This week’s newsletter is a vulnerable one — I’m sharing a recent jealousy spiral (yep, it happens!) and how I turned it into something empowering. I’m also recapping some powerful takeaways from the most inspiring women’s health VC/startup event. Let’s dive in 💌

Real Talk…

In an online world full of highlight reels, let’s get real and dive into the authentic, unfiltered realities of entrepreneurship and being a founder. Here are some behind-the-scenes musings and reflections from my past week… ⬇️

The Green-Eyed Monster: Jealousy

It’s been a while since the green-eyed jealousy monster has visited me — generally, I’m quite content with the life I’ve built and the work I’ve done to get here. But recently, I felt jealous — and it came in with a raging force.

When I was younger, I viewed jealousy as a “bad thing” because of how it’s portrayed in society. We’re taught not to be jealous of others — instead, we’re told to cheer them on, support them, and not be spiteful. But that’s not super helpful. It never is when you're taught to push down your emotions and essentially ignore them.

Through therapy and personal growth, I’ve since learned that jealousy (or raging envy lolll) can actually be an incredible tool. It’s often a sign that someone has something, is doing something, or has accomplished something that you want.

And instead of resenting them or fake-congratulating them, you can reframe it: take it as a signal that you want that thing — and lucky you, you know someone that is already done it. That means you can use them as inspiration or as a role model to get there too.

It’s unfortunate that society often pits women against each other. The dominant narrative seems to be that there are limited spots at the top — and even fewer for women — so we end up competing and treating each other poorly. That’s especially heartbreaking when the world already does such a good job of making things harder for us.

That said, I do know so many amazing women in my network who are genuinely empowering others and not gatekeeping — so I don’t want to generalize here!! But I just want to say it again: feeling jealous or envious of someone doesn’t mean you have to be mean or spiteful.

You can celebrate them. You can be so proud of them — and actually fucking mean it. Here’s my personal story of how you do that ⬇️ 

Turn Jealousy Into Inspiration

Recently, I found myself feeling jealous of a good friend of mine — someone who’s genuinely one of the sweetest, most generous, and kindest people I know. In other words, the last person I should ever wish ill upon (and I definitely don’t!!)

She’s worked incredibly hard in her career and is now considered a “high net-worth individual.” A big, fancy term that basically means she has a good chunk of savings and makes an impressive salary. Because of that, she’s starting to dabble in angel investing — and that’s when the green-eyed monster came out in full force.

ICYMI, I’ve been diving deeper into the startup/VC space here in London — and loving it! I’ve been advising various pre-seed and seed-stage startups and truly enjoying the work.

*PSSST if you want me as your strategic business advisor, here’s how we can work together. I’m only taking on two more clients until September though, so don’t snooze!!

Deep down, I know that I also want to financially support startups, and I want a bigger seat at the table. But I’m not there yet. Right now, I’m focused on investing in my business, saving up for our wedding (we just paid the deposit for our venue — it’s official!!), and buying property in one of the most expensive cities in the world. So yeah, my partner and I have other financial goals and priorities at the moment.

Logically, I know all this. But that didn’t stop the wave of envy from flooding my system. I remember robotically saying, “OMG congratulations, that’s so exciting — I’m so proud of you!!” and giving her a big hug. And while I did mean it, I felt icky inside because there was still stuff I needed to process before I could fully show up and support her.

So, I went home that night and journaled. And what came up was exactly what I’ve learned through therapy: envy is usually just a sign that someone is doing something or has something that you want. And yep — that was the case here.

I also want to angel invest one day. Now that I know that, I can start working toward it. I can create a workback plan and financially prepare. Plus, the amazing thing is that my friend is already in it — so I get to hear about her experiences, learn from her, and shortcut my journey.

Anddd there’s also room for me too! Just because she’s angel investing doesn’t mean I can’t — and that’s a mindset trap many women fall into. So I wanted to share this in case it resonates.

Lastly, if you’re wondering, “Wait, I thought Selina was in sustainable fashion and consulting?” — I’ll share more about my venture into the VC world next week. More to come 🤍

Real Business Updates

Let’s skip the fluff and get straight to actionable business insights that spark inspiration, ignite creativity, and solve problems. Check out some interesting trends and insights I found this week... ⬇️

The Women’s Healthcare Conundrum

This week, I went to an amazing women’s healthcare startup/VC event — and wow, it was so inspiring.

Women are so often overlooked, underfunded, and underrepresented in many areas of society — but especially in healthcare. I’m sure many of us have horror stories when it comes to navigating the healthcare system or dealing with professionals (who to be fair, are also usually doing their best within a broken system).

Anyway, the event was held at this super swanky law firm in London, and just look at the view…

The evening featured a panel and tbh, I usually dread panels. Most of the time, they’re kind of a snooze-fest — everyone’s just waiting for it to be over so they can network, talk to who they actually came to see, sip on boozy bevvies, and munch on finger food. But this time? Totally different. It was one of the most entertaining and educational panels I’ve ever attended.

Maybe it was because the panel was all women and there were only two men in the audience, but the conversations were raw, candid, vulnerable — and yes, a little chaotic in the best way 😂 

Here are some of my takeaways:

1. Women’s health has to be “woman enough” to get funding.

   There’s FINALLY more funding for obvious women’s health areas like PCOS, endometriosis, infertility, etc. But when it comes to more “neutral” topics — like the fact that dementia disproportionately affects women — we’re still not there. One panelist shared that she’s launching a company that helps babies access the benefits of breastmilk (immune support, gut health, etc.) even if the mother can’t breastfeed. While the benefits apply to all babies, because the product is connected to “boobies and breastmilk,” she leans into that language during pitches — because otherwise, she knows she won’t get funded. Wild.
   

2. Rage is a powerful motivator.

   Every woman on the panel said that, yes, passion drove them — but so did rage. Rage at the patriarchy. Rage at the system. One founder started her company at 26 and was completely taken advantage of by her male investors. There was even public media coverage about it. She later learned that some investors said (and I quote), “She’s pretty, but she’s young and needs some grey hair around her to be successful.” WTF?! I won’t spoil anymore because I’m interviewing on my Confessions of a Conscious CEO podcast soon (!!) — and I cannot wait for you to listen to her story and lessons.
   

3. We can’t do it alone — we need male allies.

   This isn’t about bashing men. It’s about recognizing that for true change, we need supportive male partners, investors, and champions. That same founder mentioned she now has male investors in her second business — but this time, they’re values-aligned and actually advocate for her, both publicly and privately.
   

4. You can have it all… but it takes a village.

   The founders who had kids shared that they somehow “just make it work” — but it requires a deeply supportive partner, a strong community, and a lot of effort. One panelist said she only got two hours of sleep the night before and was still in a haze, lol. It reminded me that this stage is a season, especially when your child is young. I’ve been trying to plan my career so that things are in place when my partner and I do decide to start trying (and I can talk more about this on my podcast in the future!)
   

5. Putting myself out there again — and it’s paying off.

   Because of COVID and running my business, I’ve unintentionally isolated myself. Most of my meetings are virtual, so I haven’t been going to as many in-person events or networking much. But this event reminded me how energizing it is to be in a room full of brilliant women doing important, world-changing work.
   
   Plus, I met a panelist who’s also a part-time DJ (!!) and found out she was releasing a track with one of the DJs performing at a day rave I went to yesterday.
   
   

   

   
   She invited me and my friends to their pre-drinks and to go backstage which was so cool to see how DJs do their thing. This is something that never would’ve happened if I had just stayed home in my matching sweats 😂

Real Growth…

To be the best founder possible, continuous learning and growth are essential. Don’t let yourself become the bottleneck in your business! Here are some self-development resources I found valuable this past week... ⬇️

YouTube Video: Hiring a team is one of the most important (and impactful) things you can do as a business owner… and I’ve definitely made my fair share of hiring mistakes 😅 

In this week’s YouTube video, I’m breaking down the biggest lessons I’ve learned the hard way so that you can avoid the same pitfalls. Whether you’re hiring your first contractor or building out a full team — this one’s for you.

Book: The Middle East has always been so heavily stigmatized and misrepresented in mainstream media, so with our upcoming trip there (in just a few weeks!!), I really wanted to learn more about the region’s culture and history firsthand and through my own research.

My partner and I are super excited — one of his friends from Oxford lives between Dubai and Abu Dhabi and is giving us a local’s tour, which will be such a special experience.

To prep, I’ve been diving into Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman’s Ruthless Quest for Global Power — and wow, it’s been a fascinating (and intense) read. Highly recommend if you’re curious about the region’s politics, power dynamics, and modern history.

Real Self-Care…

Sustainable success can only happen if you take care of yourself. Self-care is not selfish — it’s necessary. Here are some self-care tools to recharge and stay balanced this week... ⬇️

Self-Care Challenge: Carve out an afternoon this upcoming week or weekend to take yourself on a solo date — just you and whatever feels good. Whether that’s reading a book in the park, wandering through cute shops for inspiration, or simply doing something that’s been calling to you… make space for you. 🤍

Journal Prompt: Who have I felt jealous or envious of recently? Why do I feel that way — and what might it be pointing me toward?

Andd that’s it for this week! If you want me as your business advisor, check out how we can work together here and apply to ensure it’s the perfect fit. Have a great week!! 🤍