Meghan Markle has used her latest podcast episode to interview the founder of a global brand creating eco-friendly hair care and beauty accessories for women.
The Duchess of Sussex spoke with Kitsch founder Cassandra Thurswell in episode seven of the eight-part Confessions of a Female Founder which came out today.
Introducing her friend, Meghan said: ‘OK, so I think you guys know, I really like being in the garden. And running a business, funnily enough, it’s a lot like gardening.
‘Some seasons are for blooming, others are for planting seeds, but most of the work, especially early on, it’s tending to the soil, it’s the foundation, it’s what everything is going to grow out of.
‘You’ve got to make sure the roots are strong enough to carry what’s coming next. And this is especially true when you’re bootstrapping a business – running a business independent of any investors, private equity, VC… you are doing it on you’re own.
‘You have to be so intentional and careful with all of your choices, and you can’t expect a harvest to happen overnight. That’s impossible. And look, this can be challenging – especially in a culture that praises growth at all costs. You are in the race to succeed and success looks like numbers. That’s what you’re after.
‘But financing your own company forces a very different kind of rhythm. It invites you to choose patience over speed. And guess what, eventually, with a strong vision and all of that care on the details – oh, that garden will grow.’
Ms Thurswell – who Meghan refers to in the episode as ‘Cassie’ – ‘bootstrapped’ her business with $30,000 of her life savings. The brand is now worth $87million.
Cassandra Thurswell speaks during an event at Nya Studios in Los Angeles in October 2024
Meghan has released a new Confessions Of A Female Founder podcast episode each Tuesday
Meghan said Ms Thurswell has never taken any investment capital, and said she ‘saw the products we were always using and thought ‘how can we do that better?’.
The Duchess said they met when Meghan was auditioning in 2009 – before she starred in US legal drama Suits from 2011 to 2017 – and asked a friend called Heather for some style tips.
Heather – whose surname was not given – then introduced her to her cousin, who is Ms Thurswell, who came to Meghan’s home and helped her with her clothing choices.
During the episode, Ms Thurswell referred to the Duchess as ‘Meghan Markle’ at least twice – and Meghan did not correct her.
This comes after Meghan corrected comedian Mindy Kaling who referred to her as ‘Meghan Markle’ in her Netflix show in March, saying: ‘It’s so funny you keep saying Meghan Markle, you know I’m Sussex now.’
Meghan also spoke during the new podcast about how she ‘likes to show up for people’.
The Duchess said: ‘For me I was like I’ve been making preserves, I’ve been giving fruit baskets, I’ve loved to garden before I had a house and a garden like this. In my bungalow [where she previously lived], I had a lemon tree.
‘And in a way all these years later, because that’s been the undercurrent of how I like to show up for people, to have that still be ingrained in how I show up through the business where the hero product really starts as a fruit spread.
Cassandra Thurswell speaks at the WWD Beauty CEO Summit in New York City on May 7, 2025
‘I think it’s interesting in talking to so many different entrepreneurs, and a lot of the origin stories are women who do not come from a lot, do not have a big MBA, go to business school.
‘But you’re recognising what there are needs for and you’re also saying ‘what do I want to share in the world, and how do I want to share it thoughtfully and intentionally – and also with a micro focus on detail’? And I think that is the undercurrent through how you’ve built to where you are.’
In addition, Meghan spoke about being a mother to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet when they were babies – and how she had ‘a lot of external things happening’.
The Duchess said: ‘Before I was a mom – I’ve always wanted to be a mom – before I was a mom I was like, oh gosh, I’m going to give a speech with a baby on my hip. I had a whole vision. I was like, I’m just gonna…
‘And then you fast forward, granted I had a lot of external things happening by the time I had both pregnancies and both babies, but it was not the way I envisioned it.’
She later added: ‘For me it’s so important that my kids see me as a working mom.’
The chat with Ms Thurswell, which came out this morning, is the penultimate part of Meghan’s Lemonada Media podcast which has been releasing a new episode each Tuesday since April 8.
Previous podcast episodes have included interviews with Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd; Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani; and Highbrow Hippie co-founder Kadi Lee.
Cassandra Thurswell attends an event at Nya Studios in Los Angeles in October 2024
Others were IT Cosmetics co-founder Jamie Kern Lima; Clevr Blends co-founder Hannah Mendoza; and Heather Hasson, co-founder of medical scrubs brand Figs.
In episode six last Tuesday with Hasson, Meghan spoke about ‘getting your hands dirty’ as a company founder and how she ‘doesn’t have time to cook every day’.
The podcast comes after the Duchess’s Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan was released in March and her new brand As Ever was launched last month.
Yesterday, Meghan thanked those ‘who have loved and supported us throughout our love story’, as she and Prince Harry celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary.
The Duchess posted an image on Instagram of a notice board featuring a collection of snapshots of the couple from their private photo album, with the message: ‘Seven years of marriage. A lifetime of stories.
‘Thanks to all of you (whether by our side, or from afar) who have loved and supported us throughout our love story – we appreciate you.’
She added: ‘Happy anniversary!’ followed by a red heart emoji.
Among the images were numerous pictures of Meghan and Harry embracing, and one of the duke tenderly cradling the head of one of their children as a swaddled newborn.
There was also a baby scan labelled Archie, a photo of Archie kissing Lilibet on the forehead, as well as a number of notes including a central one in Meghan’s handwriting reading ‘Our love story’.
The accompanying music was The Proclaimers’ hit track I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).
Harry wed former Suits actress Meghan at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19 2018. But the pair stepped away from the working monarchy less than two years later for a new life in the US.
Harry has faced a lengthy rift with his brother Prince William and an estrangement from his father the King, telling the BBC this month that Charles will not speak to him.
