Dare More, Without Becoming Someone Else - Lee Cohen

What if daring doesn't mean becoming louder, tougher, or more like everyone else in the room? What if it starts with accepting exactly who you are? In this episode, recorded in person at the Google for Startups studio in Tel Aviv, I talk with Lee Cohen, co-founder and CEO of TextRe. Lee knew within three months of law school that she didn't want to be a lawyer, and still practiced for five years in real estate and infrastructure, often as the only woman in the room, while building her startup on the side. She shares what chasing her dream really cost her, why negotiation doesn't have to be a fight, how she's building a company with a new baby at home, and why it makes her angry that women still don't dare more. **In this episode:** \- Why it's okay to know what you want and still take years to get there \- What to do if no one is backing you financially, and why that's not an excuse \- How to show strength without speaking louder, and go into negotiations looking for a win-win \- Letting go of mom guilt and the myth that you have to be 100% at everything \- Why daring means accepting who you are, not fitting someone else's model \- How TextRe turns textile waste into recycled plastic **Chapters:** (00:00) Teaser and intro (01:30) Live from Google for Startups Tel Aviv (02:50) From lawyer to startup founder (05:07) Asking her father for support (06:19) The only woman in the room (08:27) Strength isn't about being loud (09:07) Negotiation is a win-win, not a fight (10:35) What if no one is backing you? (13:07) Moving home to fund the dream (14:03) Building a startup with a new baby (17:46) Mom guilt and a different kind of mom (21:33) You don't need permission (22:27) A daily practice for guilt and anxiety (23:48) Why women need to dare more (25:13) Daring is accepting who you are (26:10) Apply even without every checkbox (28:05) TextRe: textile waste into plastic (31:35) Follow your dreams **About Lee Cohen:** Lee is the co-founder and CEO of TextRe, a materials company that converts mixed synthetic textile waste into engineered recycled polymers for the plastics industry. Before founding TextRe she spent five years as a lawyer in real estate and infrastructure, building the company on the side until she could commit to it full time. She grew up in her father's textile factories, watching mountains of fabric go to the trash, and that memory became the spark for her company. **Connect with Lee:** Website: https://www.text-re.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-cohen-466b41106/ **Connect with Limor:** Website: https://limorbergman.com Podcast: https://limorbergman.com/podcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/limorbergman/ Substack: https://limorbergman.substack.com how to chase your dream, career change from lawyer to entrepreneur, women founders, confidence for women at work, women in male-dominated industries, negotiation for women, mom guilt, working mom founder, women in tech podcast, women in leadership