Leena Snoubar on Balancing Motherhood, Faith & Entrepreneurship

In this episode, Leana sits down with Leena — one of the original hijabi fashion creators, labor and delivery nurse turned founder, and the woman behind Ella the Label. Leena has been building online since 2014, starting with outfit photos in front of her mom’s front door and growing into a brand that celebrates every chapter of womanhood. This conversation is honest, grounded, and full of wisdom for any woman who is building something, navigating her identity, or just trying to figure out how to do it all. This one is for every woman who has ever felt like she did not fully fit in anywhere — and found her people anyway. Leana and Leena get into: → Putting on hijab at 18 as the first woman in her family to wear it — and rebuilding her personal style around it → Growing up Palestinian-American in a small East Texas town and never fully fitting in at school or at the mosque → Four years as a labor and delivery nurse and how serving women in their most intimate moments shaped everything she built next → Treating social media like a personal diary for years — and the real cost of sharing everything online → The moment she realized her life had become the commodity and why she decided to stop sharing her daughter → Navigating criticism from your own community and how she decides what feedback is true versus what is just hate → Palestine, 2024, and how impossible it felt to exist as a content creator during that time → Brand partnerships that did not align with her values — and why that pushed her to build something of her own → A manager who told her starting a brand was not worth it — and why she did it anyway → The story behind the name Ella — her mom Elaine, sisters Lauren and Amanda, and daughter Elena → What it actually looks like behind the scenes of running a fashion brand with zero business background → Burnout, the protected morning hour that pulled her out of it, and why movement changed everything for her mental health → Working with her husband, then deciding to stop, and how that became one of the best things for their marriage → What her dad said when he saw her trying to do everything alone — and why it changed how she asked for help → Why you do not have to change your style when you start wearing hijab → How Muslim communities can do better at spreading God’s love instead of fear → Redefining success — from designer bags and dream homes to seeing her designs on her customers → What she is still navigating — building a team, the infrastructure of Ella, and whether to have another baby → Why her sisters are her best friends and her foundation for everything “Being human is knowing that we are imperfect beings and accepting that fully — and having that empathy and grace for other people as well.” — Leena TOPICS DISCUSSED 00:00 Intro — Who Is Lena & Where It All Started 01:35 Putting on Hijab at 18 & Growing Up Palestinian-American in East Texas 07:15 Ad Break — Tiny Health Gut Testing Kit 10:09 Mental Health From 2014 to Now — The Cost of Sharing Everything Online 13:37 Palestine 2024, Criticism & Why She Decided to Build Her Own Thing 17:08 The Story Behind Ella the Label & Behind the Scenes of Running a Fashion Brand 22:00 Burnout, The Protected Morning Hour & Motherhood 29:43 God, Building Ella on Pure Intention & How Muslims Can Do Better 38:25 Marriage, Working With Her Husband & Fashion Tips for Hijab 46:09 Success, Contentment, Building a Personal Brand & What It Means to Be Human Stay connected with Leana Deeb: Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast TikTok: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpod Stay connected with Leena: Personal: @WithLoveLeena Brand: @EllaTheLabel Shop Ella’s fall collection — dropping early November Thank you to our sponsors! Visit https://tinyhealth.com/LEANA for 50 dollars off your first test kit