In this episode of Be Anomalous, I sit down with Mitali, founder of Fashom and XFashom, two ventures bridging fashion, technology, and sustainability. Her path is anything but traditional: from growing up in Oman and Saudi Arabia, to studying engineering in Florida, to leaping headfirst into the fashion industry in New York. Along the way, she’s built platforms that celebrate real women, real bodies, and real style long before “body positivity” was a marketing trend.
We talk about the cultural whiplash of moving from Saudi Arabia to the U.S., the loneliness of being a woman in male-dominated industries (both engineering and tech), and what it takes to raise money when investors tell you, “What if you spend it shopping?” Mitali shares how she turned rejection into resilience, why customer feedback is her secret weapon, and how she built not one but two companies that marry AI, style, and sustainability, all while running a nonprofit in Africa and teaching at a fashion institute.
This episode is about resilience, pivoting with purpose, and building companies that empower women without burning yourself out in the process.
If you’ve ever felt torn between safety and passion, or wondered how to balance ambition with self-care, Mitali’s story is a reminder: you can redefine success on your own terms.
🎧 Listen to the episode
Spotify | Apple Podcasts
What You’ll Learn
How Mitali went from engineering to fashion and why problem-solving, not design, has always been her superpower
What it was like growing up in Oman and Saudi Arabia as a young woman obsessed with fashion
How cultural constraints and reverse culture shock shaped her worldview
The founding story of her first app, celebrating real women and unfiltered style
Fundraising as a woman in tech: discrimination, rejection, and lessons in resilience
Why customer feedback is the most important data point for a founder
How YouTube unboxings (not Instagram) unlocked her first wave of traction
Pivoting from fashion box to data-driven technology engine
Her leadership philosophy: emotional intelligence, empathy, and mindful workplaces
Burnout as a founder — how she rebuilt balance and why mindfulness is now a business strategy
Building sustainable solutions for fashion waste and retailer returns
Favorite Quote
“Your world is the reflection of your state of consciousness.”
— Eckhart Tolle
Favorite Book
📖 The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
In This Episode, We Cover:
(01:00) Mitali’s love for fashion, despite an engineering background
(02:00) The leap from engineering to entrepreneurship
(03:00) Launching her first company to showcase real bodies and unfiltered style
(04:00) Growing up in Oman and Saudi Arabia, cultural constraints and identity
(06:30) Moving to the U.S.: Florida, New York, and reverse culture shock
(07:00) Engineering as problem-solving and a foundation for entrepreneurship
(09:00) Bootstrapping vs fundraising and the sting of investor bias
(10:30) Always going back to her “why” of women’s empowerment
(11:30) Pivoting into Fashom and XFashom: AI, style boxes, and tech for retailers
(14:00) Operations lessons, returns, and building warehouse systems from scratch
(16:00) Running a nonprofit in Swaziland and teaching at Marangoni
(18:00) Burnout, mindfulness, and choosing balance over endless growth
(20:00) Emotional intelligence as the underrated skill of leadership
(22:00) Building team culture through values, wellness, and empathy
(24:00) Founder loneliness and why surrounding yourself matters
(25:00) Resilience, pivoting, and flexibility as must-have founder traits
(27:00) Customer feedback as the key to knowing when to pivot
(29:00) From a kitchen full of boxes to the first warehouse, early founder realities
(31:00) Finding traction on YouTube unboxings and reaching suburban moms
(32:00) Customer stories that remind her of her “why”
(33:00) Sustainability goals: cutting waste and reducing returns
(34:00) Favorite book, quote, and final reflections
Where to Find Mitali
Referenced in This Episode
The Power of Now — Eckhart Tolle
Sarah Blakely (Spanx) — Founder inspiration
YouTube unboxings as a growth channel
Institute of Marangoni (where she teaches)
