The Heart-led Brand Podcast Abbey McGrew / Wayfarer Design Studio

Resist is a low sugar, vegan protein bar company. Their story started when Drew Lederman was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance at 18. Although there are many “healthy” protein bars out there, she couldn’t find one with clean ingredients that didn't trigger her hormonal symptoms or give her a fast blood sugar spike. So she teamed up with her co-founder, Emily, and a board of medical advisors to create Resist and start offering delicious, doctor-recommended vegan bars with a clinically-backed stable blood sugar response.

In the episode, Abbey talks with Drew about:


The steps she took to research, test products and launch the business
An expensive packaging mistake that they made in the early days
Why those “healthy” protein bars aren’t always what they seem and how Resist is filling a gap in the industry by focusing on ingredients that won’t spike your blood sugar
Tips for making the transition from D2C to retail and thinking out of the box when it comes to choosing retail partners



You can follow Resist on IG and Tiktok or go shop their products at eatresist.com! And use the code "HEARTLED15" to get 15% off your order 🎉

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You can find the full episode show notes and more heart-led brand building advice at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

🎁 Or check out our free resources to help you build your own heart-led business at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/resources⁠

Sabah always knew that she wanted to start her own business one day, but never expected it to be in beauty. She started her career journey in the fashion world, working at Alexander McQueen, Tom Ford Beauty and Harrods. But as you’ll hear in this interview, life took a turn and led her to launch Calling – a clean beauty brand that puts community first. They officially launched in 2023 with their hero product, Face Fog, and have already been featured in British Vogue and named Best New Beauty Brand by Pure Beauty Magazine.

In the episode, Abbey talks with Sabah about:


The first steps that she took to launch Calling – from consumer research to finding manufacturers to figuring out supply chain issues
Why she chose to launch with just one product
How she’s approached marketing and dealing with social media burnout as a business owner



You can follow Calling on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠ or go shop their products on callingbeauty.com

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You can find the full episode show notes and more heart-led brand building advice at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

🎁 Or check out our free resources to help you build your own heart-led business at ⁠⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/resources

Shreya Aggarwal is a former Dermstore Fragrance Buyer turned wellness founder. She has always been a lover of fragrance and the important role it plays in our lives. Many of her earliest childhood memories are linked back to specific fragrance notes. But it wasn't until she found herself dealing with mental health issues and insomnia that she really began to view fragrance as not just an indulgence, but a powerful tool to improve her wellbeing. That’s what led her to start Caftari – a fragrance brand that uses neuroscents to activate different areas of the brain and support your wellness journey.

Since launching in November of 2023, Caftari has already been featured in places like Oprah Daily, Beauty Independent, W Magazine and mindbodygreen.

(P.S. Shreya is also a Wayfarer client! We designed Caftari’s brand identity, product packaging and Shopify website. You can view the full case study here.)

In the episode, Abbey talks with Shreya about:


Always having the dream to launch her own company and finally taking the leap to start Caftari
Navigating challenges with manufacturing (how long Shreya originally thought it would take vs. how long it actually took)
The science behind Caftari’s fragrance formulas and how they connect to wellness and mood
Tips for pitching your product to retailers and how Shreya’s background as a buyer has informed her approach to finding retail partners



You can follow them on Instagram, TikTok or go shop their products on caftari.com!

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You can find the full episode show notes and more heart-led brand building advice at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

🎁 Or check out our free resources to help you build your own heart-led business at ⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/resources

Stephanie is a former PR executive, a wife, mother of two kids, a game show winner and now the founder of Finer Liner. After years working in the PR and product development world with brands like Crate & Barrel and Ralph Lauren, Stephanie discovered a common household problem that nobody seemed to be addressing. Using those tacky grocery store bags to line your small trash bins, which never work well and always leave you with icky items stuck to the bottom of the bin.

So Stephanie decide to create a solution and launched the Finer Liner dispenser kit, which is a sleek refillable source of trash bin liners that attaches to the bottom of your trash bin. Think of it like a beautiful tissue box, but for trash bags. You just pull up the first liner, wait til it’s full of trash, then rip it off a the bottom and pull up a fresh one right from the dispenser. It’s genius and beautifully designed.

In this episode, Abbey chats with Stephanie about:


Creating prototypes for her product
Figuring out how to enter a competitive market that already has huge brand names
Her hopes for the future of the trash industry



Follow Finer Liner on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠

Shop their trash bin liners at www.shopfinerliner.com!

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You can find the full episode show notes and more heart-led brand building advice at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

🎁 Or check out our free resources to help you build your own heart-led business at ⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/resources

Hella Awkward is a card game for the awkward conversations you’ve been meaning to have. Each card serves as a deep conversation starter to spark unforgettable experiences of connection, laughter and fun, one awkward conversation at a time. Since launching, Hella Awkward has been featured in Essence, Buzzfeed and Health Magazine. And their card games are now available through Target, Walmart, Amazon & Urban Outfitters!

In this episode, Abbey chats with co-founder Brittane Rowe about:


How downtime during COVID and weekly FaceTimes with family sparked the idea to create a card game that invites people to have deeper conversations
The first steps Britt and her co-founders had to take to bring Hella Awkward to life + some launching mistakes that they made
How they got their products in big retailers like Target and tips to help you prepare for that transition
How Hella Awkward has approached marketing to keep building the hype around their product



Follow Hella Awkward on Instagram and TikTok

Shop their card games at hellawkward.com!

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You can find the full episode show notes and more heart-led brand building advice at ⁠⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/blog⁠⁠⁠⁠.

🎁 Or check out our free resources to help you build your own heart-led business at ⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/resources

It all started when Lila Joy Baumgardner was working as COO at Bank of America and searching for a natural energy solution to fight burnout and heal from years of stress. After discovering the power of naturally-derived energy, she created JoyShot, a functional beverage company bringing powerful energy complexes and convenience to those at their busiest. JoyShot's ready-to-drink, all-natural energy shots feature vitamins and adaptogenic extracts and provide sustained, all-day energy for those on the go.

In the episode, Abbey chats with founder Lila Joy about:


Breaking away from industry norms and creating a disruptive product
Building a strategic brand and some of the small decisions that go into that
Her hopes for the future of the energy drink industry



Follow JoyShot on ⁠Instagram⁠

Shop their energy shots at drinkjoyshot.com and use the code "WAYFARER20" to get 20% off your purchase!

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You can find the full episode show notes and more heart-led brand building advice at ⁠⁠⁠wayfarerdesignstudio.com/blog⁠⁠⁠.

🎁 Or check out our free resources to help you build your own heart-led business at wayfarerdesignstudio.com/resources