{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Growth Mavericks","title":"The Wild Story Behind SENIQ: From ACL Injury to REI Breakout","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2861,"description":"In this episode of Growth Mavericks, Adam Callinan sits down with Tina Thompson, founder of SENIQ, to break down the unconventional journey behind one of the fastest-rising women’s outdoor brands. What started during recovery from an ACL injury turned into a breakout brand now landing in REI and reshaping how women think about outdoor apparel.Tina didn’t follow traditional startup advice. No deep customer research. No venture capital. No perfectly mapped strategy. Just instinct, grit, and relentless execution.This conversation dives into what it actually takes to build something from nothing, scale into major retail, and create a brand designed to last 100 years.If you’re a founder, operator, or building a consumer brand, this episode is a masterclass in trusting your gut and doing the hard things.🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS Why Tina ignored traditional customer research—and why it worked  The real story behind breaking into REI  How SENIQ scaled without venture capital  The difference between DTC hype and wholesale reality  Why building a “100-year brand” changes your decisions  How injury and adversity can become your biggest advantage  The role of instinct vs data in early-stage companies ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Intro 01:15 – Tina’s background and SENIQ origin story 05:40 – The ACL injury that changed everything 10:20 – Why she didn’t rely on customer research 15:05 – Building the first products 20:30 – Breaking into REI 27:10 – Wholesale vs DTC strategy 34:45 – Scaling without VC 42:00 – Lessons on resilience and doing hard things 48:30 – Building a 100-year brandGrowth Mavericks Podcast: https://www.growthmaverickspodcast.comPentane (Financial Command Center for Consumer Brands): https://www.pentane.com SENIQ: https://seniqbrand.com/","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/AeBQQxJbUf-WSyMMarfVQi6SvNL8t1mMzevKk-UNMwA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jNmUw/MDA5ZGE4NzFhZWE0/YThiN2I0ODFkNzM0/YWRmNC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}