MycoWorks Talk 04

Becoming Mycelial with Sophia Wang

“My journey? It’s an amazing arc,” says Sophia Wang, MycoWorks co-founder and Chief of Culture. Named one of Conscious Fashion Campaign’s 2022 honorees, in this episode Sophia revisits her journey with our host Xevi Gallego, VP of Brand and Marketing: from her beginnings as a dancer and performer, to literature instructor and PhD at UC Berkeley, to co-founding MycoWorks with Phil Ross in 2013.

“You always have to take these things with humility. It’s wild and amazing and when you look at all the remarkable women who have been named as honorees, it’s humbling, and it’s also really motivating.” 

Across all the roles she’s held in the company since then—from operations lead in the early years, to CEO when MycoWorks joined IndieBio, to Chief of Culture today—Sophia shares her story of “turning an art studio practice into a company,” and what it means to be recognized by the Conscious Fashion Campaign. “It’s an honor to be part of a growing community of people who are recalibrating what ‘green’ practices look like, and how positive impact should be measured.”

“Adapting and changing your role is something that can be a superpower, for longevity in any difficult and exciting endeavor.”

In this episode:

03:00 – The early years of MycoWorks and figuring out “how to turn an art studio practice into a company.”
10:00 – The big reveal: unveiling the first cowhide-sized sheet of Reishi™ in 2017.
11:30 – Chief of Culture: a title invented for Sophia; the increasing value that culture plays in growing a company.
14:00 – How does it feel to be recognized with other female leaders in the Conscious Fashion Campaign?
28:00 – Sustainability as creating and consuming in a way that replenishes yourself and the environment.

MycoWorks Talks is a space to feed your wonder and curiosity for a new class of materials. Xevi Gallego, our VP of Brand Marketing, hosts talks with cool people in the MycoWorks universe, taking you on a behind-the-scenes journey of unfiltered conversations about our product, technology, our incredible team, and much more. 

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to get the latest episodes each month and if you have episode ideas or feedback, please review. We love to hear from you!To learn more about MycoWorks, follow our journey on instagram at @MycoWorks.