I talk about storymaking vs. storytelling. Here’s the difference: storytelling is what you say about your brand. Storymaking is what people experience through your brand. We're living in a cultural time flooded with content, and trust isn’t built through words alone. It’s built through actions that match the message. The conscious voices newsletter is about helping conscious leaders build brands that both share a message and depict a clear path for conscious consumers to care, commit and take action. Your voice matters, your stories shape culture. You’re here to be a storymaker.
Hello, hello storymaker.
A little story I read the other day about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
"There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done."
When you read it, you might think, well, that’s confusing. Haha, just kidding!
In all seriousness, I did have this real oh sh*t moment when reading this short tale. 🤔 It’s wild how often this plays out in real life. Especially when building a cultural movement through a conscious brand.
And mainly because we all say we want bold, culture-shifting ideas. But when it comes down to taking that risk, we hear crickets. cricketsss. If you’ve ever waited for Somebody to go first, you know exactly what I mean. Amirite?! I’m guilty of this behavior.
And as time passes, if Nobody has the courage to take action, well, to quote Swindoll, “Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.”
Oopsie.
In this issue, we’ll explore:
Why you need to agree to disagree when building a conscious brand.
How “unrealistic” ideas have the potential to become cultural movements.
Early-to-mid-stage conscious brands closing the courage gap.
The next wave of culture-shifting brands won’t come from what seems obvious; they’ll come from your sexy indifference.
Agree to Disagree
Let me back up for a bit. Here’s the most important thing to understand: Most “obvious” conscious business ideas are taken, for the most part. Compostable coffee cups. Refillable cleaning bottles. Plant-based burgers. Zero-waste skincare. Etc. So, in a saturated conscious market, “better” and “different” messaging strategies won’t guarantee cultural impact.
At least not anymore. The low-hanging fruit has been picked.
The next wave of culture-shifting brands won’t come from what seems obvious—they’ll come from your sexy indifference, the ideas that conscious leaders will share with a flirty kinda-look, tilt their head, shrug their shoulders, and say: “Our competitors think X, but we think Y.”
That’s known as a contrarian messaging strategy, your new sidekick. This is your Robin to your Batman. Your co-pilot to your pilot. Your Watson to your Sherlock. You get the point!
This is not a messaging strategy to “zig when others zag,” no. The contrarian messaging strategy deliberately targets areas where no other brands in your industry are willing to go.
In a conscious market full of safe plays, being just a little better isn’t enough to earn cultural influence. Making your brand more valuable to conscious consumers. Why?? Because you’re reframing the whole conversation in a way competitors can’t imitate without undermining themselves.
Sexy indifference = A contrarian messaging strategy that disagrees with the dominant belief system in your industry, so that your conscious brand gets to influence the whole conversation and tell better stories that shape culture.
There is No Unrealistic Idea
Just not enough confidence and belief. And when that mindset collides, we end up with vanilla, copy-and-paste kind of brands. This mindset of not having enough confidence, creativity and belief is why the conscious marketplace is crowded with claims like:
“Sustainably sourced”
“Plastic-free”
“Ethically made”
These are important, as long as you can prove them, and as long as they serve a greater purpose in the relationship you’re building with your conscious customer.
When everybody zigs, you zag and not just for the sake of being different, but to create new value that only YOU (and your brand) can deliver.
Between greenwashing crackdowns, eco-fatigue and climate urgency, doing what everyone else does (only slightly better) is not enough to inspire new behavior.
Sticking to safe, “better" positioning is just meh, driving minimal impact in key areas:
Cultural impact: You blend into the noise instead of reshaping norms.
Economic impact: You fight for the same audience with the same offers and often at a higher cost.
Emotional impact: You lose the boldness that drew you to build a conscious business in the first place.
How conscious leaders like yourself can do it
Identify your category’s sacred cows.
What “truths” does the industry agree on? Ask yourself: “Our customers care most about X.”Decide what you fundamentally disagree with.
This is your leverage point—the belief you’ll reject outright.Make your disagreement visible in your product, story and brand experience.
Contrarianism only works when it’s experienced, not just said.Frame your sacrifice as value.
What you give up becomes the reason people choose you, and the reason competitors can’t copy you.
Conscious Brands Proving it’s Possible
You need to close the courage gap, and you can do that by narrowing the distance between what you believe is possible and the risk you’re willing to take. Here are some brands that are currently leading the way and showing their sexy indifference.
Food & Beverage
Atomo Coffee — Beanless coffee made from upcycled ingredients like date pits and strawberry fiber, tackling climate impact and deforestation.
Seedlip (Non-Alcoholic Spirits) — In a world where “craft” meant higher ABV, Seedlip said: No alcohol at all. The sacrifice? Some might argue the buzz. The value? Inclusion, health and a whole new social ritual.
All Y’alls Foods (Vegan Jerky) — Instead of blending into the plant-based aisle with meat substitutes that mimic texture and taste, they leaned fully Texan in brand and flavor, refusing to apologize for being proudly “different.”
Personal Care
Plaine Products (Refillable Personal Care) — While competitors chase “eco-friendly” plastic bottles, Plaine Products rejects plastic entirely with aluminum refill bottles. Sacrifice? Shelf-ready convenience. Value? True circularity that customers can see and feel.
Summer Solace Tallow (Skincare for Body, Earth and Spirit) — highly intentional and soulfully crafted using regional, regenerative ingredients, guided by terroir and traditions that honor the healing wisdom of animal fats.
Ethique (Solid Personal Care Bars) — Where skincare was built on luxurious liquid formulations in elegant bottles, Ethique stripped out the water entirely. Sacrifice? The familiar form factor. Value? Zero plastic, ultra-concentrated formulas and a talking point that spreads on its own.
Each of these ideas would have been easy to dismiss.
And yet, they’re not only finding customers—they’re reshaping what “normal” looks like in their industries.
When you play it safe, you make it easy for people to stay comfortable. When you show your sexy indifference, when you go contrarian, you make it impossible for them to ignore you.
So, here’s my take: If you’re building a conscious brand, your next big opportunity will probably start as a “that’ll never work,” unrealistic kind of idea.
That little story about ‘Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody?’ is the perfect metaphor for what happens when we let the courage gap widen.
Everybody agrees we need bold, culture-shifting ideas.
Somebody could take the risk.
Anybody could lead the change.
But if Nobody doesn’t believe, nothing changes.
And when nothing changes, the status quo wins by default. So when everybody zigs, you zag. When the market plays it safe, you stand for something bold. When the industry tells one story, you show a different one—and live it so fully that no one can mistake where you stand.
And if your mission is to influence behavior, to make the unfamiliar feel inevitable, then you can’t wait for Somebody else to do it.
And that’s what this all comes down to: the courage to make the unfamiliar inevitable. Show your sexy indifference! Your voice matters. Your stories shape culture.
It’s my birthday week, and I am so grateful I get to invest this time doing what I love most. Yap about conscious brand storymaking. I celebrated in nature, unplugged over the weekend. Cheers to 31. Woot woot!
Show me a better way to celebrate your birthday 🥳
If this resonated, forward it to a founder or marketer who needs to hear it.
🌀 Till next time,
Camila from Conscious Voices
📣 Know someone building a conscious brand who needs this? Forward away.