Roller Derby Captain
Passion to Legacy
If you haven’t already, be sure to check out episode 14 for the first part of my interview with Glit LeFever.
Glit is the captain of Denver’s top roller derby travel team and the owner and creator of Glass Hands Hair Co. Her teammates rallied around her when she started her business, volunteering packaging art, time, and enthusiasm. What she thought would just be a business to create products for herself and friends quickly blew up and she’s using her platform to help others. In part 2 of my interview with Glit, we discuss how she uses her small business to support organizations that further social justice efforts.
in this episode,
we go back to the beginning.
Glit’s love for roller derby extended into her business, Glass Hands Hair Co., and her teammates were a huge inspiration for the creation of the business. The idea sprang from trying to help another skater find a good pomade after she cut her hair. Short hair is common in derby, both for ease and expression.
After researching and trying different pomades, she realized she could make a better product, and almost overnight the idea for the business was born. Her teammates were quick supporters, donating time and skills to the business. She collaborated with teammate Lady Trample for the art on her products.
Furthering social justice
In addition to the pomades and other hair care products on her site, Glass Hands Hair Co. also sells two tee-shirts. One, supporting the Abolish ICE movement and the other supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
All proceeds from the sale of the two shirts are donated to the organizations. It’s important to Glit to acknowledge her privilege as a white woman and she does not want to profit off of the two movements.
Source: @raicestexas
The organizations
The Abolish ICE shirt proceeds go to support RAICES, an organization that provides legal and social services to low-income immigrants.
The Black Lives Matter shirt’s proceeds are donated to the Tides Foundation. One of their current top priorities is fighting voter suppression laws.
Funds have also gone to support women who are incarcerated.
In addition to the proceeds from the shirts, the first month after her business launched, all proceeds went to support the two organizations.
Be loud about what is going on
She feels that it is important to be loud about what is going on. When she first started selling her hair products, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement was at the forefront of national attention, so she felt it was an obvious one to support. She made the Abolish ICE shirts in 2019 for teammates to wear during practices and recreated them for the business.
In roller derby, wearing shirts as protest is pretty common. Teams will wear shirts to warm-ups so when on TV, their causes will get attention. Teams have been seen wearing shirts about protecting trans kids and supporting refugees.
Source: @blklivesmatter
To find an organization to get involved with, Glit recommends finding causes that are important to you. She said one of the most important steps is doing research on different charities and GoFundMes once you find your specific cause. Also, make sure you are doing research outside of the organization’s webpage to check to see where the donations are actually ending up.
With a full-time job in addition to derby and her side business, she feels that the profit she makes with GHHC could be used to help others. She plans on introducing a new pomade in the future with proceeds going to mental health organizations.
Listen here for Part 1 of my interview with Glit!
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Connect with Glit on Instagram @glittoriswaspie
Glass Hands Hair Co. www.glasshandshairco.com or Instagram @glasshandshairco
RAICES Organization www.raicestexas.org
Black Lives Matter Movement www.blacklivesmatter.com
Tides Foundation www.tides.org
CONNECT WITH ME ON:
LinkedIn - Emma Vertolli
Twitter - emm_vert
Instagram - @itsemmavert
TikTok - @itsemmavert_
Clubhouse - @itsemmavert
MORE ABOUT THE PASSION TO LEGACY PODCAST:
Passion To Legacy allows listeners to get a true behind-the-scenes look at the various careers inside the sports industry; even as detailed as the day-to-day duties and operations. Learn what it takes to land your dream role. Gain clarity on what your future career could be. Take action and kick start your humanitarian spirit.
Emma Vertolli is a marketing strategist whose career has centered around growing and nurturing communities. Early on in her professional career she felt stagnant, unfulfilled, and in search for more. She dove into sports business courses, books, & networking. To her surprise, she learned that if you want to break into the sports industry AND accelerate your career, it all comes down to who you know. There was a trend that kept coming up: people need to learn how to network & people need a space to be able to do so.
In Passion To Legacy, Emma shares impactful conversations with professionals working behind the scenes in the sports industry. The bases are loaded in this podcast, we’re chatting all about career goals, hurdles & charity. So grab a pen and pull up a seat - you’re going to want to take notes!
As a listener, you can expect to:
- Gain motivation and inspiration for pursuing your dreams
- Get an insider's perspective into what it’s like working in the sports industry
- Gain insight for getting involved in charitable work
- Learn networking tips for landing a role in the sports industry
- Plus much more!
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