10 Things I’ve Learned in the 10 Years Since THINX
What I’ve learned since going from startup chaos to running my own agency.
Welcome to the very first edition of Power Lunch — Work Wife Communication’s official newsletter.
I’m Chelsea, founder and CEO of Work Wife, here to deliver a decade’s worth of experience in PR, social, and influencer marketing…in bite-sized chunks of (something resembling) wisdom.
Everyone and their brand is flocking to Substack — the newsletter has become the new “it” accessory for anyone with something (or nothing) to say. And honestly? Most of them aren’t very good. Writing isn’t everyone’s thing. I, personally, was lovingly bullied into doing this by my husband and a few trusted colleagues. I’ve resisted showing up online in this way for a long time because I was diagnosed with a double whammy of Imposter Syndrome and Cringe Disorder. Sadly, they have yet to find cures but I am sitting here typing through the pain, regardless.
The only way I know how to do this is honestly — which means you’re getting a front-row seat to the brain of a woman who turned trauma into entrepreneurship (traumapreneurship?) because she felt like she had no other option. What started as just me freelancing from my full size bed in my tiny Williamsburg walk-up has turned into a thriving business with a small but mighty team of highly skilled and intelligent humans. Wild to be sitting here eight and a half years later looking around like, “holy shit…I actually did it?” Still hits every time.
In future editions, I’ll be covering everything from AI’s growing role in comms, to the one question that makes or breaks a press-worthy campaign, to the inside-baseball stuff your PR person won’t tell you (but I will). I’ve waffled on doing this for years, but now that I’m here? I’m excited. This is writing not for work, not for pleasure…but for a secret third thing. I hope you’ll stick around — I plan on making it worth your time. :)
Now, to the reason you probably opened this email in the first place.
You may know this — or maybe not, it’s been a minute — but once upon a startup, I was the Head of PR at THINX (yes, the infamous period underwear company). It was the best of times, it was the most stressed of times.
For the sake of not turning this into the longest newsletter in Substack history, I’ll yadda yadda through the details (a quick Google will fill in the blanks, if you’re curious). Let’s just say: it’s rare that one gets to actually say they lived in the eye of a cultural moment, and it changed the entire course and trajectory of my life.
When I started there in 2015, I was 25, totally green — aside from a brief stint at (redacted) PR agency where every single woman was a Texas A&M graduate named Caroline. A lot has happened between that wide-eyed 25-year-old and the (much more seasoned) person writing this newsletter today.
In the 10 years since THINX, here’s what I’ve learned:
1. Your gut is the smartest thing about you.
If I’ve ignored my intuition in business, it has never worked out. I’ve talked myself into clients I shouldn’t have taken on, collaborations I knew felt weird, and people who gave me the ick from Day One. Every time I’ve overridden that gut feeling, I’ve paid for it — sometimes literally. Learning to treat my gut like a business partner instead of a saboteur changed everything.
2. Not all money is good money.
Early on, it’s tempting to say yes to everything because you’re trying to build something. But not all income is worth the emotional cost. Some clients come with chaos baked into the brief. If the energy’s off, the expectations are fuzzy, or the vibe is "we expect miracles but don’t want to pay for them" — run.
3. Build for rainy days — and hurricanes.
There will be moments where it feels like the sky is falling: client budgets slashed, projects stalled, weird PR dry spells. I used to think a steady growth trajectory was a given if you just worked hard enough. It’s not. Prepare for slow months in the good months. Future You will thank you.
4. Kind ≠ nice ≠ pushover.
This one’s especially tough as a woman in business. There’s pressure to be likable and collaborative, but being a good boss doesn’t mean being everyone's best friend. You can be warm and direct. Compassionate and firm. I’m still learning to walk this line every day — but when I get it right, things hum.
5. You will outgrow people, and they will outgrow you.
No one talks enough about how weird it can be when people leave — especially at small companies. I’ve had folks lie about where they were going (and then use me as a reference…for a completely different place?), and others who just...ghosted. I once DMed someone’s sister on Instagram to make sure they weren’t dead. Turns out they were fine, just unprofessional. C'est la avoidant employee.
6. A good team is everything.
There’s no Work Wife without the work wives of all genders who work here. The most successful thing I’ve done as a founder is make sure my team feels seen, heard, respected, and supported. Happy people do better work. It’s not revolutionary. But it is rare.
7. A good exit is everything, too.
The way someone leaves is just as important as how they show up. That goes for clients, team members, collaborators — everyone. I’ve learned to pay attention to how people say goodbye. It tells you a lot.
8. There’s power in staying small.
Scaling just for the sake of scaling is a trap. I've had moments where I felt pressure to "go big" because that's what you're supposed to do — more staff, more overhead, more clients. But actually? Staying small has allowed us to stay agile, personal, and high-impact. Hockey stick growth is not sustainable, and I do not dream of labor.
9. Don’t be afraid to be the expert.
This one took me years. I used to overly defer, over-explain, over-qualify. Now, I don’t water it down: I know what I’m doing. Clients are hiring you for your brain. Let them see it. Don’t tiptoe around your expertise — walk in the room with it.
10. Everything is figureoutable — except for email.
Running a business is basically just solving one weird little problem after another, forever. That part doesn’t change. But you do get faster, savvier, and less likely to spiral. The one unsolvable mystery of the modern world? Inbox Zero. If you’ve cracked the code, let me know.
That’s all for now — thanks for coming to my first Power Lunch.
If you made it this far, you’re either my mom, a loyal friend, or someone who enjoys a little unsolicited career advice with their midday scroll and cold brew. Either way: I appreciate you.
I have so many things I want to share in this space — client wins and losses, press trends, PR pet peeves, what it’s like being the person behind the person behind the brand. Think of this as the corner of the internet where you get the stuff that doesn’t fit in a case study or agency capabilities deck.
If this resonated with you (or made you laugh, or cringe in solidarity), I’d love for you to subscribe, forward it to a friend, or scream into the void on my behalf. And if there’s something you want to hear about in a future edition, reply to this email — I’m listening.
Until next time —
Your Work Wife,
Chelsea
What a fun and informative read! as I read through your ten points, I found myself nodding and muttering, "yep ... yep ..."
I'm not your mom or your loyal friend (Substack friend?) or someone who needs (much) advice on my career - I'm largely winging it a la that gut you talked about in point one - it never fails me, but it's always helpful to get other perspectives.
Thank you! and I've subscribed. :)
o much of this resonated, Chelsea. Especially “treating my gut like a business partner instead of a saboteur” yes! Been thinking a lot about the role of intuition in work, too. Excited to read more <3