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Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode will give you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and stay tuned.

Five years ago, a new fine jewelry brand entered the market, making a lasting impression on the fashion industry by breaking fine jewelry norms. Noura Sakkijha, the CEO and Co-Founder of Mejuri, built the brand around a mission to create fine jewelry that empowers the customer to purchase for themselves, rather than waiting for a special occasion or a gift from a significant other. To satisfy that mission Noura decided on a direct-to-consumer business model, enabling the brand to avoid the traditional fine jewelry mark-ups and invest in their signature weekly drop model. There is a common saying that “the apple does not fall far from the tree,” and Sakkijha’s career journey epitomizes the phrase. Coming from a family of entrepreneurs and a third-generation jeweler, Sakkijha saw a gap in the fine jewelry industry and intended to have Mejuri fill it. Today, Sakkijha has grown Mejuri into a team of 190+ dedicated employees, established a cult-like Instagram following, and has raised $32 million for VC funding (while pregnant with twins!). 

While it seems that Sakkijha would naturally gravitate towards a career in fine jewelry, her path to get there isn’t as linear as you would expect. Initially, Sakkijha pursued a career in industrial engineering working for one of the top financial institutions in Toronto. But after five years, she decided to return to her roots and her true calling—on her own terms.

To take the leap of faith and start a brand requires a lot of patience, confidence, and courage—all of which Sakkijha had inside of her. Head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify to subscribe to Second Life and to listen to our second interview with Sakkijha and hear how she modernized a seemingly saturated space by breathing new life into it with Mejuri. And keep scrolling to discover Mejuri's latest offerings, including their new collaboration with iconic denim brand FRAME. 

Up next, from Brother Vellies to the 15% Pledge, find out how Aurora James is making meaningful change.

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