It's a Matter Of...

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 down with Kelly Kovack to talk about his 35 years in the beauty industry, and his commitment to the education and advocacy for independent business in the beauty ecosystem.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, and he has never stopped innovating or raising the bar with his brands. He joins Kelly Kovack and they discuss how the businesses he has launched, like Mob Beauty, Pure Culture Beauty and Pact Collective, have all made beauty better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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-Founders of the INKEY List. They sat down with Kelly Kovack to discuss how they set out to build a brand that filled a gap they saw in the market, and how learning from their past failures helped them create an instant hit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 beauty, and the launch of their brand, Doré.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 houses, led by the art and love of perfumery. This week, Kelly Kovack sits down with Christopher Yu and Laurent Delafon, the Founders of United Perfumes and Ostens. They discuss how they've used passion and partnership to build a successful company in the business of fine smells and olfactory dreams.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 one product on Amazon, built a brand that redefined the acne category and achieved a $630 million strategic exit in five years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 rise to a new wave of brands capitalizing on this shift. This week, Kelly Kovack is joined by Eva Goicochea, the Founder and CEO of Maude. They discuss how Eva has redefined the narrative through an inclusive approach and engendering better intimacy by pushing boundaries and breaking down barriers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 incredible ups and very public downs, and how she has used empathy, honesty and radical transparency to build a formidable global brand, and a strategic exit to The Estée Lauder Companies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 not be easy to affect in a $7.5 billion business, but this week's guest has done just that. Kelly Kovack is joined by Brandon Ford, the Chief Accelerator Director of Lubrizol Life Science. They discuss how the confluence of skills that Brandon has mastered through his enigmatic career as a nurse, lawyer, wine educator and team master have set him up for success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 influencer wave, was a business called Tribe Dynamics that schooled the industry on influencer marketing.. This week, Kelly Kovack is joined by the Founder, Conor Begley, who discusses how to leverage the power of  influence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 is one of these rare founders.This week she sits down with Kelly Kovack to discuss how she leveraged decades of beauty experience to build Valade, a luxury beauty brand that seamlessly navigates the traditional beauty landscape while pioneering the Metaverse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 British Beauty Council. Millie shares how she has made it her mission to show the power of the beauty industry, to change lives and transform Britain's economic and social fabric.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Raymond, the Co-Founder of the Future Laboratory. Martin is a renowned thinker whose ideas can challenge the status quo, and shed light upon emerging behaviors that drive seismic shifts for brands and consumers alike. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 fitfy 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 aged woman.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 replicated this formula, not once, but three times and stands at the helm of three global beauty forces, Ciate London, Lottie London, and Skin Proud. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 brand is now carried at Whole Foods, Target and Walgreens. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 of scaling emerging brands and globalizing established ones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 continues to pioneer a space where beauty brands do better.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 created a platform that leverages data and technology to make the product development process in beauty transparent, fair, and sustainable. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 ensuring that the future of beauty and wellness is representative of the true diversity of beauty consumers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A brand is the culmination of your story, your product, and your people. It's how your customers perceive you and why shareholders believe in you. Customers are now driving brand conversations in a continuous, always on, feedback loop. What used to be a build and enforce methodology has evolved to a constant curating, connecting, communicating, and adjusting. Companies must engage or be caught flat footed. Nadim Sadek,  Founder and CEO of ProQuo AI sits down with Kelly Kovack to discuss why he got back into the business of brands. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 startup that's developing novel uses of bacteria to improve human and planetary health. She sits down with Kelly Kovack to explain why she is happy to play the long game, and why she believes that when it comes to human health, and the health of our planet, no corners should be cut. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 the retail floor to President of Kiehls, why he walked away from it all in 2017, and why he decided to come back.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 industry .   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 the power of personalization. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 rich skin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Family businesses built from humble beginnings to billion-dollar brands, independent of outside capital, are the very fabric of the American dream. The vision of the founder is bigger than a personal financial windfall. It's about creating a business that reaches far beyond them, creating a legacy that continues the work in perpetuity. Leaders like this think big and they think beyond the bottom line to the impact the company makes to an industry, a community, and to the team that keeps the dream alive. Michaeline DeJoria joins Kelly Kovack to discuss her journey from the production plant floor to her new role as CEO. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Historically, the industry has propagated a perception of beauty reflective of unrealistic perfection, and a lack of diversity driving women into a perpetual and elusive search for the solution. However, there's a new type of beauty emerging, where we use these powers for good. Amy Liu, Founder and CEO of Tower 28 discusses with Kelly Kovack how she spent years learning the ropes at other companies, and meeting some amazing mentors along the way. She talks about how that has prepared her to throw her hat into the entrepreneurial ring and find answers to her own sensitive skin issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clean beauty and sustainability while noble pursuits are inherently rife with misinformation and lacking definition. There may be no perfect answer or solution, but there's plenty of progress. Every individual and business is in a different stage representing the reality that sustainability exists on a spectrum and looks different for each of us. Yet, an argument can be made that we all have a part to play as global citizens. Elsie Rutterford and Dominika Minarovic, co-founders of British beauty brand, BYBI sit down with Kelly Kovak to discuss how the existing system needs a total reconstruction, and how for them the road to sustainability has been a work in progress. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a fine line between collaboration and competition. Conceptually, they can coexist and they're not mutually exclusive. Strategic alliances can be powerful, but they are also constantly evolving because cooperation has limits, and you have to defend against competitive compromise. Deanna Utroske, a beauty business content specialist, sits down with Kelly Kovack to discuss how she navigates this paradigm, and how she approaches cooperation with an open heart and a generous spirit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Holy Grail of most brand founders in the beauty industry is an exit to a strategic player that comes with a big payday. While this remains elusive for most it is a reality for others that fuels future entrepreneurial ventures built on the lessons learned and the freedom to think beyond the confines of funding. These seasoned brand founders have a recipe for success and a passion that keeps them in the game. The Art of Shaving Founders Myriam and Eric Malka sit down with Kelly to discuss how they are back in the beauty game with a new brand that embodies their less is so much more philosophy ,and their passion for ingredients.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The most prolific creatives not only have ideas that many would consider to be “out of the box”but they have the ability to execute on them. The most diligent creatives are also builders turning them into real tangible things - they simply can't help themselves. They commit an insane amount of time to their work without holding back. Jillian Dempsey the legendary makeup artist, sculptor, painter, entrepreneur and animal activist shares with Kelly how she is constantly searching for innovative approaches and fresh perspectives to beauty. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're in a new era of sustainability driven by consumers, governments, and corporations, impelled by the visible effects of pollution on our environment, the impact on the climate, and our food supply. The collective consciousness on sustainability is rising perhaps faster than many expected. The beauty industry's contribution to the current state of our environment is well-documented. And quite frankly, embarrassing. We all participated in some way to the current state of affairs. And now it's our job as an industry to fix it, and really change the system that created the problem. Stephanie Stall, CEO and co-founder of Ace of Air joins Kelly to discuss how her and her team deconstructed the beauty paradigm, and are offering consumers the chance to rent product packaging in the name of conserving the planet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Divergent needs, competing demands, and diverse personalities are just some of the elements of running a business that have the possibility of creating conflict and chaos. For entrepreneurs, and especially for co-founders, success requires the ability to navigate and come to terms with these tensions, embracing them and allowing the interdependencies to create richer thinking and better solutions. Dr. Dennis Gross and Carrie Gross are partners in life, and in the business of running Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare.They sit down with Kelly Kovack to discuss how together, they have built the foundation of their dynamic brand and team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The value of heritage history and legacy is sometimes overlooked or viewed as a liability. So much of the current hyper-connected beauty landscape is focused on newer, faster, and better. And sometimes what came before is tossed aside, or dismissed as not relevant. But, Doreen Block, the Executive Director of the Make-Up Museum, believes beauty history is a treasure trove of inspiration, just waiting to be discovered. She sits down with Kelly to discuss how she made the idea of documenting, archiving, and paying tribute to thousands of years of beauty a reality.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Community is powerful but it's often very elusive. Real community exists to serve a purpose, creates value for all stakeholders and requires constant nurturing. Odile Roujol, Co-Founder of Fab Co-Creation Studio Ventures has an innate ability to build community. She discusses with Kelly her mission to invest in underserved needs, and amplifying the voices of female and minority founders.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal and professional resilience has never been more important. The ability to embrace change and dig deep to find a path forward is intuitive to successful entrepreneurs but resilience is also a skill that can be learned and developed. The ability to adjust to career change as it happens and, by extension, adapt to what the market demands, should be constantly evaluated. The most resilient professionals don't get stuck in the past - they look forward to the future and view each change as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Kelly talks with Trae Bodge, Smart Shopping Expert and founder of Trae Bodge Media, who has built a resilient career on the foundation of optimism, collaboration, pushing boundaries and always looking for the next opportunity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.