Behind Her Empire

Alex Schinasi is the co-founder of Hulken, the cult-favorite rolling tote brand that turned a simple, everyday product into something people can't stop talking about, and is now sold in major retailers like Target and Costco. But what makes Alex’s story so interesting is that Hulken was never supposed to be a business. Her father had actually invented this rolling tote years earlier, and the f...

Steph Hon is the founder and CEO of Cadence, the design company behind the magnetic Capsules that keep your whole routine in one place. What I love about Steph's story is that she really had no idea what she was doing when she started. She was a dancer turned video editor, with no background in engineering, manufacturing, or entrepreneurship. She didn't have investors lined up or a network...

Mally Roncal is a celebrity makeup artist who has worked with Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Celine Dion, and so many more, and the founder of Mally Beauty. A big theme in Mally’s life is learning not to make herself smaller. We get into the moments that made her question whether she should tone herself down, how she learned to see what made her different as a strength, and what working with so...

Today I’m sharing the conversation my co-founder Kaya and I had on Be Well by Kelly, our dear friend Kelly LeVeque’s show. Since Kelly is a nutritionist, bestselling author, and founder herself, it was fun to have her turn the questions on us. I wanted to share this conversation here because we really get into what it actually looks like to build a business from the beginning.  We get into qu...

Lauren Kleinman is the founder of Dreamday and co-founder of Quality Media and The Quality Edit. She coined the term "performance PR," built two agencies without raising a dollar, and today leads more than a hundred people. Before any of this, Lauren spent almost a decade as an employee. First employee at StartEngine. Sixteenth at Scopely, which sold for billions. Then first employee at Ritual. Sh...

Amber Venz Box is the co-founder and president of LTK, the multi-billion-dollar business that turned influence into a global economy. She built the creator economy before anyone had a name for it, and today LTK drives $6 billion in annual retail sales and reaches more than 44 million monthly users. But here's what you might not know. When Amber started in 2010, the word "blogger" wasn't even in th...

Mayssa Chehata is the founder of BEHAVE Candy, a low-sugar, clean-label candy brand that just landed in nearly 2,000 Target stores nationwide and sold out within the first week. But here's what you might not know. Two years ago, Mayssa was calling her lawyer to ask what bankruptcy would look like. She had left a dream career at the NFL, Uber, Daily Harvest, and SoulCycle to build a candy her diabe...

Helen Lo is the founder of Lo & Sons, the cult-favorite travel bag brand that basically invented the stylish carry-on for working women. Helen started the company at 65 years old, after she had already retired. She was born into a privileged family in China that lost it all when her father died. She grew up in poverty, went to boarding school at seven, and promised herself she would never be p...

This week I'm joined by my co-founder of Beeya Wellness, Kaya Purohit, and we're sitting down with two women who completely changed how I thought about my own fertility journey: Ronit Menashe and Vida Delrahim, the founders of WeNatal. These two are best friends who go all the way back to their Nike days, and years later, they each had a miscarriage one week apart. When the doctors said "it's just...

Jenny Lei is the founder of Freja, the cult-favorite vegan handbag brand that you've probably seen on Hailey Bieber, Sarah Jessica Parker, and all over your feed. But here's what you might not know. Jenny started Freja with no fashion background, no design experience, and no investors. She funded it herself with money she made from a dropshipping business she built after Googling "how to make mone...

Mariam Naficy is the founder and chairman of Minted — the online marketplace where independent artists around the world sell everything from cards to wall art to home decor. She's also the founder and CEO of Arcade, an AI platform reimagining how physical products get designed and made. But before any of that, Mariam was the child of immigrants who fled Iran after the revolution and rebuilt their...

This week I'm joined by my co-founder of Beeya Wellness, Kaya Purohit, and together we're sitting down with Dr. Tanda Cook and Dr. Katie Collier. If you've been around the show, you already know them. This is their fourth time on the podcast, and there's a reason we keep bringing them back. They're naturopathic doctors who work with women every single day on the stuff most doctors miss. The fatigu...

Ingrid Carney is the founder of Ingrid & Isabel, the largest maternity brand in the United States.  Before any of that, she co-founded a Silicon Valley startup that ended with the dot com bust. Then she got pregnant, couldn't button her pants on the way to a VC pitch, used a tube top to hold them in place, and that quick fix became the Bellaband, the product that built Ingrid & Isabel...

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Monique Rodriguez, the founder and CEO of Mielle Organics, an all natural hair care and beauty brand.  Monique created Mielle Organics’ first product in her kitchen. Now, the brand has products in over 85 countries – and still pursues the same vision it did from when it operated out of Monique’s kitchen, with the same values...

Sahara Lotti is the founder and CEO of Lashify, the beauty brand that created the world's first at-home lash extension system and completely redefined what DIY beauty could look like. But her path here had nothing to do with beauty. It had everything to do with refusing to quit. Sahara was an Iranian immigrant who grew up in Silicon Valley and never quite felt like she fit in. Before Lashify, she...

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Joanna Griffiths, the Founder and President of Knix, the innovative direct-to-consumer intimates and apparel brand. The idea for Knix started after she had a conversation with her mom about what women’s bodies undergo as they age especially when it came to post-pregnancy leaks. After doing research on her end and speaking to more...

Leah Marcus and Yasaman Bakhtiar are the co-founders of Good Girl Snacks, the brand that turned a TikTok obsession into a full-blown business. These two best friends didn't come from food. They came from corporate. Leah was in marketing at a tech startup, Yas was at an auction house debating whether to go back for her master's. What changed everything was a lot of TikTok scrolling and asking one q...

Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton is the Founder and CEO of Chillhouse, a cult wellness destination that evolved into a category-defining, design-led nail care brand. But the version of Cyndi you see today is not how this story begins. It begins with dropping out of college twice, working nightlife to stay financially stable, starting over in her mid-twenties with unpaid internships, and quietly questioning wh...

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Rebecca Hessel Cohen, the founder and CEO of LoveShackFancy, a fashion and lifestyle brand know for its unique floral prints and bohemian dresses. LoveShackFancy was born out of necessity when Rebecca was in search of the perfect bridesmaid dresses and was out of luck. After creating her own designs, she garnered lots of sup...

Luna Aziz is the founder and CEO of Legendairy Milk, a wellness brand known for its lactation support and holistic products for women navigating motherhood and beyond. But Legendairy Milk didn’t start as a business. It started with Luna as a new mom struggling with chronic low milk supply and asking one question no one could answer: why? So she did the unglamorous work herself. She researched what...

Andrea Faulkner Williams is the co-founder of Tubby Todd, a cult-favorite clean baby skincare brand created for families with sensitive skin. We’re often told that if you want to build a real empire, you need venture capital, a massive team, and a perfectly engineered growth plan from day one.  But my guest today built one of the most beloved baby skincare brands in America by doing the exact...

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Miranda Kerr, a globally recognized model and the founder & CEO of KORA Organics, a skincare brand known for its commitment to clean, certified organic products. For Miranda, the journey to founding KORA Organics wasn’t just about beauty — it was about healing. After her mother’s cancer diagnosis, she began questioning everyt...

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Allison Ellsworth, the co-founder of Poppi, a better for you soda brand that is revolutionizing the next generation.  Allison always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur, but her journey began in the oil and gas industry, where she spent years on the road building a successful career. During this time, she struggled with bl...

I’m so excited to share this week’s episode with you. I joined my friend Carly on her podcast, Care Less with Carly, and wanted to share our conversation here.  We talk about the moment I realized my “perfect on paper” finance career wasn’t right for me, and how I navigated the messy, scary transition into entrepreneurship. We also get into my relationship with burnout and perfectionism, how...

Allison Evans’ journey began when her period disappeared in middle school. She was later diagnosed with PCOS, told she’d never get pregnant naturally, and prescribed birth control to “fix” it. Years later, she proved the opposite—healing her hormones and restoring her fertility through food, lifestyle changes, and a radical shift in how she viewed “clean.” In this conversation, we explore the powe...