Building a Breakthrough Brand: Hayley Segar on Confidence, Grit, and Growth EP 131

Dec 15, 2025

Join Hayley Segar, the innovative founder of One With Swim, a groundbreaking swimwear brand that redefined comfort with patented fits. She shares her "aha" moment that sparked the idea and the two-and-a-half years of hard work to develop her product. Hayley opens up about overcoming limiting beliefs leading up to her transformative Shark Tank experience. She emphasizes the importance of confidence, grit, and intentional growth strategies, all while maintaining a focused direct-to-consumer approach and mentoring future entrepreneurs.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

The Sudden Aha That Launched The Brand

Hayley had an instant 'aha' in April 2019: she wanted a swimsuit that fit like no-show underwear.
She validated no one had made it and then spent ~2.5 years prototyping before launching.

ADVICE

Pay For Expertise Early

Pay for experience when building technical product skills instead of learning everything yourself.
Hiring experts avoids costly mistakes and accelerates correct execution.

INSIGHT

Content Roots Make Marketing Intuitive

Hayley leveraged a decade-plus of content creation to make marketing feel natural.
That background let her blend creativity and founder work into a sustainable zone of genius.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

In this episode, Nancy Sheed reconnects with entrepreneur Hayley Segar, who first first appeared on the show during the earliest days of building her One With Swim company. Now, with a patented product, viral traction, and a successful Shark Tank deal, Hayley reflects on how far the brand has come and what she has learned along the way.

"You have to have almost a delusional sense of confidence, drive, execution, grit, coachability… and that's a specific combo of things."

From overcoming limiting beliefs to building intentional growth strategies, she shares a candid look at the mindset and systems that fuel her growing business.

Key Points

The idea for One With Swim struck Hayley in a single "aha" moment when she realized women needed swimsuits that fit like no-show underwear—and no one had created them yet.
She spent two and a half years prototyping and developing the product, intentionally hiring experienced professionals instead of trying to teach herself every technical skill.
Even with early traction, Hayley still battled limiting beliefs rooted in being underestimated during past pitch competitions. She had to actively rewrite her internal narrative before stepping onto Shark Tank.
Her Shark Tank appearance was transformational, providing validation, credibility, and momentum—while reinforcing her commitment to a direct-to-consumer model.
Hayley focuses on intentional growth, especially in navigating the challenges of seasonality, strengthening infrastructure, and preparing her systems for long-term scaling.
Giving back has become a meaningful part of her year—speaking at UConn, mentoring students, and sharing honest lessons with future entrepreneurs who are walking the path she once did.

Hayley's story is a powerful reminder that entrepreneurship is as much an inner journey as it is an external one. Her blend of intuition, discipline, and unwavering belief in her product has shaped One With Swim into a brand with real momentum—and real meaning.

As she continues to grow, give back, and inspire the next wave of founders, her path offers both practical lessons and genuine encouragement for anyone passionately building something of their own.

Connect with Hayley

Website

Connect with Nancy

Instagram

Website

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices