# A bold idea to rebuild the working class | Molly Hemstreet

An episode of [TED Business](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/470622782), 3 Nov 2025, 12 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/675727607205a5bc68e57057/e/6904e7fdcce743019951508c/media.mp3

Struggling communities don’t need handouts — they need bold new ways to root wealth. Meet Molly Hemstreet — a TED Fellow, Southern Appalachia native and cofounder of worker support network the Industrial Commons — who’s flipping the script on generational poverty by turning textile waste into $9-per-pound yarn and factory workers into business owners. Discover how her long-haul approach is rebuilding rural economies stitch by stitch, proving that opportunity grows when we stop extracting and start empowering. After the talk, Modupe reflects on how much change-making is site-specific and how you can think about showing up for your communities? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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