Bassima Mroue is the CEO and co-founder of SkinTē, the first-ever collagen sparkling tea at the intersection of beauty, food, and wellness. Passionate about developing purpose-driven brands, inspiring women, and destigmatizing self-care, Bassima calls on her diverse professional experience to revolutionize the way we approach beauty and wellness from the inside out. She has over a decade’s worth of experience working with big brands like Nike and Spanx and, as a board member of the Sara Blakely Foundation, she is also an active supporter of female empowerment. While at the height of her career, Bassima’s body started shutting down, and she was diagnosed with Stage 4 endometriosis. She also had to undergo impromptu back surgery to correct her painful sciatica and was encouraged by her surgeon to take collagen every day to assist her in her post-op recovery. After seeing how quickly she bounced back, Bassima realized the power of collagen but she knew there must be a better-tasting way to consume it, and the idea for SkinTē was born.In this episode, Bassima speaks candidly about her health journey and emphasizes the importance of prioritizing self-care. Tuning in, you’ll find out how she does that as the CEO of a rapidly growing business and hear the story of how she partnered with two other women founders to create an easy, effective, and more delicious way to get your daily collagen intake. We also touch on what the early days of building SkinTē looked like, the scrappiness it takes to get a beverage product to market, the power of your intuition in business, and some of the biggest lessons she’s learned from the corporate world to now building her purpose-driven brand.In this episode, we'll talk to Bassima about:* The power of believing in yourself and why Bassima thinks women find it difficult. [2:59]* Insight into her upbringing and how it informed the businesswoman she is today. [5:09]* Understanding Bassima’s health journey and the role her hormones have played. [7:51]* How her unconventional approach served her when she became an entrepreneur. [15:16]* What her experience of working with Sara Blakely was like. [16:33]* Tips for tapping into your intuition using what Bassima calls micro self-care. [18:45]* Where the inspiration for SkinTē came from; to serve a personal need. [22:21]* Insight into the early stages of SkinTē and the research and development that went into their first product. [25:51]* The importance of gratitude, nourishing relationships and seeking mentorship. [31:50]* Breaking through the fear of asking for money by borrowing from how men think. [34:21]* Bassima’s perspective on postponing stress; you only have so much energy! [39:02]* The advantages of being a woman in business and leveraging your feminine energy. [43:52]* Tips for building your brand: keep it rooted in purpose. [47:12]* Challenges Bassima had to overcome as she grew her brand, including fundraising. [50:34]* The value of trusting your intuition when vetting investors and doing due diligence. [53:36]* Common mistakes that Bassima sees women in business making, including the belief that their advisors always know best. [54:59]This episode is brought to you by beeya: * Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances. * Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10Follow Bassima:* Website: https://skinte.com/* Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bassimamroue/Follow Yasmin: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.