Emily Willett on Turning An Inherited Ritual into a Beauty Brand
What if the secret to building a standout brand wasn't chasing what's trending, but going back to what's already been proven—sometimes generations before you were even born? In this episode, I sit down with Emily Willett, founder of Heirée, to talk about how a nightly ritual her grandmother practiced for decades—using nothing but a simple oil blend to care for her nails despite living with multiple sclerosis—inspired an entire beauty brand. Emily shares the story behind Heirée’s name, her decision to hand-fill every cuticle pen herself to protect the formula's integrity, and why she's committed to posting daily until Heirée becomes a $200 million brand. We dig into what it really means to grow with restraint in a culture obsessed with hyper-scaling, how vulnerability on social media has become one of her greatest business tools, and what she's learned about herself in the process of building something so deeply personal. Key Talking Points:In this episode, we discuss… The inherited ritual behind Heirée’s name and formulation, and the story of Emily's grandmother Why Emily insists on hand-filling every cuticle pen herself, even as the brand scales How Emily approaches branding, packaging, and content as extensions of her authentic self Why restraint—not rapid scaling—has been Emily's core growth strategy The vulnerability and discipline behind Emily's commitment to posting daily on social media Reframing entrepreneurial challenges as fuel instead of obstacles Advice for early-stage founders on staying grounded, playful, and connected to their "why" Time Stamps: [01:31] Cracked cuticles on a plane. That moment became a business. [02:00] Her grandmother had MS for decades and still had the strongest nails around—just from a nightly oil ritual. [02:32] She turned an inherited ritual into a brand, and pledged to post every day until it hits $200M. [03:09] Restraint is her growth strategy. Build slow in a world that worships fast. [04:24] "Heiree" = heiress, heir, inherited routine. The name says everything. [06:40] 70 flights a year and she thought: why can't cuticle care be as easy as lip gloss on a plane? [09:08] No manufacturer would match her clean formula standards. So she makes every pen herself. [17:08] One word she comes back to daily: restraint. [21:07] Started posting daily after one piece of advice. Raised the goal from $2M to $200M when someone said: "add a couple zeros." [31:36] Two platforms, two intentional purposes. [34:12] Small town Oregon, all odds against her. Now she wants to be the influence for others that others were for her. [39:07] The journey is the whole point. [43:44] Getting from zero to one—betting on yourself—is the rarest gift you can give yourself. Connect with Emily Willett & Heirée: Shop Heirée’s Cuticle Pen | Instagram | TikTok Connect with Ashley Graham: Thank you for listening! Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more expansive content and stories here. Follow Ashley Graham (@simplyashleygraham) and The Conscious Publicist (@theconsciouspublicist) on LinkedIn. If you loved this episode and want to further support the show, please subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcasting platform! Apple | Spotify | Blog | Business Copyright 2026 – The Conscious Publicist® – All Rights Reserved

