A conversation with SENIQ founders Madison Hilson and Tina Thompson, who are reshaping women’s outdoor apparel and redefining what it means to feel good—on trail, on snow, and in the day-to-day!

We talk through the origins of SENIQ—from their early days in merchandising at Victoria’s Secret, to chapters at Outdoor Voices and Backcountry, to the moment in the Wasatch Mountains when the idea finally clicked. They share how hikes became “therapy hikes,” how a record-breaking Utah winter inspired the name, and why mental health is just as central as movement in everything they create.

Madison and Tina break down the rapid rise of SENIQ: selling out their first launch within days, bootstrapping and building out of basements in Ohio, getting into major retailers like REI, Evo, and Backcountry, and trusting their instincts even when industry advice said otherwise. We dig into what it takes to design technical yet trend-driven apparel, why versatility matters so much for women in the outdoors, and the creation of Clarity Club—SENIQ’s community initiative built around getting outside for mental reset.

We also get into the realities of early-stage startups: burnout, building a business with your best friend, funding decisions, learning paid marketing on the fly, finding joy in the chaos, and why fear is often the clearest sign you’re moving in the right direction. It’s a grounded look at building a brand around mental health, movement, and choosing to take the scenic route—literally and figuratively.

@wanderstudioss for more from us!

If you enjoyed the episode, leaving a quick Spotify review really helps small shows like ours grow :)

SENIQ Website: https://seniqbrand.com
SENIQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seniq
Clarity Club (SENIQ community hikes): https://seniqbrand.com/pages/movement-meetups
SENIQ Substack: https://seniq.substack.com
REI — SENIQ products: https://www.rei.com/b/seniq
Evo — SENIQ products: https://www.evo.com/shop/brand/seniq
Backcountry — SENIQ products: https://www.backcountry.com/seniq
Christy Sports — SENIQ ski apparel: https://christysports.com