A painful ski accident left a former investment banker turning to acupuncture—and her immediate relief inspired an idea for a business. With a partner who already provided acupuncture to celebrities, Michelle Larivee envisioned a new kind of acupuncture service—and co-founded WTHN—ancient healing for modern life with acupuncture and organic herbs. Including Sound Therapy, heated tables, a wellness lounge and even vanity areas, WTHN is a thoughtfully designed experience offering affordable pampering and healing aimed at millennials who are focused on wellness. Michelle joins Socialfly Co-Founder Courtney Spritzer in the MouthMedia Network studio for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success. Plus, a surprise!In this episode:
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin is a serial entrepreneur, investor, podcast host, community builder, and a champion for women founders. She created the Entreprenista League, a community for women founders, to provide resources and support necessary at all business stages. She’s also the Co-founder of Socialfly, one of the first social media marketing agencies, as well as Entreprenista Media and Pearl Influential Capital which was recently acquired by Cherub. Stephanie has shared her journey managing her health challenges with Multiple Sclerosis, Infertility, and a complicated pregnancy and is an advocate for women going through similar challenges. Her story and businesses have been featured on the Today Show, Bloomberg and Forbes. Consider Stephanie your biggest business cheerleader.
Courtney Spritzer is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and community builder with a passion for creating brands and platforms that empower women to lead, grow, and thrive.
In 2012, she co-founded Socialfly, a leading social-first digital and influencer marketing agency. Over the course of a decade, she helped scale the business into an award-winning agency working with Fortune 500 brands and emerging startups, building a powerhouse team and culture along the way. In 2024, Socialfly was acquired.
In 2018, Courtney launched the Entreprenista Podcast to spotlight the stories of inspiring women founders. That passion evolved into Entreprenista Media in 2021, a media platform and community supporting women entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. She now co-leads the continued expansion of The Entreprenista League, a membership-driven community and ecosystem for founders.
As an angel investor, Courtney supports female-led and mission-driven startups aligned with her vision for a more inclusive and equitable business landscape.
She is the co-author of Like, Love, Follow: The Entreprenista’s Guide to Using Social Media to Grow Your Business (2015), a strategic guide for leveraging social platforms to drive business success.
Her work and ventures have been featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The New York Times. She is committed to championing visionary founders and helping build the next generation of impactful, community-driven businesses.
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Highlights
- How WTHN was designed to be located in the same areas where people live, work, and play
- How Michelle grew her customer base more than 10X overnight
- Why investing in a business coach is her best advice for Entreprenistas
- The concept of Prevent, Heal, Glow
- Why the core values of WTHN relate to the desire to scale quickly
- What it was like to run a new business and have a baby at the same time
- And why a daily “run the world” dietary supplement might be very aptly named