She Leads with Carly

Dr. Amy Muise, an Associate Professor of Psychology and York Research Chair in Relationships and Sexuality at York University, directs the Sexual Health and Relationships (SHaRe) Lab, where she studies how couples build and sustain desire over time. In this episode, Dr. Amy breaks down why sexual desire declines even in happy relationships, the data behind planned versus spontaneous sex, and what actually predicts romantic chemistry. She also covers the surprising link between household labor and desire, and how to think about first dates without over-relying on "the spark."
References:
Art Aron: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Aron
Dr. Amy Muise: https://discover.academics.yorku.ca/Amy.Muise
Eric Tu: https://erictu.ca/
Lorne Campbell: https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/people/faculty/Campbell.html
SHaRe Lab: https://www.amymuise.com
York University: https://www.yorku.ca
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:40 How one undergrad thesis led to a career studying relationships
02:46 Why sexual desire, specifically, became her research focus
05:43 The myth that desire stays high in a "healthy" relationship
08:00 Familiarity, novelty, and the self-expanding experiences that sustain desire
10:00 Is there a normal amount of sex to have
12:38 The gender gap in desire, and why it exists
13:32 How an unequal household load quietly lowers desire
20:58 The overwhelming, mostly false belief about spontaneous sex
22:44 Rebranding planned sex like planning a vacation
26:58 Should more couples be planning sex?
28:57 The five ingredients of real romantic chemistry
32:45 Why 40% of happy couples felt no spark at first
34:44 What a first date can, and can't, predict
36:52 Why relationship scientists struggle to predict compatibility
39:00 Beyond small talk: the "fast friends" questions that build closeness
46:50 Destiny vs. growth beliefs, and why growth wins
49:34 The craft Amy is spending a lifetime honing

In today's conversation, Carly sits down with SONNI co-founders Eliana Field-Marsham and Megan Black, who share the journey they took to start the SPF brand. Eliana and Megan share how bad sunburns and a family member's melanoma scare plus a frantic business-school text between each other led them to starting SONNI. They also unpack the realities of founder life, why 24/7 grind isn't effective, and how they navigate leading a company together with clear, clean division.
We also discuss:
The health scares that led to SONNI being created
Why "You can't be everything to everybody" in CPG
Why daily SPF was a product experience problem, not an awareness issue
Fundraising, bootstrapping, and when founders should pay themselves
The case against the 24/7 founder grind
References:
Beauty of Joseon: https://beautyofjoseon.com
Cheryl Strayed: https://www.cherylstrayed.com
Estée Lauder Companies: https://www.elcompanies.com
Factfulness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factfulness_(book)
Hans Rosling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Rosling
Heyday: https://www.heydayskincare.com
Kellogg School of Management: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu
KIND Snacks: https://www.kindsnacks.com
Little Spoon: https://www.littlespoon.com
McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com
Stanford University: https://www.stanford.edu
Thrive Market: https://thrivemarket.com
"Tiny Beautiful Things": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Beautiful_Things
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:40 Growing up as family friends in Toronto
06:10 Eliana's path: sociology, McKinsey, and a love of operating
08:10 Megan's consumer obsession, from USC to Estée Lauder
11:35 The sunburns and a sister's melanoma behind SONNI
13:20 Finding a formulator who starts with metal, not powder
16:45 Eliana's business-school panic and reaching back out to Megan
21:00 "Best text to ever receive": hiring her co-founder
25:05 Right brain, left brain: splitting the company cleanly
32:55 What no one warns you about building a CPG brand
35:15 Mineral vs chemical: what does the FDA actually back?
39:15 How the name, brand, coloring, packaging was born
41:05 Learning to bask in the wins, not just the lows
45:15 Fundraising vs bootstrapping, and just paying yourself
50:25 What 24/7-grind startup culture gets wrong

Dr. Yuthika Girme took one undergrad course on interpersonal relations, which completely altered the trajectory of her career and led her down the path of researching relationship science. In this episode, Dr. Yuthika unpacks the science behind close relationships and singlehood. She also covers the impact of online dating, how social scripts impact relationships, and how to build a balanced relationship with yourself before—and during—a romantic one.

References:

- Dr. Yuthika Girme: https://www.sfu.ca/psychology/about/people/current-faculty/ygirme.html
- SECURE Research Lab: https://secureresearchlab.com
- SECURE Research Lab on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/securelab.sfu/
- Simon Fraser University: https://www.sfu.ca
- University of Auckland: https://www.auckland.ac.nz

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:15 From clinical psych to relationship science
03:48 What relationship science actually explores
05:50 Predictors of lasting relationships
08:50 How communication changes depending on relationship type
10:15 Does dating change as you get older?
11:55 The biggest misconception in dating
13:18 How social media distorts our perception of relationships
14:48 What singlehood science examines
16:33 Validating singlehood without devaluing partnership
20:09 The toll of singlehood
22:42 How different generations approach marriage
23:59 Does the biological clock impact dating?
25:48 How online dating impacts connection 
33:46 The science behind partner selection
36:32 Balance between self and relationships
42:55 Dating scripts and gendered norms

Inbal Shani dropped her PhD for a job offer she never expected to recieve, and it set off a career spanning Amazon, AWS, Microsoft, GitHub, and now Twilio, where she serves as CPO and Head of R&D. In this episode, Inbal explains how curiosity is really a leadership trait, why introverts can be the most connected leaders in the room, and how the future of product management is being rewritten.
References:
AWS https://aws.amazon.com/
Github: https://github.com/
Inbal Shani: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inbalshani/
Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/
Technion: https://www.technion.ac.il/en/
Tel Aviv University: https://english.tau.ac.il/
Twilio: https://www.twilio.com/
Uber: https://www.uber.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:47 Inbal's childhood: introversion and learning to build
06:00 Being one of six women in aerospace engineering
07:06 Fostering a strong belief in yourself
09:36 Why Inbal dropped out of her PhD
13:27 Learning to lead others as an introvert
15:24 Why curiosity is a core leadership trait
16:45 Two books that shaped Inbal's career
18:27 What determines a great team member
22:40 Empathy is a prerequistie to success
26:36 How Inbal made her career choices
28:31 Advice to younger women navigating their career
31:14 Inbal's journey to CPO at Twilio
34:04 The future of product management
39:42 Could the app era be over already?

In today’s episode, Carly sits down with Scarlett Leung, Chief Brand Officer and Co-founder of Pretty Tasty, a collagen tea company. Scarlett shares her unconventional path from accountant, to turnaround CEO, to CPG founder, and how growing up around intense family entrepreneurship shaped her views on work. This conversation covers Scarlett’s experiences navigating parental expectations, making big career pivots without a rigid 5-year plan, and the stripped-back, unglamorous reality that is founding a consumer brand.
References:
AllSaints: https://www.allsaints.com/
Carolina Herrera: https://www.carolinaherrera.com/
Deepak Chopra: https://www.deepakchopra.com/
Deloitte: https://www.deloitte.com/global/en.html
Estée Lauder: https://www.esteelauder.com/
FreshDirect: https://www.freshdirect.com/
Gucci Group / Kering: https://www.kering.com/
Honest Tea: https://www.honesttea.com/
L’Oréal: https://www.loreal.com/en/
Lancôme: https://www.lancome-usa.com/
LVMH: https://www.lvmh.com/
MIT: https://www.mit.edu/
Philip Morris International: https://www.pmi.com/
Pretty Tasty: https://www.prettytasty.com/
PwC: https://www.pwc.com/
Sugarbreak: https://www.sugarbreak.com/
Target: https://www.target.com/
Uniqlo: https://www.uniqlo.com/
University of Waterloo: https://uwaterloo.ca/
Virgin Group: https://www.virgin.com/
Waterloo Sparkling Water: https://www.drinkwaterloo.com/
Timestamps:
(01:17) Growing up with an entrepreneurial family
(06:59) The decision to study accounting
(09:47) Should you choose a risky career path?
(13:39) Unpacking Scarlett’s unique career journey
(18:12) Lessons learned from a travel-heavy role
(22:51) Why you need to advocate for yourself
(23:39) Why Scarlett went to MIT business school
(26:11) Scarlett’s superpower in business
(31:10) Pretty Tasty’s culture manifesto
(32:55) The journey to founding Pretty Tasty
(36:16) Developing the collagen product
(38:44) The one thing most CPG founders miss
(40:05) Advice for someone starting a company
(42:15) Scarlett’s scariest founder moment
(44:41) How to navigate a quarter-life crisis