We were thrilled to kick off our Influencer Wisdom Quarter with none other than Brittany Lo. Brittany is a beauty expert and influencer that has collabed with brands including Sephora and American Express and is the Founder and CEO of Beia and Beautini.

Though Brittany’s plan was always to start her own beauty line, (and even had her own mascara line in high school!) her path to being a founder and CEO was anything but predictable. 

After a college internship at L’Oréal, Brittany was on the fast track to the corporate world, but when a TV producer reached out to her about joining the cast of a dating show, she answered the call! 

Brittany may not have met Mr. Right on the short-lived show Coupled, but she did gain a loyal social media following. With her business acumen and her passion for beauty, Brittany developed Beia as a vegan skincare brand built on boosting sensual confidence in the bedroom and beyond.

To learn more about Britany’s career journey and to hear about the books that Brittany (and our host Jodi) recommend to entrepreneurs, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

Episode Reading List:

Traction by Gino Wickman 

10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan 

Built To Sell by John Warrillow

Radical Candor by Kim Scott

We couldn’t think of a better way to close out our C-Suite Wisdom Quarter than chatting with the Founder and CEO of Glowbar, Rachel Liverman! Rachel has wanted to be a leader since her early days playing “store” with her stuffed animals, so it’s no surprise that Glowbar’s signature 30-minute facials have reached cult status since opening their doors in 2019. 

Rachel always knew she wanted to lead, but she surprised herself when she ended up in the family business. That’s right: Rachel is a third generation esthetician. Growing up in a skincare family, she recalls seeing her mother wax people’s legs and being fascinated by the before & after transformations that occurred. Rachel even started a small leg-waxing business in elementary school! Mom was there to supervise, of course. 

Fast-forward and Rachel found herself looking for a source for convenient, trustworthy, effective facials and realizing no such place existed. Rachel wrote an email to herself manifesting her business model in 2017 and in 2019 Glowbar opened its doors. Okay, we just gave ourselves chills.  

For more of Rachel’s career journey, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

When Deon Libra Co-Founder and CEO Devin McGhee Kirkland’s  father passed away in 2018 from a stress-related heart attack, she realized she had to make some lifestyle changes to deal with her own stress. After diving head-first into the world of natural stress remedies, Devin developed Deon Libra in 2020 as a way to combat the effects of chronic stress on Black bodies.

In her research on natural stress solutions, Devin learned about the healing powers of adaptogens - non-psychedelic mushrooms and was impressed by how much her sleep and anxiety improved. She couldn't help but wonder why these natural alternatives weren’t more widely accessible. Devin decided she could step up and be the one to bring both education and healing-products to her community.

To hear more about Devin’s career journey and Deon Libra’s mission, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

#DeonLibra #WBMB #CareerJourney

We continue our C-Suite Wisdom theme this episode with Founder & CEO of WTHN, Michelle Larivee! We were fascinated to learn about Michelle’s career journey from the world of International finance to the world of Eastern medicine.

So how does someone who worked in consulting with the World Economic Forum become the founder of a modern wellness company? Michelle tells us that she had tried everything from painkillers to physical therapy to cope with her chronic pain and couldn’t find relief. When a doctor recommended acupuncture, she was shocked at how incredible and immediate the results were. With this first exposure to Chinese medicine, it was if she’d been introduced to a tool kit she had no idea even existed. 

But with this new discovery came an issue all too familiar in healthcare: accessibility. People either couldn't afford acupuncture or it could take months to get an appointment! Michelle saw an opening for a business and made her move…

To learn more about Michelle’s career journey, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

#WTHN #Acupuncture #ChineseMedicine #Cupping #CareerJourney #WBMB

We were so excited to sit down with Founder & Editor of The Beauty Loop Newsletter & Virtual Beauty Closet, Erica Metzger! With over 19 years experience in print and digital media as the Beauty Director at Ladies' Home Journal and Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, Erica wanted to create something of her own. The Beauty Loop was born as an online newsletter to help facilitate community between PR execs and beauty journalists in our ever-changing community.

From starting off in the beauty industry as an intern at W Magazine to Editor of her own newsletter, Erica Metzger’s career journey is proof-positive that we are the only ones in charge of our own career journeys.

To hear more of Erica’s career journey, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

#BeautyLoop #WBMB #CareerJourney #VirtualBeautyCloset #BetterHomesAndGardens #LadiesHomeJournal #WMagazine

We are absolutely loving these chats from our C-Suite Wisdom quarter and today’s episode is no exception. We sat down with Lance Patterson, new CEO of Juice Beauty, a senior executive with over 20 years experience across the luxury retail and digital sectors including Kate Somerville and Peter Thomas Roth clinical skincare.

Lance’s career journey had humble beginnings and saw him working an entry-level job at a department store. Through grit and perseverance, Lance talked to the right people, got an interview to be a buyer, and landed the gig.

Fast-forward and Lance has discovered his niche in founder-owned brands. In being entrusted to uphold a founder’s vision for their brand as CEO, he’s being handed the keys to the castle.

To hear more of Lance’s career journey, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

#JuiceBeauty #WBMB #CareerJourney

We are thrilled to be kicking off 2024 with our C-Suite Wisdom theme! On today’s episode, we’re taking a peek behind the curtain of the career journey of Chris Payne, CEO of clean beauty brand @janeiredale, best known as the “skincare makeup”.

Chris’s career journey originally saw him following in his father’s footsteps of being a doctor. Though working in medicine wasn’t his path, it was clear that Chris wanted to help people, and his work at @janeiredale is clearly a perfect fit. In his role as CEO, Chris works to uphold Jane Iredale’s mission of making clean, skin-safe makeup accessible to everyone.

To learn more about Chris’s career journey and hear about the real-life Jane Iredale (who has a fascinating journey, herself!) tune into this episode wherever you get your podcasts.

#WBMB #careerjourney #janeiredale #cleanbeauty

In honor of the Where Brains Meet Beauty Listen Again Awards, we’re dedicating today’s episode to none other than the Listen Again Award recipients themselves: Shontay Lundy, Neil Scibelli and Ron Robinson! 

We created these awards to celebrate the episodes that resonate with our listeners so much, they want to listen again! Like Episode 208 with Shontay Lundy, Founder & CEO of Black Girl Sunscreen. When she moved to Los Angeles, Shontay had no idea where she was headed next. Cue 4 months of hiking, reflecting, and dreaming — a transformative period that birthed the idea for her life-changing brand, Black Girl Sunscreen. From not knowing where she would live, to becoming the creator and founder of her own brand, you never know where that next big risk will take you!

In Episode 237 we spoke with Makeup Artist & On-Air Beauty Expert Neil Scibelli, who we know from his many on-air appearances at Good Morning America, and learned how everyday is different in the entertainment industry. In his episode, he tells listeners that as a freelancer you have to always show up for yourself because you don’t know where the job will take you next.

Ron Robinson, CEO & Founder of BeautyStat Cosmetics, chatted with us in Episode 244 as a part of our Health Innovations Quarter. Ron created BeautyStat first as a blog and then as a successful skincare line. But what touched us most about Ron’s career journey was how he became an innovator within his own family when he pursued a career in cosmetic chemistry.

A huge thank you to all of our guests for sharing your career journeys with us and congratulations to the recipients of the Listen Again Awards! 

We hope you enjoy these episodes as much as we do! 

As long-time fans of reality television, we knew this episode’s guest Dr. Jason Diamond from his appearances on programs such as Dr. 90210 and The Celebrity Plastic Surgeons of Beverly Hills, so we were thrilled to get a chance to speak with him about his career journey to becoming a world-renowned plastic surgeon and founder of The Diamond Face Institute. 

Tending to the faces of Hollywood A-listers wasn’t always the plan for Dr. Diamond; he recalls a childhood dream of playing professional baseball, and facing his first feelings of rejection when he was cut from his freshman team. But this early disappointment proved to be something much bigger: it provided a “chip on the shoulder” that Dr. Diamond still uses as a motivator to this day, pushing him to be the best version of himself. 

This mentality has served Dr. Diamond well over the years as he has built a successful plastic surgery practice that has taken him all over the globe-he’s so in demand that it’s not uncommon for clients to fly him to their homes in Dubai when they need a touch-up! But Dr. Diamond found that not everyone is able to fly him to their homes (or movie sets!) and wanted to make his much-lauded “Insta-Facial” more readily available to those who couldn't always visit him in-office. Thus, Dr. Diamond’s Metacine was born as a way to address the skin on an expert level. If anyone’s curious what’s on our holiday wishlist…

For more of our talk with Dr. Jason Diamond, be sure to tune into this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

We are beyond thankful that we got to sit down for a chat this week with Lisa Lundy, Co Founder & CEO of Complex Creatures. Lisa comes from a career in fashion - Tommy Hilfiger and J.Crew jump out from her resume - even working with Bravo star and fashion icon Jenna Lyons back in her J.Crew days! But it was her sister’s breast cancer diagnosis that set Lisa on a trajectory that she likens to a calling.

When Lisa’s sister was diagnosed at the age of 37, it was an eye-opening experience; from learning how to properly administer a self examination, to hearing about the effects of radiation, to finding out about the nature of hereditary breast cancer (there was no history in Lisa’s family of breast cancer), Lisa realized that up until this point, her own breast health had been an afterthought. And if that was true for Lisa, the same must be true for many other women. So Lisa took action.

Lisa and her sister Tara created Complex Creatures as an online community for breast wellness. They provide breast-related knowledge via their Instagram which also dives deep into topics like menopause and perimenopause, which are often censored and even avoided in the wellness space. Lisa mentions that Complex Creatures often gets censored because it’s still not okay to show women's nipples on the platform-mens nipples are of course fair-game, though. Insert eye-roll emoji…

Lisa recognizes that there is still clearly work to be done in bringing awareness to breast health, but as an activist at heart, she’s in it for the long haul. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Lisa and Complex Creatures. Be sure to check out this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

We couldn’t wait to speak with Komel Caruso, Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer of HerMD, a comprehensive women's healthcare clinic that’s creating a safe, inclusive space for patients. We were particularly interested in HerMD’s mission in breaking the shame-cycle so often surrounding issues like menopause and sexual health. Komel founded HerMD with her sister Somi, inspired by their mother’s experience of being repeatedly dismissed by doctors when she was experiencing pain. While Somi had experience working as a doctor for 15 years, Komel had never worked in the medical field. What she did have was a desire to make an impact in women's healthcare and experience in marketing and social strategy with 16 years of working for Kaplan under her belt.

The sisters noticed a trend in women not being believed (about their own bodies!) and wanted to fill this great void in women’s healthcare. One thing that makes HerMD stand apart is that all of their obgyn’s are trained in menopause and sexual healthcare, which should sound like a given, right? Unfortunately, it's not. Only 20 percent of obgyns are trained in menopause and sexual health care. No wonder there can be such shame and stigma in talking about this stuff!

What started with one office quickly grew when Komel noticed patients were traveling to HerMD’s soul location from 35 states! Clearly the void was even greater than she or Somi had realized. Thanks to Komel’s background in business, what started out as helping her sister with a passion project became Komel’s full time job, and a saving grace to women all over the country.

To hear more of Komel’s career journey, tune in to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!