This is an I Heart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. Take a walk Nashville. Hi, everyone. This is Sarah Harylson, your host of Take a Walk Nashville. And today I am at Capitol View and downtown Nashville, which is near the Tennessee State Capitol building and by Centennial Capitol Mall State Park. Joining me here is Emily Winters, the CEO of Strings for Hope and organization and Nashville that employees survivors of interpersonal violence to create guitar string jewelry out of recycled musical instrument strings. Emily, thank you so much for being here today. So we're not in the usual workspace of Strings for Hope, are we? We are not. We are at a temporary office as ours is closed. Yeah, we were kicked out of our building. What about a month ago? Yeah. Yeah, we're at a gym in the German town. Yeah, in the heart of German town, we love we love German town, a hundred Taylor Street art collective. Yeah. So due to some fire code issues, we have been temporarily displaced with 82 other small businesses. So we are so grateful to Capitol View. They've allowed us to be in one of their spaces and still looking. So yeah. Well, I definitely hope people can support your cause while you guys are transitioning into a new workspace. So let's talk about the start of Strings for Hope. It was established in 2010, but you actually took the role of CEO in 2017 at a very young age. So how did you get involved with this organization? I love that you have all of that information readily available. Wafsasera getting it right and correct. It's a very interesting story. And I know I told it a few times on different places, but yeah, I got involved as the first little cart girl is what we call ourselves. It was me and another guy named Devon. And she was my best friend and she got me involved in Strings for Hope. She was going to Belmont University and Strings for Hope was working with Belmont at that time with a program with students and she was a part of that. And she got me involved and we started selling guitar string jewelry, which was at the time a craft and an interesting like project to give back to the community through food banks, some medical clinics and schools. And so not what Strings for Hope is today at all, but it's been so incredible to be a part of the transition to what it is now. And you're very young when you got involved. So did you have another career path in mind or did you just right away have a passion for this organization? I don't know. I had no idea what I was doing. I, oh, let's see. Gosh, I, it's not like I had my jobs. I had, I had like two before this. So I was a walking cliche of Nashville is teaching line dancing at the World Games Wild Horse Saloon, RIP. And I was selling cowboy boots at the buy one, get to pair free place. And that's, that's obviously where I connected with Devon. We, we worked together. She stole my best friend today and, and that was, that was what I was doing. I didn't have, I didn't go to college. I was 19. So at this point, it's 2015 when I got involved with Strings and, and it just, yeah, it was just an opportunity. I was doing all of the different things, but I will say I've always known that I'm not meant for a conventional normal job. I've always enjoyed doing things that can just take me different places and opportunities to help others as has been at my core, but I don't think I realized that until much later in to running the organization. And so you did grow up in Nashville, you're a unicorn, right? Yeah, I am. I grew up out a little outside in Nashville of like 20, 30 minutes, but, but you know, like everyone else, we claim it when we're that close. But yeah, I mean, I always say that I'm the only one that will ever meet, you know, that's from here when you're downtown. When I was working downtown all the time, I'm like, it's just me. I'm the only one from here. Yeah. And so when you were just with Devon, with the Strings and the cart, did you have to figure out over time, like, okay, we need more people on the team. We need marketing and was that difficult to grow the company? Yeah. I mean, it was honestly a little background to that story. So Strings for Hope was started by Laura Wilson and her husband Rick Wilson. And they her husband built guitars and Laura had a full-time job at HTA still does. And and that was so this was definitely something that they were wanting to be a project. They're really cool organization, but not as big as what it has become. I don't think that that was necessarily the goal or in the cards of what they thought would happen. And so when I and Devon got involved, we were selling this jewelry down to him. We were making the jewelry and we were selling too much. So we were we were just moving the products really well. And people loved a piece of Nashville, right? It really started with the Strings. They were like so interested in taking home a piece of music city. And that was just such a fun thing for me. I really saw that excited me that people were able to like connect with the town that I, you know, and from like where being from here, I just, I'm like, no, you get it. You get to take home a piece of Nashville. So it was really cool. But then fast forward. Yeah, we sold too much. I'm not great at making jewelry. And so the idea was that we should start working with one of our local halfway houses. And town, a treatment center as well called the next door. And so that was the first one that we started working with and a few other agency partners. We started working with and it was really to have hands to make the product. And for others to have a job opportunity, but it was not the core focus. So that it just evolved over time. Yeah. Yeah. And not only does it support a good cause, but it definitely cleans up the planet by recycling guitar strings. So over the years, how many guitar strings, if you know, have you recycled? And how many survivors have you employed? So this is always fun because it's like, it's a kind of rough, rough estimate, obviously, with the strings, like just so many, you've been to our office before our old office too. There's so many strings, guys. So we've had, I mean, we, I like to work in pounds because it's a lot easier to like digest and understand. But it's over 10,000 pounds. Large strings. And, and we do this because we, we will wait, we know the approximate weight of a string. And when we get a bin in, we'll, we'll weigh those. And so it's, we weren't even recording that in the beginning of string. Wow. And so now it's been incredible to see. And we still are a recycling program. That's well, how we like to be viewed as a recycling program for the musicians, a work development program for survivors. And obviously a beautiful product and experience for the public and consumers and customers. So, so yeah. And then as far as women, we've had over, gosh, at this point, over 150 women go through the, wow, program, but the program evolved. So before when we first started working with survivors, again, the mission wasn't to, um, necessarily focus on, on them and their work development. It was to give a job and thus for to donate money to random, awesome organizations. But when streamlining that focus and realizing, um, the demographic we were working with, that was my job, right? I was going in and teaching a lot of these women. And I just realized that there's a lot more opportunity to keep people out of those food banks and create, keep people out of those, um, safe houses, even by creating financial and emotional autonomy. Um, and so that evolved over time and that means we slowed down the program, making it intentional for people to find not just, you know, cash for the moment, um, making jewelry, but now a certified jeweler apprenticeship program where they are here for, um, you know, it could be max a year, um, to two years or it could be their whole career. Like it just depends on what people want, um, and we're there to help them through that journey. Yeah, that's great. They can take that certification and, you know, use it anywhere. Yeah. Yeah. And it's, it's, um, we're really grateful to the apprenticeship state office of Tennessee because for them to come through and be like, the work you're doing with guitar strings actually is great work and look is, it's a jewelry. Like they valued it that much and noticed that we're doing the same skills with soldering and, um, micro welding and doing all the things that we do, it was just validation of years of hard work of wanting to create something more quality. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And the cause definitely pulls on your heart strings as well. Uh, can you share a story with us that just resonates you of a time that strings for hope, save someone, maybe someone's specific story? Yeah. I mean, I feel like I, I always get weary about like using the word like saved or like helped people, but because I really do believe that, um, as survivors and women in this space, like we, we do that, we make the choice, right? Like this, that was the whole, that was a shift for me is realizing that this is a choice for myself and for them. And so that's us taking that step in that leap to, to save ourselves and create a path forward. Um, so I feel like it's evolved so much, but in the, there's so many, too many good stories to pre-cub, um, but I guess I can, I can kind of talk about one individual, um, for the sake of her privacy. I won't like use her name, but there's been individuals that have all struggled with, you know, substance use, we work with survivors of substance use. Trafficking and domestic interpersonal violence. Um, and so this specific story kind of touches on more of that, that trafficking side of things and, um, and it's not recovery is not linear. And I think we all kind of know that, but I feel like as someone in this space, the leader in the space, we need to talk about that a lot more, you know, we need to say like it's not linear. Um, and we, we want to support our team as they're, they're evolving and growing through, through strings, but this one particular person, she had gotten out of treatment and, um, started working with strings for help. So she was still in a residential partnered facility. We work with many partners still, um, and having those case managers to work with. And so she started working with strings for hope and she was doing, okay, she wasn't like picking it up really quickly. She kind of didn't seem ready to come out of the life and we, we say that we use that terminal lot in our space, but like she didn't just didn't seem ready to come out of the life. And unfortunately, um, she ended up running, um, leaving the facility and going back out and honestly, I didn't think we would see her again. It's, it's scary. You know, going back to your abuser and I was like, okay, she's gone. Hopefully we can help the next person that comes through fast forward. It was probably like a year later, um, this individual comes back through our program and has was just a different person completely and is still to this day thriving. It was like the most beautiful thing to see as someone just wasn't ready. Had to go back out and obviously we all don't want that. But for her to come back and feel safe to even do this program again was just like a testament to like our work and what we do. And so she's, she's killing it. She's a leader, um, at strings and I think that I bring her up so much, um, because I think she's just like such a great experience. And so I think that's a great example. And for many people in our organization, this is, this might be the only job they've ever had. Um, so this is just definitely something that, um, and someone that I'm so incredibly proud of and I definitely feel like us being a safe place for her, um, helped contribute to her saving her own life. And you recently partnered with the nonprofit organization infinite possibilities and actually announced this partnership, uh, when we collaborated on a benefit show with women behind the lyrics. Um, how has this partnership with infinite possibilities helped your employees. Oh my gosh. I'm so happy you're bringing that up. Um, it's been the biggest thing that ever happened. I think with strings for hope. I'm so grateful for Ronda. Who runs infinite possibilities and yeah, now, um, strings for hope, um, nonprofit arm. She's licensing the name and we're combining and joining forces and even in a bigger and better way. What, um, infinite possibilities, aka strings for hope, does is, is supports the survivors in so many different ways and so not just strings for hope. So she will help with emergency financial relief for survivors partnering with so many different agencies, including our local government agency office of family safety and, um, will provide transportation for survivors that are trying to get to court. So we're filling intentional gaps that you don't think about, but I'll tell you who does those women that are terrified to show up to court and see their abuser or, you know, trying to figure out how do you even get to a job when they have to have kids and they have to leave early and, and they have so many things and, um, and as a company, I can't always provide. The idea that extends outside of our realm of work development boundaries, if you will. Um, and so that's where Ronda comes through and she sees the situation. As a whole and how she can not just give, you know, a financial relief or something to help them, but something that will help continue to move the needle for survivors. And so she's been such a great asset to this, to this state to be honest with you. She also helps fund our phase one of our work development program. Um, so that's where we go into those facilities. We literally meet women where they're at physically, mentally and emotionally. And so we are focusing on so much more than jewelry. Um, we're focusing on showing up for yourself, resume building financial literacy, things that as a job, you don't think that when that be amazing. If you were at a job and they invested in you that much, um, and investing in people is expensive, but it's worth it. So that's our goal is with with the nonprofit arm to assist in that investment and those skills were able to pay survivors what they deserve and keep moving the needle for the jewelry process and also just our journey with working with so many different industries here in Nashville. Yeah, Ronda is amazing. I think to see how strengths for hope has evolved over the years and has helped the Nashville community. You know, we talked about how you started in this organization at a young age. So what advice would you give to maybe young professionals wanting to start their own company or go out on their own with an organization? Oh my gosh, I love that question. I've recently become really passionate about this generation, like it's coming up, which makes me feel definitely old. And I know I'm not, but I feel very, I feel jaded. Um, but I feel so like passionately about young people doing knowing what they want to do is not the goal. But knowing how to ask questions is is my goal for young people because when I first took over strings for hope, I was scared of many things and I didn't ask for help. Within my first year of taking over the company, the team member passed away of an overdose and another one ended up leaving and kind of taking all of our jewelry designs and running with it on our own. And so there was a lot of like pain and fear that developed from that. And I was so young that I was really affected by it. And I will say that if I had any advice, it would be to endure those kind of things and pick up yourself and go down the road and ask another business leader, like for help. Because I think I, we would have been much further along if I did that. And I will say I definitely do that now. Yeah, I ask so many people for help. I'm like, do you have advice on this or I've done taxes wrong so many times. So if anyone has advice, but I also think being open to them and Torship, yes, is is really important. I think lean in to the things that you're scared of. I was really fearful that someone else would learn about our designs and then go and do it again and kind of steal the concept. And so what do I do now? I created an apprenticeship jewelry program. So they could become jewelers themselves. It's just leaning in to the things that's scary. So that's probably a big advice. Yeah, that's that's great advice. And I always ask this question on taking a walk Nashville. And this is a good one to ask since you're a Nashville native. But do you have a favorite place to take a walk in Nashville? Oh my gosh. I have so many places. I think I love this Percy Warner count. Oh yeah, Edmund Warner Park Edwin Warner Percy Warner. I love it out there. If I'm actually going on a like a real hike, I would advise everyone to go out there. I also think that's also advice and for like any human, but just going on a walk while this podcast, great name. But taking a walk is just it just clears your head. It is literally the one thing I think that can like fully ground me. There are so many great places. So definitely Edwin Warner Percy Warner. But when I lived in East Nashville, this is a funny one. I would walk in that cemetery like next. She was like, Guy Nick creepy, but y'all it's pretty. So just go there and you'll see what I mean. My my friend Devon keep bringing her up. But she she showed me the cemetery and because she used to do the same thing. And we would I walked over there and I just love to add those beautiful. It's over there by sip cafe. Okay, like going into in the Madison. So pretty big cemetery. It's huge. I think it's like I know which one you're on the right. Everyone is like shaking their head while listening to this podcast. I know which one. It's right there on the right. sip cafes like across the street or something by Bradley Parkway. Okay. I mean East Nashville off of Gallatin. And I'm telling you it is so pretty like the sunset and like you're just like this is beautiful. There's so many good places. I'm Nashville's great. I love the unconventional. I know the weirdest thing ever. Also, I love coffee. So anywhere in your coffee shops, probably a type of walk. Yeah, we have a ton of good coffee shops in Nashville. How sure. So lastly, what's next for strings for hope? Where can people send in their used instruments strings right now and get involved with strings for hope? I know you're in a temporary space. So I don't know if there's a better place for people to send in strings right now. Yeah. Yeah. So if you go to our website, we're actually updating it right now, but seeing where our drop off locations are. So we have different local music shops. You could support them too. But you can also go bring them up. But you can also go bring your your strings there. So one place that it is going to be doing that is Carter vintage guitars and are there's there's so many different places. But also you can still drop them off with us and ship them to our old office. We are still picking up packages from there. And that's that's under Taylor. You could see all of that information on our website strings for hope.com. There's also a link that says like recycling program. So learning how to be a part of our recycling program. We would love to like highlight those musicians. What's next. I mean, I think right now it's holiday season. So we are definitely because we're in such an interesting spot. And we've definitely I know I've expressed you had some loss of income and un loss of wages because of the situation. We are really trying to level up for holidays. So we are trying to give as much as opportunity for the survivors to work right now. And that means selling a lot of product. Yeah. So we are going to be launching some deals online. And we're going to be everywhere that we can. So really just being involved in that way is always purchasing is always good. Or of course you could donate to our nonprofit. If you don't want to purchase any jewelry or you're like I already own your entire collection. There's a lot of people like that. We are working on new designs. But you can donate to our nonprofit arm, which is where we're doing so many different campaigns. And one thing that we are working on right now is benefits. The loss of snap benefits is affecting so many people in Nashville, including some of our family members and team members. So we are going to hopefully be able to do some things through our nonprofit there too. Yeah, that's great. I hope listeners can support your cause by just donating to infinite possibilities, by product on strings for hope. I have some cute pieces on today. And even just shipping and use guitar strings no matter where you live. So thank you so much Emily for being on Take in a Walk Nashville today. Thank you Sarah. You're the best. Thanks for listening to Take in a Walk Nashville with singer songwriter Sarah Harrelson and check out our other podcasts music save me comedy save me and take in a walk available on the I heart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I heart podcast guaranteed human.
