Hi, everyone. I'm Hilary Kerr, the co-founder and chief content officer of Who What Where, and this is Second Life, a podcast spotlighting women who have truly inspiring careers. We're talking about their work journeys, what they've learned from the process

of setting aside their doubts or fears, and what happens when they embark on their second life.

Today on the show, I'm chatting with the founder of the chic, Los Angeles-based women's wear brand,

Donnie, the one and only, Alyssa Wasco Stein. Alyssa is truly the definition of an entrepreneur.

As a child, she found ways to make money in her community,

like selling water bottles to festival goers in Denver,

and launching a handbag business at the age of nine.

She later studied retailing and consumer sciences in college and secured an impressive

summer internship at Chanel, which turned into a full-time visual merchandising job after graduation.

But in her sophomore year of college, Alyssa's life changed immensely with the tragic passing

of her father. Alyssa channeled her grief into creativity,

founding Donnie Charms, a scarf business named after her father, Donald. She made and sold the

scarves by hand, eventually gaining enough traction to secure a major wholesale order and

began manufacturing. Alyssa continued to grow Donnie Charms while working full-time at Chanel,

eventually leaving the storied brand to dedicate herself to her fledgling business.

Over the years, the brand underwent significant changes, moving operations to Los Angeles,

rebranding as simply Donnie, and, more importantly, expanding into ready-to-wear,

despite Alyssa having no experience designing clothing. She obviously has a knack for it, though,

because she went from a scarf business to a clothing business with almost 30 skews in a matter

of four weeks.

Alyssa is incredibly resilient, and I can't wait for you to hear from her today.

Now, on Second Life, it's Alyssa Wasco Stein.

...