What do you get when a kindness-led skincare founder & a community-first haircare CMO sit down together? An honest & instructive conversation on Brand Advocacy.

Live from the Brand Advocacy Summit: New York, Verity is joined by Dr. Brent Ridge (Co-Founder @ Beekman 1802) & Nilofer Vahora (Chief Marketing Officer @ Amika) to unpack how two very different beauty brands built lasting customer love – by making stylists, neighbours, and Advocates the centre of their businesses.

This isn’t about follower counts or funnel hacks. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the values, trade-offs, and systems that turn brand belief into million-dollar growth. If you’ve ever struggled to scale connection without losing credibility, this conversation will help.

What You’ll Learn:

🏆 Why Being ‘The Favourite’ Brand Beats Being The Biggest

🎡 How Amika Built a Stylist-Led Flywheel That Drives Brand Love & Revenue

🏘️ The Power of ‘Neighbor Services’ (Not Customer Service)

🫶🏻 Why Community Systems Beat Viral Campaigns Every Time

⚙️ What Happens When You Make Kindness Your Operating System

Two brands. Zero holdbacks. All Advocacy.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to the Live Panel: What Advocacy Actually Looks Like

02:27 – The Origin Stories: Kindness, Friendship & Founding from the Margins

07:05 – When Community Becomes the Growth Plan

09:07 – Building Brand Language: “Hi Neighbor” & “I Love Amika”

11:02 – Operationalising Kindness & Loyalty

16:45 – Systems That Scale Love: Amika’s Flywheel & Beekman’s KQ Program

23:42 – From Stylists to Screens: Connecting IRL Community to Digital Growth

28:10 – Trusting the Community with the Brand (Even When It’s Hard)

32:55 – Learning in Public: Handling Missteps & Turning Them Into Advocacy

38:30 – Final Takeaways: Real Community, Real Trade-Offs, Real Growth

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Connect with Brent & Nilofer:

On Brent’s LinkedIn

On Nilofer's LinkedIn