Shows
Start Right Here! PodcastCataanda James: The Power of PossibilityCataanda James, Chief Beauty Officer of CJ The Beauty Group, talks about building a career that surpasses her wildest dreams. Cataanda James is a textured-hair expert, educator, and beauty industry strategist whose career embodies resilience, authenticity, and the courage to follow one's passion. Raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, she grew up inspired by her mother's love of fashion and flawless grooming. By junior high, Cataanda was already recognized as the "cat-eye queen," sharing makeup techniques with classmates, and by her college years, she had turned her dorm room into a thriving salon. What...
2025-10-031h 25Start Right Here! PodcastStarr Blackshere: Finding Your Creative Niche in Beauty (& Mastering Your Craft)Starr Blackshere is a powerhouse in the beauty industry, a visionary artist whose journey from childhood fascination to professional mastery is nothing short of inspiring. With an innate eye for detail and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Starr has transformed her passion for beauty into a thriving career that spans hair, makeup, and the intricate art of brow design. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Starr’s journey into beauty began at an early age, influenced by the dazzling world of pageantry. Her curiosity and natural talent led her to refine her sk...
2025-04-041h 05Start Right Here! PodcastShifting the Natural Hair Narrative Part 3: Natasha Gaspard, Erin Maybin and Debra Hare-Bey on Representation, Advocacy, and the Art & Science of Textured HairWe wrap up our three-part series on Shifting the Natural Hair Narrative. I'm thrilled to be joined by three incredible guests at the forefront of a revolutionary movement in the world of hair—Erin Maybin, Natasha Gaspard, and Debra Hare-Bey, founding members of the NHBC. In this episode, we dive deep into natural hair advocacy, design, and the cultural significance of textured hair. Our first guest is Erin Maybin, a creative force who not only possesses an artistic flair but also brings a wealth of expertise in graphic design to the foref...
2023-10-2054 min
Product & Packaging PowerhouseEp. 7: Building an Authentic Beauty Brand: Insider Tips from O.G Communications Powerhouse Corynne CorbettIn this podcast episode, powerhouse guest Corynne Corbett discusses the impact of the beauty industry on black-owned brands and shares insights on how these brands can authentically stand out. With her 20+ years of communication and media experience, she discusses practical tips and strategies for brands. The discussion covers topics such as product testing and compliance, market entry with retailers, funding opportunities, retail challenges, and the importance of representation. Corynne emphasizes the need for strategic planning, clear messaging, and understanding the retail landscape before entering the market. [Host Megan Young Gamble Links][AFFILIATE] Ready t...
2023-10-1554 minStart Right Here! PodcastShifting the Natural Hair Narrative Part 2 Diane C. Bailey: Licensing, Hair Loss & LegacyWe continue our discussion on Changing the Natural Hair Narrative with the second of our three-part series. This episode features Diane C. Bailey, a pioneering figure in the world of textured hair care, with a career spanning decades and an unwavering commitment to education, advocacy, and community empowerment. She is the CEO and Founder of EMERGE NBIA: Natural Beauty Industry Alliance and Co_President of the Natural Hairstyle and Braid Coalition. Born and raised in New York, Diane has emerged as a prominent figure, shaping the landscape of natural hair care not only as a s...
2023-10-0640 minStart Right Here! PodcastShifting the Natural Hair Narrative Part 1 Diane Da Costa: Why the Past MattersAuthor, advocator, educator and entrepreneur, Diane Da Costa is a trailblazing figure in the beauty and wellness industry. She is the CEO and Founder of SimpleeBEAUTIFUL Brands, Co-President of the Natural Hairstyle & Braid Coalition and wrote the book, Textured Tresses. With over three decades of experience in the beauty industry, Diane has honed her craft to become a master hairstylist, specializing in natural and textured hair. Diane is known for her exceptional skills as a hairstylist, her passion for holistic wellness, and her dedication to advocating for the natural hair community. Her journey began as a yo...
2023-09-301h 12Start Right Here! PodcastBONUS EPISODE: Marsha Haygood: Designing Your Strategy for SuccessMarsha Haygood, CEO of Stepwise Associates says finding success starts with three essential questions; What do you want? Why do you want it? And what are you willing to sacrifice to make it happen? Marsha Haygood is a renowned leadership expert, captivating speaker, and accomplished author with a remarkable career dedicated to empowering individuals, especially women, to unlock their full potential and achieve success. With over three decades of professional experience, Marsha has become a leading voice in leadership development, career advancement, and personal growth. As the co-author of "Th...
2023-09-2150 minStart Right Here! PodcastKerry Abner: Grey Hair Matters: Embracing the Opportunities and Changing the CultureKerry Abner is the visionary founder behind Manhattan Grey, a revolutionary haircare line specifically designed for people with grey hair. As a military brat born in the Bronx, New York, Kerry's upbringing took him on a diverse journey across different cultures, including living in England, Japan, and Florida. This broad exposure nurtured his passion for creativity and a desire to explore unique paths. With a strong background in marketing, Kerry honed his skills in the music industry, working on global marketing campaigns for music genres like hip hop and R&B. How...
2023-09-1427 minStart Right Here! PodcastYasmin Zeinab: Designing Abi Amé Through Culture and CommunityIn this episode, we explore honing in on your niche as a beauty entrepreneur. Yasmin Zeinab is the visionary founder and driving force behind Abi Amé, a trailblazing body care brand that seeks to revolutionize the beauty industry. With cultural influences from her Jordanian and Palestinian heritage and an upbringing in Australia, Yasmin brings a fresh and innovative perspective to the world of skincare, drawing on her experiences and passion for addressing unmet needs in the market. Her journey into the beauty industry was not conventional, as she began her career as a...
2023-07-2135 minStart Right Here! PodcastBrianna Blackwood-Mallory: Looking For a Job in Beauty? Here's How a Recruiter Can Help!In this bonus episode, we are talking about how working with a recruiter can help when you are looking for a job in the beauty industry. My guest is Brianna Blackwood-Mallory, a compassionate recruiter and inclusivity advocate who runs Königin Consulting & Recruiting. She shares the circuiritous path she took to her current role which included studying Chinese Language and Literature at Vassar College, to working as an editor in Berlin following graduation. Brianna found her calling in recruiting by first working on the marketing side of the industry but decided that she would rather get more involved in t...
2023-07-1445 min
The Stroke Diva Fabulous ShowEp. 234 - The Stroke Diva Fabulous Radio ShowMeet CORYNNE L. CORBETT, STRATEGIST, EDITOR, PODCASTER, STORY PACKAGER, AND SENIOR MANAGER, on Friday, June 30, 2023, at 12:00 PM EST!
About Corynne-
Corynne L. Corbett is an accomplished media professional and a beauty and lifestyle expert. She is the host of the Start Right Here podcast. In addition, she runs a consultancy and advisory focused on beauty, lifestyle, and wellness called The Chic Jones Company. Previously, Corbett held senior editorial positions at Elle, Mode, Heart & Soul, Real Simple, and Essence. She is a graduate of Pratt Institute and the University of Maryland College Park.
Websites:
https://www.corynnecorbett.com/
https://www.thechicjonescompany...
2023-06-3028 minThe Stroke Diva Fabulous ShowEp. 229 - The Stroke Diva Fabulous Radio ShowMeet CORYNNE L. CORBETT, STRATEGIST, EDITOR, PODCASTER, STORY PACKAGER, AND SENIOR MANAGER, on Friday, June 23, 2023 at 3:00 PM EST!
About Corynne-
Corynne L. Corbett is an accomplished media professional and a beauty and lifestyle expert. She is the host of the Start Right Here podcast. In addition, she runs a consultancy and advisory focused on beauty, lifestyle, and wellness called The Chic Jones Company. Previously, Corbett held senior editorial positions at Elle, Mode, Heart & Soul, Real Simple, and Essence. She is a graduate of Pratt Institute and the University of Maryland College Park.
Websites:
https://www.corynnecorbett.com/
https://www.thechicjonescompany...
2023-06-2306 minStart Right Here! PodcastFunlayo Alabi: Building a Beauty Brand & Ecosystem with Meaningful ImpactFunlayo Alabi, CEO and Co-Founder of Shea Radiance, wants to see women win. The founder, who was born in Manchester, England, and raised in Nigeria, moved to the United States at 17 to attend college. But she brought with her a strong sense of beauty implanted in her growing up in Nigeria, which included gleaming skin. After realizing that following in her father's footsteps by studying accounting, she settled on international business. And ended up with a career in coding and software by happenstance. Funlayo and her husband knew they wanted to create a business that allowed them t...
2023-06-221h 12Start Right Here! PodcastBONUS EPISODE Ananda Leeke: Developing the Right Mindset for Your Next Career or Entrepreneurial MoveAre you thinking about making a move with your career? Whether you want to break into beauty, are seeking another position, or are exploring entrepreneurship, this bonus episode is for you. Because before you embark on this next step, it is critical to get your mind right. That means developing the proper mindset, setting intentions, and setting expectations. This week, I chat with Ananda Leeke, a Thriving Mindfully Coach, Artist, Author, and Human Design Doula, about how to approach change. Ananda shares how working in law and finance led her to experience panic attacks and how it...
2023-06-0843 minStart Right Here! PodcastMelissa Hibbért: Finding Your Power in the PivotMelissa Hibbért, founder and CEO of SHYFT Beauty knew that she was destined for a career in beauty since she borrowed her mother's red lipstick to wear in high school. She earned her cosmetology license while still in high school. Then, while a student at Fisk University, she found an abandoned hair salon in her dorm, reopened it, and with a few of her high school friends operated the salon on the weekends while she took classes and held down two part-time jobs. But while Melissa, loved beauty, she suppressed her passion for more than a dec...
2023-06-011h 02Start Right Here! PodcastDee Bowden: The Money Move Every Entrepreneur Needs to MakeThis season, I am kicking off a series of bonus episodes that provide practical information for beauty entrepreneurs and those who want to chart their career courses in other aspects of the industry. In this episode, I chat with Dee Bowden, BCS Solutions founder and Cash Flow Recovery trainer. She is also the author of a book called Collect the Cash. Dee shares a bit of her story of working in the corporate, tech, and government space and how she understood how accounts receivable could make or break a company/brand. Using relatable examples, she explains how w...
2023-05-1937 minStart Right Here! PodcastNarae Chung: When K-Beauty Meets Men's GroomingNarae Chung, the CEO, and co-founder of Cardon, was aware of the value of skincare early on. She observed the multi-step skincare rituals her mother practiced daily, which she believes were as much self-care as they were beauty steps. By the time she was in her early teens, Narae had a 4-step system of her own. Skincare was part of her life, and culturally, it was more important than makeup. The emphasis was on prevention, creating gentle results, and innovative ingredients. But she never set out to be a beauty entrepreneur. In this episode, Narae shares how...
2023-05-1134 minStart Right Here! PodcastNicky Posley: Makeup Artistry in the Instagram AgeHave you ever taken a leap of faith? Makeup artist. Educator, and product development consultant, Nicky Posley has built a vibrant career because of his willingness to take the leap. But growing up, Nicky wanted to be a fine artist and was already participating in art shows while still in middle school while living in suburban Illinois. One of his friends suggested he explore m makeup. What started as a hobby turned into a career while in Chicago for training for a different job. He walked across the street to Marshall Field's and talked to people at...
2023-05-0448 minStart Right Here! PodcastKeziah Dhamma: Making Curls Her BusinessYou've probably heard the adage that when a woman changes her hair, she changes her life. When Keziah Dhamma Big chopped her hair after moving from Sacramento to Los Angeles, it led to a whole new career. She went from an actress and model to a beauty entrepreneur all because she couldn't find what she needed for her thick, textured natural hair. Since developing her Snappee hair ties, Swirly Curl has become an ever-expanding platform that includes hair accessories, a blow dryer, and haircare products, including a hair growth serum, a book, an educational platform, and a new podcast...
2023-04-2744 minStart Right Here! PodcastNoelly Michoux: A Scientific Approach to Skincare for Melanin-Rich ComplexionsWe are back with Season 3 of Start Right Here! On this episode, it is a pleasure to welcome Noelly Michoux. She is the CEO and Co-founder of 4.5.6. Skin. And in this episode, we talk about how Noelly and her co-founders have used an international perspective and scientific research to create a groundbreaking line that addresses the skincare needs of 40% of the world's population. Noelly shares why she moved from the country of her birth, Cameroon, to Normandy, France, and how that impacted her ideas about beauty. After moving to Paris to further her education, Noelly got her...
2023-04-201h 15Start Right Here! PodcastEPISODE REMIX: Ron Robinson How A Hero Ingredient and Focusing on Consumer Needs Helped Him Build a Beauty BrandThis week, we are back in the crates with a rebroadcast of my chat with Ron Robinson, CEO, and Co-Founder of BeautyStat Cosmetics. This is a must-listen for anyone contemplating beauty entrepreneurship, product development, or becoming a cosmetic chemist. Ron tackles the critical mindset for each. He also chats about pivoting BeautyStat from an influencer agency to a successful skincare brand. The original show notes for the episode are below:
2022-06-0335 minStart Right Here! PodcastEPISODE REMIX: Dixie Lincoln-Nichols: Why She's A Disruptor in the Beauty, Wellness & Self-Care SpaceWith all that is going on in the world, we all need a bit of self-care. And in order to practice it myself, I wanted to bring you a rebroadcast of my chat with Dixie Lincoln-Nichols, Founder of the Inside Outer Beauty Market. In this episode, Dixie shares her career evolution from her aspirations to become a medical doctor to a science teacher to now a beauty and wellness entrepreneur. Stay tuned to the end for four new tips that will help you shop for toxicant-free products. (Original show notes below)-------------------------------------------- Dixie Lincoln-Nichols learned about natural...
2022-05-2740 minStart Right Here! PodcastAbigail Opiah: Cultivating Conversations and E-Commerce Solutions Around Black Women's HairWhen Abigail Opiah and her sister, Antonia, co-founders of UN_Ruly, launched an exhibit and short film called You Can Touch My Hair, in 2013, the intent was a commentary on how Black women had been "othered" in the workplace. But to some it was controversial. In fact, on the second day of the public exhibit, some Black women came to protest. Abigail's goal was simply to move the conversation about textured hair forward. The duo has been incorporating innovative ways to do just that on their media platform and other projects since. like the award-winning Pretty Shouldn't Hurt, done...
2022-05-1932 minStart Right Here! PodcastJamella Bailey: How Her Hair Loss Pain Point Transformed Her Into a Passionate Beauty EntrepreneurThe children of Trinidadian immigrants growing up in Montreal, Jamella Bailey, President, and Founder of Crüe Cosmetics, dreaded the hair maintenance process. It led her to spend many years hiding her hair under braids and protective styles. But her quest for a Beyoncé-like lace front cost her more than the expensive price tag for the wig. The stylist she visited glued the wig directly to her hairline, with traumatic results in hair loss, scalp irritation, and traction alopecia. Jamella couldn't use most of the products she found in her pharmacy without additional irritation. This life-changing exp...
2022-05-1234 minStart Right Here! PodcastBriggitta Hardin: Building a Brand at the Intersection of Beauty, Wellness, and CBDBriggitta Hardin, the Co-founder of NFZD, a whole plant beauty brand, always knew entrepreneurship would be in her future but never thought that beauty would be part of the equation. Growing up in a rough section of Chicago, Briggitta couldn't go outside to play, so she devoured books instead. Her thirst for knowledge led her to attend Howard University, and when she found herself squeamish around blood, she evolved her career aspirations from plastic surgery to public relations. However, graduating as a new mother led her on another path, AV equipment sales at a hotel. ...
2022-04-2831 minStart Right Here! PodcastRahama Wright: Building a Social Impact Beauty Business and Redefining SuccessRahama Wright, CEO of Shea Yeleen, volunteering for the Peace Corp was a no-brainer, it was how her parents met. But it was during her time volunteering for a health clinic in West Africa that she had a desire to create an ecosystem that provided economic support for women. And she saw shea butter as a vehicle for her end goal. Eventually, that led to the launch of Shea Yellen, through which she partners with 14 different women's cooperatives in Ghana. While other companies work on a buy one give one model, or tout their fair trade status, R...
2022-04-221h 05Start Right Here! PodcastAmanda Flores: From Beauty Editorial to Brands—Never Underestimate the Importance of StorytellersThis week, I am excited to bring you my chat with Amanda Flores, the Editorial Director of Prose, a customized haircare company. Amanda has loved beauty since she began playing around in her mother's Mary Kay stash when her mom sold the brand. But it would be years before she considered a career in the industry, and for her, writing was the key. Amanda wanted to be Judy Blume and pen novels (who knows, she still may fulfill that dream). But while studying journalism and French in college, she landed an internship at Redbook and saw the...
2022-04-1439 minStart Right Here! PodcastTaliah Waajid: Her Mane Moves from Textured Hair Stylist to Brand Owner and Creator of the World Natural Hair ShowIn the latest episode, I chat with natural hair pioneer Taliah Waajid, who talks about her career journey in the world of textured tresses that inspired her to create the World Natural Hair Show in the late 1990s. Taliah shares how her first braiding in a salon taught her that the customer's hair health has to be the priority, even if it means turning down a style request. When she first moved there, the perception of natural hair differed between New York City and Atlanta. She shares how "Poetic Justice" helped turn the tide. And how working at...
2022-04-0847 minStart Right Here! PodcastPatricia Reynoso: Cultivating a Beauty Career Through a Strong Network, Adaptable Skills and Using Culture and Authenticity as Superpowers!!This week we're back with new episodes. We're coming out the gate strong with my chat with Patricia Reynoso, Executive Director, Cultural Relevancy Engagement—North America, at The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. Patricia has been an editor, author, publicist, editor-in-chief, copy director, essay writer, and more throughout her career. In this episode, she walks us through the career she never knew existed as a child but reflected her lifelong love of beauty and her culture. She shares how her early career was nurtured by many women at Fairchild Publications, from her start at Children's Busi...
2022-04-0153 minStart Right Here! PodcastEPISODE REMIX: Dr. Edward E. Dickerson: Wrinkle Relaxers, Fillers & Understanding the Cultural and Clinical Needs of BIPOC PatientsWe're digging the crates to bring another episode rebroadcast. This week we're featuring Dr. Edward E. Dickerson IV, a double board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon (originally ep 37). Did you know that there are only about 25 Black specialists like Dr. Dickerson? He shares his education and medical training at two HBCUs, West Virginia State College and Morehouse School of Medicine. And his surgical training while rising through Lt. Col. in the United States Army. Then, Dr. Dickerson breaks down some key facts about aesthetic procedures. Everything from how the Fitzpatrick scale factors into outcomes to the differences between wrinkle relaxers a...
2022-03-2538 minStart Right Here! PodcastEPISODE REMIX: Jazmin Alvarez: Why She's Committed to Curating an InclusiveThis month, we're back in the crates, offering remixes of some of our old episodes. This episode features Jazmin Alvarez, founder of the clean beauty & wellness site Pretty Well Beauty (initially. interviewed. in episode 3!) Since I chatted with Jazmin last, a few things have happened: The website redesign and brand refresh She's added seven new lines 50% of the brands on the site are from BIPOC creators She's co-founding a leadership academy for emerging beauty entrepreneurs (with access to funding). She is the recipient of a Reimagine Main Street grant Note: EleVen is Venus Williams' line, not Serena's.
2022-03-1844 minStart Right Here! PodcastEPISODE REMIX: Eunice Cofie-Obeng Focusing on Skin of Color—From Creating Products to Training AestheticiansWe dug in the crates again to give you another fantastic episode. First, I wanted to rebroadcast my chat with Eunice Cofie-Obeng, Founder and Chief Cosmetic Chemist of Nuekie, a skincare company, because products created for melanin-rich skin are increasingly popular. But Eunice has been working on her products for more than a decade (the first time I met her was in 2009). And since we last chatted, Eunice introduced a number of new products and was chosen as a 2021 Glossier grantee. But the other thing that is crucial in Eunice's work is her dedication to training aestheticians a...
2022-03-1138 minStart Right Here! PodcastEPISODE REMIX: Kim Roxie: Taking the Leap From Brick and Mortar to E-Commerce and New Platforms With Crazy FaithThis is a rebroadcast of my interview with Kim Roxie, founder of Lamik Beauty, early in the pandemic. Since we've chatted, Kim has won 10 pitch competitions. Ulta.com is selling the Lamik Revelation Brow Duo, Clear Brow Gel, Mascara, and Powder Brow Duo Brush. And Kim has embraced live shopping by regularly appearing on Talk Shop Live and has just begun her own show Kickin It With Kim! At her heart, Kim calls herself a cheerleader, and through this channel, she is doing just that. As you listen to Kim's interview, from over a year ago, and se...
2022-03-0448 minStart Right Here! PodcastEPISODE REMIX: Ni'Kita Wilson: The Building Blocks of a Beauty + STEM CareerAs we prepare the next round of interviews for Season 2 we are going to rebroadcast some of our favorite episodes. These are our Episode Remixes. First up: Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist, and product development expert who also has experience in contract manufacturer. This interview originally ran as episode 15, but we updated the format to match this season. Since we spoke in 2020, Ni'Kita has a gotten new role: Vice President of Product Development at OUAI. The celebrity haircare line from Jen Atkins (recently purchased by P&G). But her advice is timeless. Learn h...
2022-02-2439 minStart Right Here! PodcastBONUS EPISODE: 35 Tips for Breaking into and Succeeding in Corporate and STEM Roles, Pivoting Your Career, Following Your Passion and Making it as a Beauty Entrepreneur!!In this bonus episode, I share some of the fantastic tips shared by my guests that can help the beauty career curious, those who want to make a pivot into the industry or within it, and some critical insights for those pursuing entrepreneurship. Keren Davey, a Senior Brand Manager, Luxe and Clinical Skincare at Sephora, shares tips on breaking into the business, even if you haven't had an internship. Jolorie Williams, the General Manager at Revlon, oversees Creme of Nature provides tips on navigating the corporate beauty environment. Trae Bodge, a savvy shopping e...
2022-02-1836 minStart Right Here! PodcastRochelle Graham-Campbell, Finding Her Winning Formula: Authenticity, Community, and Staying Close to Her RootsThis week, we feature Rochelle Graham-Campbell, the C.E.O. of Alikay Naturals. Rochelle is an entrepreneurial dynamo who puts her heart into everything she does. And she gives us lessons on building a business strategically. As a young newlywed, Rochelle was paying her way through school and working three jobs: a C.N.A., a waitress at Olive Garden, and delivering daily newspapers with her husband, Demond. Then, she started doing YouTube videos as a form of creative expression, escaping all the pressure she put on herself to graduate early. The channel she created, Black Onyx...
2022-02-111h 03Start Right Here! PodcastSt. Clair Detrick-Jules: The Importance of Chronicling Our Hair and HeritageThis episode features photojournalist and author St. Clair Detrick-Jules. She joins the podcast to discuss making her book "My Beautiful Black Hair" and why it was vital for her to chronicle the hair and heritage of those with textured hair. Around the time St. Clair was concluding her studies at Brown University, she learned that her four-year-old sister, Khloe, was being bullied about her textured hair. Khloe, who lives in France, didn't have a lot of examples of beautiful Black women with textured hair in her environment, so St. Clair initially conceived it as a love letter for her l...
2022-02-0336 minStart Right Here! PodcastSam Fine: How to Have a Legendary Career as a Black Makeup Artist! (And Why It's Harder Today)For this show, I had the privilege of chatting with my friend and legendary makeup artist Sam Fine about his career journey. He's worked with Iman, Vanessa L. Williams, Patti LaBelle, Queen Latifah, and Cynthia Erivo, to name a few. So, folks, get out your pad and pencils or note app, Sam is about to take you to school. We chatted about his early aspirations to become an illustrator initially brought him to New York City from his native Chicago and later sent him back home. But while working part-time as a floater for Naomi Sims Cosmetics...
2022-01-271h 13Start Right Here! PodcastMiko Branch: Scaling the Miss Jessie's Brand and Leading With LoveThis week, the Start Right Here podcast welcomes a groundbreaking beauty entrepreneur, Miko Branch, CEO of the haircare brand Miss Jessie's, salon owner, and author of Miss Jessie's Creating a Successful Business From Scratch—Naturally. Miko, alongside her late sister, Titi Branch, built a multi-million dollar brand that is sold in outlets like Target and Wal-Mart, has more than 40 SKUs, and was at the forefront of creating products that accentuated the beauty of curly and coily hair. Miko shares the path she and her sister took to get there. How their father taught them to be...
2022-01-2046 minStart Right Here! PodcastChrissy Cabrera— Feet First: Building a Beauty Brand by Exploiting a NicheChrissy Cabrera, the founder of Naturally London, never dreamed about becoming a beauty entrepreneur. But a rough first pregnancy, where she suffered from swollen feet and an aversion to ingredients in many foot care products, prompted her to make her own. Still, she didn't think about selling the products until the friends she gifted started asking where they could purchase her products. Along the way, she evolved her hand-crafted line of products and became a certified aromatherapist. Chrissy shares how she transitioned through several careers, from working in the military to the federal government and running a...
2022-01-1357 minStart Right Here! PodcastMegan Young Gamble: From Project Management to Packaging: Creating a Successful Beauty Brand is all in the DetailsMegan Young Gamble calls herself The Project ExecutionHER and the principal consultant at Get Level Consulting. She used transferrable skills in project management to move from working at a car rental company and claims to beauty. She has also created a successful career in the beauty industry while living in Georgia, proving opportunities outside New York and Los Angeles exist. She landed a position at Astral Brands because they were looking for someone from outside the industry who could bring a fresh perspective to work. Megan leaned heavily on her project management skills as she mastered the...
2022-01-0657 minStart Right Here! PodcastShirley Billot: Creating a Beauty Brand From Her Roots with Bananas and Caribbean PharmacopiaIn this episode, we talk with a woman who is making an impact internationally with her beauty brand, Shirley Billot, the CEO and Founder of the amazing skincare brand Kadalys. We have a far-ranging chat about the impact of her early life living in Martinique, the significance of bananas as a symbol of freedom for its Black inhabitants, the culture shock of moving to Paris, and how she came to start her brand. Shirley shares how her images of beauty were formed when she didn't have a television. What growing up with a close connection to nature...
2021-12-1644 minStart Right Here! PodcastKeren Davy: Blazing a Career Path in Beauty With Faith and FearlessnessKeren Davy, Senior Manager, Clinical and Luxe Skincare at Sephora has beauty in her DNA, she was raised in her mother's hair salon. First had tea parties, later got to work, and eventually obtained her cosmetology license, yet it was a challenge for her to land her first corporate beauty role. So in this episode, Keren and I explore whether there is such a thing as the "right" school when it comes to getting a job at a big beauty brand. And if that is indeed true, what do you do when you don't fit the criteria? ...
2021-12-0936 minStart Right Here! PodcastKim-Van Dang:Turn a Passion into Profitable Beauty Businesses Part 1Stay tuned for a 2-part Master Class on having a stellar beauty career. In this episode, I am joined by Kim-Van Dang, the former beauty director of In Style, who talks to me about her impressive editorial career and how it led to her becoming a serial entrepreneur. I call her the CEO of many things, and you'll find out why. In this first episode, Kim shares her love of magazines and her determination to land a summer job at a publication. After being turned down for several positions, she landed a job at the LA Bureau...
2021-12-0245 minStart Right Here! PodcastKim-Van Dang: Turning a Passion into Profitable Beauty Businesses Part 2This is part 2 of an interview with the amazing Kim-Van Dang, the former beauty director of Instyle turned serial beauty entrepreneur. In this episode, Kim and I chat about how her love of fragrance helped her build profitable beauty businesses. Kim could see the writing on the wall before she decided to leave In Style. The internet and its impact on print publishing was going to change things significantly. So she began thinking about her next gig. She realized that she often gave free advice to CEOs about products, from naming to strategy and distribution, and it h...
2021-12-0255 minStart Right Here! PodcastJolorie Williams: Lesson From A Leader on the Corporate Side of BeautyIn this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Jolorie Williams, the General Manager of Revlon. In her role, she proudly oversees the Multicultural Division, which includes Cream of Nature products and Contract Services. Jolorie loves working in haircare and even has some mannequin heads in her home where she tries out the latest products in the pipeline. Her first job was in a non-beauty role at Bristol-Myers Squib. But at the time, they also owned Clairol, and when a position opened in their Professional Beauty Division, she landed it and never looked back. When she...
2021-11-2344 minStart Right Here! PodcastTrae Bodge: Finding Power in the PivotYou may know Trae Bodge from her more than 1,000 television appearances as an intelligent shopping expert. But, Trae has deep roots in beauty. You can say that she was practically born into the business because her mother owned a shop in her small Massachusetts town where they sold creams, soaps, and other products. Trae initially wanted to be an artist but found a way to use those talents in beauty with a custom-blending company called Visage Beaute. She initially started working for the brand in Massachusetts and later moved to the counter at Bergdorf Goodman...
2021-11-1841 minStart Right Here! PodcastDenise and Janice Tunnell: How They Shifted Their Careers From Accounting to Makeup Artistry, The Skills You Need to Find Success in Film &n Television, and Why It's Important to Put in the WorkMakeup department heads, beauty entrepreneurs, and twin sisters Denise and Janice Tunnell have carved out an impressive career behind the scenes in the film in television industries for more than 20 years. From "Hustle &n Flow" to "The Notebook" to "HBO's "Boycott" to now Netflix's "Sweet Magnolias," to name a few. This week's episode discusses how they made the career shift from accountants to makeup artists and later found their way to film and television. We discuss how these Baltimore natives acquired their skills and moonlit at first in the beauty industry, what caused them to leap full-time c...
2021-06-1057 minStart Right Here! PodcastJanell M. Hickman-Kirby: How She Pivoted Her Career From PR to Beauty Editorial to E-Commerce Editor and Brand StrategistIf you are a young person interested in fashion and beauty, who majored in journalism, this episode featuring Janell M. Hickman-Kirby will give you some guidance on how to build a career that works for you. Janell, a graduate of Hampton University, began her career as an intern in the fashion closet at Women's Wear Daily. She explains how she made the most of that internship and how it led to a role in public relations at Victoria's Secret. She worked on the fashion shows, managed the samples, coordinated the schedules of the brand's top models, and so much...
2021-06-0349 minStart Right Here! PodcastGinger King: How Working Behind the Counter Made Her a Better Cosmetic Chemist, the Difference Between Working in Contract Manufacturing and Product Development, and Why Launching a Beauty Line is Like Having a BabyGinger King, President of Grace Kingdom Beauty, a cosmetic development and manufacturing company grew up in beauty. Her mother was the first woman to open a Shiseido boutique in Taiwan. Yet, even though she loved makeup and secretly wanted to be a makeup artist as a teen, she never thought that she would have a career in beauty. But her science background opened the door in ways she could never imagine. After college, she landed her first job, at a company that processed pineapples. But she also took a part-time job at the Estee Lauder counter. At...
2021-05-2730 minStart Right Here! PodcastStephanae McCoy: Why We Shouldn't Exclude the Blind From Beauty Conversations, How She Became an Advocate for Accessibility, Inclusion and Representation, and How We Can Be Authentic AlliesThis week, it is my pleasure to welcome Stephanae McCoy, founder of Bold Blind Beauty to the Start Right Here podcast. Today, we are going to talk about how the beauty industry interacts with the blind. Is there an intersection? What grade would Stephanae give the industry? What is it like navigating websites when she needs to shop for beauty? Stephanae also dispels some of the myths about the blind community, the companies in beauty and fashion who have been getting it right, and what steps need to be for us to become authentic allies that want complete inclusion.
2021-05-2044 minStart Right Here! PodcastMaisie Dunbar: How She Built Her Clientele By Going to the Bus Stop, Why She Licensed in Nails, Skincare and Massage Therapy, And Why She Pivoted Her Business So She Can Leave a LegacyThis week, Maisie Dunbar, President of the Maisie Dunbar Beauty Brands and Bluffajo Cosmetics, joins the podcast to discuss changing careers, building a clientele, embracing entrepreneurship, and empowering underserved communities with new skills during our chat, and so much more. Maisie explains that she always received compliments on her nails from her colleagues when she worked in IT at British Telecom and later the FDA. Still, she never thought about pursuing a career in beauty until a friend mentioned that she had enrolled in nail school Maisie followed suit and discovered that although she was great at...
2021-05-1346 minStart Right Here! PodcastAmber Makupson: How She Sees Beauty & Inclusion, Why Its Time to Normalize Alternative Paths to Entrepreneurship, and Why She Infused Her Haircare Line With CrystalsFor Amber Makupson, founder of Meraki Organics, the creation of her line and entrepreneurship came due to her quest for a healthier lifestyle when she became pregnant with her daughter. That path led her to change her diet and look closely at what she was applying to her hair and skin. It also led Amber to enroll in a program to become an aesthetician. Economic realities, however, caused her to be realistic about building a clientele full-time. Instead, she decided to keep her career in marketing as she built up her business. Amber's dual-path continued as she...
2021-04-2935 minStart Right Here! PodcastMiki Wright: How She Moved From Being a Hairstylist to a Serial Entrepreneur, Why She's Working to Elevate the Work and History of Black Hairstylists, and How She Makes Hard DecisionsMiki Wright, a salon coach and founder of the "Beauty Superstars Talk" podcast, says that working in the beauty industry was her destiny. But that doesn't mean that her path has been easy. Miki packed her worldly possessions into her car and drove from Houston to Washington, DC, determined to start her beauty career. She landed her first job asking women whose hair she admired where they got it done and tracked down that salon. When she was offered a chair in that salon, she happily accepted but found out quickly that it may have been premature since she...
2021-04-2247 minStart Right Here! PodcastDrs. Drew and Joya Lyons: How Age, Race, and Gender Impact Your Smile, Why Photography and Artistic Skills Matter, and How Their Work Changes LivesThis week, I welcome Drs. Drew and Joya Lyons of Smile Savvy Cosmetic Dentistry to the show. I wanted to explore the link between the field of cosmetic dentistry and beauty. That's because you can't really talk about beauty without considering how your smile and teeth play into the equat
2021-04-1529 minStart Right Here! PodcastDr. Edward Dickerson: What Black Plastic Surgeons Know, Why You Need to Have Your "Ships" in Order, and What He Learned From Being in the Army and Attending an HBCUDr. Edward Dickerson, founder of Fayetteville Plastic Surgery Specialists and Cape Fear Aesthetics is among a small group of 25 Black doctors who are double board-certified in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. On this episode, he shares how he journey on a path from Peekskill, NY, where he grew up, to West Virginia State University (where a number of generations of his family have studied), to Morehouse School of Medicine as part of an ROTC program to building his plastic surgery and aesthetics practice. Dr. Dickerson shares why it was important to study at an HBCU and how it...
2021-04-0837 minStart Right Here! PodcastDawn Fitch: How A Desire to Be Well Resulted in a Business, Why Entrepreneurs Need to Put Pride to the Side & Finding New Opportunities During A PandemicDawn Fitch was living her best life as a graphic designer at Sony Music. But one day, as she walked down the street, she lost all feeling in her legs. Her body was sending her message, and while it took several years for her to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, she decided to look more closely at the products she used. Dissatisfied, she started making her own as a hobby, and the seeds of Pooka Pure and Simple were planted. And at the urging of friends, she took her products to a local festival and sold them all...
2021-04-0139 minStart Right Here! PodcastMimi Kamara: Why She Wasn't Afraid to Take a Step Back to Move Forward, How She Balanced Working in Beauty Retail With Doing Makeup for Celebrities, and the Attribute She Believes All Good Leaders PossessMakeup artist and Educator Mimi Kamara went to college intending to be a psychologist. Before she graduated, she decided to take her love of makeup and decided to make it her profession. And she succeeded. On this episode, Mimi shares her career ups and downs and the lessons she's learned along the way. She was so determined to work in the beauty industry that when she presented her makeup portfolio to the store manager at the MAC outpost in SoHo and was told that the only thing available was a cashier position, she gladly took it. She...
2021-03-2548 minStart Right Here! PodcastKaren Williams: Modeling the Second Time Around, Why Its Time to Dismantle Ageism and Include BIPOC Women in the Conversation & The Importance of Embracing ImperfectionWhat does it mean for a society to be truly inclusive? And why is aging left out of that conversation? These subjects are at the heart of my discussion with the model, producer, and pro-aging advocate Karen Williams. Karen was discovered by a photographer in a Toronto airport and began modeling at 13-years-old. She considered herself to be on the periphery, with lots of jobs for Seventeen and brands like Clairol. At 5'9", she wasn't considered tall, and there wasn't a Kate Moss exception at the time. She admired many of the other Black models from afar but never h...
2021-03-1947 minStart Right Here! PodcastDr. Cheryl Burgess: How She Uses Her Artistic Skills As a Dermatologist, Why We Need More Black Clinical Research Investigators, And How Early Preparation is the Key to Obtaining a Coveted Residency in the FieldWhen it comes to dermatology, Dr. Cheryl Burgess of the Center for Dermatology & Dermatological Surgery in Washington, DC., is in the 1%. She is among an elite group of key opinion leaders in the entire field with affiliations that range from the American Academy of Dermatology to her role as a board member of the Skin of Color Society. She is also a clinical research investigator and holds four patents for a technique that she perfected almost twenty years ago. Not bad for a woman who wanted to be an artist. But she even found a way to infuse her l...
2021-03-1150 minStart Right Here! PodcastLiv Lewis: Why Leaders Must Start By Doing, The Importance of Fostering Authentic Relationships, and Why She Works With Purpose-Driven BrandsIf you've ever wondered what it's like to work in marketing communications, aka comms for beauty and other CPG brands, then this conversation with Liv Lewis, Senior Vice President of Client Experience at Egami, an award-winning multicultural agency, will answer many of your questions. Liv had her heart set on working in fashion when she first arrived in NYC. However, she couldn't envision a future being in a room full of racks of clothing. She quickly pivoted to beauty p.r. via a temp job that quickly turned permanent. There she helped launched Eternity Moments, one of...
2021-03-0441 minStart Right Here! PodcastCheslie Kryst: Why Beauty Pageants Matter, Normalizing Black Representation and How Curiosity Has Advanced Her CareerCheslie Kryst, Miss USA 2019, won the first pageant she entered as a freshman in her high school. But she also had her share of losses before she was crowned Miss North Carolina USA. But she kept coming back because she knew that she deserved to win. And so she did. By the time she won, however, she was a practicing attorney at a firm and juggled the demands of both until she became Miss USA 2019, which became her full-time job. Cheslie explains that Black representation in the winner's circle was so sparse that it seemed we were c...
2021-02-2525 minStart Right Here! PodcastLorrie King; What She Learned From Her Corporate Beauty Roles, Why Her Beauty Startup Targets Women Over 40 and Why Supporting Others is CriticalWhen you hear the brands that Lorrie King has worked on it a who's who of legendary beauty brands. From her side gig at YSL Beauté, while she worked in finance, to John Frieda (before acquisition), Chloé Fragrance (with Mr. Lagerfeld), Elizabeth Taylor Fragrances, and those are just the start. Lorrie had a stellar career on the corporate side of beauty before she began working with beauty startups. She launched the skincare brand Sio before joining with her partner, Celeste Lee, to conceive and launch Caire Beauty, a line designed for the specific skincare needs for women over the ag...
2021-02-1838 minStart Right Here! PodcastJessica Pritchett: On Failing Forward, Finding Your Niche and Why Every Entrepreneur Should Consider TherapyJessica Pritchett, founder of Ooli Beauty knew that she wanted to be an entrepreneur. As a child, she watched her father, a pharmacist, make that decision after the only position he was offered was a janitor. Instead, he spent 16 hour days running his own pharmacy doing every job that was needed. Jessica started working in music and later cable television knowing that the loops that she had to jump through daily as a Black woman weren't for her long-term. She had several ideas for businesses, some she launched, others she didn't, but each experience helped her use failure as...
2021-02-1135 minStart Right Here! PodcastMaking in on the Corporate Side of Beauty: Some of the Best Advice from our Guests + Tips on Living and Working AbroadIt's been a little over six months since I launched the Start Right Here Podcast and I have had 27 guests who have dropped gem after gem. So to celebrate this milestone, I have gathered some key insights on breaking into the business, using transferrable skills, lateral moves, counteroffers, accessing opportunities, flexibility, advocacy, and knowing when it is time to leave a job. All this advice from accomplished Black women who work in beauty or related industries. Check out this show and you may want to explore each of their full episodes!
2021-02-0444 minStart Right Here! PodcastShekela Joseph: How She Built a Beauty Retail Career—From Makeup Artist to Educator to Business ManagerWhen Shekela Joseph got her first job as a cashier at Sephora, she was excited; however, hair had always been her thing. But her colleagues saw something different, they saw Shekela's face as a canvas, and they wanted to use her as their model time and time again. Along the way, she picked up the skills and moved to a beauty advisor role and was so proficient that she was recruited as a beauty educator for Too Faced Cosmetics. In this role, Shekela traveled to more than a dozen stores in the NY metro area, teaching her...
2021-01-2827 minStart Right Here! PodcastMarti Moore: How Being A Beauty Buyer and Retail Marketing Executive Prepared Her For Entrepreneurship
2021-01-2149 minStart Right Here! PodcastEunice Cofie-Obeng: On Creating Products and Educational Programs Dedicated to Skin of Color + Finding A Community As a Beauty EntrepreneurEunice Cofie-Obeng wasn't thinking about a career in beauty until she had a chemistry class in college in which the professor taught her and her classmates to formulate a chemical relaxer and other beauty products. With her interests piqued, she wanted to know and do more. And skincare became her focus. In fact, Eunice had the idea for the Nuekie product line more than a decade ago. While she honed her skills as a cosmetic chemist and entrepreneur, Eunice took on jobs that helped her further her mission as well as returned to school to get a...
2021-01-1435 minStart Right Here! PodcastMonae Everett: On Set Life, Working With Celebrity Clients, and Educating Others About the IndustryMonae Everett initially became a hairstylist because she didn't believe in being broke in college. But afterward, she set her sights on becoming a celebrity hairstylist before she understood what would be required of her. Once she discovered that she needed to learn more about hair and the industry, she secured a salon at a chain salon in Virginia, where she mastered the art of doing every hair texture. Later she moved to another salon where she became its manager. Along the way, she also became a hair color educator. But Monae still had her eye on...
2020-12-1835 minStart Right Here! PodcastMezei Jefferson: On Moving From Salon Stylist to Platform Educator to Corporate Leader + Creating New Career Paths for HairstylistsOn our second special Men's Edition, Corynne Corbett welcomes Mezei Jefferson, Assistant Vice President, Education Curriculum, ACCESS, and Digital Content for L'Oréal's Professional division. Although Mezei grew up around the industry because his grandparents owned a salon, being a hairstylist wasn't his initial career ambition. Mezei wanted to be a rock star (although he neither sang nor played an instrument). After his father convinced him of the impracticality of that goal, Mezei enrolled in beauty school. He shares his journey from a local salon in Maryland to a chain salon, where he first had the opportunity to join a...
2020-12-1049 minStart Right Here! PodcastKimberly Smith: On Moving From Being a Lawyer to a Beautypreneur & Redefining Black-Owned Beauty RetailIf you asked Kimberly Smith, founder of Marjani and co-founder of the Brown Girl Beauty Co-op in Washington D.C., about pursuing a career in beauty, she might have once told you that wasn't in the cards. However, a local Sephora trip, where she found not one contour product suitable for her medium brown skin tone, changed her perspective. Before that trip, Kimberly was firmly ensconced in her career as a lawyer, focused on healthcare compliance. But that visit set her out on a new path, where she developed not just one but two businesses. She points o...
2020-12-0346 minStart Right Here! PodcastDorian Morris: Moving From Buying to Brand Management to Disrupting Beauty & Wellness Using Adaptogens (CBD) + Conscious CapitalismBeauty wasn't on Dorian Morris' mind as a career but she got a taste of the industry early when she worked with the fragrance buyer at Robinson-May. But she didn't think about it again until she'd already worked as a planner at Macy's, obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School, and done a stint working in brand management at CPG behemoth General Mills. Dorian chats with us about how she found similarities between working in food and beauty when she landed a job at Kendo, the brand incubator for Sephora, and why the scrappy environment allowed her to thrive...
2020-11-2754 minStart Right Here! PodcastTasha Turner: On Creating An Editorial Urban Beauty Aesthetic, Building a Business that Interprets the Needs of Black Consumers and Why Virtual Mentorship is Her Next MoveTasha Turner thought that she would have a career in fashion, especially after she landed her first job as a booker at Elite Runway. But editorial came calling. She was the first Black editorial hire at Town & Country, working as an assistant in the beauty and accessories departments, but while she learned to be an editor there she knew that it wasn't her long-term home. It was at her next job, at Vibe where she again worked in beauty and accessories that she found her happy place. There she could create stories and images that represented the urban Black...
2020-11-2052 minStart Right Here! PodcastRon Robinson: On Moving From Prestige to Mass and Direct Sales Brands, Why Understanding the Customer is Critical and Creating A Breakthrough Beauty ProductRon Robinson's mother wanted all of her sons to be doctors. Ron, who is now the Founder and CEO of BeautyStat Cosmetics, went as far as attending medical school before he decided it wasn't for him. Putting his background in chemistry to work he landed a job at Clinique and one of the first products he helped to formulate was their Turnaround products. From there he moved to mass brand Revlon and later Avon. Each job brought him closer to understanding the consumer. During the early days of social media, Ron saw a gap in the market a...
2020-11-1233 minStart Right Here! PodcastDixie Lincoln-Nichols: On Pivoting from Science Teacher to Wellness Entrepreneur, Why BIPOC People Deserve Toxicant-Free Products Plus the Mind, Body, Beauty ConnectionDixie Lincoln-Nichols learned about natural beauty ingredients at about five-years-old from her grandmother in Trinidad. But accessing that knowledge came much late, following a brief career as a biology teacher. After a diagnosis of uterine fibroids and an encounter with an insensitive doctor, Dixie started exploring ways to heal herself naturally. She saw an opportunity to bring toxicant-free beauty, wellness, and home products to a multicultural audience. She launched Inside Outer Beauty Market a brick and mortar store which contains products that have been carefully curated by her and her team. She explains that the marketing of clean beauty...
2020-11-0536 minStart Right Here! PodcastPatrice Grell Yursik: On Becoming Afrobella, Understanding Authentic Influence and Embracing EvolutionPatrice Yursik was already a pint-size beauty aficionado at 8-years-old when she worked at a boutique in her native Trinidad. But writing also called her and eventually she was able to merge her two interests when she launched one of the first natural hair beauty blogs, Afrobella, in 2006. Patrice explains how she not only learned tech to build her blog but how she built a community pre-Twitter and IG. Patrice explains how she leveraged the business opportunities that came her way, and how she felt about the changes in the industry once influencers became the preference. She...
2020-10-291h 00Start Right Here! PodcastMeloney Moore: On the Magic of Marketing, The Lessons of Lateral Moves, and Preparing Future Beauty LeadersMeloney Moore, associate chair of The Business of Beauty and Fragrance department at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), joins this week's podcast to discuss how leveraged her experiences at fashion brand Liz Claiborne, to Toys 'R Us, to spirits company Diageo, to break into beauty at the Estee Lauder Companies. She tells us why global marketing is a lot like being the Secretary of State. We discuss how her interest in education, which started as a volunteer pursuit, morphed into a full-time SCAD role. Meloney tells us how she helped build the curriculum and why she...
2020-10-2232 minStart Right Here! PodcastNi'Kita Wilson: On Becoming A Cosmetic Chemist, the Ins and Outs of Product Development and Contract Manufacturing + The Right Way to NetworkNi'Kita Wilson has always loved science. She thought she'd become a doctor, but a summer program where she got to shadow MDs as she studied for the MCATs made her realize she didn't have the passion for it. But she stayed with science and when into forensics straight out of college, Quickly realizing that this was the wrong job for her, Ni'Kita started looking for other work and stumbled upon cosmetic chemistry when she landed a job at a consulting company that formulated in every category of beauty and personal care. She found her home and never...
2020-10-1538 minStart Right Here! PodcastTomasina "Tommy" Boone: On Advertising Sales, Beauty Entrepreneurship and Building a Natural Hair Business AbroadTomasina aka "Tommy" Boone thought she was going to be a broadcast journalist but ended up becoming a hospital auditor instead after graduating college. When she found her first job in advertising sales at The Nation, she found a more compelling use for her analytical skills. But it was when she began working at Jet that beauty became part of her career. Tommy found her niche and went on to roles at Hype Hair and Essence. When she moved abroad 13 years ago, Tommy unexpectantly became an entrepreneur, when she purchased a beauty e-commerce business afropuffs.au and h...
2020-10-0836 minStart Right Here! PodcastAndrea Fairweather: On Pioneering Mobile Beauty Services, Creating Patented Products and Becoming a Celebrity Makeup ArtistIf it weren't for an injury she sustained, Andrea Fairweather would have been a performer. But her current business, Fairweather Faces, the mobile beauty service platform, started more than 20 years ago, was an idea she put together for one of her college classes. After the class was over, her professor suggested she pursued the idea. Before she embarked on that adventure, she first learned makeup artistry and worked for many well-known brands, including Clinique and Bobbi Brown. In addition to the mobile services, Andrea shares how she developed a makeup application teaching system that has been awarded s...
2020-10-0144 minStart Right Here! PodcastKim Roxie: On Beauty Entrepreneurship, The Audacity of a Dream, Pivoting with a Purpose and Having Crazy Faith!Kim Roxie spent hours studying the piano, but although she didn't make music her career, she has called on that discipline in her work as a beauty entrepreneur. Kim founded Lamik Beauty, a clean beauty brand for women of color, and opened her first store in Houston, TX, shortly after graduating from college. With the odds stacked against her, Kim relied on her ability to connect with women, her belief in a new category of beauty, and her faith to succeed. But then her dream expanded and decided that reaching more women required her to change her business model...
2020-09-2448 minStart Right Here! PodcastUkachi Anonyuo: On Packaging, Collaboration and Innovation in the Beauty IndustryIf you asked Ukachi Anonyuo about pursuing a career in the beauty industry as she was entering college, she would have explained that she was headed for a career playing basketball. But a year later, she was entrenched in Industrial Engineering as her major. As graduation approached, she was determined to get a job and saw a posting for a position at Del Labs. She's been hooked on the beauty industry ever since. Ukachi will explain how she landed her first job in packaging, why the fit, form, and function of a product's packaging is critical, why maintaining relationships...
2020-09-1740 minStart Right Here! PodcastKelila Venson On The Digital Side of Beauty; E-Commerce, Customer Acquisition and Growth StrategiesOn this episode, guest Kelila Venson talks about her journey on the digital side of beauty. She always wanted to work in the industry but her original plan was to become a cosmetic chemist (she was attending Society of Cosmetic Chemist meetings as a teen). But while studying at Northwestern she found little joy in pursuing that major and more in studying Spanish and marketing. Kelila explains how an internship after graduation at the legendary brand Erno Laszlo, set her on her current path. She grew from an intern to a role that married marketing and operations. Since then...
2020-09-1136 minStart Right Here! PodcastTia Williams, From Magazines to Beauty Blogging to Working for a Brand (While Writing Award-Winning Novels)On this episode, I chat with the amazing Tia Williams, the only other Black woman to be a staffer in Elle magazine's beauty department in its early years. We discuss the massive collection of magazines she started at age nine, her obsession with Kevyn Aucoin and other legendary makeup artists, and how she'd obsess over makeup in the drug store. We talk about how she landed positions at some of the most prestigious print magazines, started one of the first successful beauty blogs for Black women, Shake Your Beauty, and her transition to a more corporate role a...
2020-09-0330 minStart Right Here! PodcastShenelle Mays-Smith: On What it Takes to Succeed as a Makeup Artist—from Retail to the Red Carpet to Film and Television SetsShenelle Mays-Smith knows that beauty has always been a destination for her. Not necessarily because she dreamed about it as a child, but because others saw her talent as early as high school. Yet, she initially set her sights on theater and it wasn't until her classmates in college were applying to graduate programs that she realized that wasn't the path for her. She discusses how she got her start, the value of relationships, why developing a thick skin is essential, and. why your talent alone is not enough. She also explains why for her, makeup needed to go...
2020-08-2721 minStart Right Here! PodcastTrenesa Stanford-Danuser on Chasing Storms, Agency Life, Building Beauty Brands and Being Your Own AdvocateThis episode features Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategist Trenesa Stanford-Danuser. She started her career in Crisis Communications at the American Red Cross and she not only chased storms for a living but all kinds of disasters. She discusses how that background prepared her to be the level-headed one in the room when everyone else thought the sky was falling once she began working at agencies and eventually, Estee Lauder Brands. She explains the differences in working at an agency and working at a large corporation both in proximity to new product creation and company structure and lines o...
2020-08-2034 minStart Right Here! PodcastKourtney Pope: On Getting Your First Job, Working in Social Media and Making the Pivot From Fashion to BeautyOn this podcast, it is important to hear perspectives on getting your start from individuals at different stages of their careers in beauty. On this episode, Corynne chats with Kourtney Pope, a social media and influencer market professional who has successfully made the pivot from fashion to beauty early in her career. Corynne and Kourtney discuss how she landed her first internship, how she has strategically used networking to advance her career, why Oprah is the reason she'll never choose between fashion and beauty. The differences between working in fashion and beauty. How her time at a f...
2020-08-131h 06Start Right Here! PodcastRegina Gwynn, CEO of TresseNoire and Co-Founder of Black Women Talk Tech On Natural Hair, the Beauty Landscape, Entrepreneurship, And Helping Black Women Reclaim Some TimeOn the latest episode, Corynne L. Corbett chats with Regina Gwynn, CEO of TresseNoire, a virtual beauty coach designed to provide custom haircare solutions for women with textured hair. They discuss how Regina moved from a job in product development at Macy's to management consultant after she received her MBA, to ultimately, entrepreneurship. Regina shares the valuable lessons learned in corporate America that she still uses today. Regina details the challenges she faced in building a tech-enabled solution focused on natural hair and why she and her co-founder decided to pivot away from offering on-demand services.
2020-08-0633 minStart Right Here! PodcastLeslie Bethel, Luxury Beauty Business Manager On Profits, Lipstick and Eye CreamIn this episode of the podcast, Leslie Bethel, a 25-year veteran of the beauty industry joins host Corynne L. Corbett to discuss the critical role a retail business manager plays in a brand's success in-store. Leslie's specialty is at ground zero, at the retail counter with customers. She's worked for luxury brands that include Christian Dior, YSL Beauty, La Mer, and Laura Mercier as well as managed Blue Mercury, a brick and mortar store. Leslie discusses how she balances the needs of the retailer, the brands she works, her staff, and the customer. How Profit projections, staff coaching, merchandising...
2020-07-3037 minStart Right Here! PodcastJazmin Alvarez: Founder and Chief Curator, Pretty Well BeautyJazmin Alvarez talks to host Corynne L. Corbett about her winding path to becoming a beauty entrepreneur. She came to NYC after graduating from college with two suitcases and $300, determined to be a model agent. Her first opportunity came from Ford Model Management on the men's board and she turned it down in favor of an internship at another agency. When that opportunity didn't pan out as hoped, Alvarez went back to Ford and asked if they would consider her for the men's board again. This is just one example of how Alvarez took on the challenges in front...
2020-07-2341 minStart Right Here! PodcastIndia-Jewel Jackson: From Beauty to Branded Content and Social Media Plus Working AbroadOn this episode of Start Right Here, digital and editorial strategist India-Jewel Jackson talks about her journey from print editorial to digital in its early years, how she was able to take the lessons learned there, and transition to branded content and social media. She shares the value of internships as well as choosing the right university and offers advice for those studying on communication and journalism tracks. Jackson also tells us how she landed a job abroad and the critical differences between working at a company in the U.S. and Europe. She offers tips and a timeline...
2020-07-1632 min
Start Right Here! PodcastKaren Chambers, Executive Vice President, Iman CosmeticsIn the premiere episode of the podcast, host Corynne L. Corbett chats with Karen Chambers, executive director of Iman Cosmetics about her career journey. Chambers will share how she went from being a communication major to beauty retail and how she combined ambition and passion to learn brand and product development. She will share the invaluable lessons she learned along the way including the importance of showing up on time and flexibility in the ever-changing beauty landscape.
2020-07-1333 min
Beauty Talk with Denise & Janice TunnellBeauty Talk with Corynne CorbettJoin us tonight at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT for a conversation with Former Beauty Editor, Corynne Corbett. Corynne will share with us the inspiration behind her Beauty Biz Camp for young girls interested in careers in beauty. www.BlogTalkRadio.com/BeautyTalkwithIllusionsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/beauty-talk-with-denise-janice-tunnell--6499566/support.
2015-07-2751 min