Hello Podfriend!

It’s been a minute. How’ve you been?

Happy New Season! Wherever you are in the world, I hope this season brings good things your way. Where I’m at, there is a high stakes election underway and by the time this is in your inbox, the first results of the VP Kamala Harris vs. Donald J. Trump presidential election race should be coming in. Wish us all luck. We don’t know whether we will wake up to a horror show or to days as colorful as the ‘candy corn’ in our lead pic for this edition.

Speaking of candy, we are fresh off Halloween, that massive dress up candy fest. The kids have fun though. Every single year I tell myself I’ll dress up with the kids but never quite do that. This year is no different, I guess I’ve never really been a fancy dress kind of person.

What’s been going on in your world? I’d love to hear from you, so hit reply and let me know.

Time to now get into the rest of the newsletter, and a quick reminder to share this edition and ask your friends to join our squad. If this edition was shared with you, please subscribe to get updates and stay in conversation.

Here’s what we’re doing in this edition:

-Studio Update

-Companion Listening

-Horror Shows and Fireworks

-Giving me Joy and Pause

Alright pod friends, let’s get to business!

STUDIO UPDATE

PETS AND FASHION

The idea to start the dog treat company, Lick You Silly came to solopreneur, Barbara Clarke Ruiz, while she was collaborating with tennis superstar, Venus Williams on the relaunch of her own brand, Eleven by Venus. Barbara wanted to create high quality dog treats for her two corgis that frequently got sick from eating cooked food. She educated herself on YouTube university and launched her brand soon after. What she did not expect, was the meteoric rise in the Amazon rankings that came during the pandemic. Since then, hers is one of the leading pet product brands on the platform and she’s constantly selling out.

Barbara Clarke Ruiz is also an award winning activewear designer and fashion design consultant, which is how she’s funding her venture. In our conversation, she discusses how she rose in the ranks at international activewear brands like Adidas and Fila. She also tells us about the exclusive range she created for Kohl’s and her latest venture, Sport Culture Advisor, which she co-founded with a longtime collaborator. 

COMPANION EPISODE

ATHLEISURE DESIGN AND E-COMMERCE

Founder and Creative Designer of her eponymous athleisure brand, Lydia Endora shares her story and tells us how her grandmother inspired her love for fashion, the tenacity imbued in her by her mother and how she hopes to impact the lives of black women in the fashion industry. Lydia’s superpower is customer obsession. She puts a lot of thought into the designs at Lydia Endora, right down to what a typical day looks like for her clients. All her clothes are designed to serve this woman as she switches between activities throughout the day.

In addition to sharing her design process, Lydia talks about her hopes and dreams for her label, the women in fashion who inspire her and of course, how to get things done when you are the owner of a small e-commerce brand. 

ON MY MIND THIS MONTH