Behind Her Empire

Did you see the Washington Post article about birth control that took women of the internet by storm? The piece, titled “Women are getting off birth control amid misinformation explosion”, discredited the experiences of thousands of women and downplayed the real side effects that can come with taking hormonal birth control. They included an interview with Nicole Bendayan, a holistic women’s health educator, who the writers misled and then misrepresented how she is helping women reclaim their health everyday. Today, we’re getting her side of the story.In this episode you’ll learn: * How women are gaslit about their health concerns* Why women are choosing to come off hormonal birth control* How to choose a birth control method that works for you* Why we need informed consent before taking birth control pills* The real potential side effects of taking hormonal birth control* How we can actually empower women through educationNicole Bendayan is a hormonal health educator on a mission to empower women to reclaim their cycle and thrive through holistic menstrual health. She supports women looking for natural alternatives to hormonal contraception, as well as how to support the body when coming off and lifestyle shifts to experience less hormone-related symptoms overall.This episode is brought to you by Beeya:* If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.* Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Nicole:* Website: https://enroll.thesyncsociety.com/fam-workshop-coming-soon/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicole.bendayan/

Allison Conrad is the co-founder and CEO of Arey, the first functional beauty brand to target aging hair with a proactive, science-driven approach. The idea for Arey came shortly after Allison saw her first grey hairs and was shocked that the only way to address grey hair was with hair dye and that there were no preventive solutions. She was using wrinkle cream and SPF to prevent wrinkles, but there was nothing available to manage and prevent grey hair, and that’s when Arey was born.In 2020, Allison founded the company alongside her beloved hairstylist and friend Jay Small who also saw the demand for such a product. From a daily supplement to topicals, Arey offers a full line of clean, innovative products formulated with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and a clinically efficacious peptide to slow and re-pigment greys. In just a few years, Arey has already been featured on Who What Wear, VOGUE, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health and so many more. In this week’s episode, we talk to Allison about the power of patience, why we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves, and how every twist in turn in your career will lead you to where you’re supposed to be. Allison also walks through the challenges she had pioneering a new category in the haircare industry, how she thought through funding her business - from bootstrapping to then fundraising and what she did to create early traction & awareness for the business. Allison also shares how Arey is the 12th company that she has been involved in and the 3rd she has founded, so in this episode, she shares a lot of insights when it comes to entrepreneurship, making pivots in your life and career, and so much more.In this episode, we’ll talk to Allison about:* Importance of patience and self-compassion. [02:53]* Being the black sheep in the family. [08:01]* Sewing and selling skirts as her first business venture. [12:23]* Allison's lessons from her first business. [15:09]* Studying in Stanford Business School. [16:55]* What Allison learned about herself. [18:38]* Lessons from the startup fundraising world. [26:33]* Allison's pivotal moment in starting Arey. [32:27]* The concept of hair re-pigmentation. [34:30]* The importance of networking in finding the right manufacturer. [37:02]* Allison’s approach in fund-raising for Arey. [38:37]* How Allison validated the concept early on. [42:17]* How Allison created education around her brand. [45:09]* The messy truth in entrepreneurship. [48:48]* Future plans for Arey. [52:41]This episode is brought to you by Beeya:* If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.* Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Allison:* Website: https://areygrey.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/areygrey/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisonaconrad/

In this week's episode, we're re-airing one of our top episodes with Mimi Ikonn, a serial entrepreneur known for founding Luxy Hair, a DTC hair extension brand, and Intelligent Change, a lifestyle brand promoting mindfulness and gratitude through consumer products. Her inspiring self-made story began with her immigration from Azerbaijan to Canada as a teenager.Taking on the responsibility of financially supporting her family from a young age, Mimi dropped out of college, worked in banking, and took significant risks to pursue her passions and achieve financial independence.Luxy Hair achieved impressive success, reaching 250,000+ customers in 165+ countries before being acquired by Beauty Industry Group. Currently, Mimi is focused on her business, Intelligent Change, selling over 1,700,000+ copies of their flagship product, The Five Minute Journal.In our interview, Mim shares her captivating life story, from being a college dropout to discovering her passions and starting Luxy Hair with limited resources and industry connections. Her positive energy shines as she discusses overcoming hardships and depression, offering valuable tips for manifesting the life you desire, and promoting meaningful change in both personal and professional spheres.In this episode, we’ll talk to Mimi about:* Mimi's humble beginnings in Baku, Azerbaijan. [03:57]* Mimi's immigration journey to Canada, financially supporting her family at 16. [12:09]* Not going to college, working in a bank, and meeting her future husband. [17:38]* The 4-Hour Workweek" impact on Mimi and Alex's life and business vision. [25:59]* The inspiration behind their first business, Luxy Hair. [27:44]* "The Body Keeps the Score" influence on Mimi's life and traumas. [35:11]* Manifesting life and practicing gratitude, Tony Robbins' program. [42:03]* Selling Luxy Hair and creating the 5-Minute Journal by Intelligent Change. [49:16]* Mimi's passion projects and her sustainability advocacy. [55:19]This episode is brought to you by Beeya:* If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances and to learn more about Beeya’s seed cycling bundle.* Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Mimi:* Website: https://www.intelligentchange.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intelligentchange/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mimiikonn/

What time do you usually go to bed? Be honest… We won’t judge you for late-night TikTok scrolls, but we have to keep it real. If you want happy hormones and better health overall, it’s time to get serious about sleep.In this episode you’ll learn: * Secrets for the best sleep of your life* Why sleep matters beyond our own health* The impact of hormones on sleep* What shift workers need to know* How sleep quality can impact weight* The truth about alcohol and sleep* And more…Vice President of Performance Science, Principal Scientist at WHOOP, Kristen drives thought leadership by engaging with industry-leading researchers and partners to better understand individual and team biometric and performance data across high-stakes verticals to drive product innovation, strategy, and coaching.Kristen blends her academic and applied background in athletics, coaching, performance technology, psychology, and exercise physiology to drive research, partnership, and product development initiatives to strengthen WHOOP as a leader in Human Performance.Kristen works with hundreds of the best tactical, professional, surgical teams, corporate, and NCAA Athlete Teams in the world, helping them interpret WHOOP data to optimize training, recovery, and sleep behavior. Kristen's research focuses on the temporal organization of circadian influences and their effect on physiological and psychological resilience.This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Kristen: * Research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kristen-Holmes-3* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristen_holmes2126/

Courtney Claghorn is the founder of SUGARED + BRONZED, the nation’s largest all natural sugaring and airbrush tanning destination. Shortly after graduating college, Courtney moved back home without a job and was confused about her next steps. She eventually got a job in Fintech and moved to Santa Monica. Even though she was living and working near the beach, she rarely spent time in the sun since she worked indoors which meant she frequented tanning salons. Courtney was done overpaying for spray tans at underwhelming locations and decided to create a solution that would not only be affordable, but keep people coming back for more, and that’s when SUGARED + BRONZED was born. In this week’s episode, Courtney shares her journey of starting the business as a side hustle, initially with only $500 from her apartment, to now overseeing 23 locations across the country. She candidly discusses how miserable she was in her FinTech job, the pivotal moment when she decided to take the leap, and how she discovered herself when she was the most confused. Courtney dives into how she bootstrapped the business in the first nine years, the stress that came with keeping the business afloat during COVID and what she did to overcome such challenging times. Lastly, we chat about about how not having a detailed business plan was key to her success, and so much more.In this episode, we’ll talk to Courtney about:* Courtney’s impactful childhood memories. [3:04]* Feeling lost in her early 20s and her self-expectations. [07:35]* Graduating college, moving back home, and landing her first job. [10:28]* Working in a FinTech company and discovering herself. [13:19]* How the idea of SUGARED + BRONZED came about. [16:34]* Courtney’s motivation to start SUGARED + BRONZED. [18:49]* Courtney's early business journey. [20:28]* Leaving her full-time job to focus on creating the first retail location. [21:38]* What propelled the business during its early stages. [23:22]* Lessons learned from securing their first location. [25:10]* Advice on having a minimum business plan. [33:6]* Managing SUGARED + BRONZED’s growth. [36:52]* Bootstrapping for nine years and finally bringing on an investor. [38:53]* Being comfortable in the uncomfortable. [40:51]* SUGARED + BRONZED during the COVID-19 Pandemic. [43:50]* The business's toughest challenges. [50:18]* Balancing business and family after having a child. [53:47]* The concept of first principles thinking. [58:27]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Courtney: * Website: https://sugaredandbronzed.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugaredandbronzed/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneyclaghorn/

Carolyn Aronson is the founder and CEO of It’s a 10 Haircare, a professional hair care line that is dedicated to providing high-quality, luxury hair care products for every hair type. Carolyn rose from a challenging background of foster homes and adoption to creating one of the most widely recognized and consumed haircare brands worldwide. Despite all this success, she definitely was no overnight success. Carolyn prides herself on working hard and learning from her failed brands and products before striking gold with the Miracle Leave-in Spray that really took off. She owns 100% of her multi-hundred-million dollar brand and the products are sold in more than 25,000 professional salons, thousands of retail locations like Sally Beauty, Ulta, and is now in over 70 countries around the world.In this week’s episode, Carolyn talks to us about her upbringing as a foster care child and what she believes shaped her approach to entrepreneurship & her relationship with money. She also shares her experience as a hairdresser hustling to make ends meet for many years, how she lost everything when starting her first company, and how she didn't give up even after losing it all. Carolyn also tells us about the challenges she had to overcome in the process of launching her second haircare brand and the biggest learnings she had when it came to partnerships, product development, and so much more. In this episode, we’ll talk to Carolyn about:* Why entrepreneurs should, “crawl, walk, then run”. [02:30]* Carolyn’s childhood upbringing and influences that shaped her financial literacy. [08:44]* The mindset of avoiding wasteful spending. [13:35]* Bootstrapping and managing financial growth.[15:35]* How Carolyn deals with mental challenges. [18:29]* Positive impact of foster care and adoption on Carolyn's life. [21:30]* Transition to product creation alongside salon management. [23:24]* Lessons from recovering after financial loss in previous business. [25:40]* Navigating a male-dominated industry. [30:13]* Graceful handling of challenges with experience. [32:03]* Fearlessness in male-dominated environments from upbringing. [33:29]* Insights gained from partnerships and co-founders. [35:21]* Preference against 50-50 partnerships. [37:03]* Advice for women starting new ventures. [39:31]* Strategies for overcoming business challenges. [42:30]* Carolyn's proudest achievements. [45:22]* Inspiring women, foster children, and hairdressers through example. [48:47]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Carolyn: * Website: https://www.itsa10international.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsa10haircare/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsa10ceo/