Selina Ward shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Selina, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
In 2020, so many of us were tucked away in our homes — hibernating, seeking connection, trying new things to fill the silence. In that stillness, I felt a familiar ache return: the pull to start my own business. And I listened. I acted. I launched Mieux Swim.
Now, standing at the end of 2025, I’ve had time to reflect on what these years have held — the highs and lows of small business, the discipline of goal-setting, the power of networking, and the incredible journey of bringing a product to life. Mieux Swim has graced New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week, DC Swim Week, Miss Black DC USA Pageant and even Malena Belafonte’s Boudoir productions. If nothing else, I’ve proven to myself that anything is possible.
But callings evolve.
Building a swimwear brand that celebrates the beautiful differences of everyday women has been one of the most meaningful challenges of my life. Year after year, Mieux Swim has encouraged so many women to see themselves as worthy, powerful, and uniquely beautiful. Yet pouring that much energy, care, and emotional labor into each person can leave you drained. Throughout 2024 and 2025, I often found myself searching for the next spark — the next dose of inspiration for the brand — only to discover that rest was the medicine I needed.
Then, halfway through 2025, something shifted.
I realized I still had compassion to give — just in a new form.
I made a conscious decision to be present. To truly hear people again. To stop splitting my mind in a thousand directions and instead absorb conversations as they came. I understood something simple but life-giving: I needed to give what I was hoping to receive.
My calling had once been to impact large groups of women — to remind them that their imperfections were their beauty, and that worthiness isn’t earned, it’s inherent. I did that through garments, photography, storytelling, and community. But lately, I felt a tug toward something deeper, more intimate, and more spiritual.
What if my impact wasn’t only through fashion?
What if the next step in my calling was sharing what I’ve learned — freely — with the people who cross my path?
What if offering someone a piece of guidance, a connection, a word of encouragement, or a nudge toward their dream was just as powerful as the work I did through Mieux Swim?
So I started giving. Freely.
Every day, I make it a habit to uplift someone. To compliment them. To invite conversation. To listen for their interests. And if I have something — anything — that could help them take their next step, I share it without hesitation. I give the kind of direction I once wished someone had given me.
And I’ve seen firsthand how something so small can create impact on a far greater scale.
I was once called to create impact in a worldly way. Now, I’m no longer afraid to impact in a spiritual way.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I, Selina Ward, am a self-taught small business owner and the visionary behind Mieux Swim, a mission-driven swimwear brand created to celebrate real women and their beautifully unique bodies. Though I hold a paralegal degree, I’ve spent the last 16 years driving a school bus for special needs students — a role that strengthened my patience, compassion, and ability to truly see people. Those qualities now guide every design, every interaction, and every message within my brand.
Mieux Swim was born in 2020, during a moment of stillness when I finally answered the tug to bring a long-held dream to life. As the brand grew, I grew with it — working through my own insecurities, learning from the “fall short” moments, and transforming that inner healing into the heart of the brand. The personal journey fuels my commitment to showing women that their stories, their bodies, and their imperfections are worthy of celebration.
Under Selina’s leadership, Mieux Swim has been featured in New York Fashion Week, Miami Swim Week, DC Swim Week, and intimate creative productions, gaining recognition for its authenticity and inclusive vision.
Today, Selina continues to evolve as both a creator and a leader. She’s actively researching strategies to reduce costs as a small business owner without ever compromising the quality of Mieux Swim’s products — ensuring sustainability and excellence go hand in hand. Beyond the garments, she shares knowledge freely, connects people with opportunities, and offers the kind of guidance she once wished someone had given her.
Whether through thoughtful design or heartfelt everyday conversations, Selina is committed to uplifting others, inspiring confidence, and creating meaningful impact — both tangible and spiritual.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
There was a moment in my teenage years that I didn’t fully understand until adulthood. In high school, I was part of a career placement program that also supported young parents in securing affordable housing. As part of the program, my counselor had me complete a lengthy career interest assessment. When she tallied my results, they pointed to auto mechanics — something that didn’t surprise me at all. Many of my male cousins spent their days fixing cars in the alleys of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and I had grown up around the sound of tools, engines, and problem-solving.
But instead of celebrating my results or helping me explore what they meant, the counselor looked at me with a puzzled expression. She told me she didn’t see me becoming an auto mechanic — that I “didn’t look the part.” In that moment, I felt a deep sense of disappointment and offense. As a young mother at the time, I carried a lot of pride and defensiveness about my future and my child’s future. Her reaction felt like judgment. Like being categorized. Like being written off.
That day, I made a quiet promise to myself: no one would ever decide my outcome based on how I looked or what they believed I deserved.
Years later, though, I’ve learned to revisit that moment with a different lens. Now I wonder if her confusion wasn’t meant to diminish my potential but was simply her way of seeing something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself. At 16, I wasn’t able to process guidance with humility — only through the filter of offense. What I know now is that guidance can be given at any stage in life, but how we interpret it determines its value. Pride can block purpose; optimism can reveal it.
This experience, as small as it felt then, became an early influence that shaped the heart of Mieux Swim. It taught me the importance of truly seeing people — not by how they look or the boxes they’re placed in, but by who they are, what they carry, and what they’re capable of becoming. It is why I design with inclusivity in mind, why I speak life into every woman I encounter, and why I create pieces that remind women they are worthy, powerful, and full of potential.
In many ways, Mieux Swim is the embodiment of that promise I made to myself at 16: to never let appearances define destiny — mine or anyone else’s.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
If I can be completely candid, imposter syndrome has been one of the biggest fears holding me back — in life and in building Mieux Swim. It’s that deep, lingering question of Do I truly belong here? The quiet voice that whispers sometimes… and other times screams. It challenges your right to be in the room, to accept an opportunity, to take up space. It asks, Why me? Why was I chosen? What makes me deserving? How did I end up among people who seem to have everything I want?
That fear has shown up in so many forms: the moments when I tried to speak but stumbled over my words… the nights when my thoughts raced so loudly I could hear my heartbeat pounding through my chest… the times I broke out in a heavy sweat, imagining myself running from the room… and the opportunities I left unfulfilled because I simply couldn’t get my internal world to settle.
Imposter syndrome is paralyzing when you’re young — especially in your teens and twenties, when belonging feels like the foundation of everything. By the time you reach thirty, you start recognizing it for what it is: a pattern. A mask that no longer fits. Your spirit begins calling you out, reminding you that fear is stealing more than it protects.
Even now, as a founder, that voice still tries to rise. But I’ve learned that the voice doesn’t get the final say.
When it shows up, I pause and ask myself:
Have I done the work?
Did I earn this opportunity?
Is this something I truly want?
Will this impact me positively?
If the answer is yes, then I remind myself that I’m not an imposter — I am qualified by my effort, my intention, and my growth. I belong because I showed up. I belong because I’m prepared. I belong because being myself is what got me here in the first place.
This journey is woven into the fabric of Mieux Swim. It’s why the brand stands for worthiness, confidence, and celebrating the parts of ourselves we often hide. It’s why I pour so much care into how women feel in their bodies, in their skin, and in their stories. Because I know what it feels like to doubt your place in the world — and I also know the power of finally stepping into it.
And every time I face that fear and move anyway, I’m reminded:
I’m not an imposter. I’m becoming.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Brands, designers, and marketing teams work overtime using carefully curated visuals to give the illusion of universal welcome. But if you take a closer look, the truth becomes clearer. Think of some of your favorite brands. Have they always shown a full range of skin tones, or did that start only recently? Have they always carried true size inclusivity — from extra small to plus — or did those offerings magically appear once the industry demanded it? Have interracial couples always been reflected in their campaigns, or have you noticed a sudden increase in recent years?
Most major brands that have stayed successful over decades evolve based on trends, not principles. They jump on what’s “hot” right now — not because these values mattered to them in the early days when they were building their businesses while working regular jobs, scribbling ideas on notepads, or typing late at night after putting their kids to bed. If inclusion had truly been part of their core beliefs, it would’ve shown from the beginning.
We’re told that a niche is essential — pick one group, one community, one type of person, and market to them exclusively. And yes, that approach has worked for many. But how can a brand claim to include everyone if they only choose one group at a time? As consumers, many of us have spent money with brands we later learned held harmful views, excluded entire communities, or only used diversity when it benefited their bottom line.
Still, I believe there are genuine, good-hearted founders and brands who don’t want to limit themselves — people who want to build for the total human experience, not just a curated demographic.
Mieux Swim is one of them.
From the beginning, Mieux Swim has shown a real openness to many different groups — not because it was trendy, but because it reflected who I’ve been surrounded by, who I’ve learned from, and who I’ve lived life alongside. My experience spans my teens, twenties, thirties, and now into my forties, and though my personal lens has limitations, I have always approached this brand with a desire to honor every woman’s story and every woman’s body.
Trying to market to everyone is not easy — in fact, it’s the hardest path. It doesn’t fit neatly into a “niche,” it doesn’t follow standard marketing rules, and it often gets overlooked because the industry prefers labels, categories, and predictable strategies. But at Mieux Swim, the goal has never been to chase trends. The goal is — and always has been — to make space for those who rarely feel seen.
I encourage you to be a conscious consumer. Look deeper. Choose intentionally. Pay attention to not only what brands show, but what they believe. And remember: inclusion isn’t a trend — it’s a truth that should show up from the start.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
What people will most likely misunderstand about my legacy is that it was never about money. My legacy has always been about impact.
How can I change my life so my children experience something better?
How can I shape my own destiny with intention and courage?
How can I help the students I drive and support their families?
How can I uplift every model I work with?
How can I brighten a coworker’s day, influence the next generation, encourage my peers, make someone smile, or simply make someone feel seen?
People often assume legacy is tied to fame, success, or a large financial footprint — especially in the fashion world. Many brands chase the big splash, the instant takeover, the viral recognition. And yes, that kind of visibility would be incredible for Mieux Swim, but not at the cost of losing the mission.
Impact takes time.
Sometimes you need to sit in your current season, learn from it, stretch through it, and appreciate the foundation it’s building for the future. That’s why I still drive a school bus. That’s why I still visit the neighborhoods I came from. That’s why I still value trying and failing. Why I still smile at strangers. Why I still thrift. Why I still gift my garbage men and mailman during the holidays. These things keep me grounded in humanity — not hype.
What people might not realize is that my mission is also Mieux Swim’s mission. The brand exists because of these values, not separate from them. Mieux Swim is built on seeing people — really seeing them — and reminding them of their worth, their beauty, and their place in the world. The heart behind the brand is the heart behind my legacy:
to give, to uplift, to impact, and to leave people better than I found them.
Money is temporary. Life is temporary. But impact — true impact — carries over long after we’re gone. And that is the legacy I am building, both personally and through Mieux Swim.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mieuxswim.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mieuxswim/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mieuxswim/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mieuxswim
- Other: https://www.threads.com/@mieuxswim
https://linktr.ee/MieuxSwim
Image Credits
Aspen Brown Photography
Meraki
Aspen Brown
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