This Is Not a Beauty Podcast

What’s the secret behind the Olympian Noah Lyles’s record-breaking sprints? How do star lucha libre wrestlers Persephone and La Catalina prepare their game face ahead of a match? And how does the FC Barcelona soccer player Jules Koundé achieve greatness through routine?

“Meeting the Moment” is a new documentary narrated by the basketball legend Sue Bird that follows four athletes as they prepare for a major sports competition, revealing how physical training, mental fortitude and self-care rituals make up their winning formula.

The Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles discusses mental health and confidence ahead of the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Oregon. Star luchadoras Persephone and La Catalina tackle the line between athleticism and performance in Mexico City while training for the CMLL Grand Prix de Amazonas. And the FC Barcelona soccer star Jules Koundé practices self-care and resilience while preparing for a Champions League match in Spain.

Watch the full “Meeting the Moment” film here:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQlAfk29Bhw

The New York Times website: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/video/meeting-the-moment.html?utm_campaign=SCpost&utm_medium=SC

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Isabella Rossellini and Muhammad Ali have crossed paths a few times —first, while she was assisting a sports journalist as a young woman, and later, when a tragedy led the boxer to knock on her door. 

Hear this story and more in the final episode of season 2, which is all about sports and the ways in which beauty enhances the performance of athletes around the world.

Have you ever seen the haka being performed? The war dance consists of slapping the knees, passionate chants and eyes bulging. It is a ceremonial dance originating from the Māori, New Zealand’s native population, but it has since been taken up by New Zealand’s rugby team, the All Blacks, named for their black uniform. To discuss how Polynesian culture unites the rugby team, as well as how Polynesian tattoos demonstrate cultural pride, producer Gigi sits down with rugby legend Joe Rokocoko.

In our second story, we speak to WNBA legend Sue Bird about the importance of individuality within the team sport of basketball, as well as how NIL — a recent ruling by the NCAA — reveals how beauty is changing the sports landscape.

Finally, we speak to tennis legend Naomi Osaka about mental health, self-care and how she wants to bring fun back into the game of tennis.

Links below:

• A video of the haka being performed [Youtube] youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw
• “The history of New Zealand’s haka, its cultural significance and how it is viewed” from The Athletic https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4691873/2023/07/19/new-zealand-world-cup-haka/
• “The Best Joe Rokocoko Tries Ever Scored for the All Blacks” on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNZgJRhomok
• A picture of Isabella Rossellini and Muhammad Ali [Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/p/BtwkKcUlKhO/
• “Sue Bird Is One of Basketball’s Greatest Players. Why Doesn’t Everyone Know Her Name?” from Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/sue-bird-sundance-documentary-first-look-awards-insider?srsltid=AfmBOor1j4CRgZfWjo8IRvG6iBaBe7ee_yfljNI-hDii4C4roehWSq_D
• “Name, image and likeness: (NIL): What it means, why it matters and how it’s impacting the NCAA and college sports” from The Athletic https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2580642/2021/07/01/name-image-and-likeness-nil-what-it-means-why-it-matters-and-how-it-will-impact-college-sports/
• Naomi Osaka green US Open 2024 outfit [Elle] https://www.elle.com/fashion/celebrity-style/a61987090/naomi-osaka-us-open-nike-green-bows-outfit/
• Maybelline’s Brave Together campaign [Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPjfRwUDPpu/
• Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

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In this episode, Isabella Rossellini explores three stories around the world that reveal the role beauty plays in business.

Did you know flowers grown for perfume must be picked at a certain time of day when they are at their most fragrant? In our first story, we travel to Grasse in Southern France, where Antoine Leclef, a farmer and ambassador for the earth, shows us around the organic farm, Domaine de la Rose, which grows flowers for Lancôme’s products, including the iconic centifolia rose. We also hear from Karine Lebret, L'Oréal Groupe’s Global Vice-President of Scent Science & Fragrance Design, who shares how these flowers get from field to bottle.

Next, we fly to India, where we hear from Manoj Kumar, CEO of the Naandi Foundation, an organization that seeks to eradicate poverty, and help women find work through cosmetology. We also speak to one of the program’s participants, Nagma, about how beauty work helped her become financially empowered and independent.

Finally, we hear from one of America’s wealthiest self-made women, Gail Federici, about her Color Wow founding story, how she accelerated her business’s growth through the Covid pandemic and how her company’s successful acquisition.

Links below:

• Le Domaine de la Rose https://www.lancome.fr/domaine-de-la-rose.html
• Naandi Foundation https://naandi.org/
• Naandi’s Beauty for a Better Life program https://naandi.org/2025/03/17/the-beauty-of-opportunity-naandi-and-loreal-bring-cosmetology-to-the-job-factory/
• Gail Federici Forbes profile https://www.forbes.com/profile/gail-federici/

Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: 

https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

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For this episode, host Isabella Rossellini presents three stories exploring the role beauty plays in internet culture — from Get Ready With Me videos to how social media is shaping a centuries-old coming-of-age tradition in Latin America.

For our first story, we speak to Habiba Katsha, a tech reporter, with whom we discuss the Get Ready With Me (#GRWM) video trend, and how it’s gaining popularity amongst men.

For our next story, we travel to Mexico and hear from journalist Nuria Marquez Martinez who tells us all about the Latin American coming-of-age celebration, the quinceañera, and how today’s teens are transforming it for the internet age. We also hear from Hanna Rojas, who celebrated her quince last October. 

Finally, we explore comedy; not only the ways in which the internet has shaped how stand-up comedians approach their jobs, but also identity is a key subject for comics writing material.

Links below:

• Tiktok’s ‘Get Ready With Me’ Videos Are a Comforting Phenomenon from Vogue https://www.vogue.com/article/tiktok-get-ready-with-me-videos
• “The Quinceañera, Redefined” from The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/style/quinceaera-genz-millennial.html
• Meet the Latino Boys Decked Out for Their Version of the Quinceañera” from The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/us/quinceanera-boys-quinceanero.html
• Getting Ready for Quinceañera with Me on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/discover/getting-ready-for-quinceanera-with-me
• Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

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In what ways does beauty show up in our friendships? How do barbershops act as spaces for emotional support for men? And what does line dancing and kitsch have to do with self-love and community?

In this episode of This Is Not a Beauty Podcast, Isabella Rossellini presents three stories that show the ways in which beauty shows up in our relationships, around the world.

First, we travel to Hamburg, New York — yes, legend names it the home of the original hamburger — where one barbershop has become much more about trimming beards. “The tide has turned and people are not socializing the way that they used to,” says Jay, barber and founder of Jay’s Barber Shop. “And in an old -timey barbershop, it was the culture where you would go in, you'd read a newspaper, you'd catch up with the boys, you know, there'd be some, you know, good banter going on. I like the idea of having a space where people get to know each other.”

Next, we hop over the pond to Finsbury Park in North London, where one Marie Josee opened a braiding salon 36 years ago after fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo as a refugee. The salon has since become a support center for those newly arrived in London, and Marie Josee herself has become widely known; popular Congolese songs mention her salon by name, and she has been tapped by Hollywood to create wigs for blockbuster films such as Jurassic Park and Wicked, for which she had to create Elphaba’s wig for Cynthia Erivo in just three days.

Finally, we learn about the explosion of line dancing — a folk dance originating in the southern United States — and one Australian group in particular that has adopted it to create a space for playful identity experimentation. “There's a running joke about Melbournians only wearing black,” says Kitty, Disco Rodeo Boot Scooting’s co-founder. “And for me personally, I always felt like I was fighting that urge and always sort of trying to wrangle myself in that respect and that kind of kitschness and that fun and that color. So it's just been really nice to be able to live it, really.”

Links below:

• Jays Barber Shop Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Jays-Barbershop/61565204863317/
• “Weaving a Wicked Community — refugees find safe haven in London braiding salon” https://www.unhcr.org/uk/news/stories/weaving-wicked-community-refugees-find-safe-haven-london-braiding-salon
• “Wicked: Meet the London Braider Behind Elphaba’s Wig” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c2ld25d1ek1o
• “Line Dancing Toward Euphoria” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/29/style/stud-country-line-dancing-two-step-class.html
• Peppe Barra’s “Tarantella Maliziosa” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faji0GKCq7A
• The Italian Tarantella [Youtube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POXYWLcvYI
• Disco Rodeo Boot Scooting’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/disco_rodeo_/
• Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

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What is the connection between how we present ourselves and wellbeing? To answer this question, we discover three stories that each unpack the connection between beauty and health from a different angle. 

And host Isabella Rossellini has some thoughts: ”I grew up in Italy,” she says. “My mother was a Swedish actress, Ingrid Bergman, and my father was Roman, an Italian filmmaker called Roberto Rossellini… I'm embarrassed to say they didn't do much about health… father just ate pasta. In fact, he traveled with spaghetti in his bag to make sure he had the brand he liked the most.”

This leads us to our first story, where we speak to Fiorella and her aunt Tiziana about the different ways different generations approach, and define, wellness in Sicily.

Then, we hear from Guive Balooch, who runs augmented beauty and open innovation for L'Oréal Groupe, about a fascinating new technology — Cell Bioprint — that predicts how your skin will age, as well as what ingredients it needs, with just one touch.

And finally, Isabella Rossellini shares her relationship with meditation, and the role it played in her relationship with the late director David Lynch, who was a prolific transcendental meditator.

Links below:

• “Why Youth Mental Health Is On the Decline” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/13/well/mind/mental-health-young-adults-trends.html
• Learn more about L'Oréal Groupe’s Cell Bioprint here: https://www.loreal.com/en/articles/science-and-technology/cell-bioprint/
• Director David Lynch’s obituary in The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/movies/david-lynch-dead.html
• Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

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What does a wildlife biologist do to prepare for a day tagging jaguars in the Pantanal? What is the neuroscience behind our attraction to red lipstick? And what does ethologist and actress Isabella Rossellini find beautiful about turkeys? In the first episode of Season 2, we’re exploring the hidden role beauty plays in scientific research. 

First, we’ll hear from wildlife biologist and presenter Lizzie Daly about her job tagging jaguars in the wetlands of South America, the importance of scientific communication in environmental research as well as how she protects her skin in extreme environments from the Amazon to the Arctic.

Next, we hear from producer and neuroscientist Eva about how our brains process color, as well as how color evokes certain emotions within us. Why, for example, do we associate blue with sadness? And what does the color red stir in us?

Lastly, we head to Brazil to hear from Juliana Farias, L'Oréal Groupe’s Head of Research and Innovation in Latin America, about how the country’s history and climate has turned it into an open-sky laboratory for scientists and researchers studying hair.

Links below:

• Lizzie Daly’s website: https://www.lizziedaly.com/
• “Do we feel colours?” A review of 128 years of psychological research linking colours and emotions, by Dr. Christine Mohr https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39806242/
• “Does colour really affect our mind and body? A professor of colour science explains” https://theconversation.com/does-colour-really-affect-our-mind-and-body-a-professor-of-colour-science-explains-84382
• “The surprising evolution of red lipstick and its ancient origins,” National geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-red-lipstick#:~:text=The%20ancient%20origins%20of%20red,symbolize%20her%20status%20in%20power
• Listen to our S1 interview with Carl Ray in episode “Leaving a Mark” here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast/id1768813164?i=1000671236123 https://open.spotify.com/episode/46SBnKU9LcBAj02bQChpTS?si=a8920dacf7cb466c
• Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

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What does a barber shop have to do with mental health? How have coming-of-age rituals, like the quinceañera, evolved online? And what does tennis superstar Naomi Osaka do to unwind? Hosted by the legendary actress Isabella Rossellini, the award-winning “This Is Not a Beauty Podcast” series from L’Oréal Groupe is back with a new season that continues the exploration of the essential role beauty plays in the human experience. Across six episodes, hear about the often hidden effect of beauty on science, health, relationships, technology, business and sports, through interviews with individuals from around the world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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The Oscar-nominated actress is back with a special episode of “This Is Not a Beauty Podcast,” which explores the hidden role beauty plays in sports, technology, health and more. 

In this episode, Isabella Rossellini reflects on her late-career renaissance, “Conclave” and some of her favorite moments from Season 1. You’ll also hear never-before-shared excerpts from past interviews, such those with the Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles, the barber-to-soccer-stars Sheldon Edwards and the 108-year-old tattoo artist Apo Whang-od.

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Beauty and health may seem in opposition – but in many ways, they are two sides of the same coin. In this episode we’ll hear from Dutch photographer and kickboxer Ilse Twigt on how her relationship with her body changed after fighting cancer. We’ll also hear from Dr. Nina Jablonski, an American anthropologist who has done extensive research into human skin and its evolution. And finally, we fly to Australia to hear from Arjay, a carer in an aged care facility, to hear about how he uses beauty to connect with residents with dementia.

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