Brynn Putnam: Founder of Mirror and Board

Suzy Batiz is a truly self-made female entrepreneur, and a successful one at that. Between her two businesses, the before-you-go toilet spray Poo~Pourri, and her line of natural cleaning concentrates, Supernatural, her empire is valued at over $500 million. But getting there was a long road filled with over 27 career changes, an abusive marriage, and two bankruptcies. Hear how Suzy persevered and overcame it all, on this episode of Second Life.

10 Elo 202049min

Nyakio Grieco is the founder and creator of Nyakio Beauty, an award-winning line of skincare products initially inspired by her own Kenyan heritage and family’s beauty recipes. Since its launch in 2002, Nyakio has expanded to include cultural traditions from 13 countries around the world that have been historically underrepresented in mainstream beauty and skincare. Today, the products are beloved and highly accessible via Target.com, but Grieco’s entrepreneurial journey wasn’t easy. After much perseverance and many brand resets, her purpose became clear: “I’m here to help other women, young women who look like me, know that they can do this.” Hear how Grieco went from working in talent representation at some of the biggest agencies in Hollywood to navigating and pushing for meaningful change within the beauty world on this episode of Second Life.

3 Elo 202051min

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan have been writing together since they founded their witty celebrity fashion blog, Go Fug Yourself, back in 2004 as a way to procrastinate from their day jobs. Today, not only are the “Fug Girls” pioneers in the space, but they’ve also received rave reviews as novelists with the best-selling The Royal We—loosely based on the courtship of Prince WIlliam and Kate Middleton—and the highly anticipated sequel, The Heir Affair, which just hit bookshelves on July 7. But before they were writing novels, the ladies were working as TV series recappers, writing about shows such as Judging Amy and Making the Band, before parlaying that experience into working in the world of reality TV. Hear how the pair pivoted from digital to print and ultimately found their stride in balancing the two on today’s episode of Second Life.

27 Heinä 202050min

Aminatou Sow is the co-host of Call Your Girlfriend, the “podcast for long-distance besties everywhere,” alongside her Big Friend and collaborator, Ann Friedman. On July 14th, the pair released their first book together, Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close, which has already amassed praise by everyone from Hillary Clinton to Roxane Gay to Vogue. But before Aminatou was a literary thought leader and media legend, she had a previous life in tech where she worked for Google and co-founded the Tech LadyMafia, a network for women who work “in and around tech.” And before that? She worked at a social media agency as an analyst and at a think tank in DC. Hear how all her experience has converged into one impressive and admirable career path on this episode of Second Life.  To order Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close, head to www.bigfriendship.com

20 Heinä 20201h 2min

Karen Young, Founder and CEO of Oui the People, is building an entirely new shaving experience for women and non-binary people. By creating a stainless-steel safety razor designed specifically for sensitive skin, luxurious personal-care products, and a brand that speaks to women intelligently and relatably, it’s no surprise that her products keep selling out time and again and have over 400 5-star reviews on the brand’s site. But there have been many twists and turns along the way. On this episode of Second Life, hear how Karen went from working as an account executive for brands like Dolce & Gabbana to founding her own home interiors line to managing packaging operations at Estee Lauder, before she turned the shaving industry on its head.

13 Heinä 202055min

Lauren Chan started her career as a plus-size model alongside women like Ashley Graham and Candice Huffine at Ford Models. With a foot in the fashion industry’s door, she parlayed her career into writing and freelanced for publications such as Vogue and Interview before becoming a fashion features editor at Glamour, where she had her own column on size inclusivity. In her latest pivot, she’s taken body inclusivity activism to the next level by founding Henning, a high-end workwear brand for sizes 12 and up. Hear how Chan’s career in fashion led her to solve a problem she was experiencing firsthand in the latest episode of Second Life.

1 Kesä 202044min

Brett Heyman is the founder of Edie Parker, the vintage-inspired acrylic handbag and accessories brand seen on virtually every red carpet ever. But just last year, Brett pivoted the brand in an unexpected way: into a cannabis accessories and private label flower company named Flower by Edie Parker. Find out how working in PR for brands like Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana led her to create an iconic brand of her own.

25 Touko 202048min

From signing on as Victoria’s Secret’s first Australian Angel to walking the Balenciaga runway while five months pregnant, Miranda Kerr cemented her status as an international supermodel years ago. On this episode of Second Life, hear how she used her experience in a surprising way: to found certified-organic skincare and beauty brand Kora Organics.

18 Touko 202037min