From Fashion Founder to Beginning Again in Motherhood with Mackenzie Yeates

In this episode, Emma sits down with Mackenzie Yeates, co-founder of ethical fashion brand Kotn, for a conversation about ambition, identity, and what it means to walk away while things are still working. Mackenzie shares the story of building Kotn from a scrappy t-shirt idea in her mid-twenties into a globally recognized B Corp with a powerful mission rooted in education, transparency, and community impact. Together, they explore the realities of building a values-led company from the ground up, including bootstrapping, raising aligned capital, and growing slowly in a world obsessed with speed. Mackenzie reflects on what gave her energy in her work and how that began to shift as her role changed and as she became a mother. She opens up about the quiet reckoning that came with becoming a parent, losing resonance with the fashion industry, and realizing she was no longer the right person to lead the next chapter of the brand. This episode is a powerful reminder that success evolves, seasons end, and sometimes the bravest move is choosing to begin again. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Kotn grew from a side project into a mission-driven global brand Why “cockroach” and “f*ck it, I’ll figure it out” energy has been key to her success  How she shifted from being happy with her life to being happy in it, and what that required  The mindset shifts that drive aligned success Why  all fear and stress isn’t bad   Follow Mackenzie on Instagram: @mackenzieyeates Follow me on Instagram: @conscioussuccessco Work with me: https://www.conscioussuccessco.com/book-a-success-call