Second Life

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Amanda Hesser: Food52 Co-Founder and CEO Oct 08, 2018

Show notes

Amanda Hesser is responsible for the chic e-commerce and community site Food52, which she launched with co-founder Merrill Stubbs in 2009. Before she struck out on her own, the foodie had a thriving career as an editor for The New York Times and as a cookbook author, both unexpected paths seeing as the entrepreneur studied economics and finance in college. "I had no idea really what I wanted to do, but I knew the sort of lifestyle I wanted," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 33 of Second Life. Here's how she made the leap from cooking to writing to running her own company.

Rosie O'Neill: Sugarfina Co-Founder and Co-CEO Oct 01, 2018

Show notes

If you've given or received a gift in the last six years, you've probably heard of Sugarfina, the luxury candy brand made for grown-ups. The champagne gummy bears and other adult-friendly candies wouldn't exist had it not been for Rosie O'Niell and a particularly good date she went on to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with her now business partner and fiancé, Josh Resnick. Prior to starting her own whimsical venture, O'Niell was working in brand management at Mattel for Barbie. "When I did eventually step away and start Sugarfina, it's like I knew how to do it and I didn't even realize I knew how to do it," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 30 of Second Life.

Emma Grede: Good American Co-Founder and CEO Sep 24, 2018

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Emma Grede is the CEO and co-founder of Good American, the hugely successful, size-inclusive fashion brand that she started with none other than Khloé Kardashian. But starting this business wasn't the first time Grede struck out on her own. She'd long been making a name for herself in the fashion and entertainment industries on the business side of things and had already checked starting a company off her list. "I am a person who can sell anything, and I think I just had that naturally," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 29 of Second Life.

Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof: Baby2Baby Co-Presidents Sep 17, 2018

Show notes

Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein, co-presidents of the nonprofit Baby2Baby, met on a blind date. Well, a double blind date with their husbands, orchestrated by Patricof's father-in-law. Since then, Patricof and Weinstein married their passion for helping others with their unique backgrounds in fashion and law to head up operations at Baby2Baby—an organization that started with just three women collecting donations for local families in need that has since blossomed into a wildly successful nonprofit backed by some of the coolest moms in Hollywood.

Ellen Bennett: Hedley & Bennett Founder and CEO Sep 10, 2018

Show notes

If anyone has mastered the art of the hustle, it's Ellen Bennett. The entrepreneurial powerhouse behind Hedley & Bennett, a Los Angeles–based chef wear and handcrafted apron company, started her own business at age 24 while working as a line cook at not one but two prestigious restaurants in L.A. "I was permanently running on adrenaline, and I loved it," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 29 of Second Life. Now, she's outfitting top chefs around the world, including the likes of Martha Stewart, Jamie Oliver, Jon Shook, and Vinny Dotolo.

Emily Henderson: Home Style Expert and Design Guru Aug 27, 2018

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Emily Henderson is proof that when you're passionate about something, you can turn it into a thriving career—no matter what you studied in college or where you started out. “I learned on the job and I think it’s a very good way to start and build your career," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 28 of Second Life. Find out how Henderson went from being a prop stylist to running a design blog and getting her own show on HGTV without any traditional design or business education.

Jaclyn Johnson: Create & Cultivate Founder and CEO Aug 20, 2018

Show notes

When Jaclyn Johnson held the first Create & Cultivate conference in 2011 out of a desire to form a community of like-minded, creative women, she viewed it as a passion project, not a business. In fact, she still had a full-time gig running her own company at the time. "You have to have irons in the fire, and you've got to see what burns," she explains to Hillary Kerr on episode 27 of Second Life. That's how Johnson turned her side hustle into a thriving business that supports more women achieve their goals.

Shani Darden: Celebrity Esthetician Aug 13, 2018

Show notes

Shani Darden is a name that rolls off the tongue of celebrities like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jessica Alba, and Chrissy Teigen when they talk about their skincare. Now an expert esthetician with a client list that reads like a who's who of Hollywood, Darden wasn't always sure of her career path. In fact, she first moved to Los Angeles from her small town with dreams of becoming a model (and she has a Destiny's Child music video credit to prove it). "I just think it was one of those things where it took me so long to realize, like, oh, this is what I'm supposed to do," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 26 of Second Life.

Aurora James: Brother Vellies Founder Aug 06, 2018

Show notes

There was a time when Aurora James never thought she'd have a seat at the proverbial table. Now, after dipping her toes in multiple industries, she's at the helm of the sustainable fashion company Brother Vellies and is proof that if you have a goal, you can make it happen, even if that means finding a new way of getting there. "I always knew that I wanted to work in fashion. I just knew that fashion wasn't working for me in a way that I needed it to," she tells Hillary Kerr on episode 25 of Second Life.

Linda Wells: Flesh Beauty Founder and Revlon Chief Creative Officer Jul 30, 2018

Show notes

When Linda Wells landed her first job as an editorial assistant in the beauty department of Vogue, she didn't have so much as a five-year-plan. She admits she could never have planned how her professional life—beauty editor turned editor in chief of a new magazine (a little publication called Allure) turned chief creative officer of Revlon and creator of the cosmetics line Flesh—would have turned out. On episode 24 of Second Life, Wells dishes about how she leaned into challenges and major changes to build the impressive career she has today.

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