Behind Her Empire

Allison Ellsworth is 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 bloating and other gut health issues, inspiring her to take charge of her wellness. She adopted a clean diet, started working out, and discovered apple cider vinegar's benefits. However, she wasn’t a fan of its taste and sought a way to make it more enjoyable.Allison created an apple cider vinegar-based soda, "Mother Beverage" in her kitchen and quit her day job—nearly going broke while selling it at farmers' markets. After an appearance on Shark Tank while nine months pregnant and a complete product rebrand, the prebiotic soda became "Poppi," the viral, #1 selling soda on Amazon with over 2 billion TikTok views and the most-watched Super Bowl ad this year.In this week’s episode, Allison shares her journey of leaving a stable career to start her own business—without any prior experience. She reveals how she landed Whole Foods distribution with no connections and took a chance on Shark Tank to secure funding. Allison breaks down why they decided to rebrand Poppi, how they executed a successful relaunch during the pandemic, the social media strategies that helped them grow awareness and build a loyal community, and so much more.In this episode, we’ll talk to Sasha about:* Saying "yes" and figuring things out can lead to success. [03:02]* Allison’s career journey and how it shaped her. [04:22]* Passion is key to entrepreneurial success. [07:02]* How Allison’s health journey inspired her to create Poppi. [08:51]* Self-funding, entering Whole Foods, and joining Shark Tank. [13:46]* Pivoting to work on Poppi full-time. [14:51]* Preparing for Shark Tank while pregnant. [18:19]* Poppi’s rebranding as a strategy for growth. [22:37]* Persistence and adaptability in entrepreneurship. [24:55]* Taste is crucial in the beverage industry. [27:25]* Having over 2 billion TikTok views. [30:06]* Allison’s first viral TikTok video. [32:01]* Approachable content creation process. [35:56]* Prioritize mental health and learn to say "no." [41:54]* Allison’s experience bringing in a CEO. [44:17]* Rapid business growth requires personal growth and adaptability. [47:22]* Managing burnout by prioritizing self-care. [49:58]* Future plans for Poppi. [52:11]* Let go of “should haves” and focus on your priorities. [53:27]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* 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://drinkpoppi.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkpoppi/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisonellsworth/

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Sasha Plavsic, the founder of ILIA Beauty, a natural skin-centric makeup and skincare brand that paved the way for the “clean-beauty” space as we know it today. Throughout her life, Sasha noticed that some of her beauty products irritated her skin. Her mother, who was also dealing with her own health challenges, encouraged Sasha to look into the ingredients behind her favorite makeup, leading her to notice a real gap in the industry for efficacious makeup that supports healthy skin. This motivated Sasha to build from the ground up out of her parent’s garage and bootstrapping the venture herself. ILIA has now expanded to many different product lines & has award-winning skincare products, mascara, lipsticks, and more. The company has seen incredible growth and in 2022, was sold to the private investment fund of the Courtin-Clarins family.In our episode, Sasha shares how she went from dreaming of becoming an architect to diving into graphic design, even dropping out of college, crossing borders, and finally discovering her true path. She candidly shares her 'aha' moment in her 30s – the catalyst that pushed her to leave behind her old life, get out of a long-term relationship, travel, and create the space for freedom that she always wanted. Sasha shares how she got ILIA off the ground with no background in makeup and the importance of sharing ideas to bring them to life. She also talks about how she started the business with very little money, the exact steps she took to take ILIA to the next level and the importance of listening to her gut and not growing too fast.In this episode, we’ll talk to Sasha about:* Sasha's dream of becoming an architect and college decisions. [09:36]* Parents' reaction to Sasha's education and exploration. [17:11]* Ending a relationship, leaving town, and traveling the world. [23:38]* Honoring life's biggest value, freedom.[26:26]* Supporting her mother's health, and starting ILIA. [31:04]* Sasha's side hustles and entrepreneurial ideas. [33:12]* Working at Saje, self-funding, and dad's support/advice.[40:388]* How Sasha launched the first product with very little money. [43:45]* Managing and overcoming big transitions in her life: Getting married, getting pregnant, and losing her dad to cancer. [47:37]* Turning down Sephora and potential business partnership. [54:447]* Being present with her kids, valuing her own time, and setting boundaries in life. [01:01:27]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* Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/Follow Sasha:* Website: https://iliabeauty.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sashaplavsic/

Did you know that ONLY 12% of Americans are considered metabolically healthy?! That’s 1 in 8 people! Blood sugar has implications for our energy, focus, weight, mental health—and yes, hormone balance. So basically, blood sugar is relevant to all of us. We sat down with one of the foremost experts on this very topic to ask questions submitted by you, our beeya community.In this episode you’ll learn: * The top 5 foods to eat for metabolic health* How blood sugar shifts during women’s cycles* The best way to optimize blood sugar throughout your cycle* What waking up at night could mean about your health* Blood sugar hacks you need to know for everyday life* And more…Dr. Casey Means is a Stanford-trained physician, co-founder of the metabolic health company Levels, and author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Good Energy. Her mission is to empower people to feel limitless, healthy, and positive during our precious lives so we can reach our highest purpose. She is passionate about sharing practical tools that support optimal cellular biology. This not only means making healthy choices for ourselves, but also living in harmony with nature, overcoming fear, setting boundaries, and feeling strong. Her perspective has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The New Yorker, Men's Health, Women's Health, and more.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 Dr. Casey:* Website: https://www.levels.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcaseyskitchen/

Lucy Aylen is the founder and CEO of Never Fully Dressed, a brand rooted in creating quality, inclusive fashion featuring multi-wear designs that can be styled for any occasion.Lucy grew up in London, surrounded by the hustle and creativity of outdoor markets, thanks to her entrepreneurial parents. This vibrant environment sparked her early passion for creativity and fashion. Though she didn’t initially plan to start a business, Lucy began designing and customizing clothing to sell at iconic local markets like Spitalfields and Portobello, where her unique pieces quickly gained a loyal following.  What started as a side project soon blossomed into a global fashion empire. In 2013, Lucy expanded into e-commerce, followed by Never Fully Dressed's first Essex store in 2014. As demand grew internationally, the brand launched its U.S. flagship store in New York City, and in June 2024, added an LA storefront on Melrose Avenue. The brand has also partnered with major retailers like Anthropologie and Revolve, and its designs have been spotted on celebrities, including Beyoncé.In this conversation, Lucy shares her journey from aspiring actress to successful entrepreneur, emphasizing how dreaming big and resilience shaped her path. She credits her upbringing for building her confidence and guiding her decision to stay self-funded, ensuring control and flexibility in growing her brand. Lucy highlights the importance of authenticity in her social media presence and customer relationships, fostering community and loyalty. She also shares lessons from 15 years in the fashion industry, including understanding your customers, building a supportive team culture, staying true to your values as a leader, and much more.In this episode, we’ll talk to Lucy about:* Dream bigger and don't limit your aspirations. [03:13]* Family support provides a foundation for growth. [06:37]* Resilience is key in navigating business challenges. [12:24]* Inspiration behind Never Fully Dressed. [15:54]* Uncertainty gives a sense of responsibility. [17:59]* Self-funding allows for greater control. [21:31]* Sustainable growth is more rewarding than quick success. [27:25]* Understanding your customer. [30:01]* Content efforts during the COVID pandemic. [32:29]* Motherhood can shift perspectives on business. [35:00]* Expanding to the US organically. [39:29]* Trust and clarity are essential in leadership roles. [49:05]* Authenticity in social media. [52:09]* Future plans for Never Fully Dressed. [53:35]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 Lucy:* Website: https://www.neverfullydressed.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neverfullydressed/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyaylen7/

Michelle Cordeiro Grant is the founder and CEO of Gorgie, a better-for-you, clean energy drink created by women, for everyone.Michelle is an incredible entrepreneur who sold her first business, Lively, for over $100 million in just three years. Inspired to launch a new venture, she identified a gap in the market for accessible, health-focused energy drinks, leading to the creation of Gorgie. Combining wellness with strategies from the beauty and fashion industries, Michelle crowd-sourced ideas through social media to develop a vibrant, community-driven brand. Today, Gorgie’s bold cans represent energy and fun, embraced by a diverse community—from fashion lovers to fitness enthusiasts and professionals across industries—proving that wellness can be stylish, inclusive, and accessible for all.In this week’s episode, we sit down with Michelle to discuss her journey from leaving a corporate career to launching her first business, inspired by the birth of her daughter. She shares what motivated her entrepreneurial leap, the value of "living in beta," and embracing imperfection. Michelle opens up about the process of selling Lively and how community feedback shaped her latest venture, Gorgie. She also provides practical strategies for turning ideas into products. We delve into the challenges of product development, navigating both direct-to-consumer and retail landscapes, and the building a growth-oriented team. She shares the power of cultivating an abundance mindset, her hacks for staying focused and optimistic, the role of mentorship, and so much more.In this episode, we’ll talk to Michelle about:* Living in beta allows for growth and exploration. [03:30]* Michelle's mindset for life and business. [05:48]* Letting go of perfection can lead to unexpected success. [07:18]* The power of mindset shifts throughout the day. [10:36]* Selling her first business, Lively, and resetting her life goals. [13:05]* The origin story of Gorgie. [16:49]* From idea to product: Engaging communities through surveys. [19:13]* Getting into Whole Foods. [20:54]* Key components of a strong brand. [22:45]* “Proximity is power.” Lessons from Tony Robbins. [28:09]* Product launches and iterative growth. [29:53]* Navigating DTC and retail sales channels. [37:00]* Challenges of hypergrowth. [40:14]* Problem seekers vs. problem solvers. [45:12]* How Michelle keeps an abundant mindset. [46:55]* Prioritizing family and meaningful relationships. [52:55]* Being comfortable with imperfection. [56:27]* Future plans for Gorgie. [57:53]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 Michelle:* Website: https://getgorgie.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getgorgie/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_michellegrant/

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Alisa Vitti, a pioneer of female biohacking, and a women’s hormone and functional nutrition expert.Have you heard of the cycle syncing craze? This method uses our menstrual cycle to help us plan our diet, exercise routine, social calendar, and more. This means our cycles can actually be our super power! Women’s hormones are dynamic and constantly changing throughout the month. How we feel and show up in our bodies and the world shifts with the fluctuations of our hormones. Our guest, Alisa Vitti has come up with a way to use these ebbs and flows to our advantage. In this episode you’ll learn:* Why cycle syncing matters and how to start today * Why women need to prioritize self care and what that looks like* The impact of male-centric research on women’s bodies * How to live with reverence for our miraculous bodies * And more…As a researcher and author, Vitti has published 2 best-selling and beloved books WomanCode and In the FLO. She uncovered the Infradian Rhythm and created The Cycle Syncing Method which has become a viral wellness movement on social with #cyclesyncing used over 125M times. As one of the earliest femmetech entrepreneurs, she has built the next gen hormone care platform for women through her company FLO Living via its programs, supplements and top ranked hormone care app, MyFLO, with its patented technology to help you get to the root causes of your symptoms.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 Alisa:* Website: https://www.floliving.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floliving/* Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/alisa.vitti/

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Jeanine Lobell, founder of Stila Cosmetics & Neen.After dropping out of high school and trying to forge her own path in the world, serial entrepreneur and world-renowned celebrity makeup artist Jeanine Lobell fell in love with cosmetics. Thanks to her try-anything attitude and strong work ethic, she quickly moved up the ranks to work on famous faces like Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman for the covers of Vogue and Vanity Fair.When Jeanine founded Stila in 1994, with its professional-grade colors and ultra-wearable formulas in recyclable packaging, it took the makeup world by storm and earned a cult following almost overnight. She saw unprecedented growth in the first five years and had numerous investors scrambling to buy the company, which she ultimately sold to Estee Lauder in 1999.Now, she is disrupting the beauty industry all over again with her direct-to-consumer brand, Neen, the first-ever subscription-based card that offers new ways to play with makeup and experience tutorials. In this episode, Jeanine speaks to us about how she discovered her purpose as a high-school dropout and someone who was regularly fired from jobs early in her career.We discuss how Jeanine finally realized her worth, what her superpowers were as a first-time founder when she launched Stila, and the advice she has for women who are looking to make a similar leap in their careers. We also take a look at the importance of having an abundance mindset, owning who you authentically are, finding your own voice, and so much more! In this episode, we’ll talk to Jeanine about:* Breaking free from the “prisons” of others’ opinions. [03:24]* Why Jeanine went to mime school in Paris. [07:47]* Lessons in entrepreneurship from a hot dog stand. [11:39]* Why none of the stops on your journey are a mistake. [13:20]* Rising through the beauty industry ranks. [15:31]* Self-compassion as a first-time founder. [17:14]* The origin story of Stila. [22:12]* Thoughts on competition, comparison, and abundance. [27:01]* Being a first-time mom and a first-time founder. [30:02]* Why we're all works in progress. [39:37]* Selling her first company to Estee Lauder. [41:02]* Overcoming hardship as a serial entrepreneur. [44:19]* Neen’s subscription cards. [48:06]* Success expectations versus reality. [50:06]* Common mistakes first-time founders make. [52:41]* Balancing accountability with self-kindness. [57:52]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 Jeanine:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeaninelobell/  * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weareneen/ * Website: https://weareneen.com/

In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with April Gargiulo, the Founder and CEO of Vintner's Daughter, a cult favorite nutrient-powered skincare brand. Vintner’s Daughter was founded on the principles of unparalleled quality and efficacy, inspired by April’s background in the world of fine winemaking and its uncompromising standards.Admittedly, she knew very little about the skincare industry when she first founded the brand in 2013, but one thing she knew well was how to extract the finest ingredients from plants. After suffering from cystic acne and hyperpigmentation her whole life, April discovered the products she was using were actually made from cheap synthetics, and it was then that she decided to create her own all-natural, multi-beneficial skincare. She launched the Vitner’s Daughter brand with just one product: the Active Botanical Serum, which famously attracted the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, Hailey Bieber, and others who swear by its skin-clearing benefits.In our conversation, April offers some insight into the process of starting her business from her living room with absolutely no knowledge of the beauty industry and she explains how throwing out the rulebook allowed her to stand out in a highly saturated market. We also discuss how she grew into a multimillion-dollar business with only one product and zero investors, the power of meditation and staying true to yourself, and so much more! In this episode, we'll talk to April about:* Why April calls herself risk-averse and how she overcame it. [03:18]* How two entrepreneurial parents shaped April. [04:50]* Life before Vintner's Daughter: from design to winemaking. [05:56]* The story of the sabbatical April took, the apothecary she visited, and how it inspired her first product, the Active Botanical Serum. [12:37]* Other ideas April explored before launching Vintner's Daughter. [15:23]* The early days of product development and launch. [16:58]* Moments of doubt and the motivation to keep going. [19:58]* Growing brand awareness with minimal marketing funds. [23:33]* Scaling, running a business from her living room, working mom hours, and more! [25:20]* Committing to a single SKU over trends. [27:13]* Staying vision-aligned and impact-focused. [29:54]* Her approach to funding and building without investors. [32:02]* The value of a supportive advisory community. [35:50]* The transformative power of meditation and authenticity. [37:18]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 April:* Website: https://vintnersdaughter.com/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vintnersdaughter/