01 Jan 2025
Have You Heard? You Can, Too, Change Your World In ’25
Well hello 2025. Feeling brave? Wanna be bold?

This is a story of everyday people changing the world, and how you can too. Hang with me here.

Ijeoma Oluo (PC: Jovelle Tomayo)

Ijeoma Oluo (PC: Jovelle Tomayo)

It’s a story from Ijeoma Oluo, yes that Ijeoma Oluo who asked if we want to talk about race. But did you know we’re all fighting another fight? It’s a fight for our imagination.

In Be A Revolution she wants us believe in our imagination by showing others who did.

Laura Clise, Intentionalist

Laura Clise, Intentionalist

Like Laura Clise. She’s a Korean adoptee queer woman from a biracial family, with dad’s side in Seattle for many generations and mom’s Japanese-American side from Kauai.

“(It) really came about because I couldn’t figure out why it was so hard to be intentional about harnessing my consumer spending power in support of communities that matter."

So Laura founded Intentionalist, an online platform that makes it easy to find and support local Asian-, Black-, disability-, Latino-, LGBTQ-, minority-, Native-, veteran-, and women-owned small businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop.

“(We’re) focused on closing the gap between good intentions that we might have to support diverse small businesses and our ability to easily take action."

Small Business Saturday Pass @ Le's Deli & Bakery

Small Business Saturday Pass @ Le's Deli & Bakery

Pride Month Marketplace

Pride Month Marketplace

But Laura wanted to do more.

“(She wanted to) reimagine an ecosystem that’s less extractive, that’s intentionally supportive."

By lining up corporate sponsors like the Seattle Seahawks to provide promotional funds, she found a way drive more customers to local small businesses. More importantly, these small business owners get to keep all their earnings! Follow @Intentionalist to find opportunities like these:

  • Small Business Saturday Pass discounts to local small businesses
  • We All Scream discounts at participating ice cream stores for National Ice Cream Month
  • Pride Month Marketplace discounts to LGBTQ-owned businesses

You don’t have to change the whole world, but you can change your world. #SpendLikeItMatters in your community. Can you imagine?

“Have you heard?” is our way of sharing another point of view on commonly held beliefs. Through this we hope to encourage curiosity, dialogue, and tolerance of diverse ideas.