CONFLUENCE: The Mangrove Collective Podcast

In this second episode of Confluence, host Eunchim Choi is joined by current core team members Sarah Badju Tollestrup and Kim Teillet-Meunier to trace how each came into The Mangrove Collective, from prior ties as INGO colleagues to Eunchim's simple invitation to join the core team. The three unpack why they left full-time institutional roles for consulting, weighing the autonomy and flexibility motherhood demanded against the isolation of going solo, and how TMC's collective, values-driven model closed that gap. They revisit 2025's unexpected "dry season," when USAID's collapse froze sector-wide work just as Sarah and Kim arrived, and how cold-bidding, relationships, and team grit turned the business around within the year, alongside how they've grown a trusted network of local and national associate consultants. The conversation closes with reflections on the meaning of The Mangrove Collective's name, how values like mutual support show up in the business itself, and what each has learned about herself in the process. Support the show Support the show

In this first episode of Confluence, host Eunchim Choi sits down with Co-Founder Tilly Redstone and early director Elizabeth Fitton Higgins to trace how The Mangrove Collective began, from a conversation on Tilly's lounge suite to a company registration made on the spot. The three unpack why they chose to build a flat, women-led consulting model instead of the hierarchical, often male-dominated structures they'd worked under, and how motherhood, flexibility, and a shared network of trusted colleagues shaped that decision. They swap stories from the earliest days of consulting, the accidental math behind their first daily rate, the surprise of how quickly the business grew, and what each of them eventually missed and didn't miss after returning to full-time roles. The conversation closes with reflections on self-leadership, the difference between friends and business partners, and the belief that in consulting, "most things are figure-outable." Support the show