We sat down with our C&C 100 Beauty Honorees —Claudia Sulewski, Danessa Myricks, Golloria George, Mei Kwok, Monique Rodriguez, and Toni Bravo — to talk about what it really takes to build, lead, and win in the beauty industry right now. From viral moments to million dollar exits, these women are shifting the beauty standard from outward perfection to authenticity and they are not holding back.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why the beauty industry still isn't as inclusive as it claims to be — and what these women are doing about it
• How to turn a viral moment into a legitimate business
• What nobody tells you about getting a product from concept to shelf
• The real story behind landing major retail partnerships
• How to build a beauty brand that breaks the rules and still wins
• Why showing up unapologetically is both a personal and business strategy

Tune in to hear from some of the most exciting voices in beauty right now — on their terms, on their timeline, and without ever compromising on what they believe in.

Check out the full C&C 100 List here:
https://www.createcultivate.com/cc100

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

They were best friends from Georgetown — one burning out on Wall Street watching her skin deteriorate, the other finishing medical school while obsessing over skincare science. Together they built 4AM Skin, a circadian rhythm skincare brand backed by Nobel Prize winning science that says the opposite of everything the skincare industry has been telling you. From bootstrapping on $80K for three years to closing a $4 million round with Kaboo, landing in 1,745 Target stores, and selling out four times on TikTok Shop — and doing all of it while one of them finished her medical degree — this is the startup story you need to hear.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why waiting to raise money was the best decision they ever made and what they learned bootstrapping first
• Why doing less with your skincare is actually backed by Nobel Prize winning science
• What it really takes to go from idea to nationwide retail distribution
• How to build a brand that breaks every rule and still wins
• The co-founder dynamic that actually works and how two best friends keep it that way
• Why timing is everything when it comes to retail and fundraising

Tune in to hear how two best friends built one of the most exciting skincare brands right now — on their own terms, on their own timeline, and without ever compromising on what they believed in.

To learn more about 4AM Skin:
https://www.instagram.com/4amskin
www.4amskin.com

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She quit her corporate job at Cisco with no money, no connections, and no fashion background — and built the workwear brand worn by the most powerful women in the world. Sali Christeson founded Argent after reading a study that showed what a woman wears directly impacts her earnings over her lifetime. From fighting for every dollar of funding in a system that wasn't built for her, to surviving a pandemic eight and a half months pregnant, to selling out a hot pink suit in 24 hours and making her entire year in one day — this is the founder story every ambitious woman needs to hear.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why what you wear to work is actually impacting how much you earn and what to do about it
• What it really takes to raise money as a female founder in a system that was never built for you
• Why female founders get 2% of funding and what needs to change
• Why women aren't allowed to fail the same way men are and what that costs us
• How to build a brand that goes beyond product and actually changes the conversation

Tune in to hear how one woman fought for every dollar, survived every no, and built the brand every power woman is wearing.

To learn more about Sali Christeson:
https://www.instagram.com/argent/

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She got laid off, couldn't find a single financial resource that spoke to her, and decided to become one herself. Today Haley Sacks, Mrs. Dow Jones, Financial Expert, host of Financial Tea podcast and NYT bestselling author of Future Rich Person. This is the money conversation every woman needs to have but nobody is having.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why everything your parents taught you about money is actively working against you and what to do instead
• How to stop making yourself small when it comes to wealth and why abundance is the only mindset that actually works
• The very first thing you should do if you are broke, in debt, or convinced that wealth is just not for you
• Why girl math is not cute and how the joke is genuinely costing you
• How to hold authority in a space where you don't have the traditional credentials
• What "you can have anything but you can't have everything" actually means for your finances right now

To learn more about Mrs. Dow Jones:
www.mrsdowjones.com
To follow Mrs. Dow Jones:
https://www.instagram.com/mrsdowjones

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She started with a beauty closet, 15,000 Instagram followers, and a product that took five years to make. Today, Laney Crowell is the founder and CEO of Saie, one of Sephora's top clean makeup brands, and she built it without cutting a single corner. From launching three months before a global pandemic to grinding through a newborn and 100+ investor rejections — this is the founder story every ambitious woman needs to hear.

In this episode, we cover:
• Why solving a problem you've lived inside is still the most powerful business strategy and how to find yours
• How to build a retail relationship that actually lasts
• What staying true to your values actually costs you as you scale and how to make sure it's worth it
• Why raising less money might be the unlock your business needs and what scrappiness forces you to figure out
• The hire that will make or break your business in the early days that most founders overlook entirely
• How to build a community so loyal they follow you across the world before you ever show up there

To learn more about Laney Crowell:
https://www.instagram.com/laney
To learn more about Saie:
https://www.instagram.com/saiebeauty/

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She started her first business at nine years old, broke every rule in real estate, and built an empire in Brooklyn before Netflix ever called. Tricia Lee is the breakout star of Owning Manhattan, one of the most-watched shows on Netflix, and she closed $40 million in sales last month alone. From pioneering personal branding in real estate before anyone called it that, to being unapologetically herself in a space that tried to put her in a box — this is the conversation every ambitious woman needs to hear.

In this episode, we cover:
• How Tricia built a $40 million real estate business by being exactly who she is and why that is the only strategy that works
• Why she got ridiculed for everything she did first and how she knew she was right anyway
• What the Netflix show did for her business and what it cost her
• Why being a Black woman in a white space on television comes with challenges nobody talks about
• The moment she realized she was done being anyone's accessory
• What personal branding in real estate actually looks like and why authenticity is the only thing that converts
• The one thing Ryan Serhant does better than anyone else that changed how she thinks about failure
• What her next chapter looks like and why she is just getting started

To learn more about Tricia Lee:
https://www.instagram.com/lovetricialee/

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She has built one of the most globally diverse investment portfolios in the early stage space — 26 companies across six countries focused on wellness, sustainability, education, and the future of work. Erika Aquino backs the founders other people overlook and she has a very clear point of view on what separates the ones who last from the ones who don't. From what actually happens in a first pitch to why most founders are preparing for the wrong things — this is the conversation every founder needs to hear before they ever ask for a check.
In this episode, we cover:

What investors are actually evaluating before you even finish your first sentence
• Why early stage investors bet on the founder more than the company — and what that really means for your pitch
• The question Erika asks every founder that most of them can't answer
• What founders focus on in pitches that investors genuinely don't care about
• How to build a real relationship with an investor before you ever ask for money
• The difference between founders who make it to Series A and the ones who don't
• What AI can and cannot replace in the investment process
• Why self-awareness is the most underrated quality in a founder

Tune in to hear what a global angel investor who has seen it all actually looks for — and what she wishes every founder knew before walking into the room.

To learn more about Erika Aquino:
https://www.instagram.com/iamerikaaquino

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She built one of the first women's fitness communities on the internet in 2009 — before influencers were a thing, before wellness was a category, and before anyone told her it was possible. Karena Dawn co-founded Tone It Up, pioneered positivity in a fitness world built on punishment, sold a stake to private equity, and then spent years watching someone else run the thing she built from scratch. In December 2025 she did what most founders only dream about — she bought it back. This is the story of what it really takes to build a community, what PE doesn't tell you, and why the second chapter is always better.

In this episode, we cover:
• What taking outside investment actually costs you and how to know when it's the right move
• Why community businesses are fundamentally different and what happens when founders step away
• The real reason founders buy back their companies — and what the process actually looks like
• What to do when your vision gets lost in someone else's hands
• How to know when it's time to bet on yourself again
• Why longevity in business has nothing to do with following the rules
• What fitness, mental health, and entrepreneurship have in common — and why you need all three

Tune in to hear why the most powerful founder move isn't always the exit — sometimes it's the return.
To learn more about Karena Dawn:
https://www.instagram.com/karenadawn
https://my.toneitup.com/

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She went from selling apple cider vinegar drinks at a farmers market while three months pregnant to closing a $1.95 billion deal with PepsiCo — and becoming the only female founder in beverage history to pull off an exit of that size. Allison Ellsworth built Poppi from a passion project into one of the most culturally relevant brands of the last decade. From going viral on TikTok against her board's wishes to making 40 employees millionaires, this is the unfiltered story of how she did it — and what she's already building next.
In this episode, we cover:

• How a homemade apple cider vinegar drink became a $2 billion brand
• The Shark Tank moment that almost didn't happen — and why she needed that deal
• Why she bet on TikTok when everyone told her not to
• The $37 million in mistakes and what she learned from them
• What actually moves the needle — creators vs celebrities
• Why she made every employee a stakeholder before the Pepsi deal closed
• What she's already building next

Tune in to hear how one of the most exciting founder stories of our generation actually happened — from the farmers market to a $2 billion exit.

To learn more about Allison Ellsworth:
https://www.instagram.com/allisonellsworth
www.drinkpoppi.com

Try Hollywood Fashion Secrets:
https://www.ulta.com/brand/hollywood-fashion-secrets 

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She went from translating financial documents for her immigrant parents to building a 10 million person following and becoming one of the most trusted voices in personal finance. Vivian Tu — aka Your Rich BFF — is on a mission to give every woman the money education the system never handed her. And she is not holding back. From why women are actually better investors than men, to the real reason financial literacy has a ceiling, to how she built an empire while working a 9-to-5 at BuzzFeed — this episode is the money conversation you didn't know you needed.

In this episode, we cover:
💸 Why women have been brainwashed into thinking they're bad with money — and the data that proves otherwise
📊 The wealth gap that's costing women almost a million dollars over their careers
🏦 How Vivian went from JP Morgan to BuzzFeed to 10 million followers and Chief of Financial Empowerment at SoFi
🚀 How she built Your Rich BFF while working full-time — and the exact moment she knew it was time to quit
💡 Why financial literacy alone won't save you and what actually needs to change
🎯 The non-cash compensation and equity women should be asking for but aren't
🔥 Why wanting to be rich doesn't make you a gold digger — it makes you powerful
✨ Tune in to hear why the most dangerous thing isn't being bad with money — it's never being taught how to use it.

To learn more about Vivian Tu:
https://www.instagram.com/your.richbff/
www.yourrichbff.com

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton

She went from red carpet interviews and cruise lines to luxury watches, Saks Fifth Avenue, and now leading employer brand activations at one of tech's most recognizable names. Adrien Fleming's career has never followed a straight line — and that's exactly the point. At Zillow, she's completely rethinking how companies attract talent by showing up in culture, building belief, and making recruiting experiential. If you've ever felt like your pivot was a setback, this episode will change the way you see your story.

In this episode, we cover:

🎯 Why the "linear career" is officially outdated — and what to chase instead
💼 The transferable skills Adrien carried from luxury retail and events into tech and HR
😤 The real emotional toll of being laid off and why "panic applying" is a trap
✨ What personal branding actually means inside corporate America (hint: it's your superpower, not your follower count)
🏢 What employer brand is — and why it needs just as much love as consumer branding
🎪 Why recruiting is becoming experiential and how Zillow is meeting talent where it actually lives
🚩 The biggest red flag when companies talk about culture but don't live it
📋 The one thing you can do THIS WEEK to reposition yourself for where you want to go

✨ Tune in to hear how one of employer branding's most creative minds is proving that your skills travel — even when the industry changes.

To learn more about Zillow:
https://www.zillow.com
https://www.instagram.com/zillowgrouplife

Join Us for 2026 World’s Largest Festival for Women in Business here: https://www.createcultivate.com/festival

To follow along with Create & Cultivate:
https://www.instagram.com/createcultivate
www.createcultivate.com
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson: https://www.instagram.com/jaclynrjohnson
To connect with Marina Middleton: https://www.instagram.com/marinaamiddleton