WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY

Latest Episodes:

Episode 233 - Madison Headrick, Model, Founder & CEO of Care.e.on - From Catwalk to Clean Beauty CEO : Madison Headrick is Flying To New Heights - WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

Here at Where Brains Meet Beauty, we’re always fascinated by multi-hyphenates; those who do it all. So we couldn't have been more excited to speak with Madison Headrick, Model, Influencer, Founder & CEO of care.e.on. Discovered at a Walmart in her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina by a talent scout, Madison has been working as a model since she was 14 years old. She even had to put college on hold for fashion week! But after years of jet-setting around the globe, Madison noticed something was missing: clean, travel-sized skincare.

“I pack the night before a flight and skincare is always the last thing going into the suitcase. The travel-size stuff wasn’t the greatest quality. My skin wasn’t good when I was on the road.” Madison took things into her own hands and created care.e.on; eco-friendly, travel-sized beauty kits.

To hear more about Care.e.on and Madison’s journey from model to mogul, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 232 - Amy Keller Laird Founder, CEO, Chief Brand & Creative Officer of Mental - From Magazine Editor to Mental Health Pioneer: Amy Keller Laird is Ready to Break the Stigma - WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY May 31, 2023

Show notes

We couldn’t imagine a better guest for Mental Health Awareness Month than Amy Keller Laird: Founder & CEO of Mental. We sat down with Amy to ask about her career journey from Editor in Chief of Women's Health Magazine to founder of the first digital mental health & lifestyle brand for women.

As someone who had worked in the beauty and wellness space as Beauty Director of Allure, Amy had seen the world of mental health talked about, but not in the way she had personally experienced. Amy has lived with OCD, anxiety and postpartum depression and found that she wasn’t seeing her lived experience being reflected. We really admire how Amy married her experience in magazines and her journey with mental health to create something truly authentic: “I wanted to say, "Where's the publication that would speak to me?”

To hear more of Amy’s career journey and her thoughts on how we can break the stigma of talking about mental health in the workplace, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 231 - Dr. Dustin Portela Dermatologist, Skincare and Health Influencer - Viral Fame & Fortune Cookies: Dr. Dustin Portela is Using Social Media to Empower and Educate - WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY May 24, 2023

Show notes

As a career journey podcast with a passion for all things skincare, Dr. Dustin Portela is pretty much our dream guest. Dr. Portela is a dermatologist, skincare Influencer with over 2.4 million followers on TikTok, and we were thrilled to speak with him about how he balances his social media platform with day to day life as a father of three.

Dr. Portela has a love for education which he credits to his father, a teacher, who distilled in him a love of science early on. While Dr. Portela maintains a successful dermatology practice in Idaho, he got into social media to combat misinformation during the pandemic, and his audience has grown like wildfire - it seems that smart skincare is more than just a trend.

“If I had been a garbage man, I would be on TikTok as a garbage man, showing people the crazy things that are thrown away.” Clearly no matter the subject matter, Dr. Portela aims to empower people with knowledge. He tells us that his vision with social media is to be an educator, to “take social media to under-served people.”

For more of our chat with Dr. Dustin Portela - including a story about a fortune cookie that will seriously give you chills - tune into this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 230 - Teni Panosian Beauty Influencer & Co-Founder of Monday Born - From The Box Office to Blogging: Teni Panosian is Influencing With Authenticity - WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY May 10, 2023

Show notes

I was so excited to kick off our Influencer Journey Quarter by speaking with Teni Panosian, content creator and Co-Founder of skincare line Monday Born.

Teni and I kicked off our convo chatting about her first job working in a theater box office, where she learned an important lesson that she carries with her to this day: “Early is on time, On time is late.” Is it just us or do most successful people tend to be early birds?

We asked Teni what advice she would give to aspiring influencers and her answer was just as real as the woman her followers have grown accustomed to seeing on her feed: “bring forth your authentic self and don’t try to replicate what you’re seeing out there”.

For more wise words from Teni including the latest on her very own podcast, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 229 - Dan Hodgdon Founder & CEO of Vegamour - A Holistic Approach To Haircare: Sustainability Is in Dan Hodgdon’s Roots - WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

Making the jump from a childhood spent working on a farm dreaming of being a paleontologist to founding a vegan hair care line might sound out there at first, but for Vegamour Founder & CEO Dan Hodgdon, it all comes down to a passion for our planet. “How do we create something that’s not going to hurt the earth?”

During our chat, Dan explained to us how growing up on a farm inspired him to create products using only clean, natural ingredients in addition to “eco-friendly sustainable jobs, creating a fair living wage, and letting people participate in the businesses success.”

A true environmentalist, Dan knows that we’re all sharing this one planet and notes that “We reinvest profits back into communities.”

To hear more of how Dan and Vegamour are keeping hair care holistic, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 228 - Sneha Narahalli Head of Product at Sephora - Moving The Needle Forward: Sneha Narahalli Talks Bias In Business - WHERE BRAINS MEETS BEAUTY Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Sneha Narahalli Head of Product at Sephora who shared her thoughts on effectively managing her time as well as her thoughts on the biases women face on their career journeys.

Sneha revealed to us that she has trained her brain to think in the currency of time: “Why do we need to do this? Why now? And is it more important than other things that we're doing?”

Sneha and I also dug into what more can be done to move the needle forward for women entering the tech world: “We should look at personalizing our own individual journeys, knowing that ‘I have done this, how can I share this with others so that people don't have to go through the same things that I have.’”

To hear more of my chat with Sneha, including her advice for someone getting into the tech space, listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode 227 - Paul Baek CEO of Matter of Fact - Creating with Compassion: Paul Baek’s Journey from KPOP Star to Skincare Entrepreneur - WHERE BRAINS MEETS BEAUTY Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

I recently had the opportunity to chat with former KPOP star and current CEO of Matter of Fact, Paul Baek about his inspiring career journey that has taken him from the Deep South to South Korea and beyond!

In this episode, Paul tells us about the tenacity that took him from his childhood home in the South to an internship in Korea pursuing a music career in KPOP! “I was like a moth to the flame. I needed to get closer to this music that meant so much to me.”

Talking to Paul it’s clear that his passion, whether it be music or skincare lies in the creating; “I love being in the lab making things. There’s a more lasting satisfaction that comes from creating things and being creative. The process of creating that can sometimes lead to success is much more satisfying in the long run.”

To hear more about Paul’s fascinating career journey, listen to this episode on your favorite podcasting platform!

Episode 226 - Mary van Praag CEO of Milani Cosmetics - From the Locker block to Los Angeles: Mary van Praag is Leading with Integrity | WHERE BRAINS MEETS BEAUTY Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

Milani Cosmetics CEO Mary Van Praag was born with an entrepreneurial spirit that has served her well. We chatted with Mary about everything from her journey “selling Avon on the locker block” to being a leader who listens.

“Sales teaches you to find the win/win in most situations…when you get a no, how do you find the win in those situations?” Mary’s positive attitude about turning the dreaded “no” in sales into a teaching moment is a refreshing take. “I try to listen. How do you get that person to be on the same path as you?”

Mary’s winning attitude may have led her to a leadership role, but she doesn’t let that get to her head. “My job is to get the best out of everybody, CEO happens to be what my title is.”

“I’m one of those leaders who likes a good turnaround story. I thrive when I see other people’s success. I believe in building relationships and fostering this growth together.”

What does Mary think of the #quietquitting trend? How does she see the upside when hearing “no'' during a sale? And should you move to a new city for that job? To hear Mary’s answers to these questions and much more, check out the full episode!

Episode 225 - Denis Asamoah Co-Founder of FORVR Mood – The Mindset of a Successful Entrepreneur: Understanding there is No Job Too Big or Small Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

In this engaging episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, I had the pleasure of interviewing Denis Asamoah, the Co-Founder of FORVR Mood, a luxury lifestyle brand he launched with his fiancée and influencer, Jackie Aina, in 2020. At FORVR Mood, Denis and his team strive to make self-care more accessible to consumers while emphasizing that quality products shouldn't come at a high cost. At the start of our conversation, we touched on Denis's childhood dream of becoming a soccer player and how he discovered his natural sales talent when he started selling sweets in school. We also delved into his early career journey, including his experience working in investment banking, which equipped him with valuable skills and knowledge that have helped shape his approach as a successful entrepreneur at FORVR Mood. It was intriguing to hear how each experience contributed to his overall leadership style, work ethic, and company culture. Our discussion covered various topics, including the significance of leadership and networking, creating a solid company culture, effective hiring strategies, and prioritizing results. Tune in for a fascinating conversation with a driven and insightful entrepreneur.

Episode 224, Jill Scalamandre, CEO of Beekman 1802 – Ingredients for Success: Confidence, Kindness and Goat Milk | WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY® Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, I had the privilege of sitting down with Jill Scalamandre, a seasoned industry expert with over two decades of experience in leadership positions at renowned companies such as Revlon, Shiseido, Prada, Coty, Fekkai, and Bare Minerals. As the current CEO of Beekman 1802, the world's largest goat milk body-care brand, Jill shared her journey and insights on the beauty industry. During our conversation, she talked about how her passion for fashion evolved into a thriving career in the beauty sector, the importance of having a "champion" in the workplace who supports and provides growth opportunities, the benefits of pursuing your passion over just a job title, and more!

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