Ashley Merrill is a serial-entrepreneur and investor whose personal mission is to elevate and empower all women & girls. In 2012, Ashley just started business school and in the same month realized she was pregnant with her first child. The news lit a now-or-never fire and pushed Ashley to overcome her fears and launch the company she had been thinking about for years, Lunya, a luxury sleepwear line that provides confidence to the modern woman. In our interview, we’ll have an honest conversation about why we need more successful women in business, what the journey was like starting a high growth business while raising two young kids, and the importance of partnership in your marriage. Ashley is also the Chairwoman of Outdoor Voices, an activewear brand, founder of Lahgo, a men’s luxury sleepwear line, and her newest project, the Deep, a platform for curious people that will change the way we have conversations with each other. In this episode, we'll talk to Ashley about:* Ashley opens up about her college experience and how she landed in culinary school [4:05]* Ashley shares how to make an impact and be in an industry despite not fitting “the mold” [8:42]* How Ashley pivoted her career and found the confidence to make the leap [11:33]* How the idea of Lunya came about and why motherhood motivated her to actually go for it [14:51]* Ashley shares her unique story on launching Lunya while she was in labor [18:51]* Ashley walks through how she funded the business and how the VC landscape has shifted over the years [21:36]* Why we need to have more successful women businesses [30:15]* Ashley opens up about her life and marriage starting a high growth business with two young kids [31:16]* Ashley discusses her definition of wealth and why she equates it to freedom [44:05]Follow Ashley:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashley__merrill/ * Lunya: https://www.lunya.co/* Lahgo: https://lahgo.co/* The Deep: https://www.thedeep.life/Follow Yasmin:* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.behindherempire.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.