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Behind Her Empire
Leaving Your Job & Building an Empire on Your Terms with Suneera Madhani, Co-Founder of Stax
Season 2, Ep. 106
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Suneera Madhani is the co-founder and CEO of Stax, an innovative tech company that radically simplifies the payment ecosystem.
After graduating from college, Suneera decided to work at a consumer goods company and after three years she realized that the corporate world wasn’t for her. She was later recruited by a payment-processing company, and it was then she realized she wanted to do someone on her own.
At age 26, without money, an MBA or any corporate leadership experience…and after being laughed out of her then boss’s office, Suneera began building her now billion-dollar company inside her parents’ Orlando home.
In 8 years, Suneera raised $245M in venture capital and now leads a team of 300+ employees and is committed to helping fellow women and minorities achieve similar accomplishments in business. She also is also the founder of CEO School, which is a podcast and an 8-week program that helps women become entrepreneurs & CEOs – and is on the mission to change the fact that less than 2% of female founders hit $1 million in revenue… and less than 18% ever hit 6 figures. This needs to change!
Suneera gives us the scoop on what it was like to take the leap from a stable corporate job into the uncertainties of entrepreneurship and shares how she manages the ever-looming imposter syndrome to show up as her best self every day.
We explore time management and Suneera’s approach to finding work-life integration, rather than balance, and how she manages running her billion-dollar business while still spending quality time with her two young kids. We also talk about what is missing in the business world: practical advocacy for women’s success, and what she believes is required to change that. Join us to hear a wealth of practical advice and wisdom from Suneera’s story of unlikely success and breaking free of the expectations of others to find fulfillment in living a life that's true to you.
In this episode, we'll talk to Suneera about:
* Breaking free of the expectations of others and living according to who we are instead. [3:35]
* How Suneera’s experience as the child of immigrants shaped her approach to business. [6:30]
* What led her to use her analytical and creative skills to start Stax at the age of 24. [10:32]
* How Stax grew from 5 million in payments the first year to 23 billion in payments per year. [17:08]
* Dealing with imposter syndrome in the early days of launching a business. [21:52]
* Working to keep your psyche in check and show up as your best self as a CEO. [25:05]
* Building habits by repeating activities, and improving with experience. [27:01]
* Combatting perfectionism with the philosophy that ‘done is better than perfect’. [30:05]
* Suneera’s belief in work life integration when managing family life and her company. [36:40]
* The three areas she spends her time on: what she loves, her family, and making an impact. [40:04]
* How she manages her time, starting with what she calls Sunday Zoom Out. [41:50]
* What sparked Suneera’s idea to start CEO School during the pandemic. [45:10]
* The statistic that changed the game for Suneera: only 2% of female founders are breaking a million-dollar revenue. [47:17]
* What is missing in the business world: action in advocating for women. [49:12]
* Why you should subscribe to the CEO School podcast. [51:10]
* Calling listeners to support the female business owners in their lives. [53:10]
Follow Suneera:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani
* Stax Website: https://staxpayments.com/
* CEO School Website: https://theceoschool.co/
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47:38||Season 2, Ep. 344Lindsey Carter is the Founder and CEO of SET Active, a cult-favorite activewear brand known for its elevated athleisure, monochrome sets, and community-driven approach.Lindsey was just about to finish her degree in elementary education when she realized—she didn’t actually want to be a teacher. She shifted her path completely, dove into social media, hustled her way into NBC Universal, and went on to build her own agency from the ground up. While helping other brands build online communities, she had a lightbulb moment to build her own brand. In 2018, Lindsey started SET Active from her apartment, with no outside funding and $20,000 in credit card debt. She was determined to create a brand for the “everyday girl” who wanted activewear that looked as good as it felt. Fast forward to today, SET is a multi-million-dollar business with a cult following, and Lindsey still owns 100% of it. She’s become known not only for her signature monochrome sets, but for her honest take on entrepreneurship and her mission to uplift other women founders.In this week’s episode, Lindsey shares her unexpected journey from wanting to be a kindergarten teacher to building a high growth activewear brand. With zero experience in fashion or manufacturing, she opens up about how she scrappily self-funded SET, found her first production partner, and the make-or-break lessons that came with it. We talk about the early wins that kept her going, how she used social media to build real community, and what it really took to scale the business. Lindsey also gets candid about navigating mental health as a founder, how motherhood changed her leadership style, and why staying authentic—even when it’s hard—is what’s kept her grounded through it all, and so much more. In this episode, we’ll talk to Lindsey about:* How childhood shaped Lindsey’s independence and drive. [00:24]* From an aspiring teacher to working in entertainment. [05:17]* Breaking into entertainment with zero experience. [10:59]* Trusting her gut from a young age. [13:20]* The vision and intention behind SET Active. [16:41]* Building the brand from her apartment, hands-on and scrappy. [20:26]* Self-funding SET Active. [23:28]* Finding her first production partner. [24:04]* What leadership and partnership taught her. [25:57]* Early signs of business growth. [28:57]* How social media fueled brand awareness. [31:26]* Lindsey’s postpartum journey. [33:43]* Navigating fast business growth. [36:35]* How Lindsey manages her mental health. [38:12]* How motherhood shaped her leadership style. [30:10]* The reality of how hard starting a business really is. [43:16]* Why community is key to sustaining long-term passion. [45:04]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 Jordan: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindseycarter/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setactive/* Website: https://setactive.co/
343. No Experience, No Investors: How a Nurse Practitioner Built a Multi-Million Dollar Skincare Brand From Her Garage with Jordan Harper, Founder of Barefaced
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342. Behind the Scenes: How My Co-Founder & I Took a Wellness Idea to Clinical Trial
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341. Doing It Scared, Letting Go of Perfection & Building a Brand for Real Women with Daryl-Ann Denner, Co-Founder of nuuds
54:35||Season 2, Ep. 341Daryl-Ann Denner is an influencer and co-founder of nuuds, a bodywear brand that’s redefining comfort and style with its body-positive designs.Daryl-Ann’s path to entrepreneurship wasn’t exactly traditional — she started out as a high school chemistry teacher with a passion for style and a growing blog on the side. Over time, that creative outlet turned into a full-blown influencer career, where she built a loyal community of over two million fans by simply showing up as herself. In 2022, after years of listening to her audience and struggling to find basics that actually fit her postpartum body, she co-founded nuuds with her husband, Daniel. The brand’s first six styles sold out in just seven minutes — and today, nuuds is a nine-figure business redefining what "basics" should look and feel like for real women.In this week’s episode, Daryl-Ann gets real about anxiety, entrepreneurship, and what it actually looks like to build a business while raising a family. From leaving her pre-med path to launching a blog that turned into a thriving personal brand — and eventually founding her clothing company, nuuds — Daryl-Ann shares how embracing vulnerability and showing up as her true self became her superpower. We talk about everything from doing things scared (her go-to mantra), to the power of consistency and how the biggest moments in her career happened after becoming a mom. She opens up about perfectionism, risk-taking, and why not being an expert can sometimes be your biggest asset. Plus, the real talk behind launching nuuds — a brand built for real women, real bodies, and real life. If you’ve ever felt like you had to wait for the “perfect” moment to chase your dream, this one’s for you.In this episode, we’ll talk to Daryl-Ann about:* Daryl-Ann’s relationship with anxiety and her mantra: “do it afraid.” [03:19]* Why consistency is key to success in any venture. [06:20]* Lessons learned from early work experiences. [07:10]* Starting her personal blog as a creative outlet. [10:59]* How Daryl-Ann put herself out there in the early days. [16:27]* Navigating perfectionism and its impact on growth. [22:40]* The power of authenticity in building an engaged audience. [25:50]* How motherhood transformed her personally and professionally. [28:51]* Turning a passion project into a business. [30:05]* Facing the challenges of launching nuuds in the early days. [36:26]* Why taking risks is essential for entrepreneurs. [39:57]* The importance of having confidence in your product. [41:53]* The critical role of family support in business growth. [45:45]* How being a non-expert can become your greatest asset. [49:07]* Why becoming a mom made her a better entrepreneur. [51:00]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 Daryl-Ann: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darylanndenner/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nuuds/* Website: https://www.nuuds.com/
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55:30||Season 2, Ep. 340Miranda Kerr is 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 everything she put in and on her body, eventually realizing there was a gap in the market for truly clean, certified organic skincare that actually worked. Fueled by a personal mission and a vision for something better, she launched KORA Organics in 2009. Today, it’s a global brand available in over 30 countries, but Miranda’s approach remains deeply personal: leading with intention, staying hands-on with every product, and reminding people that real beauty begins with how we care for ourselves from the inside out.In this episode, Miranda shares the pivotal experiences that shaped her — from growing up in a wellness-focused family to how personal loss at a young age taught her resilience, gratitude, and emotional strength. She reflects on lessons from her early modeling career — handling rejection, building confidence, and trusting her inner voice — and how those experiences prepared her for entrepreneurship. Miranda takes us behind the scenes of launching KORA in the U.S., navigating a highly competitive market, and balancing the emotional highs and lows of building a global brand while raising a family. She also shares how mindfulness, presence, and self-care have been foundational to her success — and why prioritizing inner wellbeing remains at the core of her life and business, and so much more. In this episode, we’ll talk to Miranda about:* Miranda’s family approach to wellness. [02:55]* Her mother’s cancer diagnosis. [04:56]* Losing her boyfriend young & shifting her life perspective. [10:45]* The importance of expressing love and gratitude daily. [14:06]* Miranda’s early modeling career and how it shaped her. [17:18]* Navigating impostor syndrome & building confidence. [20:21]* Lessons in resilience and learning to handle rejection. [23:24]* Miranda’s skincare learnings from her modeling career. [27:19]* Myths around certified organic products. [31:05]* The passion and purpose behind building KORA Organics. [32:19] * Launching KORA in the U.S. [36:10]* The challenges of entering the U.S. market. [40:07]* Managing emotional resilience as an entrepreneur. [44:30]* Managing motherhood with entrepreneurship. [46:57]* A behind-the-scenes look at Miranda’s life as a mom. [47:49]* Balancing her yin and yang energy in daily life. [51:59]* The power of mindfulness and being present. [53:39]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 Miranda: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirandakerr/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koraorganics/* Website: https://koraorganics.com/
339. Blood Sugar 101, Why You’re Craving Sugar + Easy Hacks to Fix It With Food with Kelly LeVeque, CCN
55:23||Season 2, Ep. 339We're sitting down with celebrity nutritionist Kelly LeVeque—best known for her blood sugar-focused approach, and working with stars like Halle Berry and Jessica Alba—to talk all things wellness and nutrition. Whether you're looking to upgrade your diet or better understand how your body works, this episode is full of practical, science-backed tips to support your health journey.In this episode you’ll learn: * The method behind her famous Fab 4 smoothie* How to handle sugar cravings* The best protein options for vegetarians* Her go-to strategies for lasting behavior change* How blood sugar impacts the brain* And more…Kelly is a certified functional nutritionist, wellness expert, and best-selling author living in Southern California with her husband and three young boys. Before starting Be Well By Kelly, she worked in the medical field for Fortune 500 companies like J&J, then moved into personalized medicine, offering tumor gene mapping and molecular subtyping to oncologists, before striking out on her own to start her business. Kelly received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and completed postgraduate studies in clinical nutrition through UCLA and UC Berkeley. She has found her work as a holistic nutritionist to be the most rewarding of her career.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 Kelly: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bewellbykelly/* Website: https://bewellbykelly.com/
338. Leaving Corporate, Finding Herself: How This Founder Turned Burnout Into a Business & a Whole New Life - Justine Tiu, Co-Founder of The Woobles
51:08||Season 2, Ep. 338Justine Tiu is the co-founder of The Woobles, a company that makes beginner-friendly crochet kits designed to help anyone confidently create their first plush.Before launching The Woobles in 2020, Justine was thriving at Google, where she rose from UX designer to one of the youngest leaders on her team. But behind the success, she was quietly battling burnout, imposter syndrome, and a sense that something was missing. In search of happiness, she picked up crocheting—and it quickly became her creative escape. What started as a personal outlet soon sparked the idea for something bigger. She left corporate life behind to launch The Woobles from their garage.In this episode, Justine shares how she went from feeling unfulfilled in her corporate job to testing out multiple business ideas—none of which quite stuck—before stumbling upon a creative outlet that changed everything. What began as a simple Etsy shop eventually grew into a multi-million dollar business. Justine and her husband both quit their jobs to eventually go all-in on The Woobles, navigating everything from learning how to manufacture physical products to handling customer support themselves in the early days. She opens up about the steep learning curve, the mental health challenges of building a brand from scratch, and how customer feedback became their guiding compass. We also dive into the real story behind their Shark Tank experience, the importance of product-market fit over polished branding, the power of a strong support system, and so much more.In this episode, we’ll talk to Justine about:* How childhood creativity shaped Justine’s career path. [03:10]* How corporate experience helped her start her own business. [05:59]* Justine’s experience with fear and impostor syndrome. [08:55]* The mental health benefits of hobbies outside work. [09:36]* Turning a personal hobby into a business. [11:46]* Justine’s experience working in Google. [13:25]* Burnout and the search for true happiness. [16:00]* Quitting their fulltime job and starting an Etsy shop. [17:38]* Early business ideas before launching The Woobles. [19:19]* Why owning your brand and online presence matters. [23:32]* The challenges of quality control in physical products. [25:22]* Mental health struggles and the role of family support. [26:27]* How running a business differs from a corporate job. [28:31]* The importance of focusing on what you can control. [29:32]* Experience on Shark Tank and its impact. [31:14]* Embracing uncertainty can lead to unexpected growth. [35:57]* Product-market fit comes before branding. [44:32]* Why a strong support system is key to balancing life and business. [48:36]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 Justine: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dilly.ofapickle/* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewoobles/* Website: https://thewoobles.com/
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336. Longevity Hacks for Women: Sleep Better, Boost Energy, Calm Stress & Slow Aging | Kayla Barnes
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