How to Turn Rejection into Your Biggest Advantage (Laney Crowell)

Aspire with Emma Grede

Today on Aspire, Emma sits down with Laney Crowell, founder and CEO of Saie – a brand that consistently has seven products ranked in the top ten at Sephora. 

Emma and Laney talk about what it really took to build Saie from scratch: the mindset shifts, the operational discipline, the hiring decisions, and the resilience required to scale without a traditional founder background.

In this episode, Laney shares:

  • Why rejection isn’t personal and how to use it as fuel

  • What raising capital as a woman actually requires

  • The importance of reference checks and hiring intentionally

  • Why refining consistently beats rushing growth

  • The importance of building a community alongside the brand 

  • The rewards and challenges of building a business as a new mother

This episode is for anyone who feels “not qualified enough” or “not ready yet” and is building anyway.

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2026-02-17 76 min

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