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- [00:00]
A
I just want women and men and children and everyone to know that, like, you are not bound by your past. You are forging your own future. And if you want to do something bad enough, you can make it happen. Like, generational trauma means everything and nothing all at the same time. And you have all the power within you to make your future much, much, much brighter.
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B
Cassandra Wilson is a bold, creative entrepreneur and the founder of Inkri Boutique. Drawing from her passion for f self expression and empowerment, she creates elevated lifestyle and boutique experiences that inspire confidence, individuality, and authentic personal style.
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A
And Carrie actually means beautiful goddess. So anyone who comes into my store, man, woman, whoever, I want them to feel like a beautiful goddess. I just want people to come in and know that, like, they're getting good quality pieces, they're getting a good quality experience, and they're going to leave their, like, feed feeling like they had more than just a shopping experience. It's going to be something greater than that. I want it to be healing. I want it to be, like, grounding. I want it to be, like, more than just buying clothes.
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B
It spans the globe like a super
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A
high cold Internet Elvis.
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B
Brandon, Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone. It's not over until I win. The Living youg Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy.
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A
Oh, that is sensational. Jordan, Open Chicago with the lead.
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B
You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet.
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A
You can live your dream.
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B
Welcome back to another episode of the Living youg Legacy podcast, the Women in Power edition for Inside Success. I am Rig Gutierrez. Joining me today, fresh off our Women in Power conveyor belt is Cassandra Wilson. How are you, Cassandra?
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A
I'm doing well. How are you?
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B
Fantastic. Thanks for asking. Cassandra, you were not. You didn't even know you were getting a podcast today.
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A
I had no idea. He was like, hey, do you know you do. Do you have a podcast? And I was like, I've done a podcast before.
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B
Wait, did. Did our. Did our Kofi ask you he had a podcast? I'm like, yeah, Kofi, I'm just kidding. It's all good. Well, welcome. What a pleasant surprise to have you on the show.
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A
Yes, it was pleasant. It was a pleasant surprise indeed.
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B
What will we learn about you in your Women in Power episode, Cassandra?
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A
A lot of stuff. I mean, I would say that my whole message is, you know, keeping women in power and breaking chains and generational trauma. So there's a lot of deep and dark heavy in there. Oh, sorry.
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B
No, you're definitely.
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A
You're absolutely allowed to curse heavy in there, but Also, like, there's light. There's also, like, so much happiness and so much joy and so much, like, pain, but also persistence and finding your passion is truly what I'm about.
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B
I gotta be annoying for a second. You definitely look like a Cassandra. Cassandra is definitely your name. Fuck, yeah. It's awesome. Talk about the power that you wield, like, just in your vessel and how's that gone for you?
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A
So, number one, I'm a Capricorn.
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B
Right on.
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A
So, yeah, that's rough.
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B
Christmas, right?
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A
Yeah.
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B
Oh, Christmas babies. Yeah, I'm a summer baby. I'm a Theo. Yeah, it's terrible.
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A
It is. It's the worst birthday ever. But no, it's. It's super interesting just because of the fact that, like, I'm very impulsive, and so my whole business has been calculated, but also impulsive in the decisions that I make, but also, like, strategic. If. If I know that I want something, I'm going to go after it and I'm going to get it, and I'm going to make sure that it happens in a very timely manner.
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B
Gotcha. So happy accidents are welcome.
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A
Yes.
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B
Laird, on. Where. Where did that fire come from? Is this something you were born with or something you learned in your journey?
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A
I've gotten a few entrepreneurs and my. So my grandfather, entrepreneur, and my father also. So like it. There is some lineage there, but on the flip side of that, there's also a lot of things holding me back and that were holding me back. And working through that has been, like, a struggle. And so that's what I try to, you know, basically convey to the people who come into my shop is that we're not just. We're not just shopping. I want to be the shop that's, like, healing, empowering. Like, I know that sounds like crazy to do through fashion, but, like, no, no. To bottle up confidence is something that I can't do. So I sell clothes instead.
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B
Right on. Hell, yeah. That's amazing. You. You speak about shop, a boutique. What. What is it that you do every day?
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A
Every day is different. So I do now own a brick and mortar.
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B
Right on.
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A
Which I am very excited about. I was doing online since 2024, and then recently in May, I opened up a brick and mortar shop. And that has totally, like, changed my perspective on my business, on myself. You know, during the interview that we were doing, I just kept saying that this business is, like, saving my life. Like, it absolutely is. It's giving me purpose.
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B
Oh, yeah. I have to admit, like, come here to Inside Success and do what I do here gives me purpose, gets me out of bed. Because I don't think I'd be able to do this for myself because I'm so burned out of the whole influencer thing. So it's just like, I haven't posted any content for seven years, so take a shot every time. You've heard me say that, but I kind of. I wear that crown proudly just because I'm just like, that was a part of me. And now I'm in a position where I get to coach and show people like this. There's a right way of doing this and preserving your mental health, and there's an incorrect way of doing this and losing yourself into the sauce. And I've clearly lost myself and I'm returning now.
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A
That's all that matters.
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B
Thank you for that. So thank you for the content. Rehab, if you will. Says the guy that's hosting a podcast. Anyways, what will we learn about you in your episode? I know I asked that before, but I'm looking for your beginning before we've discovered your North Star.
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A
So there is quite a bit. So, like, I want to, you know, throughout the whole interview, I was just talking about, like, how troublesome it can be growing up. Especially, like, where I grew up with the family that I grew up with. And, you know, how those things impact you when you don't actually realize they are until you are in it and you start reflecting on yourself and realizing that, like, hey, you know, I'm becoming my mother. I'm becoming my father.
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B
Oh, yeah.
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A
Yes. And then you're like, okay, wait, like, how do I backtrack this? And, you know, deal with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, you know, all the things that we have to deal with or not. We, as a collective, me personally and whoever else is struggling. So I hope to be a beacon of light to show those people that you don't have to get stuck in that place where, you know, you are low and dark and whatever, you become the light and you become the person who pulls you out of it. And like I said, this business has done that for me.
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B
Awesome.
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A
And it's been great.
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B
Let's talk about the business. When. When you check in or when you check out from one avatar and check into the business avatar, what's that transition like for you? Going into your own, like, safe haven, but it's your business.
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A
It does not feel like work at all. So, yes, it is a safe haven. It is like, with a snap of a finger, like, it just happens, like, faces. Face goes on and there's not much difference being a Capricorn pre business face in normal face. My, my employee that I have, he says, you have resting witch face. That's amazing. And he's like, yeah, I do. It's fine.
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B
Yeah, that definitely should be your byline and everything. Resting witch face. Sold. Swipe right. So what's the experience like? Is, is it a tiny boutique? Is it a big space? Like, walk me through what happens when I open the door.
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A
I wish that it would have been a bigger space now that I'm going through it. However, I love the quaintness of it because it's just like you walk in and you just feel like you're like shopping with your sister or your mother or like whoever, like your girlfriends are all there. I've got chairs in the back. I want to create more community. I want to like, I host like vendors, stuff like that can come in and like host parties and stuff and like it's, it's more about community for me and I just want to create a space that's like super welcoming. So I didn't mention it, but I did mention it earlier that in cari actually means beautiful goddess. So anyone who comes into my store, man, woman, whoever, I want them to feel like a beautiful goddess as soon as they walk out that door when they come in. Great. That's fabulous. Whatever you're coming in, shed it and then you're walking out feeling completely different. So that's when I try to instill in every single customer that comes through because client experience is superior for me.
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B
Absolutely. Talk about where does that name come from?
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A
It's Nordic. Name itself was actually given to me by my husband. He's the one who came up with it. So I can't take full responsibility for it and full credit makes me super sad.
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B
Wherever he is, he's. He better be watching.
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A
Yeah, sure. Yeah, I'm. I just want everyone to walk in and just to feel like they're like, you know, a part of something else. Like I want it to be welcoming, I want it to be fun, I want it to be light, not like a pressured situation where you walk into some of these like high class boutiques and it's like you feel like awkward sometimes walking. And I've been in to plenty of them, believe me. My bank account shows and I just want people to come in and know that like they're getting good quality pieces, they're getting a good quality experience and they're going to leave their like feeling like they had more than just a shopping experience. It's going to be something greater than that. I want it to be healing. I want it to be, like, grounding. I want it to be, like, more than just buying clothes.
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B
Hell, yeah. So are you making these pieces?
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A
No. I wish I had the time and capacity to do so, but, no, I'm not. I'm curating. So.
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B
You're curating. How does this work? Like, how does one curate for your shop?
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A
So one me does curate. So I do, like, markets and stuff like that. And then a lot of, like, online and trial and error. Honestly, like, that's pretty much what it comes down to. And I buy things that, like, I like and hope other people like them. So every one piece that I buy ends up in my closet again, to my husband's dismay. And then the rest of them, hopefully other people like. And it's worked out so far.
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B
What inspires the pieces you pick? Is it color? Is it vibe? Is it backstory? Like, what. What makes it to the. To the shop?
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A
So it's called not so basic basics.
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B
Got it.
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A
So if we like, like the. The basics, but we want them to be elevated, we want them to be classy. I want, like, the staple pieces with the occasional, like, trendy item here or there just for fun, you know, and trends have their place, but I want more of a capsule wardrobe for people, something that for, like, the mom who is, you know, getting ready to drop our kids off at school or something like that or wants to go out for a date or whatever, just wants to put something together really quickly. My pieces are something that they can put together quickly. They all kind of match together. I curate, in a way that everything's color coordinated. So my entire shop is color coordinated based on, like, mix and match kind of situation. So I try to keep that in mind whenever I'm, like, sourcing.
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B
Do you. Do you follow, like, seasons, or are you just following, like, your temperament?
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A
Well, being in Pittsburgh, I have to follow seasons. Yeah, we're getting to the cold season now, so jackets and things like that.
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B
Well, you just got to start looking into Miami, right? You would do really well in Miami.
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A
I. I think I would. I might consider it.
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B
So what's next for you? The moment you. You jump over cove and you. You head out that door, what's next for you?
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A
I'm going to pool.
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B
After the pool, you drive off, and then you. I will. I will. Yeah. I will accept this challenge. We'll be here forever until I get the answer I want. So after you jump over Kofi, out the door into the pool, and you dry yourself. What happens next?
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A
I honestly, like, I do hope to go back and my, my main goal is to get a bigger space eventually. I love the space that I'm at, but I would like to scale a little bit and then I would love to keep like just a scaled version of different spaces in different areas. So maybe I will open one in Miami or even a pop up even
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B
with art Basil's here and stuff.
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A
Yeah, I do pop ups all the time at Pittsburgh. Love them. There's a great way to get your name out there and to showcase like what you have in the small quantity. But yeah, so I, I don't know. The sky's the limit for me. That's what I think.
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B
I love it. I gotta ask about your partner in crime. Unfortunately, he's not here. What's his day to day and how are you guys working together to achieve not just your dream, but his dreams and collectively your business?
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A
So a partner in crime. Yes. He is at home taking care of our lovely puppy and kitty cat.
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B
Fur babies.
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A
Yeah. Fur babies is what we have and that's all we have. I love that for us. But no, he's, he's so great and so like just supportive of everything that I've been doing and I'm so lucky to have him and to have him support me in the way that he has because I've had to take off, you know, work and jobs and things like that. And we moved up here to Pittsburgh. We moved there from Austin, Texas. And so I quit my job and then was kind of looking for things to do and then decided to open up this business. So he's been like super supportive throughout the whole process and it's just been so great to like know that like you have someone in your corner. So his day to day is he works for a company where he is by appointment. So he usually works at appointment during the morning and during the evening and I work all the time. So it's been really nice for him to kind of like, you know, catch up on the other things that don't happen usually like laundry and.
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B
Do you miss Austin?
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A
Oh my God, so much.
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B
Yeah. When did you live in Austin?
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A
2015 to 2021.
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B
Oh, cool. It's a right. Right before I moved to Austin and I was there for like three years and it was mostly Covid. So it wasn't the same.
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A
Yeah, no, it wasn't the same, but right on. Yeah. I love it. I love it so much and I do miss it and I miss the weather. Oh my gosh like, it was like, 30 degrees this morning, and I was
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B
like, yeah, it's starting to cool off here in Miami, so we're. We're just not getting this Fuller cool off. It's just cool. I love being a snowbird.
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A
It's great. Yes, right?
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B
Where can people learn more about you and discover your Jo?
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A
Yeah. So anywhere on social media. And Carrie Boutique is a great place to go. I post almost daily now. I'm sorry that your Instagram journey didn't go. It's easy to get burned out. It really is.
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B
Oh, for sure.
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A
Yeah.
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B
I was gonna say, are you hosting, like, live TikToks at your brick and mortar? Like, you have a brick and mortar now? It's more. It's like you. I. I people like, oh, you got great studios. I'm like, these aren't studios. These are showrooms. You know what I mean?
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A
We guess. Yeah. No, I do lives on whatnot sometimes. Great. And then, I don't know, that could be, like, something that I step into a little bit further. So doing lives and stuff and just kind of like, being there and being present, it just takes, you know, takes effort and takes, you know, commitment. Hell, yeah. I'm fully committed, and I'm super ready to do anything that I have to do or want to do or can do just to support my business, my brand, and who I am as a person. So, heck, yeah.
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B
And I got to ask, why do you believe you were cast as a woman in power?
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A
Honestly, I was so flabbergasted at the moment that they were like, yeah, we'd love to have you. I was like, you.
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B
Pardon?
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A
Pardon me, me, little meek. I think that it has a lot to do with, like, my backstory and overcoming so many challenges and wanting to know, like, you know, what else is next? What is the limit? Because I believe there is none. And, you know, going through all the hardships that I did, and I just want women and men and children and everyone to know that, like, you are not bound by your past. You are forging your own future. And if you want to do something bad enough, you can make it happen. And you are not like, generational trauma means everything and nothing all at the same time. And you have all the power within you to make your future much, much, much brighter.
- [16:43]
B
What a great way to end our podcast.
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A
Yes.
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B
I hope this is playing on loop in your store now, so wave out your customers. Is there a special or something you'd like to plug for folks that are in your store at this very moment?
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A
Oh, I don't know. You put me on the spot there.
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B
This is your store. Hi, customers. Hello.
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A
The fact that I didn't know that I was having a podcast means that.
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B
That you're perfect for podcasts. Yes. Keep it impul. Keep it surprising. Whatever.
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A
Yes, exactly. Exactly.
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B
Well, thank you so much again for your. Your time and energy. I hope you had a great time. And enjoy your poolside mimosa, if you're having one.
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A
Who knows?
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B
Maybe I'll roll with that.
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A
Yes.
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B
Well, cheers to that. And that concludes another episode of the Living, your legacy podcast. That's Cassandra. I'm Ray, and we are inside Success.
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A
Sam.