Bella Figura, The Tradition of Living Beautifully

Sandra Chuma, of Zimbabwean ancestry, is an entrepreneur, speaker, coach, podcast host, and award-winning documentary filmmaker.  She believes that our greatest responsibility is to share our stories so we can inspire and create possibility for others.

Raised in a tiny mud hut in Zimbabwe with no running water or electricity, Sandra has never been one to let circumstances define her.  Through hard work, and support from her “village,” she became a management consultant, advising major global companies.  She then went on to build two successful companies.

But despite all her professional success, she knew she wasn’t walking in her purpose.  Sandra made the decision to go back to school in 2015 to get a master’s degree in Journalism, Storytelling & Documentary Filmmaking from Columbia University.

Sandra has made it her mission to help others create the best version of themselves.  She is building brands focused on providing inspiration, tools and community.

Discussed in this episode:

Resources:

Sandra Chuma, of Zimbabwean ancestry, is an entrepreneur, speaker, coach, podcast host, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. She believes that our greatest responsibility is to share our stories so we can inspire and create possibility for others.

Raised in a tiny mud hut in Zimbabwe with no running water or electricity, Sandra has never been one to let circumstances define her. Through hard work, and support from her “village,” she became a management consultant, advising major global companies. She then went on to build two successful companies.

But despite all her professional success, she knew she wasn’t walking in her purpose. Sandra made the decision to go back to school in 2015 to get a master’s degree in Journalism, Storytelling & Documentary Filmmaking from Columbia University.

Sandra has made it her mission to help others create the best version of themselves. She is building brands focused on providing inspiration, tools and community.

Discussed in this episode:

The power of storytelling

Assimilation and knowing your roots

The complexity of leaving your country of origin

Holding onto the values you were raised with

Following your purpose, not just your passion

Taking the first steps in a new endeavor and allowing the path to unfold

Passing cultural awareness onto the next generation

Resources:

Sandra's website

NDINI

Sandra on Instagram

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

Stephanie Flor, of South American ancestry, is a NYC­ based celebrity makeup artist who works regularly with industry leaders ranging from musicians to television personalities. Her clients include Mariah Carey, Eve, Sting, Kathy Griffin, and politicians Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and the Israel President Shimon Peres, among others. She is most currently the Global Colour Pro artist for Clinique U.S and Hispanic market.

Flor has been featured on Glam Belleza Magazine “Weekend Section,” Latina magazine's “Young & Inspiring: Ones to Watch” list, “ Beauty Vanguard in April 2015”and landed herself on the Cosmo for Latinas blog spotlight for Around the World Beauty.

She is a go-to beauty expert for her tips in both beauty and travel for Teen Vogue, Allure.com, Glamour, InStyle, Essence.com, and Vogue.com.

Editorially, Flor has worked on photo shoots and video productions for Cosmopolitan, Glamour, L’Oreal, People, Martha Stewart, The New Yorker, Time, OWN­ Oprah, Victoria’s Secret, and Women's Wear.

Flor expertise in multicultural beauty has made her a go-to ambassador for leading cosmetic and hair care brands, such as Head and Shoulders, Makeup Forever, L’Oreal Paris, La Bella, Thicker Fuller Hair, and Maybelline.

Discussed in this episode:

Entrepreneurship

Beauty as a spiritual practice

Connecting to ancestors through beauty

Traveling the world

Connecting to ancestral culture through beauty practices

Beauty approaches from around the globe

Resources:

Around the World Beauty

Stephanie's Makeup Artist page

The Italian American Podcast

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

Stephanie Flor, of South American ancestry, is a NYC­ based celebrity makeup artist who works regularly with industry leaders ranging from musicians to television personalities. Her clients include Mariah Carey, Eve, Sting, Kathy Griffin, and politicians Mexican President Felipe Calderon, and the Israel President Shimon Peres, among others. She is most currently the Global Colour Pro artist for Clinique U.S and Hispanic market.

Flor has been featured on Glam Belleza Magazine “Weekend Section,” Latina magazine's “Young & Inspiring: Ones to Watch” list, “ Beauty Vanguard in April 2015”and landed herself on the Cosmo for Latinas blog spotlight for Around the World Beauty.

She is a go-to beauty expert for her tips in both beauty and travel for Teen Vogue, Allure.com, Glamour, InStyle, Essence.com, and Vogue.com.

Editorially, Flor has worked on photo shoots and video productions for Cosmopolitan, Glamour, L’Oreal, People, Martha Stewart, The New Yorker,  Time, OWN­ Oprah, Victoria’s Secret, and Women's Wear.

Flor expertise in multicultural beauty has made her a go-to ambassador for leading cosmetic and hair care brands, such as Head and Shoulders, Makeup Forever, L’Oreal Paris, La Bella, Thicker Fuller Hair, and Maybelline.

Discussed in this episode:

Resources:

Around the World Beauty

Stephanie's Makeup Artist page

The Italian American Podcast

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

Shelly Marshall, of Japanese and Irish descent, is the founder of Beauty Shamans, which unites the wisdom of the past and the science of today to create healthy skincare products from the ocean and Earth. As a nurse, esthetician, and aromatherapist, her approach to skincare is clinical, clean and holistic.

Things discussed:

Connections between our work and our heritage

Helping our parents and ourselves reconnect to our roots

Taking care of our skin holistically

Ways to wean off chemical skincare products

Turning our nightmares into our greatest gifts

Feeding our bodies for optimal health and skin

Embracing our family stories

Connecting to our ancestors through our work and by being the keeper of family history

Resources:

Shelly’s website, Beauty Shamans

Shelly on Instagram

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

Shelly Marshall, of Japanese and Irish descent, is the founder of Beauty Shamans, which unites the wisdom of the past and the science of today to create healthy skincare products from the ocean and Earth. As a nurse, esthetician, and aromatherapist, her approach to skincare is clinical, clean and holistic.

Things discussed:

Resources:

Shelly’s website, Beauty Shamans

Shelly on Instagram

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

Jaquira Díaz was born in Puerto Rico. Her work has been published in Rolling Stone, the Guardian, Longreads, The Fader, and T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and included in The Best American Essays 2016. She is the recipient of the 2019 Whiting Award in Nonfiction for “Ordinary Girls,” two Pushcart Prizes, an Elizabeth George Foundation grant, and fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Kenyon Review, and the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing. She lives in Miami Beach with her partner, the writer Lars Horn.

Things Discussed:

Growing up in Puerto Rico

Coming out to a Catholic family

The tensions between the white and black sides of her family during childhood

The silence around sexual violence

Ethnic and racial identity - What am I?

Practicing Catholicism and being gay

Even the hardest family stories can give us strength

The publishing industry

Racism and learning to understand one another

Resources:

Jaquira’s new memoir, “Ordinary Girls”

Jaquira on Instagram

Jaquira’s website

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

Jaquira Díaz was born in Puerto Rico. Her work has been published in Rolling Stone, the Guardian, Longreads, The Fader, and T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and included in The Best American Essays 2016.  She is the recipient of the 2019 Whiting Award in Nonfiction for “Ordinary Girls,” two Pushcart Prizes, an Elizabeth George Foundation grant, and fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Kenyon Review, and the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing. She lives in Miami Beach with her partner, the writer Lars Horn.

Things Discussed:

Resources:

Jaquira’s new memoir, “Ordinary Girls” 

Jaquira on Instagram

Jaquira’s website

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

Aimee Raupp, of Irish ancestry, is a renowned women’s health & wellness expert and the best- selling author of the books Chill Out & Get Healthy, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant, and Body Belief. A licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in private practice in New York, she is also the founder of the Aimee Raupp Beauty line of hand-crafted, organic skincare products.

She’s appeared on The View and has been featured in Glamour, Allure, Well + Good, GOOP, Shape, and Redbook and has received endorsements from Deepak Chopra, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Arianna Huffington, and Gabby Bernstein for her work in helping thousands of women to improve their vitality, celebrate their beauty, and reconnect to the presence of their optimal health. Aimee is also the Head of Chinese Medicine at The Well, an active columnist and is a frequent speaker at women’s health & wellness conferences across the nation.

Things discussed:

Cooking and eating as our ancestors did

Being drawn to practices from other cultures

How to improve fertility through health and wellness

Possible causes of the epidemic of infertility

The impact of the IVF industry on women’s perceptions of their fertility

Epigenetics as it pertains to fertility

As long as you’re still menstruating, fertility can be improved

The myth of fertility decline past 35 years old

Resources:

Aimee’s website

Aimee’s books

Aimee on Instagram

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

Aimee Raupp, of Irish ancestry, is a renowned women’s health & wellness expert and the best- selling author of the books Chill Out & Get Healthy, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant, and Body Belief. A licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in private practice in New York, she is also the founder of the Aimee Raupp Beauty line of hand-crafted, organic skincare products.

She’s appeared on The View and has been featured in Glamour, Allure, Well + Good, GOOP, Shape, and Redbook and has received endorsements from Deepak Chopra, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Arianna Huffington, and Gabby Bernstein for her work in helping thousands of women to improve their vitality, celebrate their beauty, and reconnect to the presence of their optimal health. Aimee is also the Head of Chinese Medicine at The Well, an active columnist and is a frequent speaker at women’s health & wellness conferences across the nation.

Things discussed:

Resources:

Aimee’s website

Aimee’s books

Aimee on Instagram

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram