Brittany Merrill Underwood's guest appearances

Brittany Merrill Underwood

The Empowered Mama with Lisa Druxman

LIBERTY ROAD with Nada Jones

Mareya Ibrahim

Kimberly Caccavo

Kate Nowlan

Brittany Merrill

Rachel Hollis

Blythe Hill

Gretchen Rubin

Jill Simonian

Kate Northrup

Kelly Brogan

Emily Ley

Rachel Cruze

Jan McCarthy

Hilary Hendershott

Vani Hari

OwlTail

Akola is a nonprofit jewelry brand that empowers women in Uganda and Dallas, TX to redesign their stories. Each piece is handcrafted by 1 of 500 women in poverty working to redesign the future of their families. 100% of Akola revenue is reinvested in our mission to help these women transform their families and communities. Every dollar spent on Akola products is reinvested in our mission to provide work opportunities and training to women in poverty in Dallas, TX and Uganda. Additionally, Akola relies on donations to provide social programs that teach women how to use their income to create meaningful change in their families and communities. In 2006, Brittany Merrill Underwood founded Akola when she was a sophomore at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX after she met a Ugandan woman who cared for 24 street children in her home. Inspired to action, Brittany discovered that by training and employing women who are deemed “unemployable” in their communities, and guaranteeing them a monthly income, Akola could care for thousands of children. Today, Akola provides training, dependable living-wage work opportunities and holistic education programs to over 500 women in Uganda and Dallas, TX who care for approximately 4,000 dependents. These women are courageous – they are stepping up to make a change in their lives – and to support their families and communities. Akola jewelry represents a story, a life, a woman, a family – hope – dignity... that's what you are wearing when you wear Akola. A product that heals – a product that restores. A first job. A first step. A new life. We are excited for you to share the women's stories whose lives have been changed as you wear their jewelry with pride. https://akolaproject.org/ The Hero Path by Joseph Campbell "We have not even to risk the adventure alonefor the heroes of all time have gone before us.The labyrinth is thoroughly known ...we have only to follow the thread of the hero path.And where we had thought to find an abominationwe shall find a God. And where we had thought to slay anotherwe shall slay ourselves.Where we had thought to travel outwardswe shall come to the center of our own existence.And where we had thought to be alonewe shall be with all the world."

Akola is a nonprofit jewelry brand that empowers women in Uganda and Dallas, TX to redesign their stories. Each piece is handcrafted by 1 of 500 women in poverty working to redesign the future of their families. 100% of Akola revenue is reinvested in our mission to help these women transform their families and communities. Every dollar spent on Akola products is reinvested in our mission to provide work opportunities and training to women in poverty in Dallas, TX and Uganda. Additionally, Akola relies on donations to provide social programs that teach women how to use their income to create meaningful change in their families and communities. In 2006, Brittany Merrill Underwood founded Akola when she was a sophomore at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX after she met a Ugandan woman who cared for 24 street children in her home. Inspired to action, Brittany discovered that by training and employing women who are deemed “unemployable” in their communities, and guaranteeing them a monthly income, Akola could care for thousands of children. Today, Akola provides training, dependable living-wage work opportunities and holistic education programs to over 500 women in Uganda and Dallas, TX who care for approximately 4,000 dependents. These women are courageous – they are stepping up to make a change in their lives – and to support their families and communities. Akola jewelry represents a story, a life, a woman, a family – hope – dignity... that's what you are wearing when you wear Akola. A product that heals – a product that restores. A first job. A first step. A new life. We are excited for you to share the women's stories whose lives have been changed as you wear their jewelry with pride. <a href="https://akolaproject.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://akolaproject.org/</a> The Hero Path by Joseph Campbell "We have not even to risk the adventure alonefor the heroes of all time have gone before us.The labyrinth is thoroughly known ...we have only to follow the thread of the hero path.And where we had thought to find an abominationwe shall find a God. And where we had thought to slay anotherwe shall slay ourselves.Where we had thought to travel outwardswe shall come to the center of our own existence.And where we had thought to be alonewe shall be with all the world."

Inspired to Action - Brittany Merrill Underwood founder of Akola | Empowered Mama 147

Brittany Merrill Underwood is the Founder and CEO of Akola Project, a non-profit jewelry brand that empowers marginalized women through training and employment in Dallas, Texas, and Uganda.A 2006 trip to Uganda and a meeting with a woman named Sarah, a woman who cared for the stray kids, changed Brittany’s life forever.  Seeing first hand that the creation of employment opportunities would, in turn, transform the lives of women, their children, and their communities prompted Brittany to launch Akola Project.In this episode, Brittany shares how she pivoted Akola Project from building an orphanage to employing women to make jewelry and earn a steady income. She details Akola’s deep dive into the entire production process, ensuring each step from sourcing materials to distribution yields a positive impact.In addition to her work in Uganda, Brittany expanded Akola’s social impact to include opportunities to marginalized women in Dallas. This growth had lead to the expansion of their collection to include an exclusive line at Neiman Marcus stores nationwide. 10+ years in, Brittany is now growing a family alongside her non-profit. She shares how she juggles these roles by embracing her unique gifts and build a team around her weaknesses. Brittany offers practical advice to anyone interested in running a non-profit, and helpful tips on how to raise funds without compromising the mission. Please follow Brittany at @akolajewelry on Instagram and @akolaproject on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out Akola’s jewelry at www.akolaproject.org.Don't forget to follow us at @libertyforher on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Please let us know your thoughts about this episode by using the hashtag #libertysessions and please rate and review us—it helps to know if this podcast is inspiring and equipping you to launch and grow your ventures. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brittany Merrill Underwood is the Founder and CEO of Akola Project, a non-profit jewelry brand that empowers marginalized women through training and employment in Dallas, Texas, and Uganda.A 2006 trip to Uganda and a meeting with a woman named Sarah, a woman who cared for the stray kids, changed Brittany’s life forever.  Seeing first hand that the creation of employment opportunities would, in turn, transform the lives of women, their children, and their communities prompted Brittany to launch Akola Project.In this episode, Brittany shares how she pivoted Akola Project from building an orphanage to employing women to make jewelry and earn a steady income. She details Akola’s deep dive into the entire production process, ensuring each step from sourcing materials to distribution yields a positive impact.In addition to her work in Uganda, Brittany expanded Akola’s social impact to include opportunities to marginalized women in Dallas. This growth had lead to the expansion of their collection to include an exclusive line at Neiman Marcus stores nationwide. 10+ years in, Brittany is now growing a family alongside her non-profit. She shares how she juggles these roles by embracing her unique gifts and build a team around her weaknesses. Brittany offers practical advice to anyone interested in running a non-profit, and helpful tips on how to raise funds without compromising the mission. Please follow Brittany at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/akolajewelry/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@akolajewelry</a> on Instagram and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AkolaProject/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@akolaproject</a> on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out Akola’s jewelry at <a href="http://www.akolaproject.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.akolaproject.org</a>.Don't forget to follow us at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/libertyforher/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@libertyforher</a> on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Please let us know your thoughts about this episode by using the hashtag #libertysessions and please <a href="https://nada-jones-ycwj.squarespace.com/s/LIBERTY-Sessions-Rating-and-Review-Directions.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">rate and review us</a>—it helps to know if this podcast is inspiring and equipping you to launch and grow your ventures. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

How Non-Profits Can Grow a Meaningful Bottomline: Brittany Merrill Underwood