On the latest episode of Executive Exchange, Mielle CEO Monique Rodriguez sits down with host Ruth Umoh to discuss how her company started with the tragedy that sparked her entrepreneurial journey, the haircare-wise acquisition by a Fortune 50 company, and her reaction to criticism over selling a black-owned brand to a non-black parent company.

After experiencing the loss of her son due to complications at birth, Monique experienced postpartum depression and no longer was invested in her full-time job as a home health nurse at the time. She had started working on a side hustle that turned into Mielle Organics. It was a risk that she knew she had to take because she didn't want to risk anyone's life working as a nurse.

On May 23, 2014, Mielle launched with one product and never turned back. Since launching, they've always made a sale. And in 2023, the company was acquired by Procter & Gamble that expanded Mielle's reach to customers. It also allowed them to scale their nonprofit, Mielle Cares, to fund additional economic opportunities for Black and Brown communities.