Helloooo friends! I hope you’ve had a great week 🤍 

In this newsletter, we’re chatting about what running a half marathon taught me about business (promise it’s more related than you’d think 😉), talking about a genius marketing campaign pivot I recently saw, and unpacking the recent Odd Muse sustainability “cancellation” that’s been making waves on TikTok. Sooo 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… ⬇️

Don’t Let Your Goal Rob You of Celebrating Accomplishments

Last weekend, I ran the Hackney Half — an iconic half-marathon here in East London. I’ve been training for it for over a year, and my goal was to finish in under two hours… basically the fastest I’ve ever tried to run.

Spoiler: I didn’t hit my sub-2 goal (I missed it by two minutes 😭), but the experience taught me so much — about self-imposed pressure, progress, and how the numbers don’t always tell the whole story.

I wrote a full reflection on the race and everything it brought up for me over on Substack ⬇️

ICYMI: I’ve officially started a Substack!

I’ve been craving a space to share more personal updates, behind-the-scenes musings, and reflections that don’t always fit in this business-focused newsletter. After chatting with my entrepreneur mastermind group, we decided to give Substack a try and see what it feels like to build community over there.

If you want a peek behind the curtain, or to read more raw BTS, you can subscribe here — it’s free 💌

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... ⬇️

Puresport’s Genius Campaign Pivot

I’ve been watching community-first brands more and more lately. There are so many businesses and products out there — and even more noise when it comes to marketing. But in this era, the brands that are really cutting through are the ones rooted in community.

Puresport is a great example of that. They’re a supplement and hydration brand made for runners (and other athletes too), and they also sell some very cute merch if I do say so myself. What really stands out though, is how deeply they invest in their people.

They organize run clubs across the UK — especially in London — with sessions multiple times a week at various pace groups. After the runs, you head back to their Clubhouse (aka their retail store / HQ), where they often treat runners to free branded socks or other goodies.

It’s a huge operational lift: coordinating volunteer pacers, organizing events, hosting at their space… but it works. Their community is seriously engaged and loyal — myself included. They’ve been a big part of my own running journey.

Anyways, back to the Hackney Half…

Puresport had a booth at the event as part of their activation and planned to launch their new watermelon-flavoured electrolytes.

They’d paid for their exhibition space and set up a super cute booth… but then, last minute, one of the main sponsors (ahem, Powerade) pulled rank and said they didn’t want Puresport sampling electrolytes, since it would “compete” with their offering.

Puresport had two choices: take the refund, or promote something else.

They chose a third option, to pivot, and did something even better… ⬇️ 

On suuuper short notice, the team came up with a genius Plan B: giving out fresh watermelon slices (with optional salt!) to highlight hydration and electrolytes without directly sampling the product.

And it was a total hit. After the race, the line for their booth was massive — everyone wanted that watermelon 🍉 

It was such a great reminder that there will always be unexpected challenges in business.

But if you can stay creative, think on your feet, and keep your community at the heart of your decision-making, you might just come up with something better than Plan A.

You can check out the full story in this IG Reel — it’s really well done. I also mentioned in my Substack how incredible the support was during the Hackney Half, and this gives you a little glimpse of that in action.

The Odd Muse Sustainability “Cancellation”

This past week, a popular TikTok account known for calling out brand behavior posted a deep dive into Odd Muse and their sustainability claims.

If you know me, you know I’ve often referenced Aimee Smale and Odd Muse in a positive light when talking to clients — especially around marketing. I think she’s done a phenomenal job building a founder-facing brand and documenting her personal journey to grow a truly engaged and loyal community. She’s a gold standard in that regard.

That said, even though I root for her and admire her storytelling — I’ve never personally bought from Odd Muse. Mainly because the price point doesn’t align with the materials. To my knowledge, her garments are made entirely from polyester. While yes, you can argue that polyester doesn’t wrinkle, is easier to wash, and adds durability, it’s still plastic. And personally, that doesn’t sit well with my values. At the same price point, I’d rather invest in natural materials like linen, silk, wool, or cashmere. But that’s just me.

Here’s where things get tricky: on the Odd Muse website, there were previously claims around being a “slow fashion” brand — citing timeless design, longevity, and quality. Which, fair enough.

But in 2025, that’s honestly table stakes. You should be creating pieces that aren’t fast-fashion level throwaways. That alone doesn’t make you sustainable.

Instead of leaning on the “slow fashion” or “sustainable” positioning, I think Odd Muse would have been better off simply saying: we’re a fashion brand trying to do our best — with intention and transparency. That alone would have felt more authentic.

I think Aimee is doing good things from a production standpoint. She regularly features her manufacturing partners and speaks openly about building her business alongside them — which I respect.

But sustainability is multi-faceted. It’s not just about how your garments are sewn — it’s about materials, packaging, product volume, lifecycle, and end-of-life.

As I always say: there’s no such thing as a truly sustainable fashion brand. If you’re producing new product, you’re having an environmental impact. The best you can do is be transparent, minimize harm, and constantly try to improve, based on your current resources, budget, and team capacity.

That’s why language matters. If you’re claiming to be “sustainable” or “conscious,” you need to back it up — with evidence. Otherwise, you’re opening yourself up to criticism, and in today’s internet climate, cancellation.

Speaking of which, I do want to touch on Aimee’s response. She posted a tearful video on TikTok shortly after the backlash, which felt raw and unfiltered.

While I empathize with how emotionally difficult that must have been, I do think she might have benefited from taking a beat — regrouping privately, developing a thoughtful response, and addressing the claims more strategically.

Because whether you're a solo founder or a big brand, moments like this require leadership, clarity, and humility. And that can be hard when emotions are high and people are coming for you online.

All this to say: I’m not writing this to pile on. I still think Aimee is an incredible marketer and community-builder.

But this is an important case study and reminder for all of us: be intentional with your sustainability messaging. Don’t use buzzwords you can’t support. And don’t position your brand as something it’s not, even if your intentions are good.

If you're a founder and want help navigating sustainability — whether that’s improving your impact or auditing your claims — I’d love to support you. Just send me a message!

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... ⬇️

Sustain Your Success

In case you missed it, I’m in launch mode for Sustain Your Success — my complete ecosystem of proven strategies, sustainable tactics, and plug-and-play resources to help you finally grow your business in a way that actually works for you.

This suite of four step-by-step courses is designed to help you:
✅ Build products and services that actually sell
✅ Generate consistent, aligned income
✅ Grow a loyal and engaged community that buys

Because this is the official launch, I’m offering the lowest-ever price (40% off!) — plus exclusive launch bonuses:
➡️ 6 months of free access to the private community
➡️ Bonus mindset and planning courses
➡️ Additional strategy perks to help you stay on track and scale sustainably

Ready to SustainYour Success? ⬇️ 

Click here for all the details + to join before the bonuses expire 💫

The Truth About Starting a Business That No One Talks About…

In this week’s Confessions of a Conscious CEO episode, I shared 11 hard-earned lessons I wish I knew when I was first starting out. From understanding market size and nailing your USP, to uncovering your secret weapons, hiring mistakes, and so much more — I get into all the things that would’ve saved me time, money, and stress.

You can listen on Apple Podcasts, listen + watch on Spotify, or listen + watch on YouTube.

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: The 3/3/3 Reset

This week, take time to intentionally check in with yourself by completing this:

• 3 things that nourish your body (e.g. go for a walk, eat a home-cooked meal, take a bath)

• 3 things that recharge your mind (e.g. read for pleasure, journal, watch your comfort show guilt-free)

• 3 things that bring joy to your heart (e.g. call a friend, dance to your fave song, do something creative)

Spread them out over a few days or try them all in one weekend — your self-care, your pace.

Take an IG story completing this self-care challenge and tag me @selinajho to keep each other accountable!

Journal Prompt:

What does true rest look and feel like for me right now, beyond just sleep or time off? How can I give myself more of that this week?

Take a few minutes to reflect and answer honestly. Let your body, not just your to-do list, guide your self-care.

Andd that’s it for this week’s newsletter! Please let me know which part was your favourite (it really helps me as I’m testing out content) 🤍 

Have a great week and I’ll be back next week with an exciting deep dive into one of my amazing clients + allll the tea about a shady production partner. Stay tuned 👀