An entrepreneur on a mission to end slavery, one tea towel at a time

About this episode

Mallory Martin discusses her journey from professional sports to founding Mended, a business that employs survivors of human trafficking to create textiles.

In this episode of “RKD Group: Thinkers,” we sit down with Mallory Martin, founder and CEO of Mended, a social impact business partnering with survivors of human trafficking to create hand block–printed textiles. Mallory’s journey spans professional sports, international nonprofit fundraising and now entrepreneurship. What connects each chapter is purpose. From selling six-figure sponsorships for the Dallas Stars to fundraising for the International Justice Mission (IJM), and ultimately launching her own mission-driven brand, Mallory’s path reveals how nothing is wasted when calling and capability align. Her story is one of tension and transformation: loving the for-profit business world while feeling drawn to humanitarian impact, navigating motherhood and career shifts, wrestling with the emotional weight of confronting modern-day slavery and eventually stepping away from stability to build something new. Today, Mended employs 23 survivors of bonded labor slavery in South India who create hand block–printed tea towels, table linens and textiles. Each product carries a story of restoration. What stands out most about Mallory is her clarity. She knows what she’s good at, what…

People in this episode

Host: RKD Group

Guest: Mallory Martin

Topics covered

• social impact
• human trafficking
• entrepreneurship
• textiles
• non-profit
• personal journey

Keywords

• human trafficking
• social entrepreneurship
• Mended
• Mallory Martin
• textiles
• non-profit
• Dallas Stars

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mended, International Justice Mission, Dallas Stars

Places: South India

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