribe” option on Tailwind and search by keyword or tags. You’ll be able to see if you recognise any tribe members or have any connections in any of the Tribes listed.

You can also click and see the activity level and check out a preview of the Tribe content which is important to define whether that Tribe is a good one for you. Make sure you evaluate whether it’s worth for you to stay in a Tribe. Head to the Tribe Overview, which you can find on the left-hand side of the screen within your Tailwind dashboard.

It will show you the engagement of the followers of the Tribe’s contributors as well as the number of reshares and how many repins your pins are getting from those reshares. If you are not happy with the results, it’s time to leave the Tribe.

Join in now

You can join the Creative Impact Co Tailwind Tribe here for free, and see how you get along

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 49

PRO SECTION

Steps to Set up a Pinterest List Building System STEP 01 CREATE THE BLOG POST Create a blog post that is of interest to your target market. Try to include actionable tips that can be implemented right away (think step-by-step, DIY, etc.), and don’t neglect the headline! Spend some time ensuring that you have a highly-intriguing title for your blog post - and then deliver on what you promise.

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STEP 02 CREATE A CONTENT UPGRADE OR LEAD MAGNET What would a reader of your blog post would need in order to implement the strategies or information that you provided in the blog post? How can you provide a highly valuable piece of content that will propel them forward?

This is your content upgrade, or “freebie”, that you’ll offer in exchange for the reader providing their email address to receive it. Think checklist or worksheet.

PRO SECTION

STEP 05

STEP 03 DESIGN THE PINTEREST PIN Create a vertical image (1000x1500px) that includes a text overlay. This could be your intriguing blog post title, or you might shorten it or otherwise modify it for Pinterest. To be valuable and engaging to your audience, most of whom will be on their phones, your Pins should include bold text and easy to read fonts.

STEP 04 OPTIMISE YOUR BLOG POST Your goal is to have the reader opt-in to your email list. Encourage opt-ins by implementing a strategy such as including multiple clickable buttons (also called CTA or calls to action) throughout the blog post that lead to the freebie. Another powerful strategy is showing a visual representation of the freebie within the blog post.

DEVELOP THE RELATIONSHIP You’ve got the new subscriber to your email list, but your work has just begun! Once you’ve provided the freebie that you promised, don’t let their email “go stale.”

It’s time to start growing your know, like, and trust factor with them. Consider implementing a welcome email sequence, where you provide the ‘freebie’, and then follow up with some of your best blog content and resources in future emails. Once you’ve set up your Pinterest list building system for your website, as long as you maintain an active presence on Pinterest, your system will continue to work for you months into the future.

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CREATIVE IMPACT

WELLBEING DID YOU KNOW?

Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes, yet take up to a thousand years to decompose.

THIS ISSUE

Plastic -free

WELLBEING

Save the wor

ld

P lastic-free

TOP PLACES TO GO SHOPPING Are you looking to shop more minimally and without all the plastic? Here is a round-up of our favourite places to top up waste-free in London and beyond. From bulk buying pantry staples to your favourite beauty products without the plastic, read on for some sustainable places to shop.

Click on the images to get sales websites

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HETU St Johns Hill, London Meaning ‘purpose’ in Hindi, It is The vegan zero waste store that offers bulk buys of whole foods, as well as sustainable reusable items - without the unnecessary plastic packaging. They say no to animal products, palm oil, exploitation, single-use and overconsumption. You’ll find pasta and lentils, chocolates and granola and nut butters and household items.

THE SOURCED BULK FOODS, Global The Sourced Bulk Foods was founded in Australia in 2012 from the belief that unpackaged food must be easier to access and that a smaller carbon footprint could be achieved every time you shop. Reaching the UK in 2018, it stocks pantry staples, quality food, healthy options at the best prices.

WELLBEING

OLD LABELS?

Mix bicarbonate of soda and olive oil, rub the paste on the label and let it sit for 5 minutes, then scrub away the glue!

PIPOCA VEGAN

Brixton Pipoca Vegan is partly a vegan creperie in Brixton offering the best range of sweet and savoury crepes and partly a low-waste zero waste store (also fully vegan). You can bring your containers or use theirs and stock up on dry and organic goods, as well as household items and cleaning products.

UNPACKAGED, England Unpackaged started trading at market stalls in 2007 by early zero-wastemovement advocate Catherine Conway, opening its first bulk store in 2012. Now with concession in Planet Organic and in many health stores across London, stock up on GMO-free organic wholefoods and eco-cleaners.

Other noteworthy places to shop in UK Bulk Market in London, Earth Food Love in Devon, Natural Weigh in Wales, The Clean Kilo in Birmingham, Zero Green in Bristol, The Refill Store in Cornwall, By The Gram in Brighouse, The Refillery in Edinburgh, Unwrapped in Sheffield, Viva Organic in Cardiff.

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WELLBEING

How to reduce this July

Written by Charlotte Watkivs

C

harlotte Watkivs co-runs the blog A Zero Waste Life and the not-forprofit Zero Waste in the Community.

She has sent virtually no rubbish to landfill in over three years. This journey started when Charlotte and her friend Anna took on a New Years Resolution to live zero waste for a year.

This was achieved by reducing their need for single-use items, repurposing and reusing old items, recycling what can’t be reused, and rotting organic waste. They now share what they've learnt in workshops and talks.

“We always get asked the best way to start lowering landfill waste. There isn’t really a one size fits all method - as it’ll depend a lot on who you live with, where and how you work and what shops you have access to”

Save the world

P lastic-free 56 | CREATIVE IMPACT MAG

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics? These tips should help get you started and encourage you to join Plastic Free July. Once you get into a rhythm with it, it’s really quite addictive!

WELLBEING

FIND OUT MORE

Check out A Zero Waste Life for further tips, videos and recipes at www.zerowastelife.co.uk

01

Pick one 'eco' switch and do it really well. Get inspired by some of these examples - sometimes less is more. You want to make sure you create a practice you can incorporate in your weekly routine.

It's far better to focus on acing one habit than it is to try and change too many things at once.

02

Move your bin! A really simple one, but each time you come to throw something away, you’ll have a mini panic wondering where your bin is, then when you remember, you can work out the best way to reuse or recycle it and even plan if you can buy something in less packaging next time.

03

Create a Zero Waste kit.

We’re all so used to the idea that to start a new hobby or change our lifestyles, we have to buy lots of things.

That goes against the pledge, as a lot of resources are needed to make all of the items. Collect reusable items you’ve already got: a bag, water bottle, fork and so on.

04

Once you’ve created your Zero Waste Kit, remember to take it out with you! It’s great if you can get into the habit of always having reusable items on hand and remembering to use them and not items made from single-use plastics. Fail to plan, plan to fail.

05

Talk to others about what you’re doing. Share your struggles and successes so you can inspire and learn from others. If you’re struggling to get motivated, join some social media groups.

You’ll get inspired to take your next steps and may even find an accountability buddy.

Good luck with Plastic Free July. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Every new, positive habit you gain in July is a step in the right direction.

TAKE THE PLEDGE FOR PLASTIC FREE JULY www.plasticfreejuly.org

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WELLBEING

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure...

Low waste living swaps to kick off your zero waste journey Written by Noora Parssinen Save the wor

ld

P lastic-free

N

oora is a 33-year-old Finn who has been living in London for five years enjoying countless vegan meals along the way.

She works for a plant-based food start-up and a big part of her role involves writing, something that she loves. Noora is a low-waste living enthusiast and a proud outfit repeater who has no problem wearing charity shop finds or her dad’s old shirts on a daily basis. She is no stranger to roasting cauliflower leaves, munching on broccoli stalks and making use of wrinkly veggies discarded by her flatmates and she hardly ever leaves the house without an extra tote bag, reusable water bottle and coffee cup.

However, along her low-waste journey she has realised that sustainable, ethical living is about much more than just dodging plastic traps, reducing waste and ditching packaging. So, in addition to the environment, Noora is very passionate about equality, and social and climate justice.

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as a If food waste w ld be the country, it wou orld mitter in the w e st e rg la d ir th o, d China (UN). S after the US an ello ted veggies (h let’s ensure wil nana n bananas (ba w ro b ), s! e ri -f stir and ream anyone?) bread or nice-c ns? yes bread (crouto f o s ce ie p le a st s. bellies, not bin in p u d n e !) se plea

Instead of buying new stuff to kick off your zero-waste journey, make use of what you already have. That’s the whole point, anyway! For instance, old gla ss jars are excellent for packed lunches, ove rnight oats and for storing leftovers, proper cutlery works just as well on-the-go as bam boo ones and old shirts make great cleaning cloths.

WELLBEING

Learn to live with less and favour second-hand.

This deserves to be repeated: zero-waste living is not about buying more plastic-free or other ‘sustainable’ products but about consuming less in the first place. This applies to everything from clothes and cosmetics to reusables and accessories. Less is more!

Don’t get to o hung up o n waste and re member tha plastic-free t doesn’t equ a l e thical or sustainab le. Reducing waste is great and important b ut it’s not all black and white. For e xample, I personally ra ther buy coff ee that is packaged b ut fair-trade and organic than unpack aged coffee that is not.

CLICK HERE...

You can find out more from Noora on Instagram

s, In terms of simple swap bars are the way to go. er bars Shampoo and condition d bathroom keep your hair shiny an . There free from plastic bottles ble for are also soap bars suita the best. face and body, bars are safety Another great swap is a able ones! razor – goodbye dispos

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 59

WELLBEING

Click on the books to get sales link

BOOKS H E LF FOCUSING ON POC AND AMPLIFYING THEIR VOICES

AMERICANAH Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This 2013 fiction by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells the story of a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who immigrates to the USA to study. She struggles for the first time with racism and encounters many varieties of racial discrimination.

WHY I’M NO LONGER TALKING TO WHITE PEOPLE ABOUT RACE Reni Eddo-Lodge

Discussing issues such as the political nature of white dominance to the eradication of black history and the link between class and race, the book is an educational resource for anyone looking to understand the ongoing race relations in Britain.

SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE Ijeoma Oluo

This best-selling book offers an examination of race in America. From reporting on aspects of white supremacy to describing the mass incarceration of African Americans, it guides readers through intersectionality and how to have honest conversations about race.

WHITE FRAGILITY Robin DiAngello

This book challenges racism head on by working against the “white fragility” term that DiAngelo describes as the way in which white people feel attached when discussing racism. Her book’s value lies in it’s honest exposure of racism in thought and in action and its call for humility and vigilance.

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WELLBEING

FINDING GRACE WITH HANNAH

Balancing masculine and feminine Learn about how to balance masculine and feminine energies with grace and recognise your inner tendencies

R

ight now we are in intense times where our emotions are all over the place and we feel off-kilter and things have become imbalanced.

Imbalance in the long term leads to burn out and life becomes unsustainable. When coming from an imbalanced place we tend to want quick fixes and we get stuck on a hamster wheel so we end up never feeling satisfied. In truth sustainability and balance is everything, it leads to long term productivity whilst feeling good and balanced at the same time.

What can we do to bring back some balance and sustainability in our lives? The key is to balance the masculine and feminine energies. When we do this we can ride out the storms and difficult times because we have a deeper understanding of our own inner energies.

As society stands, the approach to success and getting stuff accomplished is done in a masculine way and it has always been, but we haven’t really questioned this.

We equate this with success at the expense of how it may make us feel or do to us the long term.

Don’t get me wrong the masculine energy of ‘get shit done’ is important and needed. Without the feminine energy being involved, in a balanced way, life becomes unsustainable. Very often and we even lose touch with our emotional regulation and end up pushing things down. In the long term is not good for anyone, and things often end up becoming messy for us.

The feminine energy can still have a “get things done” vibe but it works in a more non-linear way, with the

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idea of flow rather than push. It’s about listening and pausing sometimes rather than just pushing through, which we are often programmed to do.

So where do we begin?

Firstly you need to identify your patterns. Do you tend to have a masculine approach to what you are doing and see it as the only way to succeed? Are you feeling tired and often crash and burn in the way you work? Do you push through what you are feeling rather than honouring it?

If you are answering yes to these, you are probably operating from a more unbalanced masculine approach. The key here is to begin to make “Nature has seasons small changes that are and cyclic, and so are sustainable and that we. Less rigidity and comes from a more feminine approach. more fluidity.”

It’s not about getting it right or being perfect. It’s about approaching this in a softer, more fluid way. You will start to listen to how you feel and what’s going on with you. When you fine-tune this you will figure out your best times to work, when you need to rest and when you are able to push through. When we are trying to make our outside habits more sustainable, like with the environment for instance. We have to remember our inner world is as much a mirror of our outer world.

So fine-tuning that is as important too and it brings about true long term change and sustainability. @thehannahwallace

WELLBEING

AFFIRMATION

“I honour my emotions.

As I know they are my feedback mechanism to understand myself more deeply so I can heal” HANNAH WALLACE

Author bio

Find out more about Hannah, writer, blogger, and podcaster at @thehannahwallace or head to Hannah’s website to download her free meditation.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 63

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Five ways to get MOVIN every day Movin London is a class-based boutique fitness studio located in the heart of Camden town. Combining rowing, boxing, cycling and resistance training with a state of the art blacked-out LED lit studio, we believe we

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have created the perfect environment for group exercise. However, the recent lock down and subsequent closure of fitness clubs has forced people to come up with their own innovative ways to keep active.

WELLBEING

CLICK HERE to find out about Movin London

Home equipment We are not talking Olympic bars and treadmills here, this can be anything from just a pair of light dumbbells to a yoga mat. The key is to keep the equipment visible and readily accessible so you can just jump down and get your 20 sit ups done with no hassle at all.

Stand instead of sitting This is one of the easiest weight-bearing actions that can be added into your daily life. Additional muscles need to be activated to keep the body standing and this can also help with postural issues and back pain. Investing in a standing desk could make all the difference

Speed up your sesh Sometimes all you need is to add a little spice to your training. Taking a new challenge does not have to be hard. You can just speed things up. No need for gym instructors or motivational music, turn your task into a cardiovascular fitness session by simply moving faster.

Walk it you This can be achieved a number of ways including, parking further away from work and walking the rest of the way. Introduce a lunchtime walk break.

You could even split your weekly food shop into two separate shops or taking the stairs instead of lifts.

Train the brain Certain tasks may feel like chores to begin with, but these small changes to your life will soon become good habits.

Anything is better than nothing but pedometers and fitness trackers can help set tangible goals.

Last but not least, keep a positive mindset. Your brain deserves it.

CREATIVE IMPACT MAG | 65

Authentic vegan-friendly family recipe

100% natural & certified organic

CREATIVE IMPACT

FOODIE

FUN FACT 13% of edible food and drinks purchased by households are wasted

THIS ISSUE

Zero waste

If you are looking for some food product inspiration then let us show you our current favourites.

BEST IN SHOW

FOODIE

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C li c k o n th e p ro d u c ts to g e t m o re in fo rm a ti o n

T

ackling food waste, minimising the amount of plastic packaging and reducing the excess promotional materials are a few ways brands pledge to be more sustainable.

So, what brands have caught our attention for their fight against waste? Here are 4 movers and shakers but there are so many more out there!

CHICP HUMMUS ChicP, founded by Hannah McCollum with a passionate commitment to reduce food waste, is the place for sustainable hummus. Made from surplus vegetables, their alternatives are naturally vegan and they’ve introduced new Veggie Bites, too, also made from unwanted fruit and veg. Team favourites include the Herby Hummus and the Carrot, Ginger & Turmeric. www.chicp.co.uk

FOODIE

RUBIES IN THE RUBBLE Rubies range of condiments includes Ketchups, Relishes and Mayo, all plant-based and award-winning. Packed with flavour and purpose, they are made from surplus and rejected fruits and vegetables - because they are the wrong shape, colour or size. “Some say this is a load of rubbish, we take that as a condiment.” rubiesintherubble.com

ALLPLANTS AllPlants has made it its mission to show off how switching to a plant-based dramatically reduces your environmental impact. Plant-based frozen ready meals that range from rainbow falafel to cauli tikka masala, the packaging is 100% recyclable and delivered to your door via carbon neutral delivery methods. allplants.com

INNOCENT DRINKS These tasty and fruit-packed smoothies are delicious and good for the planet. Innocent buy their fruit through Rainforest Alliance, working with farmers to conserve the land’s biodiversity and protect their farmer’s rights. They have been incorporating recycled plastic since 2003 and give 10% of profits to charity. www.innocentdrinks.co.uk

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FOODIE

WHAT’S IN MY KITCHEN

{WASTE} with Amy Lanza

We get nosy and ask some of the most incredible foodies from the online world what’s in their kitchen. This month we ask Amy Lanza for her top tips to reduce food waste

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FOODIE

My top eight tips to reduce waste MAKE CRISPS! Making apple sauce and peeling off the skin? Peeling carrots? Potatoes? Chopping up a cauliflower? There is no need to throw away the skin or the leaves. Give them a wash, drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper (and any jazzy flavours) and roast in the oven until crisp!

THINK PESTO WAS JUST FOR PINE NUTS? Have you got some herbs looking a bit sad on the shelf? Have you got some leftover nuts or seeds?

Make a twist on the classic pesto and swap in your favourite herbs, carrot tops, vegetable leaves, even spinach along with any seeds/nuts and blitz away as usual.

OVERRIPE FRUIT PROBLEMS SOLVED If you are worried your fruits are turning a little bit too ripe, or that they’ll never ripen, simply chop them up and pop them in the freezer. They make amazing smoothies, smoothie bowls or the base for fruit crumbles.

From bananas to avocado, peaches, berries, mango anything and everything!

LEFTOVER BITS IN THE BLENDER If you’ve made your own nut butter, nut cheeses, caramels... then you’ll know it’s almost impossible to scrape every last bit from the blender. Add some milk and blend again to make a quick, easy and delicious, waste-free flavoured milk. The flavour possibilities are endless.

BULK SHOPPING AND BYO Looking to save on packaging and money? It is a great idea to shop in bulk where possible, opting for the larger pack sizes - this will often be cheaper and result in less packaging. Some supermarkets also have plastic-free areas and refill stations so always carry containers with you.

COMPOSTING Compost provides rich organic matter for your garden to grow your own food and flowers.

It might be that you have a compost collection or start your own compost spot in your garden or buy a special compost bin.

This will save all your kitchen scraps going in the bin.

GOODBYE KITCHEN FOIL A simple swap to make to save on waste and plastic is to remove kitchen foil and plastic wrap/cling film from your kitchen. Opt instead for reusable beeswax or silicone lids. There are some wonderful designs, too! Likewise, bring your sandwiches in tupperware and not wrapped in foil.

TIME TO CLEAN UP Cleaning the kitchen needn’t create lots of waste, either. Instead of surface wipes, opt for old rags, towels or scraps of old clothes with surface sprays.

Also, seek out natural sponges or loofahs or compostable dish brushes to do the washing up.

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Did you know...

You can make delicious savoury chickpea pancakes using gram flour? Mix equal parts of flour and water and fry on medium heat!

Recipes

B ROUG H T TO YOU BY

FOODIE

B E T T I N A’ S K I T C H E N

Bettina Campolucci Bordi is the trailblazer behind Bettina’s Kitchen offering culinary, yoga and mindfulness retreats, plant based cooking workshops, recipe development and food writing. Most recently, she published her second cookbook 7 Day Vegan Challenge.

“Everything I do honours my own beliefs around food and wellness.

We should eat seasonally, locally and from farm to table as much as we can” shares Bettina “we should support small businesses within our communities; we must use roots, shoots and all!”

Cooking waste free is particularly important to her: the best plant food is fuss-free, simple, easy, inexpensive and speaks for itself.

We hope you enjoy these recipes - for more inspiration you can get her books via her website www.bettinaskitchen.com and spread the love on social.

SERVES 2

Chickpea Scramble PREP TIME 20 mins | EQUIPMENT Saucepan, blender

Such a brilliant, filling meal - with plenty of delicious veggies and made in no time! You can serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner - whatever floats your boat.

INGREDIENTS • 2 tbsp olive oil • 1 small or ½ large leek, green and all, chopped • ½ red (bell) pepper, finely diced • 240g (8 ½ oz / 1 cup) drained chickpeas (garbanzos) • 1 tbsp sweet paprika • 1 pinch fpf chilli (hot pepper) flakes • Salt and pepper • 100g (3 ½ oz) spinach leaves • Cherry tomatoes, toast and avocado slices, to serve

DIRECTIONS 1 | Put a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil, leek and pepper and fry for about 5-10 minutes until soft and lightly browned.

2 | Put half the chickpeas into a blender and blitz, then add to the pan with the remaining unblended chickpeas, stir well and simmer for a few minutes until heated through. Sprinkle in the paprika and chilli and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3 | Finally add the spinach and let it wilt into the mixture.

Note This is great served with fresh cherry tomatoes, toast and slices of avocado.

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FOODIE

SERVES 2

Gnudi with Tomato and Basil PREP TIME 45mins | EQUIPMENT Blender, bowl, cookie scoop, pan, pot

This recipe was inspired by a lovely client who reminded me of my long lost love of gnudi which, basically, are large pillowy gnocchi. These are totally gluten free. They are also a great way to use up leftover mash.

INGREDIENTS • 240g (1 lb) potatoes, peeled and chopped • 100g (3 ½ oz/heaped ¾ cup) fine cornflour (cornstarch) • Salt and black pepper TOMATO SAUCE • ½ onion • 3 garlic cloves • 2 large tomatoes, blitzed in a blender • 1 large tbsp tomato puree • Sprinkle of born sugar • Sprig of thyme • Basil leaves • Olive oil, for frying • Salt and pepper • Nut-free parmesan, to serve

DIRECTIONS 1 | Start off by boiling your potatoes until nice and soft, then drain until dry.

2 | In a large bowl, mash the potatoes and add the cornflour, salt and pepper to taste and knead until you have a nice dough.

4 | Divide up into balls by using a small cookie scoop and set aside.

5 | Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until nice and soft. Add a sprinkle of brown sugar and a tablespoon of tomato puree and two tomatoes that have been blitzed in a blender and let the sauce

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simmer for 5 minutes. Finish off with the salt, pepper, fresh thyme and basil and set aside.

6 | Bring a large pot to a boil with a teaspoon of salt and gently ladle in the potato gnudi. They will be ready when they come off the bottom of the pot and float up.

7 | Once ready, gently add to the saucepan with the tomato sauce and cover.

8 | Sprinkle with a few sprigs of fresh basil and eat straight away while still warm. Serve topped with a sprinkling of nut-free parmesan.

NAILED IT?

Share you creations on Instagram by tagging @creativeimpactco as well as @bettinas_kitchen

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• STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD •

Listen to season two of Make an Impact Show SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES LEARN HOW TO GROW YOUR BRAND AND CREATE A LEGACY ONLINE