Where Brains Meet Beauty

Episode 307 of Where Brains Meet Beauty wraps the “Power Duos” series with Rose and Ben Siard, co-founders of Rose and Ben Beauty. They share their 23-year partnership from meeting as teens in Texas to building a brand rooted in clear roles, mutual respect, and a community-first mindset.Before beauty, they were musicians, writing and performing together for over a decade, an experience that shaped their creative and business chemistry. Rose’s makeup journey began organically on social media, where a loyal, long-standing community became the foundation of the brand. Ben brought operational expertise from his career in oil and gas, creating a balance that allows Rose to focus on creativity while he handles execution.They discuss maintaining authenticity while scaling, staying personally connected to their audience, and navigating challenges with transparency. The episode highlights their partnerships, their problem-solving approach to business, and how their shared history continues to influence their growth.It

Episode 306 of Where Brains Meet Beauty continues the “Power Duos” series with sisters Allison and Jacqueline Taylor, co-founders of Le Prunier. What began as a fourth-generation Northern California plum farm evolved into a modern skincare brand rooted in sustainability, science, and family legacy.Allison and Jacqueline took very different paths - music and fashion on one side, wellness and culinary science on the other but shared a deep curiosity about ingredients. That curiosity led them back to their family’s farm, where they uncovered the untapped potential of antioxidant-rich plum byproducts and transformed them into a hero skincare ingredient.In this episode, they open up about building a business with siblings, dividing roles based on strengths, and creating boundaries that protect both the company and their relationships. They also share the reality of scaling a farm-based beauty brand from regenerative agriculture and proprietary production systems to navigating a sudden surge in demand after a viral

Episode 305 of Where Brains Meet Beauty continues our Power Duos theme with an iconic beauty brand and the duo helping it thrive in a new era: Laura Geller, Founder of Laura Geller Beauty, and Sara Mitzner, VP of Brand Marketing. Together they share how founder authenticity, sharp brand focus, and a deep understanding of the customer have powered massive relevance, especially as pro-aging and mature-skin makeup becomes a cultural movement.Their power duo dynamic is built on mutual trust and amplification. Sara calls it plainly: Laura is the story. A founder who shows up, teaches, jokes, and connects makes marketing feel effortless. Laura credits Sara with making her relevant by tapping into her authenticity, letting her be funny, and building a content engine that actually sounds like her. A turning point came when Laura voiced concern that the brand was drifting away from its core QVC customer. Sara listened, ran a full brand analysis, confirmed the real demographic, and leaned in. That focus unlocked growth

Episode 304 of Where Brains Meet Beauty continues the Power Duos series with Jeffrey Lee, CEO & Co-Founder of DIBS Beauty and Katherine Rose, Vice President of Finance. Together they unpack what it really takes to scale a beauty brand through high-stakes moments - ERP overhauls, warehouse moves, tariff chaos, and rapid retail expansion.Katherine shares how a career that started in public accounting evolved into operational leadership at a fast-growing startup, guided by a simple rule: say yes to opportunities and figure it out along the way. Jeffrey reflects on his unconventional path from corporate attorney to entrepreneur, and why great founders succeed by building strong processes and empowering people with deeper expertise than their own.The episode also goes inside DIBS’ retail mindset. Jeffrey shares his mission to show up in Ulta doors across all 50 states, not as a checkbox, but to learn how the customer shops and to stand beside the field team doing the hard work in-store. Katherine shares what s

Our Power Duos theme with a duo that is building in every sense of the word with Yongxi Tan and Aidan Neziri, co-founders of Bessie Nails. They share what it takes to launch a fast-growing press-on nail brand from a true consumer need, compete in a legacy category, and build a company together while also being partners in real life. Their roles are distinct but collaborative, and their dynamic is the through-line of this episode: Yongxi is momentum and experimentation, Aidan is precision and protection. The balance helps them move fast without breaking what matters.The product innovation is just as compelling. Bessie’s handmade press-ons are crafted like salon nails, with real artists painting layers of gel and acrylic and placing details by hand. The result is a press-on that looks and feels like a salon set, but is designed to be removable and reusable when cared for properly. They also talk about wear options, from longer-hold glue to flexible tabs, reinforcing a core belief: press-ons should adapt to your

A true power duo: Blair Lancer, CMO, and Daniela De Los Santos, Global Education Director from Lancer Skincare. Together they share what it takes to grow a family-founded, dermatologist-led brand in a world where trust is everything, education cuts through noise, and community is built one conversation at a time.Daniela brings the brand to life on QVC, where she treats the camera like a one-on-one appointment, translating ingredients, claims, and routines in a way that feels like chatting with your mom or best friend. She also reflects on her own path, from dreaming of becoming a lawyer to earning her esthetics license, and why that “first step” opened doors she never could have predicted. Her message is clear: the esthetics career path is bigger than the treatment room, and experts are more valuable than ever in a skincare landscape crowded with misinformation.Blair grew up around the brand and originally envisioned a future in fashion, even studying it at NYU. But a pivot into beauty led her back to the fa

Each year, the Listen Again Awards recognize the episodes our audience continues to return to. Conversations that stay relevant, spark reflection, and offer depth beyond the moment. We’re thrilled to honor the 2025 Listen Again Award winners in this special Where Brains Meet Beauty episode. Q1 Power Moves: Excellence in Leadership Episode 277 – Danessa Myricks & Anncy Rowe. A powerful conversation on leadership, vulnerability, and growth. Danessa and Anncy explored what it truly means to lead with intention, create space for honest feedback, and continue evolving. Their openness around fear, empathy, and personal power made this episode unforgettable.Q2 Health Compass: Navigating Wellness Careers Episode 288 – Lisa Rossmann & Bryan Appio. This conversation redefined modern leadership. Lisa and Bryan shared how empathy, clarity, and values-driven decision making shape stronger teams and better brands. A reminder that the most impactful businesses are built from the inside out.Q3 Career Capital: Voices

For its 300th episode, Where Brains Meet Beauty highlights two women who prove that creative careers rarely follow a straight line. Celebrity hairstylist and makeup artist Sarai Martinez and influencer and UGC creator Tania Grover share how childhood dreams, unexpected pivots and sheer perseverance shaped the paths they are on today.Sarai always knew she wanted to be a hairstylist, even drafting a sixth grade project imagining her future salon career. But family expectations and finances pushed her into fashion school, then insurance work, then years of assisting in high-end Boston salons on late nights and little pay. Marriage, kids and discouraging mentors led to a long break before she rebuilt her confidence, found supportive leadership and stepped back into artistry full-time. Today she works with prestige clients, balances her “Sarai by Day” influencer presence and stays grounded by choosing collaboration over diva moments on set.Tania’s journey started in high school with dance videos she posted “for fu

Episode 299 of Where Brains Meet Beauty™ brings together two very different kinds of “technicians” who both turned specialized skills into flexible, creative lives. AR and AI developer, content creator and Cannes Lion winner Grace Choi sits beside fashion industry veteran, technical design consultant and creator Emily Kammeyer Sumner for a conversation that moves from X-Men superpowers to tax codes for dogs, and somehow makes it all make sense.Grace shares how a makeup printer startup led her into AR filters, where she now builds the viral effects that other creators and brands rely on. She pulls back the curtain on being an “influencer’s influencer,” why a single well made filter can unlock hundreds of thousands of videos for a brand, and what it really means to bet on yourself without a safety net. She also teases her next chapter, shifting from building inside platforms like TikTok to building a platform of her own.Emily traces her path from sewing in a neighbor’s pattern room to becoming a technical desig

Episode 298 of Where Brains Meet Beauty is one of the most emotional and human conversations of the season. Celebrity Esthetician Miranda Sturce and creator, former Miss South Carolina and Bachelor alum Davia Esther Bunch join the show for a raw discussion on ambition, burnout, healing and finding your way back to yourself.Miranda shares how caring for others has been part of her identity since childhood, soothing her father’s hands after long labor-filled days. That instinct led her into luxury hotel spas and ultimately her own practice, where touch becomes both artistry and therapy. She talks openly about the emotional weight of being a solo esthetician, the pressure to hold everyone together and the importance of slowing down long enough to feel your own feelings.Davia’s story mirrors Miranda’s in surprising ways. She trained for years to become a professional ballet dancer, performed in Russia, then had to walk away after injury. That loss spun into pageants, where she won Miss South Carolina and went on

In Episode 297 of Where Brains Meet Beauty, founder and CEO of Glamazon Beauty Cosmetics Kim Baker and content creator and Your Glow Guide author Felicia Walker sit down to talk about building careers that did not exist when they were kids.Kim’s path starts at 13 as a model with Elite, crossing paths with legends like Andy Warhol and Basquiat, then being pulled out of the industry for her own safety. She later returns, co-pioneers plus-size modeling and eventually pivots into makeup artistry after years of struggling to find foundation that matched her skin. Mixing shades behind the counter at brands like Prescriptives and Bobbi Brown became an education in undertones and inclusivity that now powers Glamazon Beauty. Today, she is part artist, part founder, part motivator, writing handwritten notes to customers and using public speaking to help women feel “beautifully empowered.”Felicia’s journey began in a different place: HR executive by day, beauty obsessive by night. She launched a blog simply to pour out

In this Artistry & Influencer episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, content creators Jess Martinez (@jessstheblessed) and Kirti Tewani (@kirtitewani) share what it really looks like to build a career online while staying grounded offline.Jess calls herself an “accidental creator.” After casually posting hair videos, one went viral - 46 million views in under three weeks, while she was still working full-time in criminal justice. The sudden visibility was thrilling and disorienting, but with support and boundaries, she found a rhythm: mission-driven work by day, creativity by night. Kirti’s journey began after motherhood made the long, unpredictable schedule of makeup artistry unsustainable. During the pandemic she launched a supplement brand, posted on TikTok for marketing, and unexpectedly went viral. She soon gained 80K followers in a month, then jumped from 4K to 120K on Instagram in a week.Both now navigate two worlds - the everyday one and the digital one. To stay centered, they set firm boundaries. J

In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, Jodi Katz sits down with Dr. Ariel Ostad Dermatologist, Cosmetic Surgeon & Brand Founder and Kelsie Johnston, Former GM/Head of Beauty & Personal Care TikTok Shop US to explore how artistry, influence, and authenticity shape the future of beauty.From a middle school dream of becoming a buyer to helping launch TikTok Shop in the U.S., Kelsie shares how pairing data with creativity unlocked massive growth transforming e-commerce into a community-driven experience. She explains that the brands thriving today are those that let creators and customers co-author the narrative instead of trying to control it.As both dermatologist and brand founder, Ariel reflects on the artistry behind his work from subtle aesthetic enhancements to reconstructive surgery. For him, dermatology is where science meets sculpture. He also discusses launching his own skincare line, built on evidence-based formulas and a deep sense of empathy for patients.The conversation turns to AI, co

In Episode 294 of Where Brains Meet Beauty, host Jodi Katz sits down with Annie Robertson Hockey, President & Head of Consulting Skytale Group and Lauren D’Amore, Vice President Prelude Growth Partners to explore the intersection of personal passion and professional success in the booming beauty and med spa industries. From nearly becoming a ballerina or a doctor to leading investment and consulting firms, these two powerhouse women share how their early experiences shaped their careers.They dive into the evolution of med spas into mainstream brands, the importance of building loyalty over chasing trends, and how leadership and mentorship fuel sustainable growth. Whether it’s scaling a brand or investing in one, Annie and Lauren bring sharp insight, candid stories, and advice on what success really looks like as your career matures.Tune in for an inspiring and insightful conversation and yes, there’s even a book club moment at the end.Thank you to our sponsor Beauty Connect - get 10% off tickets with code

In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty with Jodi Katz, we explore how legal and financial experts fuel the growth of beauty and wellness brands. Guests Kara Posner, Partner at Gianuzzi Lewendon and Thomas Cunningham, Director of Business Development at Physician Growth Partners share how they help founders navigate funding, scale strategically, and prepare for exits.From childhood dreams of animation and pro sports to careers in law and investment banking, Kara and Thomas reveal how early passions shape their approach to high-stakes advisory work. They dive into what it means to be true partners to entrepreneurs, offering not just strategy but empathy, creativity, and commitment.Expect insights on M&A, fundraising, managing strong personalities, and why real human connection still beats any app. A must-listen for anyone building a beauty, wellness, or med spa business.Thank you to our sponsor Beauty Connect - Get 10% off tickets with code WBMB.

In Episode 292 of Where Brains Meet Beauty, host Jodi Katz sits down with Sarah Foley, Managing Partner at InviNext Growth Partners and Caroline Chiaroni, Vice President at TJC for a compelling conversation at the intersection of private equity, consumer brands, and personal passion. From childhood dreams of veterinary clinics and art galleries to managing multi-million-dollar investments in beauty and wellness, these two trailblazers share how creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking shape their careers. They discuss the evolving role of technology in finance yes even AI, while emphasizing the irreplaceable power of human connection in brand building. You'll hear behind-the-scenes insights on spotting breakout brands, nurturing founder relationships, and balancing data with instinct. Whether you're an investor, entrepreneur, or just brand-curious, this episode delivers a refreshing look at the heart behind high-growth consumer investing.Bonus: Don’t miss the fun wrap-up game as Sarah and Caroline reveal t

In Episode 291 of Where Brains Meet Beauty with Jodi Katz, the spotlight turns to two investors redefining what it means to back beauty and wellness brands: Kara LaForgia, Founder & Managing Partner at Hive Ventures, and Rich Gersten, Co-Founder & General Partner at True Beauty Ventures. Their paths to venture capital could not be more different, yet both reflect the persistence, gut instincts, and passion that this industry demands.Kara’s story is one of constant reinvention. A lawyer by training, she started her career as an NFL sports agent, worked with Birdman and Lil Wayne at Cash Money Records, and went on to become the first employee at multiple startups before launching her own consulting business. From there, she began investing off her balance sheet, eventually managing capital for others and institutionalizing her approach under Hive Ventures. She describes herself as hands-on, gritty, and opportunistic, never afraid to step into an unfilled role or claim an open lane. For her, the ideal fo

In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty we meet Kevin Kim the Director of Beauty & Personal Care Investment Banking at Raymond James. His career journey didn’t begin with balance sheets and deal rooms it began with medicine.As the oldest son of two psychiatrists, Kevin grew up assuming he’d follow in their footsteps. But by late high school, he realized his path needed to be his own. Drawn to a more global career, he pivoted from pre-med aspirations to business, ultimately landing in investment banking.His early years at Houlihan Lokey provided a crash course in analytics and resilience. But financial services M&A, mortgage servicing rights and insurance deals left him craving work that was more dynamic, more connected to culture. That pivot came when he joined boutique bank Financo in New York, where a chance partnership with beauty M&A legend Vennette Ho introduced him to founder-led brands and the artistry of storytelling in finance.From helping Lily Gordon of First Aid Beauty raise early c

What do NASA and luxury beauty have in common? In this stellar episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, Jodi Katz sits down with Lindy Firstenberg, Senior Vice President, Beauty & Luxury at Alix Partners and Catherine Nekavand, Partner at Alix Partners - two powerhouse leaders who traded space suits and oil rigs for silk scarves and fragrance launches.Lindy, who once tested satellite mechanisms at NASA, shares how her journey took a glamorous turn at Louis Vuitton, where she helped launch the brand’s fragrance line. Catherine, a petroleum engineer who’s worked everywhere from Chad to Norway, reveals how she pivoted into the world of Tiffany & Co. and luxury retail, armed with a global perspective and an MBA from HEC Paris.Together, they unpack the art of transformation in luxury consulting, preserving brand heritage while using data and strategic insights to drive growth. They also share their leadership philosophies, tips for navigating career pivots, and how they keep the “magic” alive during mergers an

In this high-energy finale of our Health Compass: Navigating Careers in Wellness theme, host Jodi Katz welcomes Lisa Rossmann, Chief Concept Officer at Hand & Stone Spa and Bryan Appio, CEO of Drywater for a dynamic conversation about leadership, career pivots, and hydration.Lisa shares her journey from aspiring spy to beauty industry executive, while Bryan reflects on early entrepreneurial ventures and a drive to succeed shaped by his upbringing. Together, they explore what it takes to lead with empathy, build trust, and focus on internal excellence rather than external competition.Both Lisa and Bryan have learned to tune out the noise. In industries where competition is fierce and trends evolve daily, they’re not chasing comparisons—they’re doubling down on clarity. Instead of reacting to what other brands are doing, they focus on what truly matters: building strong teams, creating meaningful products and experiences, and staying aligned with their values.Their stories are proof that leadership today lo