38: Charli Cooksey
On this week’s episode presented by Busey Bank, Josh Allen talks with Charli Cooksey, the dynamic leader of WEPOWER St. Louis.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power.”
Charli and her organization are doing that work in St. Louis by re-examining the local economy. She focuses on early childhood education, business acceleration and support and lots and lots of policy work. She has a strong vision for the future of the St. Louis and is mobilizing help from a variety of resources in order to get there. In the conversation, Josh and Charli catch up on sharing the TEDx St. Louis stage in 2021, her upbringing in North St. Louis and how it led to her commitment to advocacy and the power of a sabbatical.Nearly 18 years later, Rebecca leads an organization that is partnering with brand leaders such as Etsy, Madewell, Patagonia, Target and West Elm to continue to improve transparency, social wellbeing, and economic opportunity for handworkers which includes both artisans and less skilled manual laborers, often working from their homes.
She is super inspirational. Josh and Rebecca talk about both starting businesses at 24, the challenges of leading a 100% remote workforce and Nest’s initiatives to assist makers in addressing the growing number of climate change issues.
