On the latest episode of "Authenticated," Kate is joined by plant scientist and sustainability advocate Renee Murphy, who made a bold and integral career pivot from fashion to environmental science in her forties. They play with the application of the concept of personal circularity, especially focusing on where their expertise overlap: treating your life like a sustainable ecosystem where everything you allow into your "circle" either feeds or depletes you. Their conversation covers Renee's journey from feeling trapped in a toxic fashion industry to discovering her purpose through plants that can literally clean contaminated soil, drawing parallels between how we tend our environments and how we tend ourselves. Kate and Renee examine the intersection of ego and collaboration, question the pace of human versus environmental evolution, and shed light on why stepping away from what's familiar often requires the same conditions that help plants thrive: the right nutrients, proper support systems, and sometimes a willingness to be transplanted entirely. This first half of their conversation illuminates how viable sustainability starts with the building blocks of our daily choices and challenges the all too common marketed narrative led impulse to seek quick fixes rather than addressing root causes.
