042. The Power of Persistence: Ellie Mae's Journey to Success in the Fashion Industry

Welcome to the Without Losing Your Cool podcast, where we explore how to navigate the often tumultuous waters life can throw at us. 

In this episode, we sit down with Ellie Mae Waters, the founder and creative director of Ellie Mae Studios (https://www.instagram.com/elliemaestudios/). She takes us through her journey, from how she came to start her own clothing line, to her experiences working in the cut-throat fashion industry of Los Angeles.

Ellie Mae shares her story of starting her career in styling at just 19 years old and how her experiences in a 'dog eat dog' environment helped shape her work ethic and determination. She also touches on the issue of Canadian icons not being fully appreciated until they've made it big elsewhere, and we talk about the importance of recognizing and celebrating local talent.

Ellie Mae goes into the importance and power of people who help you without expecting anything in return, and how supporting one another and networking can help everyone succeed. She also debunks the misconception around affluence and opportunity, sharing her own experiences of how hard work and perseverance can lead to honest success.

We dive into the essence of Ellie Mae's clothing line, as well as her dream collaboration. She also shares her thoughts on the greatest thing to happen for women in fashion and the one fashion trend she would eliminate if given the chance.

Lastly, we discuss the influencer impact on small businesses, and Ellie Mae's experience navigating the world of social media and building her brand.

Learn more about Ellie Mae here: https://www.elliemaestudios.com/

We talk about:

• [0:00] Intro 
• [3:00] How Ellie Mae came to be
• [6:30] Styling in LA from the age of 19 
• [10:35] Working in a 'dog eat dog' environment 
• [13:50] Why we don't honor Canadian icons until they've made it big somewhere else
• [16:10] The power of people who help you without expecting to receive
• [21:00] The misconception around affluence and opportunity
• [25:15] Supporting one another and networking so everyone can get ahead
• [30:30] The essence of the Ellie Mae clothing line
• [37:00] The greatest thing to happen for women in fashion 
• [40:15] ​​Ellie Mae's dream collaboration
• [44:40] One fashion trend she would eliminate
• [49:15] The influencer impact on small business

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Until next time remember to keep doing the hard things, and show up like you mean it! Without Losing Your Cool!

Chapters

• 0:00 WLYC Epi 42 EllieMae
• 1:49 Marker
• 3:50 Marker - How Ellie Mae came to be
• 7:15 Marker - Styling in LA from the age of 19
• 11:23 Marker - Working in a 'dog eat dog' environment
• 14:39 Marker - Why we don't honor Canadian icons until they've made it big somewhere else
• 16:55 Marker - The power of people who help you without expecting to receive
• 21:49 Marker - The misconception around affluence and opportunity
• 26:03 Marker - The power in supporting one another and netowrking so everyone can get ahead
• 27:34 Marker - Carving her own path in fashion from a young age
• 31:19 Marker - The essence of the Ellie Mae clothing line
• 37:46 Marker - The greatest thing to happen for women in fashion
• 41:02 Marker - Ellie Mae's dream collaboration
• 45:27 Marker - One fashion trend she would eliminate
• 50:03 Marker- The influencer impact on small business