Poyee Chiu and Sue Covelli-Buntley chat with Matt Mullens, Founder of Empasta Food, a vegan cheese sauce company, and SkillDivvy, a community platform to share common interests and to collaborate on projects. They discuss how Matt applied his passion for sustainability, his fearless grit, and his interest in collaborating with others to chase fear and achieve a shared vision to make the world better.

[00:30] Introducing Matt

[01:27] How Matt Aligned His Passion with His Purpose

[06:06]  How Matt Chases Fear to Break the Glass Ceiling

[12:05] How Matt Collaborates with Others to Improve His Vision

[20:14] Building SkillDivvy to Allow Collaboration Around a Common Purpose

[25:11] Lessons Learned

[29:25] Lightning Round: A Series of Brief Questions

Matt became interested in sustainability when he participated in a pre-college summer research program and his group was tasked with lifting a hot air balloon with renewable energy. The group used solar panels, which led Matt to later internships in Ghana and Hawaii to build solar panels. Later on, Matt developed a vision for selling vegan cheese sauce, aligning his passion for food with his commitment to sustainability. He built this business to align with his values and to benefit the world.

Sustainability is important to Matt because he believes that sustainability is an overarching problem that impacts so many aspects of our lives. Furthermore, Matt loves doing outdoor activities, so he is especially compelled to take care of the environment. Additionally, with his technical background in engineering, Matt is well-equipped to tackle this issue.

Matt discusses how he is building Skilldivvy, a community platform to allow people to collaborate around purpose-driven projects. Matt started Skilldivvy with a partner to fulfill their joint purpose of making the world a better place.

Matt has learned three primary lessons about himself from his entrepreneurial journey: 1. be authentic, 2. do not be overly resilient because you need to recognize each person’s strengths and bring them along, and 3. surround yourself with people who genuinely want to see you win, who are passionate, and who are positive.

For more information on becoming an UpSpiral leader, visit the Upspiral Leadership website, and tune in to this podcast for our next episode! Check out the Empasta Food website as well. And do connect with Matt on LinkedIn.