Through her vegan luxury lifestyle shoe line, WholeHearted founder Stephanie Blain overcame obstacles, found success, and pays it forward
It’s not unusual for a business idea to take a while to get from inception to fruition.
But what makes WholeHearted founder and designer Stephanie Blain’s years-long entrepreneurial journey to make her chic earth-friendly shoe line reality is pretty unique.
In 2021, Blain developed the concept for a luxurious eco/animal-friendly lifestyle shoe that was fashion-forward and also a reflection of her personal values.
“I really like shoes, and being vegan, I don't digest meat, so why put it on my feet?” Blain says. “I had to create a cool, stylish lifestyle shoe that didn't have any animal product in it.”
At the time, vegan food and plant-based diets had taken off along with a global vegan footwear fashion market that was projected to reach $40 billion by 2030, she recalls. However, she didn’t see any options that weren’t plain or basic.
“For me, that was the problem WholeHearted 'stepped in' to solve,” Blain says.
But life took her on an unexpected roller coaster over the next couple of years. She went through a divorce, suffered a horrible accident when she was hit by a car on her bike, and in the same year, her mother abruptly passed away.
Blain also battled addiction that trapped her in a cycle of debt and ruined previous ventures she had started.
However, by 2024, she beat addiction, overcame obstacles, and was able to fully delve into her shoe idea.
That’s when WholeHearted and Blain’s luxury vegan shoe crafted from pineapple leather was ready and sold to customers craving a lifestyle shoe that wasn’t boring or unsustainable.
The shoe line wasn’t only about providing a footwear option. It also was a source of strength and focus through the rocky few years that Blain endured.
“It was definitely an anchor in those times,” she says. “It was a creative expression to move through all the things that were going on and to see if I had the perseverance to actually do it.”
Blain had previously worked as an executive assistant and a recruiter in the Phoenix metro area, and she is a certified yoga instructor. In 2022, she earned her Ph.D. in philosophy and metaphysics.
“Yoga and my kids are big components of me coming out of that phase,” she says, referring to her daughter, 11, and son, 10.
Currently, WholeHearted features one shoe, The Nean, a black lace-up style with a sparkly silver heart on the side and the words “Peace” and “Love” on the heel tabs. Blain is working on more colors and a second style.
Blain's Live Your Soles Purpose podcast works in tandem with her WholeHearted brand, giving her a way to shine a well-deserved spotlight on women who are doing amazing things and overcoming challenges. It also enables her to empower other women and pay her fortunes forward.
“I really want to make sure the whole brand is about inspiring people to pursue their passions and their dreams and living their deepest desire,” she says. “We can get out of these difficult situations and move to a different side of life. We can do it.”
“I had to create a cool, stylish lifestyle shoe that didn't have any animal product in it.”