Start Right Here! Podcast

On this episode, I chat with the amazing Tia Williams, the only other Black woman to be a staffer in Elle magazine's beauty department in its early years. We discuss the massive collection of magazines she started at age nine, her obsession with Kevyn Aucoin and other legendary makeup artists, and how she'd obsess over makeup in the drug store.

We talk about how she landed positions at some of the most prestigious print magazines, started one of the first successful beauty blogs for Black women, Shake Your Beauty, and her transition to a more corporate role and the learning curve involved in that.

Tia is more than a beauty editor, she's also a novelist and we'll discuss what she's learned about being an author. And how excited she is about actress Gabrielle Union turning her 2016 novel, "The Perfect Find" into a Netflix film. And we've got more to look forward to with her next book due out in 2021.

Learn all of this and more.

Shenelle Mays-Smith knows that beauty has always been a destination for her. Not necessarily because she dreamed about it as a child, but because others saw her talent as early as high school. Yet, she initially set her sights on theater and it wasn't until her classmates in college were applying to graduate programs that she realized that wasn't the path for her. She discusses how she got her start, the value of relationships, why developing a thick skin is essential, and. why your talent alone is not enough. She also explains why for her, makeup needed to go hand-in-hand with getting her aesthetician's license. She shares the invaluable skill her mentor taught her and more.

This episode features Integrated Marketing and Communications Strategist Trenesa Stanford-Danuser. She started her career in Crisis Communications at the American Red Cross and she not only chased storms for a living but all kinds of disasters. She discusses how that background prepared her to be the level-headed one in the room when everyone else thought the sky was falling once she began working at agencies and eventually, Estee Lauder Brands.

She explains the differences in working at an agency and working at a large corporation both in proximity to new product creation and company structure and lines of communication. Trenesa wholeheartedly believes that you must always bring your whole self to work and points out her reasoning for wearing her big afro to her final interview for a corporate role.

We discuss the current climate and the fight against systemic racism, allyship fatigue, and the truth about Angry Black Woman trope as well as why we may have to fix our faces as Black women. Trenesa also points out why it is important to be the "squeaky wheel" and advocate for your own advancement. Plus, so much more!

On this podcast, it is important to hear perspectives on getting your start from individuals at different stages of their careers in beauty. On this episode, Corynne chats with Kourtney Pope, a social media and influencer market professional who has successfully made the pivot from fashion to beauty early in her career.

Corynne and Kourtney discuss how she landed her first internship, how she has strategically used networking to advance her career, why Oprah is the reason she'll never choose between fashion and beauty. The differences between working in fashion and beauty. How her time at a fashion startup, Eloquii differed from a corporate role at L'Oréal. Why your 20s is the best time to explore different career paths. And why she is back in the world of startups as she consults with the relatively new beauty, wellness, and lifestyle platform, Drk Beauty , and the platform's initiative to give away hours of free therapy to women of color.

On the latest episode, Corynne L. Corbett chats with Regina Gwynn, CEO of TresseNoire, a virtual beauty coach designed to provide custom haircare solutions for women with textured hair. They discuss how Regina moved from a job in product development at Macy's to management consultant after she received her MBA, to ultimately, entrepreneurship. Regina shares the valuable lessons learned in corporate America that she still uses today.

Regina details the challenges she faced in building a tech-enabled solution focused on natural hair and why she and her co-founder decided to pivot away from offering on-demand services.

They discuss how the beauty industry is responding to the Black Lives Matter protests and whether we are seeing performative allyship. Regina also notes that racial capitalism—the financial and economic infrastructures that prevent Black entrepreneurs from securing funding—needs to be addressed before we see real change.

Regina shares why she and her co-founders created Black Women Talk Tech and why it is important for every founder to have some tech knowledge. And her belief that the next billion-dollar valued idea will come from a Black woman.

In this episode of the podcast, Leslie Bethel, a 25-year veteran of the beauty industry joins host Corynne L. Corbett to discuss the critical role a retail business manager plays in a brand's success in-store. Leslie's specialty is at ground zero, at the retail counter with customers. She's worked for luxury brands that include Christian Dior, YSL Beauty, La Mer, and Laura Mercier as well as managed Blue Mercury, a brick and mortar store. Leslie discusses how she balances the needs of the retailer, the brands she works, her staff, and the customer. How Profit projections, staff coaching, merchandising, and keeping abreast of inventory is essential to her success. And why skincare is the backbone of luxury beauty.

Guest Bio:

Leslie Bethel is a Business & Education Manager and Brand Strategist with more than 23 yrs expertise in managing top retail doors in NYC for some of the luxury beauty industry's most prestigious brands. As a teenager, she became obsessed with the business of beauty after witnessing Eunice Johnson and her enormous success with Ebony Fashion Fair,

After briefly attending Norfolk State University, Leslie left school and moved to Washington, D.C

Her first job in retail management was Counter Manager for Elizabeth Arden. In 1997, Leslie moved to NYC to pursue the goal of growing corporately w/ a luxury beauty brand. Eventually, she held positions as Business Manager for some of the best luxury beauty companies in the Industry including YSL Beauty, Christian Dior, Laura Mercier, and La Mer. She also served as a Store Manager for Blue Mercury.

Currently living in Washington, D.C. preparing for the next phase of her career. She's blogging about her experiences in the industry, networking and strategizing on how to bring her life-long dream into fruition.

Jazmin Alvarez talks to host Corynne L. Corbett about her winding path to becoming a beauty entrepreneur. She came to NYC after graduating from college with two suitcases and $300, determined to be a model agent. Her first opportunity came from Ford Model Management on the men's board and she turned it down in favor of an internship at another agency. When that opportunity didn't pan out as hoped, Alvarez went back to Ford and asked if they would consider her for the men's board again. This is just one example of how Alvarez took on the challenges in front of her without fear. She shares how she transitioned to casting and later photo production. She points out how her time at Art + Commerce set a standard of excellence that she still refers to today. And what it was like to produce ads for Rolex, cast NY Fashion Week shows and cast the models for the social campaign for the Fenty Beauty launch.

She shares how her interest in clean beauty was strictly personal at first and how Pretty Well Beauty went from an Instagram account to an e-commerce business showcasing a carefully curated collection of beauty and wellness brands that she spends a minimum of 4 weeks, and a maximum of a year, vetting. She and Corbett discuss why clean beauty should not be strictly reserved for white women (aka the Goop effect) and how Black and Brown women have been creating clean products for eons.

She shares some of the clean beauty and wellness products that have her attention right now. They include Ilera Apothecary, Element Apothic, and Taza Ayurvedic. And Alvarez also reveals how she plans to expand the Pretty Well Beauty footprint in the future.

CORRECTION: EleVen Sunscreen was created by Venus William, not Serena.

On this episode of Start Right Here, digital and editorial strategist India-Jewel Jackson talks about her journey from print editorial to digital in its early years, how she was able to take the lessons learned there, and transition to branded content and social media. She shares the value of internships as well as choosing the right university and offers advice for those studying on communication and journalism tracks. Jackson also tells us how she landed a job abroad and the critical differences between working at a company in the U.S. and Europe. She offers tips and a timeline for searching for a job in another country, and the elements of your resume that may have to be adjusted.

In the premiere episode of the podcast, host Corynne L. Corbett chats with Karen Chambers, executive director of Iman Cosmetics about her career journey. Chambers will share how she went from being a communication major to beauty retail and how she combined ambition and passion to learn brand and product development. She will share the invaluable lessons she learned along the way including the importance of showing up on time and flexibility in the ever-changing beauty landscape.