Setting The Stage For Your Next Chapter

Presenters: Gwen Whiting interviewed by Amy Shoenthal
Notetaker: Whitney Long

Gwen Whiting once called The Laundress the “16-year startup”—a nod to the long, winding road she traveled before selling her company to Unilever. 

This journey began in her mid-20s when Gwen took a bold leap. With a $100,000 loan and a background in design, she walked away from her dream job to take on the cleaning industry and redefine fabric care with a more thoughtful, beautiful, and intentional approach. The Laundress was born not just as a product line, but as a personal mission.

Years of hard work paid off when The Laundress was acquired. But post-acquisition, Gwen was met with an unexpected question: now what? What was meant to be a triumphant new chapter became a very public unraveling. The brand she built was meant to be in laundry rooms everywhere, growing in reach and impact. That didn’t happen.

Reflecting on the journey, Gwen candidly shared a powerful truth: “Enjoy the business you are building—don’t just look for the end.” While an exit is seen as the ultimate achievement, she urges founders to rethink what success looks like. Sometimes the real value is in the day-to-day—the team, the work, the mission.

Gwen has now launched The Fill which is wellness-forward, intentional, and rooted in a fresh perspective. With the tagline “Let life work for you,” she’s building not just a product line, but a community—one built on clarity, values, and shared purpose. Gwen’s clarity didn’t come overnight. She describes “the emerge” as the moment you feel conviction again. 

In building this new brand, integrity continues to be a core pillar of her leadership as well as being a “heart-headed leader.” In her words, it means giving yourself permission to lead with empathy in a world that often prioritizes spreadsheets over people. It means valuing the human side of business—and recognizing the power that comes with that.

Takeaways:

• Define success on your own terms. Don’t just chase the outcome—enjoy the journey. 

• Ask yourself: What do you love about your business? Who do you love doing it with? What’s your real “why”? Everyone has one. The magic comes when you find it—and follow it.

• Building a brand fills your human interaction needs and creativity when it’s personal. 

• Being a heart-led leader means you have to give yourself permission to realize that a business is more than a spreadsheet and more than transactional.

• Enjoy the business that you are building and don’t be misguided that the exit is the Holy Grail. 

• The “emerge” is the definition of a clarity of conviction. 

• Lead with empathy in a world that often prioritizes spreadsheets over people. It means valuing the human side of business—and recognizing the power that comes with that.

• Strong relationships result in true partnerships. 

• Transparency in relationships is a must.  

• When tough decisions arise, integrity is key. Stick to your values and morals as your North Star. 

• Have a different sense of success metrics – sometimes the real value is in the day-to-day—the team, the work, the mission.