Meet Helen from Green Heart Collective

Anyone who has been reading our blog for a while will know the name Helen Redfern. As a former in-house writer at Yogamatters, Helen has contributed heavily to our blog through interviews, articles and guided meditations. We were delighted when she recently agreed to interview Anna Ashby and Yvonne O’Garro for us and were excited to see how her life has evolved since she left the Yogamatters team.

What have you been doing since leaving Yogamatters at the end of 2019?

When I left Yogamatters I was completely burned out. My family situation had become very stressful and juggling work and caring for my three adopted children, now teenagers and trying to find their place in a world not designed for those with additional needs, was taking its toll. I knew I needed some time and space to myself and the only way to achieve that was to quit a job I loved. So I initially closed down for a while, found a good advisor, slept a lot - and then the pandemic brought the whole world to a standstill with me!

Unlike most people, we had a house full during lockdown - four adults, two teenagers, a toddler and three dogs - as my son and his family were living with us at the time. Then I fell in love with an RSPCA rescue puppy called Custard and we added her into the mix! I remember 2020 being spent mostly dealing with anxiety—my own and my family's. It was a steep learning curve.

How did you come to start your own company, Green Heart Collective?

In 2020, I had started sourcing second-hand clothes, upcycling them and selling them online. I've always had a passion for clothing, but since understanding the true cost of fast fashion, I decided to never buy new clothes again. The next step was to convince those around me not to buy anything new either, and I wanted to create a space where purchasing preferences was attractive and would bring joy.

Green Heart Collective moved into new space a year ago in early 2021, became a social enterprise, hired two part-time employees, opened a curated retail space, developed a website, and continues in its mission of removing trash from landfill. Visit our website www.greenheartcollective.ukto find out more about us!

Looking back on 2021, what have you learned about yourself and running a business?

Starting a business is ridiculously hard, that's the first lesson! If I didn't have passion for what I do, I would have given up long ago. There were setbacks, but also a lot of encouragement along the way. As a completer/finisher, it's hard to decide what you want to focus on each day, and leaving at the end of the day knowing there's still so much to do doesn't feel worthwhile. And yet I am so proud of what we have built and survived the first year! We've created welcoming spaces online and in person where people can enjoy buying Preloved, and as a small dedicated team we find something to celebrate every day (with lots of laughs along the way!)

However, I have to admit that it's very difficult to work with my husband to set boundaries around our private lives - we're not good at that yet. I would have liked to have spent more time with my family and friends this year, especially my grandchildren, and would like to find a way to make that happen next year.

Why is sustainable consumption so important to you?

I have always tried to make conscious and ethical decisions about what, where and how I buy. Fair trade, organic cotton, eco-friendly cleaning products, etc. However, when I realized the full extent of the climate catastrophe we are heading towards, I realized that such personal lifestyle changes are not enough and we need societal changes. a large scale. It's not enough that I don't buy new clothes, but if enough others join me, we can create an ethical consumer revolution and fast fashion will become a thing of the past.

The climate emergency is the biggest crisis we all face because it underpins everything else. The health of the planet is critical to the health and well-being of all the people and animals – all living things – who live on it.

So what is your response to the climate emergency?

At the beginning of this year I decided not to buy any new clothes, never fly again and become vegan. For me, these are the three most effective things that each individual can do to make a real difference. I also became involved in climate activism with Extinction Rebellion. I have met the most amazing, courageous, and compassionate people who are willing to make personal sacrifices for the world.

On May 1ststIn 2021, I sat down in front of a bus in Newcastle city center carrying a placard that said 'I fear for my granddaughters because of the climate crisis.' I was arrested, handcuffed, put in the back of a police van and locked in a cell for five hours. Throughout the experience, I repeated the mantra, "I am peaceful. I am powerful. I am courageous." Many of my friends and family disapprove of what I do. I have had to accept that as part of the cost of what I do. I never feel more connected to who I was created to be than when I am involved in civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action. It feels like the only response to the crisis we face are. It's a scary path, especially with the prospect of the new Policing, Crime and Sentencing Bill making all protests illegal (how did we get to this and why aren't we all horrified by it?), but I'm even more scared of doing nothing than taking action.

We can do hard things. This is what Glennon Doyle – the super inspiring woman who wrote Untamed, the book that changed my life and who brings me joy through her twice-weekly podcast – says repeatedly. She's right. We can.

What does 2022 have in store for you and what are your New Year's resolutions?

Three simple resolutions: Stop buying beef for my kids, never go to MacDonald’s, and never buy from Amazon.

Additionally, I will continue to put all of my energy into the Green Heart Collective and climate activism. Green Heart Collective is constantly evolving and I'm excited to see where we are this time next year. I don't know where my activism journey will take me (I'll definitely be on trial next year), but I know I'll have to have more courage and determination than ever before. But how can I stop when there is so much to do?

And when I sayallmy energies, I am committed to getting better at carving out more time to give full attention to my family, friends, and my own self-care (which for me is yoga, dancing, reading, writing, and playing the violin).

Glennon Doyle asks, 'What will you do with this one wild and precious life?' After losing a close friend and my remarkable mother-in-law this year, I know that life is short and I want it to count. So I'll continue to scream when I run into the ocean on a Sunday morning, and hug my 20-year-old autistic son as much as he'll let me, and snuggle with my dogs on the sofa, and hide plastic dinosaurs around the corner, find room for my granddaughter, and put spinach in pretty much every meal I cook... because that's who I am and all I need to be is being fully me.