Meredith Limoges of SayLa on Clean Beauty and Emotional Wellness

Please share a brief introduction and your business:

I’m Meredith Limoges, the Founder & CEO of SayLa, a clean-beauty and tech brand built around one belief: the words we speak shape the lives we live. After walking through a difficult personal season marked by loss, conflict, and burnout, I found myself longing for peace and purpose in the smallest moments of my day. That’s when the idea for SayLa was born — a simple, organic lip balm paired with a personalized affirmations app that helps women replace limiting beliefs with truth. Today, SayLa blends clean beauty with emotional wellness, offering women a practical daily ritual that brings them back to center, one swipe at a time.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Not at all — but I always knew I wanted to build things that set people free. Entrepreneurship became the vehicle. Over time I realized I thrive in vision, innovation, and creating experiences that help women step into wholeness. Entrepreneurship gave me the freedom to build beauty-forward brands that also carry deep purpose.

Take us back to when you launched? What was your marketing strategy?

SayLa’s earliest strategy centered on storytelling: sharing the founder story, the emotional “why,” and the unique blend of clean beauty + personalized affirmations. We focused on social media, lean paid ads, and community-driven conversation around emotional wellness. Our earliest traction came from women resonating deeply with the mission — not just the product. Not everything went as planned (manufacturing delays tested our patience!), but the response to the brand story and the emotional value of the ritual far exceeded expectations.

What accomplishments are you the most proud of to date in your business?

I’m most proud of bringing a completely new category to life — a clean-beauty product paired with a personalized affirmations app. SayLa started as a whisper during a painful season, and turning that idea into a tangible, scalable brand has been one of the greatest achievements of my career. The moment women began sharing how the ritual was grounding them, helping them breathe again, or shifting their mindset — that’s when I knew we built something meaningful.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

My go-to interview question is simple: “What do you know about our business?”

It tells me immediately whether someone has taken the time to understand our mission, our products, and the heart behind what we’re building. I’m looking for people who show curiosity, preparation, and alignment — not just with the role, but with the deeper purpose of the brand.

Hiring someone who cares enough to research us always leads to better culture fit, stronger ownership, and a team that moves the mission forward with intention.

What did you go before starting your own business?

Before launching SayLa, I spent more than a decade building Beaudin, an eco-luxury accessories brand that has grown to over 500 retail partners. My work has always centered on freedom and restoration — from hiring women coming out of difficult situations in Atlanta to partnering with anti-trafficking organizations globally. I’ve served in ministry, led outreaches, designed products, and worked directly with women overcoming exploitation. That blend of entrepreneurship, ministry, and advocacy deeply shaped the heart behind SayLa.

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

My leap wasn’t a single moment — it was a calling. Years ago, while praying about the cause my business should support, a friend handed me a pamphlet about human trafficking. I instantly knew this was where my life and work were meant to converge. That spark eventually became Beaudin, Door of Hope, and now SayLa. SayLa emerged from a later season of personal hardship, where I realized how desperately women need simple, grounding tools that remind them of truth in their daily lives. It felt less like starting a business and more like answering an assignment.

Do you have any recent wins?

Yes — several! This past year we secured manufacturing for our first 15,000-unit production run, finalized our six truth-centered affirmation labels, and completed development for SayLa’s personalized affirmations app. We also grew our community organically through brand storytelling and early beta content, confirming a strong product–market fit with women seeking emotional wellness tools that feel both modern and grounded in truth. On top of that, our nonprofit, Door of Hope, gained momentum in Thailand as we took meaningful steps toward opening our first “Door” — a safe haven for exploited women. It’s been a year of building foundations that matter.

What's one app on your phone that you cannot live without?

Audible. I’m constantly learning, growing, and refining how I lead, and Audible is the one app that makes that possible no matter where I am. Whether I’m traveling, walking, or in between meetings, I can pour into my personal growth and fuel my mindset. It’s become one of the most valuable tools in my routine as a founder.

Who are your customers?

Our customers are modern women who crave grounding, emotional clarity, and intentional living. We serve two primary groups: women 35–64 who value wellness, spirituality, and meaningful rituals, and younger women 18–34 who love clean beauty, personal development, and emotional support tools. Both groups are drawn to brands that combine beauty, purpose, and truth — and SayLa meets them right where they are.

What's your top productivity tip?

My top productivity tip is simple: track what you commit to. I use a personal commitment-tracking system that keeps my promises, priorities, and follow-through visible in one place. It prevents overwhelm, builds trust with myself, and helps me stay focused on what actually moves the mission forward.

I also rely heavily on my executive assistant. Having someone who manages communication, protects my calendar, and keeps key tasks moving allows me to stay in my zone of genius — vision, strategy, and creative leadership. Those two tools together have transformed my productivity.

What's your favorite business tool?

People — truly. No software or system has impacted my business as deeply as the right people have. My employees, my connections, and my mentors are the backbone of every move forward.

Great people bring wisdom, perspective, accountability, and encouragement. They see blind spots, spark ideas, and carry the mission with you. At every stage of growth, the most valuable “tool” I’ve had is the community of people who believe in the vision and help bring it to life.

What's your approach to work-life balance?

I’ve learned that work-life balance starts with hiring good people. When you have a capable team you trust, you gain the margin to rest, think clearly, and lead from vision instead of urgency. I also make vacations and time away a priority. Stepping out of the day-to-day restores creativity and helps me return with fresh perspective.

And most importantly, I make space for what fuels me — especially my nonprofit work. Pouring into Door of Hope reminds me why I build businesses in the first place. That alignment keeps me energized and grounded, not depleted.

How do you avoid burn-out?

I protect one non-negotiable rhythm: taking a Sabbath each week. Stepping away from work, noise, and productivity resets my mind and restores my creativity. That intentional pause keeps me grounded and prevents the slow creep of burnout.

I also start every morning with prayer and meditation. Before I engage with the world, I take time to quiet my mind, align my heart, and reconnect to purpose. Those practices create margin, clarity, and emotional resilience — the things that keep me leading from a place of wholeness, not exhaustion.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Stay curious — it will keep you adaptable, innovative, and open to what’s possible. Curiosity is what helps you ask better questions, notice opportunities others overlook, and keep growing as a leader. And don’t get distracted by failures. They’re not roadblocks; they’re data points. Learn from them, adjust, and let them catapult you forward. Some of my greatest pivots and breakthroughs came from moments that felt like setbacks at the time. Progress isn’t about avoiding failure — it’s about staying committed to learning your way through it.

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