In this episode, Adam Callinan sits down with Bree Van Leeuwen, founder of Daily Shade, to break down how a personal moment turned into a four-year product development journey in one of the most regulated industries in the world.

After her daughter had a severe allergic reaction to a “safe” sunscreen, Bree uncovered major gaps in the industry—misleading marketing, hidden ingredients, and a lack of truly clean, effective mineral options. What followed was years of formulation, failed iterations, manufacturing challenges, and ultimately launching a DTC brand from zero.

This conversation goes beyond product—it’s about resilience, questioning systems, building while flying, and the reality of balancing entrepreneurship with motherhood.

🚀 What You’ll Learn

•  How a personal problem turned into a startup opportunity 
•  Why most “mineral sunscreens” aren’t actually clean 
•  The 4-year journey to develop a compliant, effective product 
•  Navigating FDA, contract manufacturing, and product failures 
•  How to launch DTC with no experience or marketing budget 
•  Why “building the plane while flying it” is real 
•  The truth about startup life, motherhood, and systems 
•  How to manage chaos, uncertainty, and founder pressure 

🧠 Key Takeaways

•  The best businesses often start with real pain points 
•  Industry norms should be questioned—not accepted blindly 
•  Execution beats overplanning every time 
•  Contracts matter most when things go wrong 
•  You can’t do everything—systems and support are critical 
•  Balance is built, not found 

🔗 Explore More

👉 Pentane: https://www.pentane.com
👉 Growth Mavericks Podcast: https://www.growthmaverickspodcast.com
👉 Daily Shade: https://dailyshade.com