Be Anomalous

Why I Started Be Anomalous — and 10 Lessons That Changed My Year

In this raw and reflective solo episode, I take you behind the creation of Be Anomalous — why it exists, who it’s for, and how it became a home for people building their lives outside the lines.

I share the real story behind living in the in-between: between cultures, between expectations, between who I was told to be and who I actually am. And how that experience led me to create a space for others who also feel different, ambitious, and deeply human.

I also break down the purpose behind each part of the Be Anomalous ecosystem — Off Script, Under the Hood, Skin Deep, and The Debrief — and how each one is designed to support you as you grow in your identity, your work, and your sense of self.

And since we’re heading into a new year, I’m sharing 10 lessons I learned from guests, books, and my own life that genuinely helped me evolve. They may sound simple, but they work — and they might be exactly what you need to hear right now.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fit a mold… if you’ve felt misunderstood, underestimated, or like your path doesn’t look like anyone else’s… this episode is for you.

Mitali Saxena went from being an engineer in a male-dominated industry to launching two fashion-tech companies rooted in something the industry rarely talks about: real women and real bodies. No filters. No fluff. Just smart tech, thoughtful design, and a deep “why” centered on empowerment.

In this episode, we talk about what it actually takes to leave the safe path, build from scratch, and stay soft while doing hard things. Mitali shares the unfiltered truth about fundraising as a woman in tech, what she got wrong about her first customers, and why operations (not aesthetics) almost broke her.

We discuss burnout, mindfulness, and what it means to lead with empathy, especially when the world rewards hustle over healing.

This isn’t just a founder story. It’s a reminder that your difference is your power, and you don’t need anyone’s permission to start where you are.

In this episode of Be Anomalous, Angela Ubias, beauty industry veteran and co-founder of Common Heir, joins me to talk about building with conviction, navigating identity in an industry built on perfection, and redefining what leadership looks like when you lead with values over validation.

Angela has spent over a decade behind the scenes helping shape some of the most influential beauty brands — including Native — before launching Common Heir in 2020, a clean, sustainable skincare brand that went on to be acquired by Flamingo Estate. Now, she’s the founder of Halo Haus, an agency helping purpose-driven founders build brands that actually mean something.

In this conversation, we explore what it means to stay grounded while growing fast — the realities of fundraising as a woman of color and queer founder, the lessons she learned from selling her company, and the power of leading with kindness in an industry obsessed with perfection.

If you’ve ever felt like the outsider in the room — and still chose to show up anyway — this episode is for you.

At nineteen, Troy Alexander’s life took a sharp turn: a fight landed him in prison. Two years later, he walked out changed — disciplined, faithful, and determined to rebuild from the inside out.

In this raw and revealing conversation, Troy shares how prison became the greatest pause of his life, how he learned to face himself through the mirror technique, and why he still wakes up at 4:30 a.m. to sit in the dark, pray, and write his goals as if they’ve already happened.

We talk about masculinity, vulnerability, purpose, and the mindset that turned pain into power — and how that journey led to the creation of T3603, a brand redefining what it means for men to care for themselves and lead with integrity.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re starting over, this episode reminds you that rock bottom can be the foundation for greatness.

Be bold. Be real. Be anomalous.

Nicole Harvey didn’t wait for the perfect moment to start. While working full-time in tech and traveling nonstop, she built EmpowHer — a global community where women connect through honest conversations about money, health, leadership, and purpose.

In this episode, we talk about what it really takes to build something meaningful while balancing a career, why she’s chosen to stay self-funded, and how she’s redefining success on her own terms.

If you’ve ever wondered how to grow your dream without giving up your stability — or how to keep showing up for yourself when life is full — this episode is for you.

Kara Brothers, former President of Starface, joins Be Anomalous for an unfiltered conversation about leadership, identity, and the power of finding your place when you don’t quite fit the mold.

Before leading one of the most creative, culture-defining beauty brands of our time, Kara spent years at Google, where self-doubt, misalignment, and corporate politics left her questioning her abilities and her worth. She opens up about what it felt like almost to lose her confidence — and how that experience became the foundation for her next chapter.

Kara shares how she rebuilt herself from the inside out — learning to trust her intuition, create her own lane, and lead with empathy, not ego. She talks about the realities of motherhood and ambition, the pressure to be everything to everyone, and how she finally learned to slow down without losing her edge.

We dive into:

• How self-doubt can be the doorway to self-awareness

• Rebuilding confidence after failure and misalignment

• What modern leadership looks like when you lead with honesty

• Balancing motherhood, ambition, and identity

• Why slowing down can actually move you forward

• The freedom that comes with redefining success on your own terms

Kara’s story is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention, a reminder that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is keep showing up, even when you’re not sure where it’s all leading.

Because, as Kara says, “Life is one big experiment.”

If you’re chasing an ambition, trying to figure out what makes you happy, or just learning to trust yourself again — this episode will remind you that your difference isn’t your weakness.

It’s your direction.

What does it take to build a venture-backed platform that helps creators and founders launch beauty brands—without losing your values (or your mind)?

In this replay, Blanka co-founder & CEO Kaylee Lieffers gets real about growing up “between worlds,” why entrepreneurship can be incubated, and how she went from consulting decks to zero-to-one product, team, and traction.

We dive into the messy middle—co-founder dynamics (including building with her husband), raising an oversubscribed seed in tough markets, why Blanka chose no MOQs to truly “arm the rebels,” and the leadership shift from player to coach. If you’re building anything in public, this one hits.

What we get into

• The “against-the-grain” upbringing that made entrepreneurship feel inevitable

• Can entrepreneurship be taught—or just incubated?

• From corporate frameworks to startup chaos: translating structured thinking into speed

• Blanka’s origin story: killing a sunscreen idea to chase the bigger problem

• How to choose the right co-founders (green flags, red flags, and testing ground)

• Bootstrapping first, fundraising later: timing your capital so dollars have a job

• Product truths: ship a smaller MVP, build process earlier, fix signals fast

• Why no minimums matter for real access—and how Blanka made it viable

• Beauty’s next era: archaic back-end, tech-forward future, and niche, narrative-led brands

• Leading at scale: letting go, prioritizing what actually moves the needle

From PR intern to Warner Records and now VP of Brand Operations at Global Brand Equities, Kristin Turner has built a career that turns influence into infrastructure. She’s helped shape celebrity-founded brands like Gran Coramino with Kevin Hart, Mercer + Prince with A$AP Rocky, and Maison No. 9 with Post Malone — proving that star power alone doesn’t build lasting businesses.

In this conversation, Kristin gets real about the evolution of her ambition, the lessons she’s learned navigating PR, music, and brand partnerships, and why detaching from outcomes is key in high-stakes industries. We dive into:

• Why some celebrity brands fail — and what separates the ones that scale

• How to reinvent yourself when the path ahead isn’t clear

• Building confidence as a minority voice in boardrooms and negotiations

• The balance between ambition, resilience, and letting go

This is a masterclass in turning uncertainty into opportunity — and building brands (and careers) that last.

n Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Arielle shares what it really took to walk away from Google and step into the unknown world of Hollywood — with no connections, no film school, and no clear roadmap.

We talk about fear, self-trust, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing who you are — even when the world hasn’t caught up yet. From cold emails and imposter syndrome to ancestral strength and spiritual grounding, Arielle opens up about building a life that aligns from the inside out.

This episode is about letting go of what you’ve outgrown — and choosing the version of yourself that’s been waiting all along.

What happens when you grow up too fast but the dream inside you refuses to die?

In this powerful first part of our conversation, screenwriter Arielle opens up about what it meant to be the responsible one from a young age — the child of teenage parents, the straight-A student, the planner, the fixer. She talks about rejection from the dream school, falling into jobs that didn’t fit, and the quiet voice inside that always whispered: you’re meant to be a writer.

We talk:

• Childhoods shaped by chaos

• What it costs to be the “mature one”

• Learning to play again — as adults

• Getting rejected by the system, and still choosing yourself

• The messy, nonlinear road to purpose

This episode is about what it really means to come home to yourself — even if that journey takes a detour through survival, burnout, and self-doubt.

Trust me, you’ll never hear a better metaphor for becoming who you really are.

“I’m an adult with a briefcase… but there’s a banana inside.”