Art Teacher to Jewelry Founder: How Larissa Loden Built a Business (and Life) That Fuels Her | Ep. 18

Larissa Loden never wanted to be an entrepreneur. She grew up watching her family's small business run on feast or famine and swore she'd never recreate that chaos — so she became an art teacher instead. Then her assistant principal handed her the permission slip that changed everything. A decade after that career pivot, she runs a multimillion-dollar jewelry brand — and the question she now says every woman rethinking her career should ask herself came from her own coach: is your business building you, or draining you?ABOUT THE GUEST:Larissa Loden is the founder and creative force behind Larissa Loden, a bold St. Paul-based jewelry and accessories brand. It started with a simple idea: you can look good, feel good, and do good all at the same time. Her midlife career change story is teaching art in Minneapolis to a handmade side hustle to a multimillion-dollar brand with a loyal community, national recognition — and over $150,000 donated to organizations aligned with her values. Beyond the brand, Larissa is an iPEC-certified coach, Substack writer, and speaker who helps entrepreneurs redefine success and build a second act that supports creativity, joy, and real life instead of burnout. Her story is a masterclass in career reinvention for women who want to build something of their own without blowing up the life that's working.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:[03:59] Why she swore she'd never be an entrepreneur — and how eight years of teaching art turned into a jewelry business anyway[10:07] The one sentence from her assistant principal that became her permission slip for a full career transition: "You can always come back to teaching"[14:28] The "land of the shoulds" — how following everyone else's playbook made her start to hate the business she built[21:34] Losing 70% of revenue overnight in the pandemic, refusing to lay anyone off, and the Quarantine Craft Club pivot that turned e-commerce into her bread and butter[26:18] How she decides where the brand's 5% give-back goes — and why every organization gets vetted through Charity Navigator[32:46] The calm CEO playbook: no Shopify or Slack on her phone, no meetings before noon, and why "the more white noise I give myself, the better leader I am"[34:20] The coach's question every woman navigating a midlife career change should sit with — "Is your business building you or draining you?" — and what it means that you are the driver of your life[35:41] Redefining what success means to you: right-sizing the business, letting go of scaling, and watching it grow organically anyway[40:51] How The Artist's Way and morning pages became her daily non-negotiable — and her advice for pushing through the week 8–10 wobbleGUEST LINKS: Larissa LodenWebsite: https://www.larissaloden.comInstagram (brand): https://www.instagram.com/larissalodenInstagram (founder): https://www.instagram.com/itsmelarissaloden/Substack — The Unfucking: https://substack.com/@larissaloden?utm_source=top_searchCONNECT WITH HIRInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/herintentionalreset.co/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587329908947Website: https://www.herintentionalreset.comHer Intentional Reset Experience — The Artist's Way Creative Cluster: https://www.facebook.com/groups/herintentionalresetexperienceRESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEThe Artist's Way by Julia Cameron: https://a.co/d/09E1ps0JWalking in This World by Julia Cameron: https://amzn.to/4bBR0eYHell Yeah or No: What's Worth Doing by Derek Sivers: https://amzn.to/4vZnqrZHow to Live by Derek Sivers: https://amzn.to/4fvIhNLIf HIR has been valuable to you, you can support the show here: https://ko-fi.com/herintentionalresetNo pressure — just making it easy for listeners who want to say so.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/hemlock/the-way-forwardLicense code: RVGOVVHKDJFBKVJCThis post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend books and resources discussed on the show that I genuinely use and believe in.