Drop your answers in the chat before you run to @google: How many countries are in Africa? How many superfoods grow on the continent? While you consider your answer, I’ll share that Christina Funke Tegbe @funke_tegbe, Founder of @54thrones, a luxurious skincare brand, uses at least 5 of these superfoods in the products that she sources directly from the continent. The celebrated products also boast hero ingredients like shea butter, baobab oil, argan, jasmine, and Neroli–all sourced naturally across several African countries. 

 

I talk to Christina about her journey of exploration, research, and sourcing across different regions in Africa while collaborating with women cooperatives and entrepreneurs onsite. 

Tune in and hear her key transformative experiences: 

Speaking her mind boldly and receiving @Oprah’s response

Attending George Floyd’s funeral and reflecting on the wider scope of inclusion

Standing in her power during her real @shartankabc experience 

By the way, there are 54 sovereign African countries and a long list of superfoods!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Troy Alexander’s light radiates as he walks into any room. Founder and CEO of Troy Skincare, a clean, premium men’s skincare brand, Troy is the epitome of manifesting your dreams and purpose. He exudes confidence, humility and is an advocate for giving and community building. 

 

His @linkedin profile reads Disruptive Entrepreneur & Cultural Tastemaker. I’ll add mentor, philanthropist, style guru and a man of vision and service.

Troy got his start in the beauty industry as the digital face of Symrise, a fragrance house, where he also sat on the advisory board. He worked as a contributing columnist for prestigious publications including @nytimes, @Forbes, @Yahoo Beauty and has been featured in others like @Vogue, @GQ, @BloombergBusiness, etc. Tune in to be uplifted and inspired by Troy’s story that includes his time in prison, his grounded faith, his take on multi-generational wealth, and centering patience as a pillar. 

Fun fact: Troy was my first live podcast guest and we also invited other @BTFoundersStudio founders to join us for a live Q&A. Being in person together was a fun treat. 

 

“[Prison] was the best thing that happened to me because that was my MBA… I learned a lot about myself and I became a better man, because I studied the men that were in there and the people that were in there. The same people that are in there are out here.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Natalie King, hailing from the beautiful islands of Jamaica and Cuba, earned her Ph.D at the age of 26, one of the youngest and first Afro-Latina to receive this degree in their 163 yr. old history. Her graduate school experience was one of triumph but also tragedy as her father’s sudden passing and her friend’s suicide both significantly shaped who she is today and have led to her continued effort to lead important discussions about health and diseases of the brain. Dr. King brings layers to the definition of the word “multi-faceted”. She is a brain health expert, associate director, DEI lead, trustee, mentor, international TEDx speaker and model (her print/product work graces the aisles of Walgreens, CVS, Targets, Walmart, and other retailers across the globe).  

During the pandemic, Dr. King founded a brand deeply rooted in social impact. Florae Beauty @floraebeauty_ is a tech-driven, all-natural, personalizable brand that aims to build confidence in women with textured hair. 

Tune in to hear about her inspirational story as one of few in her field, the historical narratives that shaped her founder’s journey, raising capital, and taking ownership of all of her custom hair care formulas all before launch. Look out for @floraebeauty_  launching later this year!

Shoutout to her favorite brand @beautystat @ronrobinsoncosmetichemist

“I think it’s important to note with brands like ours. It’s not just about giving a product; it’s about how you make someone feel more confident in themselves [and] more confident in how they show up in the world.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who is Angela Manuel Davis? When I talk to her on the @businessofthebeat podcast Angela describes herself as a child of God, a mother, a wife, a sister and a coach. Her throughline since childhood is being an encourager.  

 

The world knew her as a five-time All-american member of the USA track and Field Team, an Olympic Trials semi-finalist, a member of the World Championship team, and a professional runner for Nike. Today she is the beloved, coveted and highly inspiring Co-Founder & Chief Motivation Officer of AARMY. Besides leading the most sought after group cycle class in LA, she has privately coached Beyoncé, Jay-Z, David Beckham, and Kerry Washington. Her positive message on living on purpose to be the highest expression of ourselves reverberates globally including her feature on Oprah’s Winfrey’s Live the Life You Want Tour and Oprah’s 20/20 Vision Tour. 

“Coming from a sports family, and being a professional athlete myself, it’s just this marriage between sports and spirituality where I found my pocket… my sweetspot…It’s the ability to coach individuals in their best life using spiritual principles.”

Are you looking for inspiration, elevation and the rituals that will get you there? Tune in to hear Angela’s story and life-changing message. 

Fun fact: Angela shouts out her favorite brand @fearofgod by her very own brother @jerrylorenzo!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tune into part 2 of my conversation with Rachel Lambo, CEO of Sade Baron, who honed in on her professional skills in marketing and design to translate her mother’s vision into a coveted brand. Rachel, a BeautyUnited mentee and BrainTrust Founders Studio member shares her magical relationship with her mother, Sade, and the balance they’ve found as co-founders of their line of clean and efficacious products. Rachel and Sade’s bootstrapping and direct-to-consumer approach allowed them to gain expertise in production, procurement, responsive marketing, and the value proposition of their brand.

You will be floored by Rachel’s transparency in defining all of the roles she played in the company and the leaning into their complementary skill sets before she and her cofounder mom strategically expanded to retail.  Their story is a touching one of resilience and perseverance while acknowledging the heavy obstacles of racism, ageism, and classism. This is our first two-part conversation. Tune in on Sunday to listen to Part 2  with Rachel Lambo!

Also special shout out to Rachel’s favorite brand @thekendallmiles!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I talk to the powerhouse, Rachel Lambo, CEO of Sade Baron, who honed in on her professional skills in marketing and design to translate her mother’s vision into a coveted brand. Rachel, a BeautyUnited mentee and BrainTrust Founders Studio member shares her magical relationship with her mother, Sade, and the balance they’ve found as co-founders of their line of clean and efficacious products. Rachel and Sade’s bootstrapping and direct-to-consumer approach allowed them to gain expertise in production, procurement, responsive marketing, and the value proposition of their brand.

You will be floored by Rachel’s transparency in defining all of the roles she played in the company and the leaning into their complementary skill sets before she and her cofounder mom strategically expanded to retail.  Their story is a touching one of resilience and perseverance while acknowledging the heavy obstacles of racism, ageism, and classism. This is our first two-part conversation. Tune in on Sunday to listen to Part 1 with Rachel Lambo!

Also special shout out to Rachel’s favorite brand @thekendallmiles!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kendra talks to Jordan Karim, Founder of Flora and Noor, the most inclusive Black-owned brand in the industry with a line of Halal certified, vegan and cruelty-free products.  Jordan’s connectivity to her faith, culture and professional training positioned her to step into a relatively vacant space in the industry– sourcing ingredients that are honestly halal approved and extending clean options to an under-represented group and the wider community of natural skincare enthusiasts.

Tune in to hear about the start and growth of Flora and Noor during COVID, building a brand that serves as a vessel for education, and securing media attention and shelf space at Allure in Soho, New York while bootstrapping!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kendra talks to @BTFoundersStudio Founder, Marquita Robinson Garcia about her journey from scientist to Cosmetic Formulator, and now Founder of Philadelphia’s first all-natural skin brand, DVINITI.  Marquita trained and worked professionally in the beauty industry for major chemical suppliers designing skincare products for global brands including Chanel, NARS, and bareMinerals.  She transitioned from a successful career in the lab as a chemist to business development training and a long-term role in management.  Founded in 2018, DVNITI goes beyond providing customized natural skincare, it is positioned to serve as the global educational platform for consumers and professional service providers in the beauty and wellness industries. 

 

Marquita also shares snippets from her new book, The Sustainable Beauty! This gem is the ultimate self-care guide, training all of us to analyze brands and develop a strategy for choosing the best products for our needs.  Tune in this Sunday to hear all about Marquita’s trajectory and preparation for her fabulous book!

“The more we leverage technology and introduce different apps, different types of visual scanning…the more we are able to create a standardized process by which people personalize products and specific ingredients, the better off we will be.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ezinne Iroanya-Adeoye @Avenue_z is all about creating authentic experiences through luxury beauty. Her premium beauty brand @Sknmuse is made for the modern Black woman while honoring West African beauty practices. For Ezinne, beauty IS culture. In this week’s BOTB episode, she walks us through her decade-long experience working for brands like @Lancomeofficial, @Dior and @Nordstrom. We dive into several subjects including the correlation between mental health and self-prioritization, her first revenue increase of over 60%, the practice of asking for help and the value of befriending younger mentors. 

 

Tune in this Sunday to hear our rich and inspirational conversation with Ezinne about building her culturally steeped brand @Sknmuse, community expansion and service.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of @businessofthebeat Kendra talks to Angel Cornelius, Founder & CEO of Maison 276, about her collection designed to inspire women to celebrate their own version of beauty.  Since her childhood, Angel has been a product DIYer. Later, friends and family asked to buy her product overflow leading her to her first platform on Etsy. The combination of her passion for experimentation coupled with her work ethic and business-savvy outlook led to the expansion of Maison 276– her naturally luxurious skincare and haircare product line especially famous for its efficiency in brightening silver and blonde hair without the use of harsh purple dyes.

Angel tells the story of a call from Essence that pushed her into a career pivot, the journey to winning QVC’s The Big Find, and continuing to be an expansive best-selling brand as the next defining chapter of her life. Tune in to hear about Angel’s childhood in New Orleans, her beauty-preneur title, tips for marketing to a wider market, her ‘Book of Failures’, and the glows and grows of building a brand while working full-time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.