Valentine Aseyo shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Valentine, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I have a solid morning routine with a strict DND policy meaning absolutely no technology including text, emails, social media. I moved my phone charger from my nightstand to the bathroom a few years ago and it completely changed my life. I no longer do aimless scrolling or check emails before going to bed or when I wake up. I’m very disciplined to not touch my phone until late morning.
At work, the first two hours of my day are always reserved for focused project work; no emails, no slack, no mini tasks. Once I tackle my highest priority item on my daily to-do, then I relax a bit and do housekeeping and go online for the world to bombard me with spam.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Valentine Aseyo, the founder of Matador Meggings, but above all, I’m someone driven by self-expression, creativity, and courage. My background is in tech; I spent years at companies like Facebook, IBM, and Bandsintown, surrounded by structure, meetings, and data. Over time, I realized that the same skills that helped me build digital products could help me build freedom. I left corporate life to create something that didn’t exist—a brand that celebrates confidence, color, and individuality for men. That’s how Matador Meggings was born.
The idea came to me during a yoga class, surrounded by women in leggings who looked comfortable and confident, while I was in shorts, feeling out of place. I wanted to give men that same freedom without the self-consciousness. From that small frustration grew a brand that now challenges norms, empowers self-expression, and invites men to show up unapologetically.
What makes Matador special isn’t just the product, but the mindset behind it. We’re not selling leggings; we’re selling the freedom to stand out. I built this company alone, from my laptop, across four countries, chasing both adventure and purpose. It’s been humbling, exhilarating, and at times lonely, but it has taught me that courage isn’t about never being afraid—it’s about jumping anyway. My mission now is to grow more than a brand: it’s to build a movement that celebrates authenticity, playfulness, and the power of living life on your own terms.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Disconnection begins when people stop being seen and start being managed—when conversations become transactions and authenticity gets replaced by performance. In my corporate years, I saw how ambition often came at the cost of humanity. We wear masks to fit into systems that reward sameness, and over time, we forget who we really are. That’s what breaks the bond: when we stop showing up as our real selves, when we filter, edit, and shrink to be acceptable.
What restores those bonds is vulnerability. When we dare to be seen as we are—flawed, messy, emotional, imperfect—we give others permission to do the same. Real connection is built not through perfection, but through honesty. That belief shapes everything I do at Matador Meggings. I design products that make men feel confident in their own skin, not because they hide who they are, but because they help them show up fully. Whether it’s in life, work, or relationships, the only real way to restore connection is to replace fear with openness and judgment with empathy.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I thought about quitting more times than I can count. There were nights when I stared at my laptop, watching sales crawl, wondering if I had made a colossal mistake leaving a stable career for an idea that might not survive. I’ve experienced factories shutting down overnight, shipments lost at sea, and months when I couldn’t afford to pay myself. I remember once standing in my living room surrounded by boxes of unsold inventory, thinking, “Maybe this is it. Maybe this is where it ends.”
But courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s feeling the fear in your bones and moving anyway. Every time I thought I’d reached my breaking point, something small—a message from a customer saying our meggings made them feel confident, or seeing a stranger wearing my designs on the street—would reignite my fire. Those moments reminded me that purpose doesn’t exist without struggle. Matador came close to failing more than once, but each time it forced me to evolve, to think smarter, and to grow thicker skin.
The truth is, every entrepreneur walks that tightrope between persistence and surrender. What saved me wasn’t blind optimism; it was obsession. I was obsessed with finishing what I started, with proving that boldness could win. So I kept pushing, through exhaustion, fear, and doubt, until one day the brand that almost broke me became the brand that built me.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that what matters most to me is authenticity—showing up as my true self and creating spaces where others can do the same. They’d say I’m driven by growth, both personal and collective, and that I’m relentless when I believe in something. I care deeply about connection, creativity, and purpose. Whether it’s through my brand, my friendships, or my personal journey, I’m always searching for meaning behind everything I do. They’d probably also say I have high standards—for myself, for others, and for the work I put into the world—but that underneath that intensity is someone who just wants to build beautiful things, inspire courage, and make people feel seen.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
If I retired tomorrow, my customers would miss the spirit behind Matador more than the product itself. They’d miss the voice that tells them it’s okay to stand out, to wear color, to be bold, to be seen. Matador isn’t just activewear—it’s permission. It’s a reminder that confidence doesn’t come from blending in, it comes from self-expression. I think they’d also miss the sense of play and rebellion that lives in everything we create—the humor, the boldness, the unapologetic attitude. At its core, Matador is about courage disguised as clothing. If I walked away, I think my customers would miss that feeling of being part of something that dares to be different.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.matadormeggings.com
- Instagram: @matadormeggings
- Linkedin: @matadormeggings
- Twitter: @matadormeggings
- Facebook: @matadormeggings
- Youtube: @matadormeggings
Image Credits
All belong to Matador Meggings (my brand)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
