In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes with Sasha Plavsic, the founder of ILIA Beauty, a natural skin-centric makeup and skincare brand that paved the way for the “clean-beauty” space as we know it today. 

Throughout her life, Sasha noticed that some of her beauty products irritated her skin. Her mother, who was also dealing with her own health challenges, encouraged Sasha to look into the ingredients behind her favorite makeup, leading her to notice a real gap in the industry for efficacious makeup that supports healthy skin. This motivated Sasha to build from the ground up out of her parent’s garage and bootstrapping the venture herself. ILIA has now expanded to many different product lines & has award-winning skincare products, mascara, lipsticks, and more. The company has seen incredible growth and in 2022, was sold to the private investment fund of the Courtin-Clarins family.

In our episode, Sasha shares how she went from dreaming of becoming an architect to diving into graphic design, even dropping out of college, crossing borders, and finally discovering her true path. She candidly shares her 'aha' moment in her 30s – the catalyst that pushed her to leave behind her old life, get out of a long-term relationship, travel, and create the space for freedom that she always wanted. Sasha shares how she got ILIA off the ground with no background in makeup and the importance of sharing ideas to bring them to life. She also talks about how she started the business with very little money, the exact steps she took to take ILIA to the next level and the importance of listening to her gut and not growing too fast.

In this episode, we’ll talk to Sasha about:

* Sasha's dream of becoming an architect and college decisions. [09:36]

* Parents' reaction to Sasha's education and exploration. [17:11]

* Ending a relationship, leaving town, and traveling the world. [23:38]

* Honoring life's biggest value, freedom.[26:26]

* Supporting her mother's health, and starting ILIA. [31:04]

* Sasha's side hustles and entrepreneurial ideas. [33:12]

* Working at Saje, self-funding, and dad's support/advice.[40:388]

* How Sasha launched the first product with very little money. [43:45]

* Managing and overcoming big transitions in her life: Getting married, getting pregnant, and losing her dad to cancer. [47:37]

* Turning down Sephora and potential business partnership. [54:447]

* Being present with her kids, valuing her own time, and setting boundaries in life. [01:01:27]

This episode is brought to you by Beeya:

* If you or anyone you know have been struggling with hormonal imbalances and bad periods, go to https://beeyawellness.com/free to download the free guide to tackling hormonal imbalances

* Plus, get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE10

Follow Yasmin:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/

* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/

Follow Sasha:

* Website: https://iliabeauty.com/

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sashaplavsic/

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