Meet Brianna Kilcullen | Founder & CEO, Anact

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brianna Kilcullen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brianna, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I never thought I’d be a business owner. I was always taught to work for someone else and get a good salary with a 401(k) so that I had security. My dad’s family immigrated from Ireland and that was what his dad had taught him. My thought process changed in 2016 after the election. I had this realization that if anyone could run for president then I could do anything I wanted to do too! I set the intention for what would be the most impactful way to make the textile industry become more socially and environmentally responsible and came to the conclusion that creating a movement within a brand and educating the customer while creating an amazing product that solved problems was the answer! It’s been a wild ride ever since because I’m not doing it to be a business owner per se but because I believe choosing this path will result in making the biggest impact for all people and the planet, which gives me the willpower to move through any challenges that come my way.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I believe what sets us a part from other businesses is that we never thought we’d be a business. It was just the most impactful way to move the textile industry forward so that’s why we chose it. We believe in solving problems while educating our community. We won’t put any product out there if we don’t believe it’s better than what currently is on the market. We define influencers as activists and send products to the AOCs of the world. We host drive-in events in our local community and partner with change-makers to shed light on important social and environmental issues. We believe in being bold, strong and taking action. We believe that anything is possible for ANYbody. Thinking and acting this way hasn’t been easy. It’s a constant uphill battle but we are creating conversations to shed light on those who don’t have a voice in our community, which drives us to keep going. For example, we received a lot of threats to shut down our last drive-in from extremist groups in our local community. On the opposite side of the coin, we received accusations that we were performative partners and not invested in seeing our community move forward. The takeaway here – you can’t please everyone and each experience is an opportunity to learn and grow. It takes time to connect with the people who get what your brand and product stand for but once you do – you know you’re starting to get traction. If there was one thing I would want the world to know is GET READY. I often think of Anact as the byproduct if Nike and Patagonia had a baby. We are mindful and conscious of our impact while inspired to get up, get out and act up. We’re just getting started.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh! I love this one! Especially since so many people look down on Jacksonville as a place to visit. I’ll be careful to not paint too good of a picture to protect some of the local haunts that you’d have to live here full-time to know 😉 Alrighty then! First things first: my best friend would fly into JAX where I would pick her up and drive over Jacksonville’s iconic bridges on our way to the beaches. Fun fact: Jacksonville is the largest geographic city in the country, which means that it often feels like there are multiple cities within one city. On the way to the beach, we would stop and have local shrimp at Safe Harbor in Mayport and watch the fishermen come in while making sure not to hit any of the wading manatees. After lunch, we’d grab an iced coffee at Southern Grounds in Neptune Beach and take a walk on the beach and depending on the weather a little ocean dip to shake off the jetlag. Depending on the level of activeness, I might try to convince my best friend to grab a board and either paddle board or surf if there are waves. No waves = get the beach cruisers out and go for a bike ride up to Jax Beach and back. After a cat nap, we would pile in the car and drive to St. Augustine to walk around the oldest city in America which often feels like a scene out of Harry Potter. My go to restaurant is the Floridian with Llama coming in right behind. Their cornbread salad is too die for. Highly recommend grabbing ice cream at May Day afterwards and strolling the streets (mask on) to the fort. You won’t regret it! Now back to Jacksonville! Once we had our fill of the beach, we would drive downtown and grab a breakfast sandwich at 1748 Bakehouse. Their sourdough bread is too die for. Other notable mentions are Silkie’s Chicken & Champagne and The District which just opened up in the same neighborhood. There are some great bike paths that you can pick up from Springfield that give you a behind the scenes view of Jacksonville’s urban core. If you want to get a little shopping in then I would recommend stopping by Wolf & Cub in downtown Jax. Emily is fantastic and has curated an amazing collection of new and vintage finds. Most of my wardrobe is from here! Once you grab your new favorite vintage piece post breakfast sandwich and bike ride, head to the Cummer where you can check out Jacksonville’s art scene, which is right on the river. Follow it up by visiting Wildcrafters, Jacksonville’s new alcohol-free bar. I haven’t made it yet but I heard that Sunday’s they have local jazz musicians throw down. If you’re not too tired, I would head back to the beaches and grab a pick me up at Southern Roots, my favorite vegan spot in town. There is also a new chocolate shop next door called Makenu that is too die for! Try their truffles! Other notable mentions to try would be Community Loaves, Leaf & Bean, Mezzaluna, Culhane’s Irish Pub, Subcultured Deli, Brew, Board & Brew, and Congaree and Penn. The Atlantic Beach Farmers Market is every Saturday from 10am-2pm. Before I forget! Book a facial with Emory at Emory Esthetics who offers Harry Potter inspired environment and facials. She offers late night bookings for the working folk and is pure magic. Other appointments to make would be with Diana at SoundBath Jax who offers fantastic sound bath classes around the new and full moon. Need a little yoga? Check out Yogamix in Neptune Beach. That’s all I got for now! You would definitely need a car when visiting because Jacksonville’s public transportation just isn’t that great – yet. And have an open mind – even though Jacksonville is in Florida it acts a bit more like southern Georgia. Get ready for a bunch of y’alls and a more conservative approach. You’ll feel the pulse of the city when you hear someone yell “DUVALLLLLL”. See y’all soon!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There have been so many amazing people throughout my journey that have lifted me up and saw something in me when I didn’t. I’m forever grateful. Big shout-out to my family and friends who answer my calls at 2AM to play the “what if” game and who also send me supportive texts when I’m feeling down. A very special shout-out to my life coach, Bridgett. When I set out to create Anact, I thought I could check my personal insecurities at the door. Little did I know that they would come out in full force. Working with Bridgett to face my shadows and my childhood trauma has allowed me to be not only a better person who lives in the present but a much better business owner that can lead with purpose and lean into my biggest fear: being vulnerable.

Website: www.anact.com

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Image Credits
Toni Smailagic @cre8jax