“When we come home to caring, we are transformed.” - Maggie Dimmick

Ethel Studio is a zero-waste textile studio working to reduce textile waste and improve personal well-being through creating intentional, zero-waste tools for meditation and rest.

For years, founder Maggie Dimmick struggled to reconcile her passion and abilities as a designer with her seeking of environmental sustainability and environmental justice.

When Maggie witnessed textile waste firsthand at a cutting facility in Queens, New York, she knew she needed to do things differently. She knew that it was typical for 10-30% of fabric to be wasted, but seeing massive amounts of paper patterns and fabric scraps being thrown right into the trash without second thought, destined for a landfill or incinerator, shook her deeply.

“Seeing this up close lit a fire within me that I still carry today,” says Maggie. “I knew that I couldn’t keep sitting on the sidelines contributing to more and more waste by designing new fabrics, so instead I chose to devote my life to combating what I see as a solvable problem.”

She sat with this dilemma for a while before finally feeling the call, on a meditation retreat in late 2017, to create something to support people in finding and exploring meditation. She then launched Ethel Studio, which has made hundreds of meditation cushions along with eye pillows and relief pillows using fabric scraps from local designer’s cutting rooms around Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota.

To Maggie, there is more to this process than simply creating less waste. The circular economy, a production model that keeps all materials in circulation at their highest possible value at each stage of their lifecycle, plays into her spiritual process as well.

“Everything is interconnected,” Maggie says. “I view it as hypocritical to be working to do good within ourselves, to heal ourselves and build our mindful awareness, while not paying attention to the world around us including the products we purchase and use. In many meditation spaces, there’s language about one’s own liberation being connected to the liberation of others. If someone else is not free, then I cannot be free. I believe this spiritual concept is also a literal/physical one and extends to the environmental and social impact of the products we use.”

Seeking Clarity and Authenticity

Maggie first approached me when she was stuck in a rut with Ethel Studio. She’d first found my work through my dear friend Amy Kuretsky’s amazing podcast, Health Fuels Hustle, and felt drawn to my perspective on how being deeply connected to one’s work and oneself is the starting point of effective heart and soul-centered business.

(Fun fact: we share the same birthday as well as the same first name, so we were fated to connect!)

“After three years owning and running Ethel Studio, I was feeling a bit disconnected from the brand,” Maggie tells me. “I had been growing and evolving personally during the past several years, and I felt like I didn’t have the level of synergy between me, Ethel Studio, and our messaging that I wanted. I was also strained for time, mental energy, and perspective to focus on marketing to keep growing our business. I knew I needed someone from outside my company to help bring a fresh perspective, intentional marketing expertise, and a more zoomed-out view of what we are doing to help take us into our next chapter.”

Together, we worked to get to the core of what Maggie deeply cared about and what’s really behind her purpose in the work that she does through Ethel Studio and in the world. This helped Maggie find the common thread between sustainability and meditation that she always knew was there, but couldn’t quite articulate.

“You helped me redefine Ethel Studio’s Why (which is pretty much the same as my personal Why) and our central brand messaging. I also knew we needed real tangible help with our day-to-day digital marketing, and you are really helping us as we grow and mature as a brand!”

Maggie says Ethel Studio has never been so organized, and she’s now crossing things off her to-do list in small, manageable bites.

“We’ve implemented systems that are built to last,” Maggie reports. “This is where your blend of pragmatism and conceptualism have been essential. We launched our new Luna Cushion design during our time together as well, and the launch would not have been what it was if I was going about it entirely on my own!”

The best part is that Maggie’s newfound clarity and authenticity is shining through in Ethel Studio’s brand and products!

“My highest vision for myself, to start with, is to always operate from an authentic place,” Maggie says. “That sounds simple, but it’s actually difficult when you think of all the conditioning and powers-that-be that prevent us from accessing self-trust and self-knowledge. We are constantly being convinced we need something outside of ourselves to solve our problems or the problems of the world, that we and our ideas are not good enough. I also have a deep need to help people and the environment. This also carries into my vision for my business: to work towards our mission with authenticity in the way we communicate and the way we design and make our products.”

To learn more about Ethel Studio and their beautiful products, visit the shop at EthelStudio.com.

It’s been an honor to witness Maggie stepping into her Why and creating such beauty and purpose in the world!