Most of us spend the better part of our adult life actively building a career, and all that dedication results in extensive skills, deep knowledge, and overflowing rolodexes. When it comes down to it, most of us have a basic desire to do good and feel that we're making a positive contribution. A genuine investment in social responsibility means everybody wins. This week’s guest embodies the spirit of paying it forward. Don Frey, the President and CEO of the Independent Beauty Association sits do...
Nov 07, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 24
Indie beauty is a breeding ground for generations of innovators who color outside the lines.While often considered a trend that has gained momentum in the rise of social media, these brands have always been around. They're an integral part of the beauty business cycle. For example, MAC Cosmetics launched in 1984 with a new perspective on beauty, and it grew from an Indie, into an iconic global brand. This week's guest, Victor Casale, was at ground zero for MAC's inception, as a chief chemist, an...
Oct 24, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Failure is often underrated. It's what you do with the failure that matters. The truth is success is often the result of a lot of mistakes. If you don't make a mistake, it probably means you're not taking risks, pushing beyond your comfort zone, or aiming high enough. Very often, founding stories are told through the lens of revisionist history, creating a perception of perfection that is rarely the truth. That's not the case with this week's guests, Colette Laxton and Mark Curry, the Co-Founder...
Oct 17, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Many things are not always intended to live forever, but many live on past their expiration dates, fueled by emotion rather than rational thinking. The reality is sometimes moving forward requires the courage to leave something else behind. This week, Kelly Kovack sits down with Garance Doré and Emily Yeston, to discuss why they decided to leave the beautiful chaos of the media business they had built. They explain how taking a break to reset both personally and professionally, led to a pivot to...
Oct 10, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 20
The tension between creativity and commerce is probably as old as humanity. There's no other beauty category where striking this balance is often at odds, than fragrance. At its core, perfumery is a profession with its soul grounded in creative processes. Yet the category is big business, and dominated by beauty conglomerates and licensing deals that turn out crowd pleasing scents for the masses. However, on the other end of this spectrum lies the passionate and growing tribe of niche fragrance ...
Oct 03, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Cult products are almost impossible to manufacture.This coveted status grows organically and happens when a product resonates with a loyal, sometimes fanatic community of fans. In today's fast moving beauty space where trends happen at the speed of TikTok, achieving cult status that sticks can be elusive. It requires vision and serious business chops. This week, Kelly Kovack is joined by Ju Rhyu, the Co-Founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics. Ju explains how she self-funded the business' launch with ...
Sep 26, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Sex sells and its big business. Sex is a fundamental part of being human, yet it's rife with social stigmas and moral judgments. Thankfully, the norms around sex are evolving and the sexual wellness conversation is helping to shake its taboo status and moving beyond a legacy industry, dominated by condoms in drug stores and sex toys in seedy strip malls. Sexual wellness is evolving from a niche category to a mainstream opportunity, gaining the attention of investors and retailers, and giving ris...
Sep 19, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Leadership can be learned, but some people are just born with the innate capacity to lead. Being a natural leader often has a, you know it when you see it quality. Instead of learning to become an effective leader, they have the instinctive ability to inspire others to follow their vision. The charisma of such leaders can have both a light and dark quality and Nicola Kilner, the Co-Founder and CEO of Deciem has had to navigate both. Nicola joins Kelly Kovack to discuss going through the incredib...
Sep 12, 2022•33 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Being the agent for change inside a large organization is not for the faint of heart. The concept of innovation has been a corporate talking point for years, but the framework to harness disruptive thinking and visionary goals have yet to truly be established. Innovation should be as dynamic as the forces that make it necessary in order to remain competitive now and into the future. When teams begin to think differently, traditional ways of operating become a thing of the past. Innovation may no...
Aug 29, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Influencer marketing is not a new idea. From a marketing perspective, the notion of leveraging an individual to influence potential consumer purchasing behavior, can be tracked back over a hundred years. However, the rise of social media democratized the concept of influence, giving birth to the creator economy and creating the equivalent of marketing rocket fuel, in the right hands. Today more than 50 million people globally consider themselves to be creators. At ground zero of the beauty influ...
Aug 22, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In a world obsessed with newer, faster, cheaper - history, going slow, and creating something with intrinsic value that can withstand the test of time, has been lost. Perhaps this perspective can truly only be understood by those of us who remember a time when we weren't all tethered to technology. There are brand founders in our midst, walking the line of creating businesses on the traditional fundamentals of building luxury brands, while embracing the philosophy of Web 3. Margarita Arriagada i...
Aug 15, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Knowledge has the power to transform the world, but it requires action to make change happen. The desire to have a positive impact is a noble concept, and it's within all of our reach, we just need to choose to do so. However, some people have the ability to affect change on a grand scale. These people are often a force of nature. Unchangeable, unstoppable, unforgettable. This week's guest embodies all these qualities. Kelly Kovack sits down with Millie Kendall, the CEO and Founder of the Britis...
Aug 08, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Being prepared for what's around the corner is the key to building a resilient business. The internet has unleashed the democratization of information, and social media has shifted the power of influence, upending the access to trends, and making them move faster than ever. Trend forecasting is scientific, but it can also be uncertain. Futurists identify signs, signifiers and clues as to how the future may look. This week, Kelly Kovack is joined by one of the world's leading futurists: Martin Ra...
Aug 01, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 11
The beauty industry has been predicated on the cultural chasing of youth. This obsession with youth is not only consumer-facing. There is also a perception in the beauty industry that young founders are spurring innovation. Trinny Woodall, the CEO and Founder of Trinny London, is an over fifty founder, defying those stereotypes and shattering that stigma. She joins Kelly Kovack this week to discuss how she is building a genuinely inclusive brand for a specific type of woman rather than a certain...
Jul 25, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Thinking big has been redefined by technology. Things that didn't seem feasible just a few years ago have become realities, pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Now more than ever, it feels like there's no limit to how far or how big we can think. This week's guest, Hind Sebti, the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Waldencast is reframing what a beauty strategic looks like. She joins Kelly Kovack to discuss her mission to build a global beauty and wellness house of brands. Learn more ...
Jul 25, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 23
In our hyper connected world, where faster is perceived to be better, and success is predicated on moving forward. Sometimes we lose sight of solutions that lie in the past, sitting at the intersection of science and creativity. This week, Kelly Kovack is joined by Jasmina Aganovic, the CEO of Arcaea. She shares her belief in the power of biology to access previously unimaginable product potential that will unlock the future of beauty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...
Jul 18, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Right time, right place, right idea. Sometimes the stars align and a startup experiences meteoric success. Some are one hit supernovas that burn brilliantly until they implode while others use the momentum to build the foundation of a viable business. Replicating this type of success is often elusive, but there are some visionary founders who have an innate ability to time trends and fuel growth. Charlotte Knight is such a founder. She sits down with Kelly Kovack to discuss how she has replicate...
Jul 11, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Entrepreneurs have become the superstars of our era fueled by an overly simplified narrative of disruptive ideas, unicorns and big exits. In reality the paths of founders are not created equal and the moment you realize the potential of product market fit is when the difficult journey begins. This week, Kelly Kovack is joined by Beatrice Dixon, the Founder and CEO of The Honey Pot. Beatrice discusses how she may have only had two nickels to rub together but with a vision and persistence, her bra...
Jun 27, 2022•46 min•Season 3Ep. 7
While there are more female CEOs in beauty today than there ever has been, men still dominate the C-Suite and boardroom, at least the biggest companies. The women who have broken through the glass ceiling to reach the top of the organizational chart are using their influence to pave the way for others to follow in their footsteps. Kelly Kovack is joined this week by one of these women, JuE Wong, the CEO and Executive Board Member of Olaplex. Kelly talks to JuE about her impressive track record o...
Jun 20, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Visionary leaders see the world differently. They have a clear idea of how the future should look, and embrace the unknown as a blank canvas for innovation and opportunities. This week, Kelly Kovack is joined by one such visionary, Brook Harvey- Taylor, the Founder and President of Pacifica Beauty. In 1996, before clean beauty was even a thing, Brook had started a movement focusing on putting the planet first and protecting animals. She sits down with Kelly to discuss her career, and how she con...
Jun 13, 2022•34 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Technology has unlocked the power of data and its ability to tackle complex problems transforming the beauty industry. At the same time the clean beauty movement created an army of informed consumers demanding full transparency about the products they purchase. While brands may want to provide transparency the complexity of the supply chain compounded by legacy thinking made it next to impossible. Kelly Kovack sits down with data scientist Kimberly Shenk, the Founder of Novi to discuss how she c...
Jun 06, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 4
If you have big dreams of scaling, passion will only get you so far. Many minority business owners lack access to long term resources to help them navigate big partnerships, and sustain growth for the long haul. Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Founder and CEO of Brain Trust, is on a mission to provide beauty and lifestyle founders with the resources they need to amplify, sustain and grow to become the next generation of the world’s most coveted brands. She joins Kelly Kovack to discuss how she is ensur...
May 30, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Charisma coupled with operational ability makes for incredibly strong leaders. Throw creativity into the mix and you have a visionary. Mike Indursky the Founder and CEO of Hear Me Raw has left his imprint on big beauty for three decades at L’Oreal, Unilever, Burts Bees and Bliss. Kelly Kovack sits down with Mike to discuss his new role as entrepreneur, his ability to scale ideas and his mission to clean up the beauty industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn ...
May 24, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Some founders are driven by the monetization of an idea while others unlock opportunities following their passion and fueled by creativity. The confluence of these motivations can lead to game-changing brands. Kelly Kovack sits down with Alli Webb, the co-founder of Drybar to discuss how she built a business that disrupted the beauty industry, and what's next for this consummate visionary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
May 10, 2022•42 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Brands and their founders are stepping up to tackle big global problems using the power of business to be part of the solution. In our hyper-connected world, sometimes it's difficult to slow down and play the long game, especially when your competitors are building against a completely different paradigm. True innovation requires a commitment that often means more friction, more time, and higher costs compared to the industry norms. Ara Katz is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Seed Health, a biotech...
Nov 16, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Charisma, intelligence and storytelling are a heady mix. Add kindness and gratitude into the equation, and you have a leader with the ability to move markets and build inspired teams. Sometimes these leaders come with prestigious educations, and sometimes the most effective leaders work their way up from the ground floor. Chris Salgardo, CEO of Chipican & Founder of Lightning Bolt Industry Consulting, is one of those leaders. Chris sits down with Kelly Kovack to discuss his career path from ...
Nov 09, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Inspiration is the fuel for creative minds that often happens in unexpected ways opening us up to new possibilities that transcend our ordinary experiences. The role of inspiration is often overlooked, but it's the springboard for creativity that leads to disrupting convention with radically new ideas. Robb Akridge, AKA Dr. Robb, the Founder and CEO of OPULUS Beauty Labs , sits down with Kelly Kovack to discuss how he harnesses inspiration to develop products and brands that redefine the beauty ...
Nov 02, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 21
The consumer desire for personalized products is not new, and technology is finally making it possible. But not all personalization is created the same. The true innovators among us are digging, pushing the capabilities of technology, and reinventing the manufacturing process to truly deliver consumers what they want: Product made just for them. Melissa Snover, Founder and CEO of Nourished, talks with Kelly Kovack about how she is pushing the envelope on what’s possible, and how her focus is on ...
Oct 26, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 20
Brands with big ambitions to change the status quo, and a desire to do it the right way, require freedom and independence to think outside the current industry constructs to build new ones. Successful ones are led by dreamers who believe they can change the world and have the grit and determination to make it happen Noelly Michoux, CEO and Co-founder, 4.5.6 Skin, joins Kelly Kovack to discuss how she is building a vertically integrated brand, backed by science, to address the needs of melanin ri...
Oct 19, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Building a brand is hard work, and it doesn’t always go as planned. In fact, it has never been more competitive or required more money to scale a startup in this category. Remi Brixton, the CEO and Founder of Freck Beauty, built a brand from her obsession with freckles. She sits down with Kelly Kovack to share stories about her missteps, and how she turned defeat into a cult community driven brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. V...
Oct 12, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 18
