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"A LOT with Audra" is the podcast for women juggling big dreams and full lives. Each episode, host, Audra Dinell, Midwestern wife, mom and neurodivergent multi-six figure entrepreneur encourages women to embrace their many roles holistically by living a values-based life with confidence and joy. Through candid discussions, practical strategies and inspiring stories, this podcast is your guide to designing and achieving success without losing yourself in the process.
Ep80
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[00:00:00]
Audra Dinell: [00:01:00] In this second act conversation, I sit down with Molly Motsinger, the new CEO of Sapahn, to talk about what it means to step into a mission that you did not start but deeply believe in. Sapahn means the bridge, and this conversation explores the many bridges that Molly is crossing from healthcare and tech into ethical fashion, from operator to steward, and from one version of leadership into another.
Together, we discuss what it takes to honor a founder's vision, grow without losing the soul of a company, and trust that sometimes your next chapter is not about starting over. It's about carrying forward what matters. Sometimes a second act is not a clean break or a dramatic reinvention. ~Sometimes it's a bridge s- between something that was built before you and something...~
~Wait, hang on. Let me read that last line again, Brian.~ Sometimes it is a bridge, a bridge between what was built before you and what is ready next. Molly Motsinger is the CEO of Sapahn, an ethical [00:02:00] fashion brand dedicated to creating beautiful leather goods while advancing human rights through fair employment and artisan partnerships around the world.
Before joining Sapahn, Molly built her career across healthcare, technology, and entrepreneurship, founding Superb, ~a healthcare technology company where she continues to lead business strat-strategy and growth~
~Do you want me to read that sentence over or can you f-~
A healthcare technology company where she continues to lead business strategy and growth. Throughout her career, Molly has developed a passion for building organizations that combine operational excellence with meaningful impact. Her experience scaling businesses and leading teams prepares her for what she believes is her greatest opportunity yet, stewarding a mission she deeply believes in.
As CEO, Molly is focused on thoughtfully growing Sapahn without compromising the values that have defined the company since its founding. ~She believes purpose and profitability... Let me read that one again.~ She believes purpose and profitability are not competing priorities. Instead, a strong business creates the next opportunity for greater impact by supporting artisan partners, empowering women, and expanding ethical consumer choices.[00:03:00]
Working alongside Sapahn founder Brooke, Molly brings strategy, operations, and long-term vision to the organization while honoring the heart of the brand. Together, they are building on Sapahn's legacy by combining creative vision with sustainable growth. Molly lives in Nebraska with her partner, children, and two energetic puppies, embracing the beautiful chaos of family life while leading two purpose-driven companies.
She believes that some of life's greatest opportunities aren't the ones we plan. They're the ones we are courageous enough to say yes to.
Molly, welcome to the podcast
Molly Motsinger: Hello. So excited to I'm so excited to have you here.
today.
Audra Dinell: Wait, wait, hang on. Let's... I know. we, we do this a lot in person, I know.
Molly Motsinger: to do virtual know. So for listeners, Molly and I met in an entrepreneurial accelerator in 2023. Was that right?
Mm-hmm.
Audra Dinell: was busy growing another company at that [00:04:00] time, which actually kinda leads us perfectly into your story. ~So today you're the co-owner of Sapahn.~
~I'm sorry, let me go back.~ Today you're the CEO of Sapahn. What were the chapters that shaped you before, and what through lines have you found?
Molly Motsinger: Yes. So, ~ um,~ prior to being the CEO of Sapahn, my journey was in a completely, completely different ~field.~ my background is specifically in healthcare, so care was really where my niche was.
I worked in that area for over 21 years, which is crazy to say, since I was 15 years old, before to make this large pivot into Sapahn and fashion, which is a completely left field for me. But my background there in healthcare and really got to kind of find I loved mission-driven, ~uh,~ working with humans, ~uh,~ aspects, and in doing So was able to leverage and [00:05:00] build a technology company, Superb, which, ~uh,~ that's how you and I connected. And that company was really founded to give advocacy to healthcare workers and allow nurses to create their own schedules and have control over their own lives and flexibility. So got to take the human aspects that I love of technology and grow that in an exciting way. Um, and it's kind of led me to, in a very long roundabout way, to this chapter of, ~of ~becoming the CEO of
Audra Dinell: So I love that you already found that through line of discovering you thrive when you're doing mission-based work that's centered around other humans. I also love that it's in a completely different industry. So depending on how you look at it, it's like, okay, there's a common thread that we're seeing, but also you weren't afraid to just totally step out of the healthcare [00:06:00] box that raised you to try something brand new.
So tell us about Sapahn.
Molly Motsinger: Yes. Yes. So I was introduced to Sapahn through the same, ~uh,~ entrepreneurship accelerator that ~you or I...~ You and I were in. ~Um,~ I was in an intimate peer-to-peer group where I met Brooke and was able to really hear her ~s- you know, her~ story and her mission ~and,~ and how she founded and has been growing Sapahn for the last 15 years. And I just came to love Brooke, and I came to love the mission and what she's looking to accomplish. And, you know, she was talking about a pivotal moment in her career and her company kind of at the exact same time I was talking about pivotal moments in my career and my company. And, you know, when I started hearing her talk about how she wanted to set the business up to look a little differently or, ~um,~ bring in some [00:07:00] operational help that maybe, you know, was previously draining her and wasn't allowing her to scale and grow, ~uh,~ she started describing all of the things she needed at Sapahn, which were all of the things I enjoy doing.
~Uh,~ she definitely thrives and gets energy from being a creative and the opportunity to do creative outlets, and she wasn't able to do that because she was bogged down by a lot of the operational things that are needed to scale and grow. And was really just drawn felt like was divine, um, that we were both basically looking to be each other's equal or what we both needed kind of at this phase of our career.
So that's kind of how, I guess, how the meeting, uh,
Audra Dinell: I think what is my takeaway is just there's two things. The magic in just being in community with other [00:08:00] entrepreneurs or like-valued humans, it's not necessarily something you can plan out. You both, you know, came to that program that I was a part of too to scale your business. You weren't looking for a partner or a buyout or anything like that.
But through relationship, just being around one another and getting to know one another and being in community, it's like that's the magic of like, "Oh, wait. Hand up. It's me. I can do that. I wanna do that."
Molly Motsinger: And I-
think there's such a powerful element of being around, you know, a like-minded group where you have a space where you can be vulnerable and you can say, "Hey, this is me back from growth." ~You know, um,~ example, financials. Some people love them. Some people hate them. ~Um,~ they're a necessary, necessary evil in a business, a huge necessary evil.
And just to be able to have the space to say, [00:09:00] "This drains me. It doesn't bring me energy, and it's not allowing me to grow," you kind of need other people in the room to validate those feelings and say like, "Hey, I've been there." ~Um,~ you know, I'm the opposite. If you were to ask me to go make an Instagram image on Canva, I would be near a panic attack.
So, we all have our different strengths and different weaknesses
Audra Dinell: Well, and I think just embracing those, and owning those, and getting really honest with yourself about, you know, not trying to do it all, because I think that's a trap that we can fall into in business, trying to do it all, and there are some seasons where we have to. I mean, it just is what it is. But when we're out of that season, you know, looking in the mirror and saying, "Okay, I need to give this to someone who's gonna be able to do it twice as quick as me because it's in their
Molly Motsinger: Yeah
Audra Dinell: lane."
So
Molly Motsinger: exactly
Audra Dinell: made you feel [00:10:00] like this is the bridge that I'm supposed to cross at this time? You mentioned the timing was just divine. Talk a little bit more about that
Molly Motsinger: Yes. So as I mentioned, you know, I had been in healthcare for 21 years. I started, ~uh,~ working in, ~uh,~ assisted living at the age of 15 as a dietary aide and have progressed my career, ~um,~ through all layers of, you know, healthcare. And so I had kind of gotten to the point in 21 years, and I was about five years into building and scaling Superb, where I just kind of had that
same feeling of this doesn't bring me the energy it used to. Superb had gotten to a point where I really needed to bring in individuals to scale my sales team or myself really push my, push myself into a different sales role. And all of those [00:11:00] things I had been doing and leaning into for quite a bit of time, and they were draining me. I wasn't living in any of my, you know, areas ~of,~ of joy or things that bring me energy.
And like you said, there's a time and there are phases where you have to, as a leader, step into something you know, it may not bring you joy, but it's something that has to get done to get the business, you know, to the next phase or the next month or the next quarter. And so I had been doing some of these things that didn't bring me joy for about six months, and I had really taken a look at myself and a look at Superb and said, "What does the business need?" unfortunately, I kind of didn't think
Audra Dinell: Yeah
Molly Motsinger: ~Excuse me. Um, know,~ know, I took a look, look at the business and said, our resources and the majority of our investments in this company should go shouldn't be into me." ~Um,~ I just didn't have [00:12:00] the light and the fire, ~um,~ that I needed ~to,~ to really have to take the business to the next phase, and I saw that in myself. About just the healthcare industry in general, I really just personally needed to take a step back, and it was very hard for me to admit that and say that. ~Um,~ I didn't know anything other than healthcare. So I kind of just thought that would be my entire career. I would be in this space, you know, for the rest of my career 'cause that's what I know best.
But I just wasn't finding the joy and energy I had before. And when Brooke talking about Sapahn and some of the changes she was going to make and the opportunities she was proposing to bring in a CEO or bring in some co-ownership, I really started, you know, obsessing over this company. And the more I learned about it and the more I got to see behind the curtain, [00:13:00] started obsessing even more, and I found myself really finding that energy and the passion that I had when I started my other company five years ago.
~Um,~ and, you know, we had this conversation in person, but I was... I thought I was burnt out on running a business. That's what I was worried about. But I, you know, I found in this journey of, of looking at the next chapter was there's not- It's not that I didn't love running a business. I do. I love building something from scratch.
I love seeing something that's not there yet. was more I was burnt out of kind of this industry. ~Um,~ it had drained me, and ~it,~ it took a lot for me to the courage and to say that out loud and ~to have, you know, um ... And what is the word I'm looking for Here Uh,~ it took a lot for me to be brave enough to say, "I'm going to start over, and I'm going to step into a completely different industry and jump off the, the deep end," [00:14:00] but did it.
Audra Dinell: Here we are. I'm just so impressed, and when you made the announcement, I felt like it was so aligned. So from the outside looking in, you might, or I guess from the inside, you might have felt like, "Oh my gosh, this is a left turn from the..." But from the outside looking in, it felt like, "Oh, yeah, of course.
She's gonna take who she is and her skills and her strengths and apply it over here." I commend you, great job for making the leap. I also feel like I wanna flag what you said about you getting obsessed because I think that's just, like, a good... Like, we all need to mark that. When we start getting obsessed with a thing, it's like mark it.
It may not mean you're gonna, you know, change your job completely, but it- there's something there when you just, like, spend time on a thing because you can't not
Molly Motsinger: [00:15:00] Yes. Absolutely
Audra Dinell: cost thinking about your career in healthcare? Like, I know you said it was really hard to make that leap. Was the thought of just time spent and energy and recognition in that industry, was that a battle for you?
Molly Motsinger: No, I think more of I didn't want it to come across as I was quitting
Audra Dinell: Yeah
Molly Motsinger: ~Um,~ now after, I guess you wanna call it wearing two leadership hats, I'm still heavily involved in Superb, still run the board, I'm still involved in strategy. just not in the day-to-day like I used to be. And at first, I really was more so worried that it felt like I was giving up on my baby or, you know, that giant chapter of my life, to your point, that so much time and so many resources and so many relationships with investors and mentors and employees, ~um,~ I was really [00:16:00] worried about them down.
And I think if you sometimes as an entrepreneur you feel like if you don't put 40-plus hours into something, you're not giving it everything it's worth, you know? Our time is one of the most valuable things we have as entrepreneurs, so sometimes I equate success or, ~uh,~ quality to time, and that's not necessarily true.
~Um,~ now I get to involved in Superb in the ways that I have strength. And, you know, I'm a visionary and I'm a analytical person, so I'm able to support the company in those ways still, which I enjoy doing. And now when I go to those meetings and I'm part of those, you know, strategy sessions, I'm giving it my all, and I'm so much more present, and I'm so much more energized by those, you know, those interactions.
Whereas you don't see joy in much [00:17:00] because you're bogged down by a little bit of everything. So I think to circle back to your question,~ I was,~ I was really scared of not putting 50 to 60 a week into something, ~um,~ just for the sake ~of,~ of all the time that's been spent previous with
Audra Dinell: And it sounds like sort of making up the story by you not giving that a certain amount of time, you were potentially gonna let down those who had invested in you and the company when it sounds like the opposite is true. You're actually giving the company more by showing up to those meetings engaged and present and energized and leaving your strengths on the table and then walking out until they're needed again.
Molly Motsinger: Yes.
Audra Dinell: that. It's just so... Go ahead.
Molly Motsinger: so...
Audra Dinell: No, go ahead
Molly Motsinger: I was gonna say, and hiring and supporting the people who do enjoy those
So I, I have a leader that came in, and he's [00:18:00] doing a phenomenal job leading the company, and he loves, loves the majority of the aspects of it. So, yeah, just being able to support and put the right people in the right seats that are energized the right way.
You know, it's, such a synergy you have ~to,~ to make for the magic of the leadership team sometimes to get it to grow, and I think it starts with the CEO and the leader recognizing, ~um,~ you know, where they fit the
Audra Dinell: Yeah. And getting out of your own head with, you know, the stories that we can make up about what other people, you know, might think. I just think that's so relatable, whether it be, you know, in your family or your investors or your friends or your team. You know, we don't, we don't really know, and I think we can easily just kind of keep ourselves stuck [00:19:00] in a place because we're worried about disappointing others, when that actually may not be what's happening at all
Molly Motsinger: Yeah. Yeah
I actually had, a, you know, a great conversation with a colleague and they said, "Go look at 10 other CEOs or 10 other investors' LinkedIns, and I can guarantee you they're the CEO or C-suite of something of
Audra Dinell: Yeah
Molly Motsinger: Stop, you know, stop worrying that you can't wear two hats. You've been wearing hats for a very long time."
So I think, yeah, you just create stories ~in,~ in your head of why you shouldn't do something. ~Um,~ and at some point you have to just make a decision to kind of let the voices go and focus on what's gonna make me happy. ~And,~ and oftentimes that's, you know, that's the best decision and the best, best path
Audra Dinell: So how are you leading Sapahn forward [00:20:00] when your job is not necessarily to reinvent the soul of it or construct it from the ground up, but rather protect it and expand it? This is different for you than your first business
Molly Motsinger: Yes. Yes. ~Um,~ the beauty of Sapahn is when I came into this company, lot of the business
is working well. You know, ~it's ... And when I s- say a lot of it, the major- I,~ this company is incredibly successful. It has amazing brand. ~You know,~ Brooke has created such a mission. She has amazing relationships with artisans in Thailand. such an impactful and wonderful business that I really, I get to walk into something that's a well-oiled machine, my job is really just to elevate it and bring it to more people. I'm not walking into a bunch of problems that I have to fix. ~My,~ my job is to get beautiful bags in the hands of more women.
So ~it's,~ it's [00:21:00] an incredibly exciting job and a fun job. ~Um,~ so with that, I think walking into this, I, I have a handful of things and, ~uh,~ Brooke has, ~uh,~ you know, been very vocal about the key elements of the business that should remain and should stay and are really the brand. So for example, the relationships with the artisans in Thailand.
These bags are made by hand by female artisans. They're paid fair wages. Her and I both, we would never change that. That's, you know, a 15-year relationship and the one thing I get to do is I get to go fly to Thailand and meet these individuals and continue the relationship. So lot of the aspects of the job are incredibly fun.
~Um,~ I think the hard part for me is at the business, that it's [00:22:00] pivotal moment where it's really to becoming an e-commerce brand. know, they typically had a in-person retail store and Brooke then made the decision to not continue lease down there, ~um,~ here in Nebraska and allocate the resources to be used for e-commerce.
So my job is really, ~um,~ moving around the investments in the company into areas that are, ~are ~thriving, and looking at how we elevate that and push it to a bigger level. So I think our online presence is what you'll see Sapahn really evolve and grow, and you all get served with our ads.
Audra Dinell: And I think you will after listening to this podcast. I will say
after meeting Brooke, she sent me a beautiful pouch, a Sapahn pouch, and it's one of my favorites. It's just so well-made, so, like, thick and luxurious. You know, [00:23:00] every area just feels like quality. I've had it for years, and it still holds up, so I'm a huge fan.
I'm wondering for you, thinking about moving from a startup and the challenges that come with building it from the ground up, walking into something that's working well and getting to expand it, did you change your mind or did you have any belief shifts about what it takes to be successful or You know, what it has to look like to, you know, feel purposeful.
Do you know what I'm getting at? Like, you went from building something from the ground up that was, you know, you're always facing hard and challenge and exciting and problems to walking into something that's flowing pretty well. Like, did that shift beliefs in you?
Molly Motsinger: yes, it's a very big dynamic change [00:24:00] for me. ~Um,~ also used to working with a board and a lot of investors, where in Sapahn, we have our own autonomy, and we get to make our own decisions, and a lot of things don't have to be approved by a board. with investors comes speed, so I think the biggest dynamic change from a startup t- to kind of moving into this business is Superb, the goal in that startup is to go as fast as you?
possibly can and, and grow as fast as You possibly can.
That's, that's the expectation. That's the, you know, the train I jumped on, and I signed up for. However, at
Audra Dinell: You wrote it well.
You wrote it well, my friend
Molly Motsinger: thank you. ~Um,~ I get to be more thoughtful, and I get to take my time and decide, does this, you know, sit well with me? Is this [00:25:00] a longterm decision? A lot of the decisions made in my previous business were to get to one particular pivotal moment that is five to seven years from the inception of the business, where this is 15 years in, and I wanna grow it for another 15 years.
So a lot of my decisions are much more thoughtful, and I get to take my time in making them, which I just feel like I have so much more autonomy and decision-making power, ~um,~ which is exciting and, you know, high-pressure, I guess. But I, I feel excited ~to,~ to get to really lean into that in this business
Audra Dinell: So as Brooke is crossing a bridge in her own life, what have you learned from watching her release one type of leadership and step into a different type?
Molly Motsinger: Yeah. I kind of think of it rather than releasing as more of seeing her grow
Audra Dinell: [00:26:00] Yeah
Molly Motsinger: And what I mean by that is I think as a, you know, to circle back to my first, you know, my comment in the beginning, ~we,~ we think if we take on all these things and we do 100 million things then if we work 100 hours, that equals growth, that equals success. And it's been exciting to see Brooke really delegate and kind of ~l-~ let me take her baby, which I'm sure is, is crazy to think. You know, she's raised something for 15 years, and now she's handing it to someone else to, you know, take and grow. So being, seeing her grow and pass things off to me and then encourage me and give me guidance along the way, ~um,~ she's an extremely patient person.
~Um,~ time seems to be going incredibly fast for me. I'm sure, sure for her she feels differently. You'll have to ask her, [00:27:00] offline. But think seeing her grow and in- evolve as a leader and say, "I can't do it all," I think that's been probably the, coolest thing to see and something, ~uh,~ that I, I recognize in myself in my path as
Audra Dinell: I love hearing that. I think a lot of people listening who run businesses or lead teams will feel the same, ~that ~that's the learning, is delegating and moving more into your strength isn't necessarily releasing, it's actually growing. So for the woman who is listening to this episode who might be standing on the edge of her own bridge between who she's been, who she's invested time and resources into, who others have invested time and resources into, and who she's becoming, who she sees herself being in the future, what do you want [00:28:00] that listener to know?
Molly Motsinger: Ooh, where do I start? I think there's never a good time to start. I have to say as a mom and a partner, a friend, season of life is busy. Every season of life has its own stressors. Maybe some seasons are different than others, but just don't know if there's ever a good time to say, "I'm gonna dive off the deep end feet first."
You know, you have to really just do it. You have to have the confidence in yourself and kind of the, the gut to say, "I'm gonna figure it out. I'm gonna try it whether I succeed or I fail. I don't wanna look back one day and say, 'Mm, I missed that opportunity.' That thing that kept me up at night that I couldn't [00:29:00] sleep over for weeks, I don't wanna be thinking that about that again in two years when I'm still stuck in the same spot. At least if I would have stepped forward and failed, at least I was
moving forward So my advice to women is always, you know, as simple as there's never a good time. I look at a lot of statistics about women, how, they don't become they do their big pivot in their 40s. There's a lot of information about that, or they, most women don't become millionaires until their mid-40s. And so I think, well, why is that? I have to, you know, assume a lot of women, myself included sometimes, I say, "Well, I can't do that right now in this season of life." Like, my, my daughter's just starting kindergarten, or we just started this, or my kid was teething, or, you know, all of these different seasons of life can hold us back as women from taking a leap.
And so I, you know, I would [00:30:00] encourage women ~to, to take the,~ to take the path, and if you are obsessed over your bridge and you can't sleep about it, then, you know, ~take the,~ take the step forward because there's really never going to be a
Audra Dinell: Oh, I love that. You know I needed to hear that. Did you say that for me?
Molly Motsinger: I did. I...
Audra Dinell: Thank you. And I love how you tied that back in of if there's something that you're obsessed over, you can be thinking about it in two years, or you can just embrace that it's not a good time because it's never a good time, and just go for it and see what happens.
So good. Thank you so much. I am so excited
Molly Motsinger: so welcome
Audra Dinell: Sapahn with any of our listeners who haven't heard of the brand. We will link your website and your Instagram in the show notes, and wish you great success for the next 15 years
Molly Motsinger: Oh, thank you. It was so great
Audra Dinell: Yeah, thanks.
[00:31:00]