Second Life

Sunny Hostin is a force to be reckoned with—she is a television host, a multi-platform journalist, a New York Times best-selling author, and an attorney, after all. In 2016, Hostin joined the Emmy Award–winning daytime talk show The View, for which she’s won three Emmys as a co-host. Hostin is also a best-selling author of two books: her memoir I am These Truths and her fiction novel, Summer on the Bluffs, which is now evolving into a trilogy and television series. She is also at the helm of a new production company in partnership with ABC, committed to uplifting diverse story-telling. Hostin’s career is nothing short of monumental as she continues to accomplish major milestones within the media industry, but before she was a key change-maker in the space, she was known as an attorney who worked her way up from the Maryland Court of Appeals to becoming a federal prosecutor.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy are the brilliant minds behind the fashion label Rodarte. Since 2005, the sisters have been creating some of fashion’s most coveted looks, and their work has been seen on stylish women such as Kirsten Dunst and Lady Gaga and in museums around the world, including in the permanent collection at the Met. On this episode, they bring us inside their spring/summer 2022 collection, discuss how their showstopping Mushroom Dress came together, speak to the influence film has had on their work— including costume designing for Black Swan—and reveal just how those epic photo campaigns come together.

Dana Ward, the founder and president of Barefoot Scientist, has brought premium footcare products to the mainstream. After years of extensive research and product development, Ward created a brand nourishing the feet with the same level of luxury we give our face, hair, and body, with best-selling products such as PreHeels+ Blister Prevention Spray and Reboot Exfoliating Foot Peel. But before she was building a brand carried everywhere from Ulta to Rite Aid to podiatry offices around the nation, Ward was experiencing the need for footcare solutions firsthand. In her first life, Ward hosted, produced, and wrote over 7500 segments for outlets including E! Entertainment, NBC, Sony, and Clevver Media—the latter was where she was responsible for content strategy and production at the single most-viewed entertainment news network on YouTube. Who would have thought working those long hours on the red carpet in Hollywood would lead Ward to a footcare empire?

Best known for her work with Beyoncé as both her personal stylist and the costume designer for Emmy Award–winning Black Is King, Zerina Akers is showing no sign of slowing down. Recently, her work with Megan Thee Stallion has been nothing short of superb; the collections she designed for Macy’s have almost completely sold out; and she’s continually building her e-commerce marketplace called Black Owned Everything, which seeks to incubate, amplify, and empower a community of brands to reach diverse and engaged audiences. On this episode, get a peek inside her brilliant mind—including the behind-the-scenes stories you don’t want to miss.

In 2011, a new brand launched that would soon rewrite the minimalist’s playbook: Cuyana. Co-Founders Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah built a brand centered on intentional design and buying, establishing Cuyana’s ethos as “fewer, better.” Today, Cuyana has grown to eight stores nationwide and is known for timeless collections of premium leather accessories and luxe wardrobe essentials, from alpaca and cashmere. Yet before Gallardo and Shah began setting a new standard in the industry, their early career lives were shockingly different. Gallardo worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banking analyst, and Shah began her career in interaction design, where she gained over 15 years of experience designing web and mobile interfaces for companies such as Disney, AT&T, and Sun Microsystems. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Gallardo and Shah came together to create a dynamic, strategic brand without losing sight of their mission.

If you’ve downloaded the app The Pattern, you already know that founder and astrologer Lisa Donovan’s knowledge of the stars runs deep. On this episode, we take a break from our regularly scheduled fashion programming to hear what the stars have in store for 2022. Hear about the intense energies you might have been feeling in December, a breakdown of what eclipses and retrogrades really mean, and the massive astrological event in the birth chart of the U.S. happening on January 22.

Pastry chef, entrepreneur, and author Amirah Kassem is the genius behind the Instagram-famous Explosion Cakes and her vibrant pastry brand Flour Shop. Since the brand’s founding in 2012, her one-of-a-kind creations have gained the attention of millions globally, including celebrities such as Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, and Sarah Jessica Parker. Kassem has also written multiple books—The Power of Sprinkles: A Cake Book and two children’s books—and has product collections with everyone from Williams-Sonoma to Pottery Barn and an apparel collaboration with Vans. Most recently, she joined the Disney+ food-art series Foodtastic as a judge. But before she began paving her own pastry path, she worked in quite a different creative industry: fashion. She held a plethora of positions in the NY fashion scene, including at Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine and Johan Lindeberg’s beloved denim and leather label Blk Dnm. On this episode of Second Life, hear how Kassem turned her passion for pastries into a celebrated multi-vert

From her days modeling for Chanel to countless stunning movie premieres, actress Diane Kruger has been dressing the part for years. On this episode, fashion editor Eliza Huber chats with Diane for our January cover story about her upcoming film, The 355; her favorite items in her wardrobe; and the best places to shop, from Paris to New York.

Chrissy Rutherford has become the ultimate multi-hyphenate. She is a writer, entrepreneur, digital creator, and brand consultant. This year, Rutherford launched her own newsletter, FwdJoy, where she shares her unique perspective with her audience and covers a vast range of topics, from her relationship with therapy to tarot card readings. In 2020, alongside Danielle Prescod, Rutherford co-founded 2BG Consulting—a company dedicated to educating fashion and beauty brands on how to create actively anti-racist brand identities from the inside out while fostering inclusive and diverse values. Rutherford has become a passionate, authentic voice in the industry, but before she manifested her own unique path, she spent 12 years in the fashion media space, working her way up at Harper’s Bazaar as one of the first members of the digital team. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Rutherford found the faith to take the leap toward a new career path—on her own terms.

Jing Gao is the brilliant chef and entrepreneur behind Fly by Jing, the first premium Chinese food company that has turned into a foodie phenomenon, bringing thoughtfully crafted pantry staples to the modern kitchen. Inspired by the flavors of her hometown Chengdu, China, Gao launched the brand with the hero product Sichuan Chili Crisp, which became the highest-funded food project on Kickstarter and, subsequently, the top-selling hot sauce on Amazon. Prior to Fly by Jing, Gao founded an award-winning restaurant in Shanghai, Baoism, and even started an international roving supper club. But before Gao found her calling through food and flavor, she actually worked as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble and in tech for Blackberry and the global design firm Frog Design. Is your jaw on the floor now? Just wait until you’ve heard Gao’s entire story.

Susan Matheson is responsible for costuming some of our favorite blockbuster movies, from Step Brothers and The Town to The Big Short and Friday Night Lights. She has been leading teams in creating sartorial worlds for over two decades, and her latest project is the highly anticipated Netflix film Don’t Look Up, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, that is debuting on December 24. But before Matheson established herself as a major player in the industry, she actually started her career working for Mattel, where she designed clothing patterns for Barbie and Disney toys. On this episode of Second Life, hear about the catalyst that made Matheson leave what she describes as a “dream career in fashion” to follow the truest form of her passion within film.

Frustrated by the lack of women in the luxury watch world, creative consultant and writer Brynn Wallner created Dimepiece, an Instagram account and complementary website aimed at empowering women to become smarter consumers of their own luxury timepieces. On this episode, Brynn breaks down and demystifies the shopping experience, gives us the history behind a few particularly iconic models, and dishes on the upcoming trends to be on the lookout for.

With over 30 years in the industry, Meagan Good, an actress, producer, director, and entrepreneur, has created her own path throughout Hollywood. Good made her debut into the world of acting when she was just 4 years old, appearing in shows such as Doogie Howser and Amen. By the time she was an early teen, she was in movies such as Eve’s Bayou and the Nickelodeon show Cousin Skeeter. She has also starred in major box-office films Think Like a Man and Anchorman 2. In her latest role, Good leads the new Amazon series Harlem, produced by legends Amy Poehler and Pharrell Williams, from Girls Trip writer Tracy Oliver. As if her extensive list of acting accomplishments and features wasn’t monumental enough, Good has taken a step behind the scenes into producing and directing. In fact, her co-directorial feature debut, If Not Now, When?, was released last January. Good has also tapped into her entrepreneurial side and founded Good Girl Wraps, a line of multifunctional satin hair wraps. On this episode of Second Life

Image architect June Ambrose has been creating culture-defining work for the past 25 years. Throughout her work on over 200 music videos with artists like Missy Elliott and Jay-Z to styling celebs for the red carpet to her newest role as the creative director for Puma Hoops, June’s fiercely imaginative mind amplifies any projects she touches. On this episode, she’s here to talk about her first collection with Puma out this December, as well as her current fashion obsessions, outfit formulas, and styling tips you don’t want to miss.

In 2018, Éva Goicochea changed the sexual-wellness industry forever with the launch of Maude, a line of thoughtfully crafted intimacy essentials. Along the way, Dakota Johnson joined the team as an investor and co–creative director, and Goicochea is now one of 10 Latinx female founders to raise over $10M in venture funding. But before Goicochea became a trailblazer in the sexual-wellness industry, she spent her early career as a legislative aide in healthcare and then a decade working in marketing and branding with forward-thinking companies such as Everlane and Josie Maran Cosmetics. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Goicochea was able to use her past career experiences to build a brand that pushes industry boundaries and encourages a healthy, everyday approach to intimacy—for everyone.

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle are the comedic geniuses behind the show Pen15, in which the two adult women play outcast 13-year-old versions of themselves as they navigate the highs and lows of middle school. Taking place in the year 2000, the pair not only nail teenage angst and awkwardness like we’ve never quite seen on TV before, but watching the show also evokes major nostalgia. On this episode, Erskine and Konkle bring us inside creating the Pen15 world—Tamagotchis, braces, and tankinis included. Plus, hear what we can expect from season two, part two, available on Hulu Dec 3.

Tia Williams is not only the editorial director at the Estée Lauder Companies Inc., overseeing the voice of its subsidiary brands, but she’s also a best-selling author. Her latest book, Seven Days in June, became an instant hit as an NYT best seller and a Reese Witherspoon book-club pick. Williams is also the author of The Accidental Diva, young adult novels It Chicks and Sixteen Candles, The Beauty of Color (which she wrote alongside supermodel Iman), and The Perfect Find, which is currently being adapted into a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union. Meanwhile, she’s held beauty editor positions at Elle, Glamour, and Essence. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Williams has managed to fulfill her childhood dreams of not one but two successful career paths simultaneously.

Celebrity stylist Jeanne Yang’s Instagram profile reads “Stylist to four Superman, five Batman, three Spiderman, Ironman, Neo, Mr Grey, Aquaman, other super people,” and somehow, that’s not all she is. Yang's also the genius behind the fashion of Regé-Jean Page, Keanu Reeves, Kumail Nanjiani, and many more of the best-dressed men in Hollywood. On this episode, she dishes on her secrets to making her clients look so cool, how to tell if a garment actually fits, and stylish gift ideas for the men in your life.

Sahra Nguyen is the founder and CEO behind Nguyen Coffee Supply, the first specialty Vietnamese coffee company importing directly from the source and roasting in Brooklyn, New York. Nguyen works with a fourth-generation Vietnamese farmer, whose bold arabica and robusta beans are certified clean and organic, making for the perfect cup of coffee. The brand has garnered the attention of celebrities such as Mindy Kaling and Tory Burch and publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, and Food & Wine. On this episode of Second Life, find out how a mission for diversity, visibility, and empowerment has been a constant thread throughout Nguyen's career, weaving its way from her first life as an award-winning filmmaker and producer through her burgeoning career within the coffee industry.

Heidi Gardner is responsible for some of our favorite characters on the current season of Saturday Night Live, including Bailey, the teenage movie critic; Angel, also known as every boxer’s girlfriend; and Michael Wozniak, a stadium security guard who lost everything to Michael Jordan in the digital short The Last Dance: Extended Scene. Heidi is on the show this week to discuss her fifth season with the SNL cast, her come-up within comedy (she was a hairdresser for nine years prior!), and the sneaky places to find the real fashion moments on the show.