024: Scaling a Culture-First Brand in a Culture-Last Industry with Katy Spada

024: Scaling a Culture-First Brand in a Culture-Last Industry with Katy Spada

What happens when you build a brand rooted in memory, heritage, and purpose in an industry that rewards trends, polish, and sameness?

In this conversation, Katy Spada, founder and CEO of Ary + Maan, shares how a bedtime request from her child turned into a purpose-driven business celebrating South Asian heritage through modern, cozy family pajamas. Katy talks about launching Diwali pajamas, bootstrapping her brand while balancing motherhood and a full-time career, and building a community of multicultural families around culture and belonging.

We explore the emotional labor of representation, the unspoken bias in the “culture-last” fashion industry, and what it takes to lead with authenticity when the system wasn’t built for you. This episode is a story of identity, joy, and quiet defiance—the kind that changes what’s possible for women founders everywhere.

About Katy Spada
Katy Spada is the Founder and CEO of Ary + Maan, a South Asian-inspired children’s apparel brand reimagining family matching through the lens of culture, belonging, and joy. A former finance and tech professional turned purpose-driven entrepreneur, Katy created Ary + Maan to help multicultural families celebrate their full identities. Her signature Diwali pajama collections have sparked a global conversation about representation, heritage, and inclusivity in fashion.

Connect with Katy
Website: https://aryandmaan.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aryandmaan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyspada

Exposing the Hidden Reality is a weekly gathering for women who are ready to get real, ask better questions, and push back against the biases and barriers that shape our lives, work, and leadership.

Here, we:
✨ Dive into bold conversations with brilliant women
✨ Spotlight untold stories and truths
✨ Challenge hidden systems and social norms
✨ Share practical insights—with a side of sass and sisterhood

This isn’t just a podcast—it’s a platform for our collective voice.

Have you lived through something that exposed hidden biases, reshaped how you lead, or changed the way you see yourself and the world?Women and allies who are ready to speak truth, to name what's been silenced, and to spark change through authentic conversation are always invited to join us so we can hear your story. This is a platform for our collective and individual voices; where your voice matters and your experience can light the way for others navigating similar terrain.

Apply Here: https://exposingthehiddenreality.com/Apply

Connect with Exposing the Hidden Reality:
https://exposingthehiddenreality.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposingthehiddenreality
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exposingthehiddenreality
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exposingthehiddenreality

Connect with Annette Garsteck:
https://www.annettegarsteck.com

Connect with Sandra Wint:
https://www.me-her-us.com

Photography of Sandra Wint + Annette Garsteck taken by Katie Garlock, Portrations

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Episoder(58)

058: Who Does the System Protect? When Harm Meets Power

058: Who Does the System Protect? When Harm Meets Power

What does a system reveal when serious harm is reported? Not only through the policy it follows, but throughwho is asked to absorb the disruption that follows.Using the recent allegations involving a ...

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057: Who Are You When You Don't Have to Perform?

057: Who Are You When You Don't Have to Perform?

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056: How Do You Know A Coach Is Right For You?

056: How Do You Know A Coach Is Right For You?

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055: Professional Vulnerability Be Careful Who You Open Up To

055: Professional Vulnerability Be Careful Who You Open Up To

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054: Passed Over for a Promotion? What Kind of Support Do You Actually Need?

054: Passed Over for a Promotion? What Kind of Support Do You Actually Need?

Getting passed over for an internal promotion can send you searching for an answer: Was it the company, the manager, the strategy, the skill gap, or something you still cannot see from inside the situ...

10 Sep 27min

053: When You Need an Outside Perspective at Work

053: When You Need an Outside Perspective at Work

Have you ever talked through the same workplace problem with three different people and still ended up in exactly the same place? Sometimes the issue is not that we need more advice. It is that we hav...

3 Sep 30min

052: When the Door Doesn't Exist, Build One

052: When the Door Doesn't Exist, Build One

What do you do when you've worked hard, developed the skills, invested in yourself, and realize the door you're trying to walk through might not actually exist?Voice actor Christy Harst spent five yea...

27 Aug 35min

051: Resume Writing for Career Reinvention: Show Your Value, Not Just Your Job History

051: Resume Writing for Career Reinvention: Show Your Value, Not Just Your Job History

What if the problem with your resume is not that it leaves too much out, but that it is trying to carry too much?Sandra has not updated her resume in ten years. That creates a very real question: how ...

20 Aug 35min

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