Business of the Beat

By Mean Ole Lion Media

Hosted by three-time founder, bestselling author, and award-winning industry thought leader Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Business of the Beat takes you inside the business of beauty and wellness—unpacking... more

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How many episodes does Business of the Beat have?

The podcast currently has 193 episodes available.

Business of the Beat episodes:

July 09, 2023"I'm Constantly Building on Myself”
This week, I interviewed BrainTrust Founders Studio member Dr. Omonye Phillips: doctor, mother of three, wife, Divisional Vice President at Rite Aid Pharmacy, head designer at Omonista, founder of My Dream BIG Club, and founder of Omosilk. Omonye dove into the importance of balancing personal and professional life through channeling her inner purpose and the role of travel in shaping her identity and business thesis. Omonye additionally emphasized the importance of investing in herself and constantly building on her skills and relationships.
Key takeaways from Omonye:
“I'm very intentional in building at work, building my team, constantly developing my team, making sure that they are also becoming the best selves.”
"I'm building my family. I'm really trying to nurture the things that my kids are really good at and building them to become great citizens of the world."
"I'm comfortable with knowing that I may walk into a space, and it’s okay that I don't know what to expect because I know I can adapt."
Follow @wearomosilk and @omonista!
Dr. Omonye Phillips, is a wife, mother to three, and an executive in a Fortune 500 company as a Divisional Vice President (DVP) at Rite Aid Pharmacy, the 3rd largest retail pharmacy in the country. Dr. Phillips is known as a dynamic servant leader in the industry, overseeing the operations of 160+ stores and managing a budget in excess of $2B.
Dr. Phillips has dedicated countless hours to other business, service, and philanthropy efforts all focused on improving the lives of others. One business initiative that is near and dear to her heart focuses on providing a hub of support for young professionals that want to network and brainstorm with like-minded individuals on growth opportunities and support one another in stretching beyond their comfort zone. That initiative is My Dream BIG Club (MyDBC) and in the span of three years, it has witnessed a global expansion with meetings being held in North America, Africa and Europe.
Dr. Phillips is also the founder of Omosilk, which is a healthy hair and skin brand that uses 100% hypoallergenic and natural silk to mitigate hair loss and soothe sensitive skin issues like eczema. Having three children that all suffered from hair loss and eczema, Dr. Phillips quickly learned about the benefits of using pure silk fabric on her kids but couldn’t find any viable options on the market. Being the serial solution seeker that she is, she decided to solve her own problem by making silk accessories for newborns and beyond.
Omonye comes from a diverse academic background having studied in three different continents including Africa, Europe and North America. She is a graduate from the University of Michigan and holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. Omonye enjoys reading, engaging in transformative discussions, spending time with loved ones, running, playing table tennis, sleeping, traveling and anything fashion related. She sits on the Alumni Board of Governors at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. She is also an active member in her church and the community through philanthropy and volunteer efforts.
Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: @btfoundersstudio @sknmuse
Omonye’s Word of 2023: Build
"I'm constantly building on myself. I'm investing in myself more because I want to keep morphing into the best version of myself."
Tune in to hear more from Kendra and Omonye!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
...more
53min
July 02, 2023 Valuing One's Own Worth
This week, Johnny Wright —HOTUS (Hairstylist of The United States), textured hair specialist, and author of Natural & Curly Hair For Dummies—discusses his career, those moments of extraordinary opportunities that impacted his identity, trajectory and confidence in himself and his craft. Johnny advises aspiring hairstylists and artists to let go of ego, stay open-minded, and keep going despite uncertainty.
Johnny also discusses how the release of his book prompted him to launch the Naturally You Tour—a national multi-city traveling event series that provides a safe, informative and celebratory space to share, connect and heal from the ingrained traumas perpetuated by misinformation about natural and curly hair. https://www.naturallyyoutour.com/
Key takeaways from Johnny:
The importance of passion and living in the present moment.
Self-awareness and valuing one's own worth
Healing from the societal “isms” that affect us all
“When you embrace your natural look, you can inspire and you can feel confident.”
Follow @johnnywright220!
Johnny Wright is a celebrity hairstylist with nearly 25 years of experience. From watching his grandmother do press and curls on the front porch as a child to becoming Michelle Obama's personal hairstylist during the Obama Administration, Johnny's journey is nothing short of remarkable. We can’t wait to talk about his work with Tamron Hall, his recent co-starring role in ""To Catch a Beautician"" with Tamar Braxton, and his impressive list of celebrity clients.
Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: @myavanahaircare @ourxhair
Johnny’s Word of 2023: Trust
“Uncertainty is a part of life, but the goal is to keep going no matter what it's like. Allow yourself to be human and doubt to pop in. But regardless of what that is, you have to have the trust in yourself to know exactly how you want it is going to happen.”
Tune in to hear more from Kendra and Johnny!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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51min
June 18, 2023 “I Can Do This”
This week, Elaine Choi —Founding President and COO of Crown Affair, a haircare brand reimagining how people care for their hair and their relationship to it through clean, effective formulas and handcrafted tools—discusses the challenges of scaling the business, securing investment and the use of organic growth and community building to expand its customer base while never compromising on its commitment to clean ingredients and sustainability. Additionally, she shares advice for navigating relationships with co-founders and the importance of having a culture of feedback.
Elaine also emphasizes taking time for self-care and finding moments of silence amidst the noise of building a brand. Additional key takeaways from Elaine:
“Set your goal and be patient with yourself on getting to those incremental milestones”
“Even if we have to cut down on our margins or increase the price a little bit, we’re never going to compromise on the standards”
“I have goals for the business, but for me, it’s really about building a great team”
“I just took the leap. It felt right to me.”

Follow @crownaffair or visit https://www.crownaffair.com/!

Elaine Choi is the Founding President and COO of Crown Affair, a haircare brand reimagining how people care for their hair and their relationship to it through clean and effective formulas and handcrafted tools.She has experience building and scaling organizations in various industries across healthcare, education, and hospitality, and now consumer, spanning for profit and nonprofit sectors with a focus on people first.She serves as a Board of Associates member for the Robert Day Scholars program at Claremont McKenna College and as mentor through Crown Affair’s Seedling Mentorship Program.

Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: @sofiepavittface @sofiepavitt

Elaine’s Word of 2023: Abundance

Tune in to hear more from Kendra and Elaine!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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49min
June 11, 2023 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Shalita Grant pt. 2
Last week, Shalita shared her personal life experiences, and journey growing up that led to her defining moment. This week, we dive into part two of thetwo-part conversation with Shalita Grant—Tony-nominated actress and founder of Four Naturals Hair. Shalita emphasizes the importance of education and research in developing her brand. She explains how she learned about cosmetic chemistry and studied the science behind hair care. She also mentions her desire to provide a platform for black women to share their experiences and knowledge about hair care on her website. Throughout the episode, Shalita discusses the challenges she faced as an entrepreneur and the importance of overcoming fear and imposter syndrome.
Follow @shalitagrant, @fournaturalshair or visit https://fournaturalshair.com/!
“So for me, it was like, I'm not going to find it there, but where can I find it? Cosmetic chemistry. That is the study of hair for hair products. So I grabbed some journals and I just started learning, because I'm a learner. I love learning. I'm a great student.”
Shalita’s Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: @silkoutsystem
Shalita’s Word of 2023: Fearless
Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Shalita!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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34min
June 04, 2023 From Tony Nominated Actress to Founder: Shalita Grant pt. 1
This week, we dive into part one of my two-part conversation with Shalita Grant—Tony-nominated actress and founder of Four Naturals Hair. Shalita shares memories from her upbringing and the influence of her unconventional parents on her entrepreneurial journey. She dives deep into this personal reflection and her experience dealing with traction alopecia that became her motivation to create her own hair treatment: the patent-pending Four Naturals Treatment is a hair salon treatment that uses ancient plant-based ingredients and practices from India and North Africa designed exclusively for the care of Type 4 hair. Shalita talks about her journey from actress to entrepreneur and emphasizes the importance of embracing fear as a catalyst for personal growth.
Follow @shalitagrant, @fournaturalshair or visit https://fournaturalshair.com/!
Tune in next week for part two of Shalita’s story, her influencer highlight and brand shout-outs!
“Fearless. Even talking to you now is me living out those goals that I set for myself at the beginning of this year. So for me, I believe that you can never be truly without fear. It's really about being less influenced by the fear, right? Like, the fear often tells us to stop. Right? And so for me, this year, it's about experiencing the fear.”
Shalita’s Word of 2023: Fearless
Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Shalita!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
...more
39min
May 28, 2023 Achieving Balance Personally and Professionally
This week, Yanghee Paik —Co-Founder and CEO of Rael, a feminine-care brand that has grown into a holistic personal care brand centered on solutions for all aspects of menstruator’s cycles—discusses the importance of educating consumers about organic feminine care options and holistic cycle care. She also dives into the topic of wellness as she strives to achieve balance in both her personal life and business, including balancing growth with profitability. Yanghee also shares her experience with fundraising and the changing demands of investors, emphasizing the importance of having a good quality law firm and advisor group. She stresses the need for entrepreneurs to continue building relationships within the investor community, even when not actively fundraising.
Follow @get_rael or visit www.getrael.com!
Yanghee Paik is the co-founder and CEO of Rael. Prior to starting Rael, Yanghee was an executive at the Walt Disney Studios where she focused on distribution strategy and sales. It was during this role that Yanghee met her co-founders, who suffered from irritation and allergic reactions caused by conventional pads and tampons. As first-generation immigrants from Korea, they knew how advanced Korean feminine care products were and recognized the gap in the US market for similar technology and quality. They decided to marry high-quality organic cotton from the US with cutting-edge manufacturing technology from Korea to launch Rael’s first organic cotton pads in 2017, which became the #1 best-selling pad on Amazon. Now, Rael provides more than just feminine care as Yanghee pushed her vision for Rael to be a holistic personal care brand, centered on solutions for all aspects of your cycle.
Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: Chiyo (@wearechiyo) - a pregnancy and postpartum meal delivery service in New York City aiming to bridge the cultural gap.
""I think having the right investors pretty early on who can help you just kind of grow as time passes by and then make the right introductions and then give you the right advice is definitely very, very important.""
Yanghee’s Word of 2023: Balance
Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Yanghee!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
...more
56min
May 21, 2023 A Purpose Beyond Skin Deep
This week, Carolyn Li Ming Geh—the founder and CEO of Li Organics, a beauty company leveraging antioxidant-rich and synergistic formulas for sensitive skin, with a mission beyond skin deep—discusses the importance of being intentional and making meaningful choices with the limited time we have. Carolyn cites her educational and global background in helping her create a “multifactorial approach” and “be curious about different ideas and different angles."" She also dives into her brand's mission to promote transparency and sustainability in the beauty industry. She highlights the importance of understanding the entire lifeline of a product, including where it's sourced and the wages and health of the workers involved. Li Organics puts this understanding to practice, positively impacting local communities in Malaysia through its intentional partnerships.
Follow @liorganics or visit https://liorganics.com/!
Carolyn Li Ming Geh is an entrepreneur and founder of Li Organics. Prior to her career as an entrepreneur, Carolyn had an over a decade long career working in fashion as a model under FORD Models, working for renowned brands such as J. Crew, Banana Republic, Balenciaga, Lanvin, MAC Cosmetics, Louis Vuitton, Harpers Bazaar, and more. It was during her modeling career that she started to develop the formulas that have now become must haves on Li Organics customer’s top shelves today. Through the brand’s partnership with Project Orphans, they are helping to give children a better self worth and hope for a brighter future through critical care and opportunity for education.

Carolyn’s mission driven business has resulted in press mentions such as American Vogue, In Style, TODAY.com, British Vogue, WhoWhatWear and Real Simple. She has also given workshops at MIT Sloan School of Management, and been a guest on the Forbes Books Audio podcast. To date, Li Organics has served customers nationwide, and globally in Canada, Australia, Singapore. The brand recently launched in Israel via the country's largest distributor for beauty products. She has been featured by several industry journals for her insights on the beauty industry. She is formally-trained in Neuromechanics, Psychology, with a minor in Human Nutrition and received her graduate degree at University of British Columbia in 2009.
Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: Marisia
""It's so important to talk about [the impact of product lifelines] and that we now have the opportunity to show that. I think that's where the beauty of social media, the beauty of video, the beauty of being able to connect with people all over the world.""
""I just want to make sure that I'm stewarding my time well. And everything I choose to do is going to be meaningful.""
Carolyn’s Word of 2023: Purpose
Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Carolyn!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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51min
May 14, 2023 Namesake: Paying Homage My Mother’s Influence
This week, we have a special episode for Mother’s Day featuring mother-daughter duo Dr. Lynn McKinley-Grant and Davlyn Mosley. Davlyn, founder of Namesake Skincare—the perfect answer for those looking to dermatologist-approved skincare essentials specifically made for skin of color—and Dr. Lynn McKinley Grant, Namesake’s Dermatology Advisor. The duo dives into the importance of family and the impact of a strong mother-daughter relationship.
Dr. McKinley-Grant talks about her journey to becoming a dermatologist and how her interest in art and beauty influenced Davlyn's career path. She also shares the challenges of balancing motherhood with career and entrepreneurship. Davlyn recounts her own experiences growing up with a mother who exposed her to a variety of activities, such as going to museums and doing gymnastics, and encouraged her to pursue her interests even when they didn't align with a “traditional” career. Davlyn also discusses the value of community and mentorship in building successful businesses, citing her involvement with the BrainTrust Founders Studio.
Follow @namesakeskincare or visit https://namesakeskincare.com/ and use code “BOTB15” for a special discount!
Davlyn Mosley is the founder of Namesake Skincare - the perfect answer for those looking to dermatologist approved skincare essentials specifically made for skin of color. The Tufts University graduate and former Marketing Tech Executive was inspired to create the brand based upon her experiences with her mother, a board-certified dermatologist and a desire to support the uniqueness of skin of color. Originally from Washington DC, Mosley now resides with her husband and son in Los Angeles.
Dr. Lynn McKinley-Grant is Namesake’s Dermatology Advisor and Davlyn's mom. She received her M.D. at Harvard Medical School and trained in dermatology at NYU. As a board-certified dermatologist, her career has spanned from research at NIH to private practice and academic medicine as an Associate Professor at university hospitals with medical schools and residency training programs including Howard, Duke, and Georgetown.Dr. McKinley-Grant specializes in skin of color and internal medicine and has trained over 200 dermatologists. She’s your derm’s favorite derm, the inspiration for Namesake, and the expert behind the formulations.
Influencer & Brand Shout-Outs: @ourside.nyc founded by @btfoundersstudio member Keta Burke-Williams (@keta.bw) and @starface sunscreen
Davlyn: “My mom was and continues to play such a huge role in so many of my friends’ lives, the reality is that “stuff” around your skin happens all the time.”
Dr. Lynn: ""I mean, you wake up in the morning and you have this list of things and usually the good things happen, you know, but bad things happen too. And you have to be grateful for... the good things that happen.""
Davlyn’s Word of 2023: Patience
Lynn’s Word of 2023: Gratitude
Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Davlyn and her mother, Dr. Lynn!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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56min
May 07, 2023 Revolutionizing Men’s Skincare
This week, Jacqueline Oak and Narae Chung—Co-Founders of Cardon Skin, a brand with a mission to provide a simple shopping experience for men to get premium skincare at an approachable price—discuss their journey from seeing a gap in the market for affordable, high-quality men's skincare products to creating an innovative brand inspired by Korean skincare technology: ""I thought there was a huge opportunity. We can bring really high-quality products at affordable pricing around the $20 to $40 range [to the men’s skincare industry] leveraging innovative Korean skincare R&D (Narae).” Their hero product is a lightweight, fast-absorbing sunscreen-moisturizer: which provides a quick solution to complete the most important step in skincare.
Jacqueline and Narae also share that the men's skincare market is growing and shifting towards a greater emphasis on personal care as a form of self-expression. Cardon's success is due in part to their focus on real men's needs and insights in creating their products. Jacqueline and Narae do this by gathering feedback directly from their consumers: “We conduct lots of user interviews to understand how they’re using the product, what’s their biggest pain point, and how we can create something innovative and novel (Jacqueline).”
Bio: Growing up in Korea, Narae Chung saw first-hand the pride that Korean men took in their self-care. It was more than a routine—it was a way of life. After years of working in the Korean skincare industry, bringing the best ingredients and most innovative formulas to men across Asia, Narae decided to come to the U.S. to attend Wharton Business School. There, she met her roommate Jacqueline Oak, an expert in the retail startup space. Narae and Jacqueline noticed interest in men’s self-care was gaining momentum in the States—but the high-quality, yet affordable options that are so popular in Korea—were seriously lacking. The duo saw a chance to not only build a premium skincare brand that’s simple and accessible, but also to change the outdated social norms around masculinity and self-care.
Narae: ""I think that it’s really interesting because my brother and father followed a skincare ritual every day. That was just their routine. And then here [in the United States], when I did a research interview, [I found that] not every male actually uses skincare.""
Jaqueline: “We’re not going to hold back. We are really going to put ourselves out there to push this brand to where we want it to go.”
Narae’s Brand Shout-Out: @drinkmakku
Jacqueline’s Brand Shout-Out: @12pell
Follow @cardon or visit https://cardonskin.com/!
Tune in to learn more from Jacqueline, Narae, and Kendra! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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45min
April 30, 2023 We Do Not Compromise
This week, Noelly Michoux—co-founder and CEO of 4.5.6. Skin, customized skincare designed with phototypes IV, V, and VI in mind—discusses her and her co-founders’ journey in creating a skincare brand that is good for both overall skin health and for the planet’s health: “Everything we do, it has to be good for, yes, that condition we're treating, but for the skin health, for the overall health, and then for the planet. And we do not compromise.” She dives into the challenges she and her co-founders faced in starting the company, opening the first Skin Tone Research Lab in France, and approaching product development in a unique way.
Noelly also emphasizes one of our BrainTrust Founders Studio pillars: education. She dives into the importance of knowledge and education in skincare, then shares her excitement for the future of the brand, including plans for retail and expanding their product line. While there is a long way to go for diversity in the beauty industry, Noelly reveals how she is one of those changemakers advancing the industry forward.
Follow @noellychouxx and @456skin on Instagram or visit https://456skin.com/!
Noelly Michoux is the co-founder of 4.5.6 Skin, a brand that aims to close the skincare research equity gap. She started the brand after realizing that most skincare products were only tested on non-melanin skin. To address this issue, Noelly partnered with a leading dermatologist and skincare researcher and opened the world’s first Skin Tone Research Lab in France. The lab examines, develops, and manufactures high-performance biomimetic skincare products for skin phototypes IV, V, and VI.
Noelly's interest in skincare started when she worked with luxury fragrance and makeup brands in New York City, where she supported Black UP Cosmetics, one of the first brands to offer true-to-skin-tone luxury makeup for darker skin. As a Black European, she was surprised by the lack of beauty products specifically formulated for darker skin. Noelly recognized a correlation between melanin levels in the skin and dissatisfaction with skincare performance. She learned everything she could about the Fitzpatrick scale, which classifies skin tone phototypes based on the amount of melanin pigment in the skin.
Noelly founded 4.5.6 Skin in 2017 to democratize the science of skincare and develop clinical-grade formulas that specifically target the key concerns of darker skin, including dryness, excess sebum production, dullness, and hyperpigmentation. The brand's vision is to create a truly inclusive skincare landscape that addresses not only skin type but also the foundational science of skin tone. In addition to her work with 4.5.6 Skin, Noelly is starting a Melanin Preservation Association to fight against skin bleaching and decolonize beauty concepts. She currently splits her time between Brussels and Paris with her husband and two young children.
Influencer & Brand Shout-Out: Bossy Cosmetics
""I wake up every day and I'm so excited to just be in this line of work. This is my life mission.""
Tune in to learn more from Kendra and Noelly!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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56min

FAQs about Business of the Beat:

How many episodes does Business of the Beat have?

The podcast currently has 193 episodes available.