She built a luxury athleisure brand as a movement—and it started with a life-altering diagnosis, and a decision to finally breathe again.

Clarissa Egaña, the visionary founder of Port de Bras (PDB)—a wellness-centered athleisure brand rooted in intention, sustainability, and community impact. Born in Florida to Venezuelan parents and raised in Caracas, Clarissa shares how her Latin American upbringing shaped her artistic sensibilities and social conscience—and how a personal health reset ultimately became the catalyst for building a company with purpose.

From postpartum anxiety and a Hashimoto’s diagnosis to discovering the power of yoga as a life-saving practice, Clarissa opens up about the realities behind entrepreneurship: the pressure of external validation, navigating pivots, the chaos behind wholesale, and the courage it takes to return to the roots of why she started. She also shares how PDB collaborates with NGOs, leads sustainability initiatives, and supports her team in Venezuela—proving that a brand can be beautiful and built for positive change.

Follow Clarissa: @clarissa_egana https://www.instagram.com/clarissa_egana

Learn more about Port de Bras: https://www.portdebras.com/

20% Discount Code: NOURISHED

Timestamps:

02:06 – The Breaking Point: Panic Attacks, Postpartum & Hashimoto’s

06:48 – The Toxic Truth About Activewear & Why Port de Bras Was Created

09:10 – Launching PDB with No Fashion Background (And Charging More Than Lululemon)

11:12 – Yoga as Medicine: The Practice That Saved Her

13:58 – Motherhood, Stillness & Raising Children Around Wellness

15:18 – Early Success, Net-a-Porter & The Reality of Wholesale

18:11 – Losing Momentum, Ego Bruises & Questioning Everything

20:14 – The Parallel Reality of Social Media & External Validation

23:30 – Childhood, Divorce & The Root of Overachievement

26:09 – Surrendering, Faith & The Viral “Arrow” Legging Moment

31:43 – Redefining Success Beyond Big Retailers

41:22 – Why Achievement Is Never “Enough”

44:12 – Healing the Mother Wound & Breaking Cycles

54:04 – Divorce at 25 & Rebuilding Without a Safety Net

58:17 – Why Fear Stops So Many Women from Taking Risks

59:45 – What Truly Nourishes Clarissa Now: Friendship & Community

1:05:31 – The Woman She’s Becoming & Mentorship

1:07:13 – What She Would Tell Her Younger Self

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