Episode #89. This week on the podcast, I am excited to be joined by Lauren Palmieri. Lauren co-founded MEL Sleepwear, a small batch brand she created with her mother, Elaine, and sister Mia, during the pandemic.

Lauren grew up in Upstate, NY, and after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, moved to NYC, where she earned her Master’s degree from Fordham University in Human Resources Management.

Lauren has over a decade of experience working as an HR professional in the financial services and legal industries.

It was while living in Manhattan that Lauren noticed her desire to live a more creative and colorful life. During the pandemic, she chose to lean into her inner artist and away from her inner critic and began dreaming up ideas to design beautiful and functional sleepwear alongside her mother, Elaine, a Nurse Practitioner, and sister, Mia, a junior at Boston University.

As women who struggle with sleep, Lauren and her co-founders hope to inspire women through their sleepwear and community to reconnect to themselves each night through the power of ritual and routine. MEL believes that sleep is a non-negotiable when it comes to following our dreams and hopes to contribute to changing the narrative to sleep being ‘a must have’ instead of a ‘nice to have’.

In December 2023, MEL launched its first style, The Beatrice, via e-commerce and looks forward to growing this summer with the reveal of a new silhouette.

Lauren recently relocated from NYC, where she lived for a decade, to Palm Beach where she resides with her partner Remm.

In our conversation, we talk about what Lauren has learned as a new founder. She shares how the pandemic helped her realize that she wanted to do something more with her life. I think you will find Lauren’s story really inspiring.

Connect with Lauren:

• Website