WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY

Most kids dread going to get their first haircut. There’s usually a bribe involved, maybe some tears, definitely a worn-out stylist by the end of it all. Ian Mayer-Marszalek, Lead Colorist & National Corporate Trainer for Schwarzkopf Professional on the other hand, looks back on those childhood trips to the salon fondly. Ian remembers feeling special sitting in that chair, like he had found a place he fit right in, knowing this was something he wanted to be a part of. Ian was a natural at beauty school-where there may or may not have been some perm rod fights-but knew for certain that he was in the right place. He even had some regular clients while he was still a student! One thing Ian realized that has helped him gain a competitive edge on his career journey, was his ability to carve out a niche for himself in the industry. Ian became an expert colorist, and has since become a National Trainer for Schwarzkopf Professional where he travels the country training other hair colorists. To learn more about Ian’s career journey, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

When Kia Ragland says she has “the perfect eye”, she’s not kidding. Kia has been tested for nuances in the way her eyes detect color, and it should come as no surprise that the Director of Product Development at Kylie Cosmetics is a shade above the crowd when it comes to spotting the differences in say, Ruby Woo and Dior 999. Kia tells us she got into the beauty game early on, but it was slightly out of necessity. As a bi-racial woman in a predominantly white area, she learned how to do her own hair and makeup in the 4th grade, and from there an interest grew in learning how the products she was using were created, eventually resulting in Kia becoming a cosmetologist by her senior year of high school. Okay, so when we say “interest”, we’re clearly under-selling-Kia has ambition for miles and even tells us that during college, she was known to work 2-3 internships at once! This ambition has clearly served Kia well with stops along her career journey at Stila and SmashBox Cosmetics where she created one of the products she is still proudest of to this day: “Punked” a purple-grey lip color that was so well-received it not only sold out and turned Kia into an award-winning creator. To hear the whole story of how Kia trusted her gut all the way to winning Fashion Group International's Rising Star Award and more of how she takes products from concept to market, listen to this ep wherever you get your podcasts!

When Makeup Artist and On-Air Beauty Expert Neil Scibelli says that he feels like he has already lived several lifetimes, we can understand why: from hosting a radio show in 3rd grade, auditioning for Tony Bennett in junior high school, to talking his way into a job at Fresh Skin Care- he has clearly shown persistence and a passion for the entertainment and makeup industries. We loved chatting with Neil about his journey to becoming a well-respected on-air personality, often seen on Good Morning America- where one of his earliest gigs was doing makeup for Beyoncé’s dancers and band! But every day is different in the entertainment industry and Neil makes a great point when he talks about always showing up for yourself because as a freelancer, you don’t know where the job will take you next. To hear our chat with Neil (which we think needs a Part 2!) listen up wherever you get your podcasts!

Ndeye Peinda didn’t start her career journey with “digital creator” in mind. In fact, after majoring in political science, she got a teaching job in the South Bronx. Hearing her reminisce about her time teaching, it’s easy to see how she easily bridged the gap between teaching and Influencing. Knowing that each of her students were unique individuals with differing opinions and emotions, Ndeye welcomed hard conversations in the classroom. We can see why she is able to make such a connection with her audience- she even still personally responds to her DMs! Ndeye was actually still teaching when she received her first big brand offer from The Lip Bar - she literally dropped her phone when she got the news! Nowadays, Ndeye has more than a few offers to sift through and more than a few thoughts on where the fashion and beauty industry can still improve; namely, accessibility and tokenism. To hear Ndeye speak on how the industry has progressed, but still has work to do, listen up wherever you get your podcasts!

One of the things we’re learning throughout our Influencer Journey Quarter is the focus Influencers place on education. All of the Influencers we’ve spoken with have been so passionate about educating their audiences and that brings us to none other than Monae Everett: Celebrity Hairstylist, Author, & Diversity, Equity Inclusion Consultant. Monae’s career journey has led her from newcomer to the world of cosmetology to becoming an industry leader. Not only does Monae have over 20 years of experience, she is the founder of the Monae Life Academy; an online academy teaching how to style for all hair textures and The Texture Style Awards; a competition for hair stylists centered around diversity and inclusion helping hair stylists and their clients see the beauty in all hair textures. To learn about Monae’s career journey from cosmetology school to starting her own online school, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!

We were so thrilled to welcome skin and hair obsessed influencer Amy Chang to the podcast to discuss her career journey. As Amy’s 1.6 million TikTok followers know, Amy is refreshingly candid about everything from her skincare routine, motherhood, to her own adoption journey - she’s even an ambassador for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption! WBMB listeners at all stages of their careers will appreciate hearing Amy’s path from being in her 20’s, from not knowing what she wanted to do with her life to getting on social media, teaching herself photography, editing, lighting and slowly but surely connecting the dots: “I needed to go out there and make a lot of mistakes…piece together what I like and don’t to shape my future.” To hear more of Amy’s career journey, including her thoughts on what it means to “find yourself” listen wherever you get your podcasts!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

As a young girl living in Korea, Yanghee Paik dreamt of becoming a K-pop star. As time went on, she discovered she also had a love for business. Yanghee eventually found a job that fulfilled both aspirations as an entertainment executive at Disney. She enjoyed her position there, but it wasn’t until she had lunch with her now co-founder that she realized it was time to change her career path. The topic of discussion was how difficult it was to find natural and organic feminine care products. After much research, Yanghee and her co-founder realized that the feminine care industry was dominated by big brands that offered no options for high-quality, high-performing, sustainable feminine care products. And that is how her company Rael came to be! In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, we discuss how Yanghee integrated South Korean technology to differentiate Rael from other brands, what she learned from working at Disney and how that has helped her, how Rael is expanding, and so much more!

In 2015, David Gaylord graduated with a degree in Digital Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. During his early years in the marketing world, his dad insisted on him using his technical skills to help the family business (Gaylord Hardwood Flooring) and create a website. David decided that a smart move for his family business would be to become a Shopify merchant. This ended up being a great move for the family business and eventually David started working for Shopify to learn more about e-commerce and marketing. It was a short while after when a co-worker of his, after his honeymoon, came to him with a fresh (literally and figuratively) idea! Natural products to treat your sensitive areas. With his digital marketing background and everything he learned at Shopify, David saw an opportunity and recognized a white space in the market for these products. Bushbalm was officially created. A skincare line specifically but not limited to targeting areas that are commonly ignored. In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, we discuss the inspiration behind Bushbalm, his career journey, how David built a successful skincare company, and of course, his definition of success.

When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Echo Sandburg responded, “an astronaut.” Since she was a little girl, she knew her dreams involved traveling far and wide. While her career path didn’t steer her to space, it took her to places such as California, Hong Kong, Texas, and Arizona! Today Echo Sandburg is the Chief Brand Officer of Colgate-Palmolive Skin Health. She is a talented marketer and industry leader who guides growth efforts for EltaMD and two other well-known skincare brands (PCA Skincare, the leader in peels, and Filorga, an innovative luxury skincare brand from France). In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, we discuss pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to get further in your career, the value of being adaptable and flexible, and the importance of embracing the present. We also get on a more personal note with Echo, discussing her goals, her passion for skin health, her family, and more!

In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, I talked with Dr. Rolanda Wilkerson, Senior Director at Procter and Gamble! She has worked with many notable brands, such as Olay, Secret, Pantene, Head and Shoulders, and My Black is Beautiful. Dr. Wilkerson is responsible for working behind the scenes with dermatologists, clinicians, and P&G beauty scientists to develop and report on the latest and emerging skin and hair technologies in the industry. As a young child, Dr. Wilkerson experienced the trials of not feeling positive about her own hair or skin. That is why today, she has such a passion for helping others with their hair and skin journey. While creating these products is her job, she reminds us that the people behind the scenes are consumers as well, therefore humanizing the industry. Please tune in to hear about her career journey, the importance of educating and being transparent regarding products, what she wants to see more of in the industry, and of course, her definition of success!