{"id":66021,"date":"2023-05-16T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?p=66021"},"modified":"2023-05-16T09:36:33","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T13:36:33","slug":"nivi-achanta-soapbox-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change Anxiety? This Woman Entrepreneur is Here to Help"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Nivi
Nivi Achanta, founder of Soapbox Project. (Credit: Courtesy of Soapbox Project)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Soapbox Project has been named to The Story Exchange\u2019s 2023 list of 10 Brilliant Business Ideas<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many, Nivi Achanta is concerned about <\/strong>our warming planet<\/strong><\/a>. At the height of the Covid pandemic, Achanta noticed her friends disengaging from the news, finding it to be far too depressing. But after volunteering in a California community devastated by a wildfire, she saw firsthand how average people have the power to make a difference in what feels like an insurmountable disaster. In 2020, she founded <\/strong>The Soapbox Project<\/strong><\/a>, an online community that provides accessible steps folks can take in their daily lives to help combat climate change. Today, the Seattle entrepreneur is proud to have built a virtual space that allows people to get involved in <\/strong>social and environmental justice<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 so that together, they can help make the world a better place. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s our lightly edited Q&A with Achanta.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is your business different from others in your industry?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Soapbox, we want all our incentives to center on joy. We believe that climate goals and life goals are the same thing \u2014 we all want good health, safety, and meaningful connections for ourselves and our loved ones. Climate action is a part of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about your biggest success so far. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We have raised $98,000 since launching, which is put toward social and environmental justice causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We struggle with recruitment and getting the word out about Soapbox Project, beyond our email newsletter of 7,000 readers. We\u2019ve leaned into partnerships to help with this. For example, we have an upcoming event with Rewiring America<\/a>, an organization that\u2019s widely recognized in this space and also has a subscriber list 10 times our own. It\u2019s still an ongoing challenge, but I have confidence that partnerships will improve our outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n \"Leah\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n \n Preventing Good Food From Going to Waste\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

Tell us more about how the California wildfire \u2013 known as Camp Fire \u2013 in 2018 affected your business decisions.?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My fianc\u00e9\u2019s home burned to the ground, along with the homes of many of his friends and family members. Despite only being a year into my career at professional services company Accenture, I was able to push senior leadership to fund a project enabling me and a team of eight to go to the area, volunteer, and learn about resilient community responses. That was the first time I saw how much power an ordinary person like me could wield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your biggest tip for other startup entrepreneurs? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hours worked does not necessarily equal productivity or creativity. It can be easy to feel ashamed for not working 60-plus-hour work weeks, but research has shown that peak creativity comes from 5 hours of work, daily. Find a schedule that works for you, prioritize your personal routines and health, and don\u2019t listen to \u201cthought leaders\u201d who are not living your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you find inspiration on your darkest days?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I go outside, say hello to a flower, and remember the reason I\u2019m doing this in the first place: This planet is amazing, and life can be so magical when we have a healthy environment, happy people and resilient communities.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n

Related<\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
\n
\n \n \"Eva\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n \n Flying Over L.A. to Study the Dirtiest Air in America\u00a0\n <\/a>\n <\/h3>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n

What is your go-to song to get motivated on tough days? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDecide to Be Happy\u201d by MisterWives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is your most important role model?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My mom, who knows how to be patient and calm amid all the chaos. ◼<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram:<\/strong> @soapboxproject<\/a>
Facebook:<\/strong> @soapboxproject<\/a>
TikTok: <\/strong>@soapboxproject<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Share your story!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out our<\/em> Advice + Tips for<\/em><\/a> entrepreneurs starting-up
Watch our latest<\/em> videos
<\/em><\/a>Subscribe to our<\/em> podcast<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nivi Achanta is the founder of Soapbox Project, a platform that provides bite-sized climate action plans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":66022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":false,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[19583,20887,19683,20186],"class_list":["post-66021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yse","tag-bbi2023","tag-climate-action","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-social-justice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeet Nivi Achanta, Founder of Soapbox Project<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nivi Achanta is the founder of Soapbox Project, a platform that provides bite-sized climate action plans.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climate Change Anxiety? This Woman Entrepreneur is Here to Help\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nivi Achanta is the founder of Soapbox Project, a platform that provides bite-sized climate action plans.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Story Exchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-16T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-16T13:36:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NiviAchanta_Headshot-1-e1684244182820.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"478\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Victoria Flexner\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheStoryXchange\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Victoria Flexner\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meet Nivi Achanta, Founder of Soapbox Project","description":"Nivi Achanta is the founder of Soapbox Project, a platform that provides bite-sized climate action plans.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Climate Change Anxiety? This Woman Entrepreneur is Here to Help","og_description":"Nivi Achanta is the founder of Soapbox Project, a platform that provides bite-sized climate action plans.","og_url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/","og_site_name":"The Story Exchange","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","article_published_time":"2023-05-16T13:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-16T13:36:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":666,"height":478,"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/app\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NiviAchanta_Headshot-1-e1684244182820.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Victoria Flexner","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_site":"@TheStoryXchange","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Victoria Flexner","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/"},"author":{"name":"Victoria Flexner","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f37b2c44616522eac3feb2369cdcf8dc"},"headline":"Climate Change Anxiety? This Woman Entrepreneur is Here to Help","datePublished":"2023-05-16T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-16T13:36:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/"},"wordCount":622,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NiviAchanta_Headshot-1-e1684244182820.jpg","keywords":["BBI2023","Climate Action","Entrepreneurship","Social Justice"],"articleSection":["1,000 Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/","name":"Meet Nivi Achanta, Founder of Soapbox Project","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NiviAchanta_Headshot-1-e1684244182820.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-16T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-16T13:36:33+00:00","description":"Nivi Achanta is the founder of Soapbox Project, a platform that provides bite-sized climate action plans.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NiviAchanta_Headshot-1-e1684244182820.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/NiviAchanta_Headshot-1-e1684244182820.jpg","width":666,"height":478,"caption":"(Credit: The Soapbox Project)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/nivi-achanta-soapbox-project\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Climate Change Anxiety? This Woman Entrepreneur is Here to Help"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","name":"The Story Exchange","description":"Inspiration and information for women entrepreneurs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#organization","name":"The Story Exchange","url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn1.thestoryexchange.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/24161459\/TSE-logo-web-e1525383604615.png","width":500,"height":180,"caption":"The Story Exchange"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheStoryExchange","https:\/\/x.com\/TheStoryXchange","https:\/\/instagram.com\/thestoryexchange\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-story-exchange","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/StoryExchange"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f37b2c44616522eac3feb2369cdcf8dc","name":"Victoria Flexner","description":"Victoria Flexner is the editor of the 1,000 Stories Project and more recently helped launch, 1,000+ Stories Project. Victoria has a background in food and history. She is the founder of Edible History, a historical supper club based in Brooklyn and author of \"A History of The World in Ten Dinners\" to be published by Rizzoli Fall 2023.","sameAs":["https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/vic"],"url":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/author\/vic\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66021"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66127,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66021\/revisions\/66127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestoryexchange.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}