Meet Milene Jardine

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Milene Jardine. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Milene below.

Hi Milene, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?

I was devastated after getting laid off and it took years to not feel ashamed about it. I was at Macy’s for over 12 years. I had nine different positions and had won multiple awards for being a leader and director who achieved high sales goals. I took the news personally. I kept thinking that I should have been the exception in the massive layoffs. With time and distance, I realized that these things happen to many people during their careers, and it wasn’t just me. After having walked into the same building and having the same routine every day for 12 years, I felt lost without it. I then started to see my layoff as a golden opportunity. It was a door that I was afraid to open on my own and am now grateful to have had it opened for me. I do consider myself fortunate to turn a lot of the hurt and anger I was feeling into the fuel and creativity to start my own business.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started the brand, Milène Jardine Chocolatier. After creating fashion labels for over a decade, I decided to apply my skills to my childhood passion for creating sweets. With the help of my team, we create fresh chocolate truffles and bar that are travel inspired. Each flavor tells a story about a different country to celebrate diversity through Chocolate. We use fresh cream, real butter, and natural herbs and spices to flavor are truffles. The bars are our vegan translation of this made with darker chocolate. We are women owned, and operated and made locally in New York City. All our cacao partners are B Corp certified, implement sustainable practices, add economic value to local farmers, promote gender equality, and are active members in the UN Global Compact. Sold at boutiques, online and for corporate gifting/pairing events, the Chocolates have been featured at Christie’s Auction House and Brunello Cuchinelli, praised by top Chefs, Marc Forgione and Dominic Crenn and are devoured in every hotel room at Soho House and the Ned Nomad in New York. We also have a lot of success, pairing spirits and chocolates together. Chocolates and spirits or “sweet spirit” is becoming a focus of our business. Virtual Tastings all include a donation to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1.Repetition – I’ve been creating sweets since I was a child. It brings me the most joy, and I’ve never stopped doing it. I’ve just evolved the materials and techniques I use overtime.
2.Resilience – I get told “No” every day. It’s a necessary part of building brand awareness. The more “No’s” I get, brings me closer to the next “Yes.”
3.Celebrate Wins – I try to enjoy moments of success before jumping to the next task. My “to do list” will always be long. If I don’t focus on the wins when I get them, I feel overwhelmed.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

Self-care! I get lost in my work. I easily forget what time it is, I forget how late at night it is, I forget to take time to enjoy myself. After working far too many hours over many years, I found myself with numerous injuries, including carpal tunnel, tendinitis, and poor posture. 2024 has been all about trying to create better habits, healthy boundaries and heal some of these injuries. Instead of jumping out of bed and checking emails, I now have a very long list of exercises from my occupational therapist that need to be done first. It’s a good reminder to put my health first, take breaks throughout the day, and to take time to relax at night before going to bed. This is not a sprint.

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