Aspire with Emma Grede
Aspire with Emma Grede
Emma Grede | Audacy
How to Turn Rejection into Your Biggest Advantage (Laney Crowell)
1 hour 16 minutes Posted Feb 17, 2026 at 8:01 am.
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Show notes
Today on Aspire, Emma sits down with Laney Crowell, founder and CEO of Saie – a brand that consistently has seven products ranked in the top ten at Sephora. 
Emma and Laney talk about what it really took to build Saie from scratch: the mindset shifts, the operational discipline, the hiring decisions, and the resilience required to scale without a traditional founder background.
In this episode, Laney shares:
Why rejection isn’t personal and how to use it as fuel
What raising capital as a woman actually requires
The importance of reference checks and hiring intentionally
Why refining consistently beats rushing growth
The importance of building a community alongside the brand 
The rewards and challenges of building a business as a new mother
This episode is for anyone who feels “not qualified enough” or “not ready yet” and is building anyway.
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