Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Virginia Carnesale. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Virginia, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose through a cancer journey – mine actually. Which may sound strange but, receiving a breast cancer diagnosis in my early 40s with no signs, symptoms or family history that I knew of, and everything that came after — 5 surgeries, chemo, radiation and 5 years of endocrine therapy — felt nothing short of earth-shattering.
Before cancer, I was a marketing and merchandising executive in the fashion industry. I’d worked for big brands like Gap, Nike, Gilt and Saks Off Fifth for over 20 years building their stores and ecommerce businesses. It was glamorous at times, very stressful at others and I loved it all.
When my father was at the end of his life, I took a break from my high pressure job and moved home to the west coast from New York to be close by. That year, I lost my best friend and got my diagnosis 6 months later. This was a turning point for me.
They say that we often experience the greatest forms of personal growth during times of adversity, and that certainly was the case for me. My experiences as a patient taught me some crucial lessons:
Cancer gave me greater compassion and empathy for others and an understanding that you truly never know what’s going on in other people’s lives – they could look “fine” yet be silently battling a life threatening condition, dealing with gripping fears of recurrence or caring for a loved one at home.
Cancer taught me to let go of things that don’t serve me and a deep appreciation for the NOW.
Cancer taught me that I can do hard things.
Cancer gave me perspective and taught me to be so incredibly grateful for what I have.
And cancer pushed me to ponder my ‘second act,’ or how I wanted to spend the next phase of my life. I had been craving a pivot to a more mission-driven profession, but I didn’t know what that would be until cancer. Yet, my experiences as a patient made it obvious.
So I put this idea I had in motion: a single destination for merchandise, helpful tips and advice from survivors, community and giving. I recruited a team, raised capital and launched my website in 2022.
It feels amazing when I hear from patients and supporters how much our site has helped them either with our content or the products they’ve purchased from us. Or from the medical community, how much they love what we are doing. And I’ve met so many other wonderful survivors turned founders through this project. The sisterhood among patients and survivors is a beautiful thing.
I found my purpose, my ‘why’ because of a cancer journey. Building this business helped me heal.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My company, Shopstage.co, is an online retailer, resource and community built for women with cancer by women who have been there.
Reflecting on my own patient journey, there were three things I needed that inspired me to create my business:
KNOWLEDGE – treatment tips, side effect hacks, shopping lists, uplifting stories of women that have gone on to do great things or have the family of their dreams. There was so much I learned from conversations with other patients that my network made possible – I know most women don’t have the access or time to find others that can help them in this way.
SISTERHOOD – support from a community of women that understand. Cancer can be a very lonely journey, even if you’re surrounded by loved ones – particularly if they haven’t been through it themselves or watched anyone go through it – it can be hard for them to relate or know how to support you.
MERCHANDISE – I bought so many things to support each phase of my journey and shopped EVERYWHERE. From button front tops and pajamas for post surgical recovery, to many different bras, rash guards, high neck and one shoulder swim-suits for post radiation, clean beauty products, loungewear, hats, turbans, wigs, scarves, statement earrings, bright lipstick – it was a lot of trial and error and work to return the things that weren’t right.
With my years of experience as a buyer, marketer and brand strategist, I knew I was in a unique position to create a company to serve both patients and caregivers in a way that hadn’t existed before.
At Stage, we focus on her full lifestyle – before, during and after breast cancer treatment. Because frankly, survivorship is a lifelong journey. We curate products from over 70+ mainstream and survivor-founded brands and give back 5% of all net sales to support non-profits that are focused on the needs of patients, in addition to research.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Optimism – I learned the value of optimism and following through from my father. He always pressed me not to give up. I put a lot of pressure on myself as a young person, but as I advanced in my career through my own merits and self-advocacy, I developed a level of confidence that I think you need as an entrepreneur.
2) Problem Solving – my years of developing and refining processes for retailers, analyzing data and creating fact-based solutions to problems in fast-paced environments helped me develop a pragmatic approach to running my business. I was also lucky to work in environments that encouraged a test and learn approach which you’re doing constantly in early-stage businesses.
3) Retail Strategy & Marketing – having worked at major retailers in strategic planning, integrated marketing and strategic alliances prepared me for the work I do now and gave me the confidence to go for it – coupled with the ability to hire teams to efficiently get the work done.
My advice to younger folks is to seek out environments that will challenge you — where you like the people you’re working with and the company culture. And don’t be afraid to take a lateral move at a company if it’s getting you into the industry or function that you want. Things have a way of working out, and it’s ok to have diversity in experience – in fact, it can really help you later on in your career!
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes! We are always interested in adding new brands to our platform. We work on a drop-ship basis and can easily connect our backend to your online supply and deliver a new source of demand. We look to bring our consumer fashionable solutions in clothing (loungewear, sleepwear, active), accessories, helpful gifts, comfy footwear, clean skincare/cosmetics and home goods to support a non-toxic lifestyle.
We’re interested in partnerships with non-profits, medical professionals, practices and breast cancer survivors + influencers who are passionate about our mission and want to contribute to content, help us drive awareness for our brand, or both!
And lastly, we’re interested in strategic partnerships with larger brands and investors in the cancer space.
We can be reached at hello@shopstage.co.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shopstage.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopstage.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopstage.co
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginia-carnesale/
Image Credits
Editorials: The Line Studios/Christopher Miggels
Kitchen photograph: Mariah Massey
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
