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"But it is important to ask your wholesale partners for help and to say I cant give that but we are working towards it and allow them to be part of that journey”
In this episode of the Entreprenista Podcast, Stephanie sits down with Michelle Wahler, co-founder and former CEO of Beyond Yoga, to unpack the remarkable journey of building a beloved activewear brand from the ground up and ultimately selling it to Levi Strauss & Co.
Michelle shares how she and her co-founder grew Beyond Yoga organically without outside investors, why saying “no” to major retail opportunities helped protect the brand, and how relationships with wholesale partners became one of the company's greatest growth engines. She also reveals how she navigated more than $6 million in canceled orders during the early days of COVID—and how that crisis ultimately accelerated the company's e-commerce growth.
What We Talked About:
From Graphic Design to New York City [3:39]
Early Sales Reps and Brand Credibility [10:25]
Partnering With REI [17:57]
The Pandemic and $6M in Cancellations [37:37]
A Memorable Last Day [54:41]
Mentoring Female Founders [60:26]
Connect with Michelle:
@michelle.wahler on Instagram
Michelle Wahler on LinkedIn
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of The Entreprenista Podcast - the most fun business meeting for women founders and leaders. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.
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Guests
Michelle Wahler
Hosts
Stephanie Cartin
Co-founder of Socialfly and Entreprenista.
Stephanie Cartin is the co-founder and CEO of Entreprenista, an all-in-one platform – which includes a private community & business membership called The Entreprenista League that's made up of over 2,000 women founders at all stages of business, a weekly newsletter received by 60,000 readers, two podcasts, in-person educational & networking events, and an award program – that women founders at all stages can turn to for everything they need to grow.
Stephanie is also the co-founder of Socialfly (acquired by Truform Media Group in 2024), Markid, and Pearl Influential Capital. She has won countless awards, including the SmartCEO Brava award, which recognizes the top women CEOs in New York, and a Stevie Award for Women-Run Workplace of the Year. She has also appeared in Bloomberg, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Refinery29, and more.
Courtney Spritzer
Co-founder of Entreprenista.
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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