Leading Through the Storm

A founder’s note on softness, self-trust, and learning to lead before you feel ready

Jul 07, 2025

These are the tides beneath the surface.
The quiet thoughts, soft reckonings, and small wins that don’t always make the highlight reel.
Founder’s Notes are where I write from the in-between. Building Coastelle with doubt in my pocket and vision in my chest.
If you’ve ever tried to bring something beautiful to life before you felt fully ready, this space is for you.

This letter is part of The Invictus Series, a month-long reflection on the four stanzas of William Ernest Henley’s poem “Invictus.” Each piece explores a different line of the poem through the emotional tides of building Coastelle, navigating uncertainty, and reclaiming self-trust in the in-between.

Leadership in the Storm

I was sitting in front of a half-filled brand deck.
A tab with packaging sketches open.
Slack pings ignored.
Chest tight.

Every part of me screaming: you’re not ready.
And I thought of that line we all love to quote:

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

But what does that mean when you don’t even know where the ship is headed?
What does it mean to be the captain when you still feel like a passenger in your own process?

I winced.
I whispered, what am I even doing?

The Turning Point

It wasn’t just a hard day.
It was the day I realized:
I had to completely rebrand.

I had been building Coastelle from instinct, inspiration, and half-formed dreams.
But the truth hit me — I didn’t know what I was doing.

Not really.

And that’s not shame.
That’s clarity.

Leadership in the storm is learning to pause, not just push.

I took a step back.
Did the research.
Talked to experts.
Asked harder questions.
Let go of timelines.

And reimagined what this brand could be — not just what I thought it should be.

Not Just a Product

I’m not building a moisturizer.
I’m building a feeling.

Something women like me can come home to.
Something that doesn’t just sit on a shelf but lives in a ritual.

A world to step into — slow, sensory, sacred.

I don’t want to sell skincare.
I want to offer a soft place to land.

The original plan would have launched faster.
It probably would’ve worked.

But it wouldn’t have felt like me.
And if it doesn’t start from the heart, it won’t reach anyone else’s.

What Leadership Looks Like Now

I used to think being a founder meant being decisive, confident, always sure.
Now I know it means being honest.
Curious.
Soft.

Not a commander, but a compass.
Not forceful, but faithful.
Not all-knowing, but self-trusting.

Some days, that looks like making bold moves.
Other days, it looks like walking away from a launch date you were clinging to, because you realized the brand wasn’t fully born yet.

Quiet defiance looks like continuing when no one sees you.

Becoming the Captain Anyway

So yes — I’m still learning to lead.
Still figuring out what it means to be the “captain of my soul.”
Still steering with a trembling hand some days.

But I’m here.
I’m listening.
I’m choosing the next honest step, over and over.

You don’t have to feel like a leader to be one.
You have to stay in the boat.

If you’re in the storm too,
if you’re leading something tender and new, and it feels bigger than your confidence,
know this:

You’re not alone.
You’re not behind.
And your softness is not a liability.

Leave a comment and tell me what leadership looks like for you lately.

And subscribe here if you want to follow along as I build Coastelle — gently, imperfectly, and with intention.

We’re not steering solo anymore.
We’re learning to ride the tides.