The Brand Study

We sat down with Sarah and Chris Rhoads, founders of Commbi, the footwear brand redefining the tradeoff between style and comfort with a patented interchangeable footbed system. Before entering footwear, Sarah and Chris Rhoads built their creative studio, We Are The Rhoads, leveraging their backgrounds in photography and videography to work with leading brands and develop a deep understanding of v...

Asset is building in one of the most overlooked categories in wellness. In this episode, Chad O’Connell breaks down how he turned a personal health problem into a scalable consumer brand by focusing on product performance, sharp positioning, and disciplined execution. We get into what it actually takes to launch in a taboo space, from validating demand before manufacturing to navigating platform r...

We sit down with Indie Lee, founder of Indie Lee Skincare, the clean beauty brand that helped define modern standards for ingredient transparency. Today, the brand is carried in over 2,000 retail doors, including Whole Foods, Credo, and Ulta Beauty. Indie shares how a life threatening brain tumor diagnosis and being told she had six months to live became the catalyst for building a mission driven...

JW Wiseman, founder of Curious Elixirs, shares the story behind one of the earliest premium non alcoholic beverage brands. What began as a personal reflection on drinking habits evolved into a new category of sophisticated alcohol free cocktails made with herbs, roots, botanicals, and fruit. Curious Elixirs was built without outside investors, why the brand releases only one new drink per year, an...

Today, we’re talking with Aaron Zagha, the CMO of Newton Baby, a brand that has redefined what safe sleep means for families. Newton has become one of the most trusted names in the industry by combining strict safety standards with thoughtful design, all with the goal of providing babies with the safest and best sleep possible. Their focus on innovation and transparency has not only built a loyal...

we sit down with Steven Borrelli, founder and CEO of Cuts, the apparel company redefining workleisure and scaling to nine figures in revenue. Steven shares how a single frustrating moment at work sparked the idea for the perfect tee, how a Kickstarter campaign became the launchpad for the brand, and why focusing on one product line gave Cuts its early growth advantage. He opens up about bootstrapp...

Global Healing is redefining natural health with science-backed supplements that put healing before hype. Founded by Dr. Edward Group in the late 1990s, the brand began inside a cancer clinic, where the search for clean, effective solutions led to the creation of OxyPowder. What started with one breakthrough formula has grown into a trusted global wellness company, still privately held, family-own...

Moom Health is changing the face of women’s wellness in Asia. Founded by sisters Maya and Mili Kale, the company was born from Maya’s teenage diagnosis with PCOS and their shared frustration at the lack of natural, localized solutions in Singapore. What started with scrappy beta tests and hand-packed orders has grown into a regional powerhouse, sold by some of the largest retailers throughout Asia...

Bruce Langer is the Co-Founder and President of Langer’s Juice, one of the most recognizable juice bottles in the beverage aisle. What started at the farmers market turned into a national brand built on flavor, integrity, and relentless innovation. In this episode, Bruce breaks down how the brand grew into a household name without losing its soul. He shares how they built a vertically integrated s...

Ali Bonar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Oat Haus, the company behind the world’s first granola butter. Her story is about discipline, resilience, and building something entirely new in the food world. From personal challenges to convincing investors and customers that a new category was worth believing in, Ali’s journey shows what it takes to stay committed when the path isn’t easy. She opens up ab...

Chlorophyll Water is the first shelf-stable bottled water infused with organic chlorophyll and is sold nationwide in Aloe Yoga, Whole Foods and other major retailers. Before chlorophyll drinks were trending on TikTok and Instagram, Matt recognized the health benefits of liquid chlorophyll and created a clean, ready-to-drink chlorophyll water that made the superfood accessible to everyone. With a b...

In this episode, we sit down with Kate Jane Wong, co-founder of Noon, the wellness brand redefining what a gummy can be. With a background in branding and an eye for consumer behavior, Kate shares how Noon is breaking through one of the most saturated categories in wellness: gummies. We unpack how the team approached product formulation, visual identity, and positioning to carve out space in a cro...

Mila isn’t just a success story, it’s a blueprint for how to scale without compromise. Co-founder Jen Liao joins us to break down how a small restaurant in Bellevue, WA evolved into a nationally distributed brand with $30M in venture funding and a fast-growing retail presence. We talk about their early days testing soup dumplings with a Google Form and PayPal link, how they scaled production while...

Maeve Chocolate isn’t just a rebrand, it’s a complete reimagining of what chocolate can be. Formerly known as Seattle Chocolate, the mother-daughter team of Jean and Ellie Thompson have transformed the brand into a storytelling engine with bold flavors, ethical sourcing, and characters that bring each bar to life. Discover how this Pacific Northwest staple is setting a new standard for chocolate w...

Lisa Curtis is the founder and CEO of Kuli Kuli. What started as a Peace Corps project quickly evolved into one of the leading superfood brands in the market, driven by a commitment to economic empowerment and sustainability. We discuss how Kuli Kuli introduced moringa to mainstream consumers, built a global supply chain from the ground up, and navigated the challenges of scaling a mission-driven...

In this episode, we sit down with Katie Rose Fischer-Price, the founder & artist behind K2 Clay. What started as a creative outlet after long shifts as a nurse has grown into a high-demand ceramics business—with timed shop drops that sell out in minutes. She's built a loyal and engaged social media audience, with over 400k followers across Instagram and TikTok. We talk about how Katie buil...

In this episode, we sit down with Dave, co-founder and CEO of Laurel Bath House. Dave built a personal care brand from the ground up—bootstrapped, no outside capital—and landed retail partnerships with Goop and Urban Outfitters. Today, the brand is generating over $31K in monthly revenue. We talk about how Laurel Bath House found early traction, why Dave kept the brand lean, and how they’re standi...

In this episode, we sit down with Whitney Douglas, Head of Sales for North America at Living Alchemy. The supplement space is packed, but Living Alchemy has carved out a clear lane with its unique fermentation process and commitment to whole food ingredients. We talk about how the brand positions itself in a saturated market, how education drives velocity at retail, and why fermentation is their n...

In this episode, we talk with Melissa Cafagna at Settle, a fintech company that’s rethinking how consumer brands access capital. Settle has provided over $2.3 billion in financing to help CPG brands manage cash flow, extend payment terms, and scale without giving up equity. We get into the common financial challenges founders face, how to think about working capital as a growth tool, and what it a...

In this episode, we sit down with Kirk Hensler, founder and CEO of Hale Productions. Kirk built a full-service creative studio that produces premium content for global brands like Barbie, Ninja Kitchen, and Fjällräven. They deliver world-class content while running an efficient studio operation. We talk about how Hale Productions went from a solo operation to a multi-location production powerhouse...

Nelly’s Organics is proof that slow, steady growth and a commitment to quality can build a lasting brand. Over 13 years, they expanded from a small operation to being sold nationwide in stores like Whole Foods, Albertsons, Sprouts, and Erewhon—without spending a dime on marketing or advertising. Instead, they focused on what mattered most: perfecting their healthy candy bars, optimizing manufactur...