Inside the Wellness World with MN-Made Brands: A LAB Talk Recap
BY EMMA GEARY - MARCH 7TH, 2024
All photos courtesy of Nastia Krinitsyn & Glass House
February 29th only comes once every four years, and this Leap Day, we made the most of it by welcoming an incredible panel of creative women from the wellness world to share their stories, advice, and how they took their big ideas from concept to reality. Plus, we had a few surprises in store for our audience.
Whether it was connecting over a shared past in agriculture (who knew!) or sharing the moment they knew their product was a hit, we were honored to welcome women of Odele, Rae Wellness, Welly, and Sigma Beauty to the stage in conversation with our very own Creative Director, Mollie Windmiller. Preparation for this LAB Talk was easy–these are the products our team truly uses on a daily basis, so we knew and appreciated the quality, design, and expertise that goes into everything they create.
As the beauty and wellness industry evolves to become more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable for all, these Minnesota-based entrepreneurs are the ones helping to shape a more beautiful feature for the industry. As we settled in with a cup of coffee, we got to know the incredible women behind these trailblazing brands.
Here were a few of the morning’s most memorable moments:
Pausing for Alignment
One thing all of our panelists have in common is that they listened to themselves and took a moment to pause before taking their “leap of faith.” For Angie Tebbe of Rae Wellness, this meant taking a step back from her role in merchandising at Target and assessing what truly fueled her in her career. Angie shared, “I grew up in a family of holistic healers from Fargo, ND. I was burnt out in my job and knew the women in my life were not doing well, either. The moment when I knew starting Rae was the right path forward for me was when I returned to my roots of healing and started taking care of myself.”
Annie shared a similar sentiment when she made the decision to shift from being a full-time freelance designer, which she’d been doing for over 15 years, and take on the role of Visual Product and Marketing Director at Welly. “I had just gotten married, was going to have a baby, and so much in my life was changing that I knew it was time for something different. I took time to pause and reflect and when this opportunity arose, I knew it was right for me.”
Curiosity is Key
Co-Founder of Odele Lindsay Holden shared one of the biggest lessons she’s learned throughout the process of bringing Odele to life, explaining how, “starting and scaling a business are two very different things. Throughout this growth process, it’s been important for me to stay curious and continue trying new things. There is no one right way to do this, and there have been so many different things that have come up along the way that required us to simply take action, give it a try, and do it again.”
Simone of Sigma Beauty told the story of how in the development process for her first brush, she sent the product to one of her favorite YouTube makeup artists, curious about what their expert feedback would be. “My husband and I went out to dinner,” she shared, “and when we came back, I saw that they had loved the brush so much they did a video recommending it to their followers and we had completely sold out. We only had 300 available. There was a waiting list of over 2000 people and at that time, I was still working and shipping out of my basement!”
Making Meaning
What is in a name? For these wellness brands, the symbolism runs deep.
Lindsay Holden shared the origins of Odele, explaining how, “My family’s shower was filled with so many different products. Kid-friendly clean shampoo for my kids, expensive, salon-grade things for me, and do-it-all products for my husband. My co-founders and I started thinking about what one product would look like that could meet everyone’s needs. When it came to naming, “odele” means “to share” in Norwegian, which is a homage to our roots as Minnesotans and the ethos of sharing our products across ages, genders, and hair care needs.”
Simone explained that since she co-founded the brand with her engineer husband and had her own PhD in Infectious Diseases, the Sigma symbolizes “the sum of all” in the science world, which speaks to the melting pot of different cultures, products, and solutions that come from Sigma Beauty’s brushes and makeup.
Annie shared how Welly plays off the term “Get Well,” using @getwelly as their social media handles and website name, further supporting their mission of encouraging play and adventure for all. “It’s a way to approach first aid from a more playful perspective, which is something we don’t see often in this space,” she said.
Angie confessed that when the name Rae was first suggested to her, she was hesitant. Though it symbolized their mission to help their customer shine from within, she admitted, “I didn’t tell the agency we were working with why I was resisting the name, but it was actually because it was so personal. Rae is my middle name, and also my father’s name, who had passed around the same time. I later realized that it was okay for there to be such a deep meaning behind the name, and ultimately it was meant to be.”
Sharing the Love
The best surprise of the morning? Giveaways! Sigma was generous enough to provide every attendee with a gift bag that included their cult-favorite Flat Kabuki brush, Sigma Switch, and Hydro Melt Lip Mask. Odele gave everyone a travel-sized Air Dry Styler (which is a personal favorite of Mollie, Emma, and Kate!). To make things sweeter, Rae and Welly chose four lucky winners to have a special gift package sent to their home.
It was a morning filled with great energy, entrepreneurial spirit, and a crew of panelists (and attendees!) who are rooting for each other to succeed. Special thanks to Glass House for providing such a beautiful space for us to host LAB Talks, and to everyone who joined!
Emma Geary
Emma is the one writing it all down. She's been with LAB since 2021 and is finishing her MFA in Creative Writing in her spare time. Her favorite color right now is cobalt blue.
