Antonia helped build one of the most iconic period brands in the world. In this episode, she takes us inside the real, messy, deeply human journey of launching Thinx: from her pink pajama shame moment at 13 to raising millions, writing her own patent, and co-founding a brand that changed the way we talk about periods.   But that’s only the first half of the story.   She opens up about what it actually felt like to raise money, negotiate with strategic partners, and sit in rooms where you slowly lose control of the brand you built. What happens when you and your co-founders don’t want the same future? What do you do when the investors are offering the deal of a lifetime? 01:10 – Meet Antonia: From Classical Musician to Brand Builder 04:30 – The Origin of Thinx: A Three-Legged Race & a Bikini Bottom 08:00 – From India to Innovation: Solving Global Period Poverty 11:15 – The Girl Effect: Empowering Girls by Keeping Them in School 14:20 – Designing Smart Underwear: Antimicrobial, Leak-Proof & Chic 17:40 – First Funding: From Music Studio to Kickstarter 21:30 – “Failure to Launch” & Taking the Leap 24:10 – Family & Friends Round + The $25K Investor Who Made $1M 27:50 – When Deals Don’t Close: Due Diligence with UK Partner 31:40 – Sri Lanka Email Changes Everything: MAS Becomes Strategic Partner 36:00 – Why the Subway Ads Made People Stop & Stare 38:45 – Educating the Public on “Underwear for Periods” 41:00 – Kimberly-Clark Enters the Picture 43:20 – Losing Control of Product Design After Investment 45:00 – Birth of Her Next Venture: The Shoe Brand Idea 48:15 – $2.1M Kickstarter for Her Shoe Brand in 90 Days 51:00 – Was She Ready to Leave Thinx? 53:10 – The Co-Founder Rift: Different Timelines, Different Visions 56:40 – Lessons in Equity, Contracts & Business Breakups 59:15 – Don’t Assume Love = Legal Protection 01:01:30 – Why She Has No Regrets (But Learned the Hard Way)