Where Brains Meet Beauty

As a former management consultant and now CEO of personal care device brand FOREO, Paul Peros, like many Gen X’ers, spent the early part of his career working long hours. Like most of his peers, working late equated to working harder. “Unfortunately for us, I think we’ve been a part of the culture of all-nighters and things like that,” he observed. Fast forward to 2018, where he now heads a company made up of employees mostly under 30 - and they’ve changed his perspective on what constitutes hard work. “I see in Gen Z a selectiveness, a pragmatic approach to work and life that I wish we had back in the days ourselves.” As in no more all-night work binges. Hear what he’s learned from his junior staff in this episode. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com/podcast

As a model and YouTuber with over 1 million subscribers, it would seem Cassandra Bankson leads a charmed life. But just a few short years ago, she was the scourge of her peers, mercilessly bullied for extreme cystic acne that covered 90% of her face and upper body. Years were spent enduring stares and taunts of Worthless! Disease! Filthy! Outside of school, her afternoons were spent cycling through endless doctors appointments and medications in what would prove to be a futile attempt at a cure. Acne ruled her life, until she listened to her gut - literally - and revealed her most vulnerable self to the world. Hear how she survived the bullies, healed her skin and created one of YouTube’s most watched channels. basebeauty.com/podcast @wherebarainsmeetbeautypodcast  

“Networking”. It’s a word that can conjure up ideas of aggressive, winner-take-all, shameless self-promotion, yet it’s supposed to be the most effective way to find new work and useful connections. In this episode, guest Caroline Fabrigas, CEO of Scent Marketing and Co-CEO of Scent Invent, offers up a new definition of networking, one she says is more about “Putting out a hand instead of taking one.” Plus, she shares her tips on where to draw the line between work and family when you work with your spouse - at home, to boot. *We’re happy to share this episode has been sponsored by BabbleBoxx, the leader in influencer marketing services. BabbleBoxx creates a competition free, theme based sampling program, that places your products in the hands of social media influencers, who are guaranteed to post, Pin, Snap, Tweet and share your message. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com/podcast

Margarita Arriagada was a high-powered retail exec who tried to dial back her career not once, but three times. After four decades of logging serious air miles and being what she calls, “A weekend mom, a weekend wife, a weekend daughter and sister”, she spontaneously called it quits on the corner office. Hear how she knew it was time to step out of the org chart and into new, very different kind of life. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast #wherebrainsmeetbeauty

Like a lot of teenagers, Marisa Vara Arredondo had acne – really bad acne. But unlike a lot of them, she let that experience inform all of her career choices. As the founder and CEO of Phace Bioactive, she’s been laying the foundation for the first pH optimized skincare line since college, but not in the ways you’d think. She never became an aesthetician or dermatologist, and didn’t major in chemistry, either. Instead she went to Stanford, got an MBA, spent 12 years on Wall Street, then finally did what she always wanted to do – give acne sufferers some long-overdue relief. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast #wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com/podcast  

This week Jodi sits down with makeup artist (her makeup artist!), Amanda Thesen, who tells us how the career of your dreams may be one you never even thought to have. Hear how she went from stage actor to bartending to a surprise turn as a makeup artist, and how “failing” was a vital part of getting there. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com/podcast

Never in a million years (his words) did Joseph Quartana picture himself working in fashion or fragrance, but he went on to do both, and to serious acclaim. With no background in fashion, he founded Seven New York, which became one of the most influential retail destinations in the early aughts, stocking designers that would become today’s major names, like Raf Simons, Haider Ackermann, Peter Pilotto. After shuttering that business, he created another hit with Parfums Quartana, an idea that came to him after watching, of all things, Breaking Bad. Could his success be attributed his outlier status? You’d better hear it straight from him. Hint: Make sure you listen all the way to the end of the episode, where he recounts a can’t-make-this-stuff-up tale of experiencing two life-changing moments in a single 24-hour period. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com/podcast

WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™ brings the unique, personal stories of our industry's most interesting people to a wide audience. It also shares the stories of the original WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY - the team at Base Beauty Creative Agency. Give a listen to Jodi's episode with Carey Segal. She's an important part of the agency and podcast marketing. She works with us in between dance and acting auditions. Plus she's not our only hyphenated-multi-talented team member... @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com/podcast

Matt Stillman went from TV exec to skincare guru, a pretty big career change by any account. “I've been a full time weirdo my whole life.” he observed. “And sort of followed a winding path to something that looks like a career.” In this episode, he connects the dots between creating hit shows to creating paleo skincare, and how staying true to his “weird” has helped him put it all together. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com/podcast

As president of Supergoop! Skin and Suncare, Amanda Baldwin learned early on that communication is everything - in business and life. “Nobody knows what you’re thinking,” she said. “So you better just say it straight.” Hear how she’s taken talking - and more importantly listening - to a whole new level in this episode. @wherebrainsmeetbeauty @basebeautycreativeagency basebeauty.com/podcast

Oribe Co-founder Daniel Kaner proves that nice guys do finish first. In this episode, learn how cultivating gratitude and serenity can generate big payouts - at work and at home. basebeauty.com/podcast @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast

Janell Hickman is a veteran editor who knows all too well the feeling of digital overwhelm. While her livelihood is creating content, she’s also an expert on staying sane in a world where that content seems infinite. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast @basebeautycreativeagency basebeauty.com/podcast

70% of startups don’t make it to the 10-year mark, something Elizabeth Scherle knew when she co-founded Influenster, a review platform for products. So when the odds aren’t in your favor, why put up your own money, go into debt and lose sleep doing it? Her answer wasn’t the typical bit about going for your dreams and trusting everything would be okay. What she revealed was a bit more practical. basebeauty.com/podcast @basebeautycreativeagency @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast

Jessica Hanson may seem exactly like the “Woman Who Has It All”. At just 40, she’s president of a major beauty conglomerate and a happily married mom of 2 seriously cute kids. But for all that’s been going right, there was a time not long ago where things seemed anything but. Here, she candidly shares her journey to parenthood - one with devastating heartbreaks and losses. But what got her to the other side were the same traits that make her such a great leader today: Tenacity, nimble problem solving and a whole lot of trust in others. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast @basebeautycreativeagency basebeauty.com

While Gay Timmons’ official title reads “President, Oh, Oh Organics”, one might argue to have it changed to“Organic Beauty Fairy Godmother”. As founder of North America’s only cosmetic ingredient distributor solely dedicated to organic and sustainable ingredients, she’s made the clean beauty dreams of countless brands a tangible reality. @basebeautycreativeagency @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com

As a long time spa director, Jeannie Jarnot was no stranger to bathroom overwhelm. You know, that anxious feeling that happens when your bathroom has too many beauty products? So she decided to take matters in her own hands with Beauty Heroes, a healthy beauty subscription service that sends out just one “hero” product a month. Hear how she went from steady paycheck to health-minded entrepreneur. @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast @basebeautycreativeagency basebeauty.com

Doctor dispensed? Aesthetics? Private label? Ewelina Aiossa, AVP of Marketing at L’Oreal’s SkinCeuticals, pulls the curtain back on the world of physician dispensed skincare. Maybe we should’ve named this week’s episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty™ Where Pharma Meets Beauty... @basebeautycreativeagency @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com

As a beauty writer, Deanna Utroske has a bird’s-eye view on the industry, one that’s even more unique as Editor for trade publication CosmeticsDesign.com. In this episode, find out her biggest surprise upon covering the beauty beat, why she considers the label “misfit” a good thing, and some valuable advice on networking. @basebeautycreativeagency @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com

For Evelyn Wang, the path to success wasn’t always a straight line. Becoming SVP of Marketing at Wet ‘n’ Wild took a stint analyzing boxed DVD sales, teaching English in Japan and leading teen sailing excursions for a sustainability non-profit. If you’re wondering what the “right” path to your dream job is, this episode has some encouraging insights. (Hint: You’re doing better than you think!). Evelyn and Jodi also dissect the pros and cons of corporate hierarchy and how to give an established brand a facelift without alienating the customers who love it. @basebeautycreativeagency @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast basebeauty.com

Meet Linda Mason. Do you remember a time when models did their own make-up at fashion shows and there were no promotional tie-ins backstage? Linda Mason does, and she seized the opportunity to showcase the power of beauty on the runway. Listen and learn. @basebeautycreativeagency @wherebrainsmeetbeautypodcast   basebeauty.com