Curology’s Steve Siegal on Scaling from DTC to Omnichannel Retail

Summary

BRAVE COMMERCE Podcast Summary
Episode: Curology’s Steve Siegal on Scaling from DTC to Omnichannel Retail
Release Date: March 4, 2025
Host/Author: Adweek (Rachel Tipograph & Sarah Hofstetter)
Guest: Steve Siegal, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Curology

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Introduction to the Episode

In this insightful episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter dive deep into the transformative journey of Curology as it scales from a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) model to embracing omnichannel retail. Joining them is Steve Siegal, Curology's Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, who shares his extensive experience and strategic vision that has propelled the brand into mass retail while maintaining its personalized skincare ethos.

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Transitioning from DTC to Omnichannel Retail

[11:42] Rachel Tipograph opens the discussion by highlighting Curology's intentional shift into omnichannel retail in 2023, emphasizing their exclusive partnership with Target during the first year of launch.

Steve Siegal:
"Retail has played a critical role in building credibility and visibility behind the Curology brand. Seeing our products shelved next to well-known brands in physical stores has been transformational." [01:03]

Siegal elaborates on how retail partnerships have not only expanded Curology's physical availability but also enhanced brand trust among consumers. The exclusive launch with Target marked a significant milestone, positioning Curology as the best facial skincare launch in Target's five-year history. This success paved the way for further expansion into other major retailers like Walmart, CVS, and Amazon.

---

Integrating Retail and DTC Channels

A key theme in the conversation revolves around the seamless integration of Curology's retail presence with its DTC operations. Siegal emphasizes the importance of interconnected channels to provide a cohesive brand experience.

Steve Siegal:
"Once you've expanded physical availability of your brand, you need to make sure that all the pipes are connected in terms of ensuring consumers can fully experience everything that your brand has to offer." [13:29]

This approach ensures that retail platforms not only serve as new points of sale but also drive awareness of Curology's comprehensive offerings, including their DTC dermatological services. Starter kits available in stores offer a gateway to the full Rx subscription model available exclusively through Curology's digital channels.

---

Measuring Success Across Channels

Rachel raises a critical point about the shift in measurement metrics when transitioning to omnichannel retail.

[13:51]
Rachel Tipograph:
"When a D2C brand goes omnichannel, how has Curology navigated the fact that maybe not everything that was once measurable is now measurable?"

Steve Siegal:
"We've expanded our mix modeling to evaluate both D2C and retail channels. Incorporating incrementality testing allows us to assess the incremental revenue generated by retail investments beyond our D2C efforts. This comprehensive approach helps us understand the profitability and interplay between all our channels." [13:51]

Siegal discusses utilizing advanced analytics to track the effectiveness of each channel, ensuring that investments in retail are justifiable and contribute positively to the overall business growth.

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Leveraging Retail as a Lead Generation Tool

Sarah probes into Curology's strategy of using retail channels as a means to generate leads for their DTC subscriptions.

[15:37]
Sarah Hofstetter:
"You’re using retail as lead gen to drive lifetime value through D2C. How do the retailers feel about that?"

Steve Siegal:
"Retailers like Target appreciate Curology as a relevant and unique brand. They understand that our retail offerings are distinct from our DTC products, with starter kits directing customers to our subscription services. This symbiotic relationship has been well-received, as evidenced by successful in-store signage and positive feedback." [15:47]

This strategy mirrors successful models like Nespresso, where initial retail presence enhances brand visibility and subsequently drives online subscriptions, creating a harmonious balance between physical and digital sales channels.

---

Leadership and Team Collaboration

The conversation shifts to leadership strategies, particularly in integrating external expertise without undermining internal teams.

[17:26]
Sarah Hofstetter:
"How do you coach your team to embrace collaboration between expertise and fundamentals?"

Steve Siegal:
"As a brand scales, it's essential to recognize when to lean on external experts to address complex challenges. At Curology, transitioning to a more sophisticated tech stack required external partnerships. We communicate transparently with our teams, emphasizing data-driven decisions and the complementary strengths that external experts bring. This fosters a culture of trust and continuous improvement." [17:26]

Siegal underscores the importance of psychological safety and trust within teams, ensuring that members feel supported and valued when new expertise is introduced.

---

Fostering Psychological Safety

Building on leadership, Siegal delves into creating an environment where team members feel safe to innovate and take risks.

[20:52]
Steve Siegal:
"Trust is foundational. By assuming team members are well-intentioned and providing clear expectations without micromanaging, we create a freeing environment. Public praise and private constructive feedback further enhance psychological safety, encouraging team members to bring their best selves and innovative ideas forward." [20:52]

This philosophy not only enhances team collaboration but also drives the strategic initiatives necessary for omnichannel expansion.

---

Personal Insights and Bravery in Leadership

In a segment blending personal experiences with professional insights, Siegal shares a pivotal life decision that mirrors the boldness required in business leadership.

[22:10]
Steve Siegal:
"One of the bravest decisions my family and I made was relocating to Singapore. This leap exposed us to diverse cultures and expanded our global perspective, which has been invaluable in leading Curology's international retail strategies." [22:10]

This anecdote highlights the significance of embracing change and stepping out of comfort zones, both personally and professionally, to achieve meaningful growth.

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Concluding Thoughts

The episode wraps up with Siegal reflecting on the balance between maintaining Curology's personalized DTC strengths while leveraging the expansive reach of retail channels. His strategic insights provide a roadmap for other brands contemplating a similar transition, emphasizing the importance of integrated marketing, robust measurement frameworks, and a culture of trust and innovation.

Steve Siegal:
"Our success lies in ensuring that every channel, whether digital or physical, works in harmony to enhance the overall consumer experience. By connecting all the pipes, we enable our customers to fully engage with everything Curology has to offer." [01:03]

---

Key Takeaways

• Strategic Omnichannel Integration: Transitioning from DTC to retail requires thoughtful integration to maintain brand integrity and enhance consumer experience.

• Comprehensive Measurement: Advanced analytics are crucial in evaluating the effectiveness and profitability of multi-channel strategies.

• Retail as Lead Generation: Leveraging retail channels to drive DTC subscriptions can amplify brand reach and customer lifetime value.

• Leadership and Psychological Safety: Building a trusting and supportive team environment fosters innovation and effective collaboration between internal and external experts.

• Personal Boldness Mirrors Business Strategy: Embracing change and stepping out of comfort zones are essential for both personal growth and business success.

---

Notable Quotes

• Steve Siegal:
  "Retail has played a critical role in building credibility and visibility behind the Curology brand." [01:03]

• Sarah Hofstetter:
  "Your media do double duty or triple duty in that regard." [02:16]

• Steve Siegal:
  "Trust is foundational. Assume your team is well-intentioned and give them room to operate." [20:52]

---

Final Thoughts

This episode of BRAVE COMMERCE offers invaluable insights into scaling a DTC brand into the omnichannel landscape. Steve Siegal's strategic approach, combined with his emphasis on leadership and team dynamics, provides a comprehensive guide for brands aiming to navigate the complexities of modern retail and digital marketing.

For more discussions on similar topics, check out other episodes featuring leaders from Versed, Wella, Reckitt, and Soda Health.

---

Connect with Curology:
Explore personalized skincare solutions and discover how Curology can transform your skincare routine. Visit Curology's Website for more information.

Transcript

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Sarah Hofstetter]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

There'S been a very intentional shift. Curology actually entered omnichannel retail in 2023. We had an amazing partnership with Target, so we were exclusive at Target for the first year of its launch. And I would say retail has played a critical role in building credibility and visibility behind the Curology brand. We're very much of the mindset that our retail communications need to raise awareness of our entire business because that's really where curology has a clear advantage of so many of the well known brands that we're competing against in retail. And ultimately that's the advice that I would offer offer to other brand owners, which is once you've expanded physical availability of your brand, you need to make sure that all the pipes are connected in terms of ensuring consumers can fully experience everything that your brand has to offer.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

Welcome to today's episode of Brave Commerce.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I'm Rachel Tippograph, the founder and CEO of Micmac.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

I'm Sarah Hofstetter, president of Profitero and.

[Rachel Tippograph]

This is a show that talks about what's relevant in E commerce for the world's biggest brands. Sarah, if I gave you $1 to spend, would you put it in brand national digital media or performance media? And yes, I understand that retail media can straddle both.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

You just put in the caveat that's not fair. I mean the caveat is why do you have to pick one? Why can't your media do double duty or triple duty in that regard?

[Rachel Tippograph]

But the exercise is, I'm telling you, you have $1 to spend and you can only Put it in national digital media. So upper funnel media or bottom of the funnel, performance media. What would you choose to do?

[Sarah Hofstetter]

I refuse to accept your challenge. I'm sorry, this is this because to me, I look at this and I say, A, I don't think you have to pick and B, more importantly, I think that a lot of it depends on what you're trying to achieve at any given moment. So let me flip the question back to you, my dear. What do you say?

[Rachel Tippograph]

So first of all, I actually think your answer is then you would pocket it and you would put it towards your bottom line, so you put it towards EBITDA versus picking. But if I followed my own exercise, I would put it in brand media because I believe investing in brand allows you to stand the test of time.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

All right, and then what happens if you've got a F ton of awareness and you've got a lot of people curious, but they ain't flipping, what do you do then?

[Rachel Tippograph]

You gotta work hard, you gotta use multi touch, organic content, word of mouth marketing to bring someone down the funnel. But I think if you just took that dollar and you only put it in performance media, it's completely shortsighted and likely it's not a customer that will last with you.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

Well, that's the difference between demand generation and demand capture.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right?

[Sarah Hofstetter]

So if you started always on demand capture, I completely agree with you. If you haven't figured out a way to generate demands or interest or nobody's even heard of you, of course they're not gonna convert the. I refuse to engage in your question largely because you're pissing me off. The core of it goes to what are you trying to achieve at any given moment? So if you're, you know, a fresh brand like a curology, for example, and you're very well known with certain audiences, but you're pretty new to others, what needs to be true for you to be able to make that top, you know, top of funnel stuff work best? Yeah, the hybrid model of even distribution, which isn't even a discussion about brand or performance, it's just where can I find you? Becomes so much more critical than how am I going to get audiences to you. Right.

[Rachel Tippograph]

And the reason why Sarah and I are having this debate right now is that we're going to bring Steve, the chief marketing and innovation officer of curology, onto the show, who has a really rich, some might say traditional, CPG background. But Steve, you'll see, is not traditional in any sense of the word. And curology is going through A transformation right now where it was a D2C first organization to now a omnichannel organization with mass retail distribution. And he's helping shift the company to. I think the fairest way to describe it is full funnel marketing as opposed to just focusing on CAC in a D2C environment. And I think many of our listeners are constantly debating what Sarah and I just went through.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

We're debating it, but often we encounter marketers that can only think with one side of that brain. And one of the reasons I've been so hot to try on getting Steve onto the show is how fluidly he goes against what needs to be true for the ultimate bottom line to be successful.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Well, on that note, let's bring Steve onto the show.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

It took long enough to get this guy to finally agree to be on the show, but we are thrilled to have Steve Siegel, chief marketing and Innovation Officer at Curology, and I consider a personal friend. I hope that's not too forward and transparent of me, Steve, but thank you so much for joining us today.

[Ryan Reynolds]

My pleasure, Sarah. Thank you so much for having me. And thank you, Rachel.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

So are we personal friends? Have we gotten to that point or.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's okay, you can say it.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

Did I just make myself a little too vulnerable?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay, it's all good.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

So I want to kind of dive in because you have had such an interesting career trajectory that has really almost culminated in the role that you have today. You've worked at legacy companies like Kraft, and we've had a lot of folks who've started their careers at Kraft or have spent their entire careers at craft. And there's a lot that people know about that kind of upbringing, if you will. But you've also worked on digitally native brands, obviously, like the one you have at Curology. How does that spectrum shape your approach to marketing and leadership?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Great question. So I would say there's three things to keep in mind. The first is, in any role that I've ever taken on, it's critical to take the time to learn before you act. So even if you're walking into a somewhat familiar situation, you'll never get to the right solution unless you've had the time to learn the business. What needs to be addressed first, second, third, fourth, et cetera. Otherwise, you're pursuing solutions in search of a problem. And I think everyone should really want to move with speed and urgency. But it has to be purposeful. That's the first thing. The second thing is, I would say, resist the desire to drive too much change too soon. In terms of how your brand show up in the world. I've been in the seat many times. When you're a brand leader, you want to come into a new role and really make your mark. And it's very tempting to start tinkering right away. I would say some great advice for marketers is to say your primary job is to build memory in consumers minds. So somehow you start tinkering and you make your brands less recognizable or less likely to be recalled for the right occasions. We're messing with people's memories and we're doing ourselves a real disservice. And I would say third, it's great to lean on transferable learning. I've seen that in every single role that I've been in. From CRAFT now through to curology. The fundamentals around how brands grow, the metrics that matter, they are the same. Regardless of what category you're working on, how big your brand is, where and how your brands are sold, D2C, omnichannel, retail, et cetera. A lot of it is the same. So if you're growing your buyer base, there is a very high likelihood that your brand's going to be growing. And I think there's this other piece in the D2C community around how much of your investment should go toward brand versus performance marketing. What I've seen across all of my assignments is, is that the reality is that very few category buyers are in the market at any one time. So if all you're doing is you're spending 100% of your investment fighting in the trenches to convert them, you're missing the opportunity to build memory and create future demand. So we actually see much stronger conversion from organic versus paid traffic on our websites for that very reason. So those are the three that I would say.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I love that, like creating lasting memory. So curology started as a D2C value proposition, right?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Sure. So Dr. David Lorcher addressed multiple pain points when he founded Curology in 2014 and started selling acne treatments direct to consumer. The first is around personalization. So when you go to a dermatologist, you don't necessarily get a truly personalized treatment with multiple active pharmaceutical ingredients that can address multiple causes of acne. You don't have to worry about one size fits all solutions anymore. The second is around accessibility. So there are several areas in the US where it isn't easy to find a dermatologist. I've heard the term dermatology desert during my time at Curology. You never have to leave your home to get a personalized treatment. And you could always message our amazing dermatology providers with any questions about your treatment plan. They'll also check in with you before each shipment about your progress. Third is around affordability. So acne treatments can be very expensive, and Curology sells these highly efficacious personalized treatments at affordable price points. And then finally, there's the convenience factor. You don't need to take time off of work or have to pull your child out of school to get the personalized treatment that you need. Nor do you need to wait months to see a dermatologist. It's extremely convenient to be able to just answer a few questions online, upload pictures of your face, and get your treatment sent directly to your house.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Speaking from experience, I literally just booked my dermatologist appointment for May and we're recording this in February, so. And I'm in New York City, where there's the land of dermatologists.

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Rachel Tippograph]

So it started as a DTC value proposition, and given your background, I imagine one of the impetus is because the company wants to probably expand to mass retail. So how are you thinking about how curology shows up in mass retail? And then what's that value proposition going to be versus your D2C channel?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Sure. So there's been a very intentional shift. Curology actually entered omnichannel retail in 2023. We had an amazing partnership with Target, so we were exclusive at Target for the first year of its launch. And I would say retail has played a critical role in building credibility and visibility behind the curology brand. I would say when your brand is exclusively sold D2C, you're only able to capture a small percentage of the consumer's overall shopping occasions and they're just not able to experience the brand in the same way as in a physical store. It also lends a lot of credibility to see curology shelve next to some of the largest and most salient brands in the skincare category. So it has been pretty transform, transformational for us. And then at Target specifically, curology was the best facial skincare launch that Target had in five years. And that has opened the door for expansion into Walmart, CVS and Amazon, where we launched last year. And I would say there's an interesting connection between our expanding retail business and D2C. So we really want to raise awareness at retail that we have a D2C business where consumers get an elevated level of treatment and care through our dermatology providers who prescribe personalized, highly efficacious acne treatments sent directly to your phone. So retail, if you go to the shelf, we actually sell starter kits that include an RX subscription offer as well as smaller versions of some of our best selling items. And then if you go to the curology storefront on target.com, all of the above, the full content is related to our RX business and that's by design. So we're very much of the mindset that our retail communications need to raise awareness of our entire business. Rx, non Rx, D2C, omnichannel retail. Because that's really where curology has a clear advantage of so many of the well known brands that we're competing against in retail. And ultimately that's the advice that I would offer to other brand owners, which is once you've expanded physical availability of your brand, you need to make sure that all the pipes are connected in terms of ensuring consumers can fully experience everything that your brand has to offer.

[Rachel Tippograph]

So when you make such a big shift, obviously it's transformational from a distribution and awareness standpoint, but I think the other side of it is it probably changes how the company approaches measurement, at least that's what I found. When a D2C brand goes omnichannel, how has curology sort of navigated the fact that maybe not everything that was once measurable is now measurable?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay, so we've looked at it from a few different perspectives. I would say we do have our mix vendor that we leverage pretty consistently to help us make resource allocation decisions. And we've set it up to effectively have models for our D2C business as well as our retail business, and a portfolio model that brings everything together to say here's the profitability of our investments by channel, by brand. But then we also see what part of our investment is haloing from D2C and retail and then vice versa. And then we're also in the process of adding incrementality testing into the mix to be able to say specifically a dollar invested at Target is driving this much incremental revenue above and beyond D2C as well as understanding the overall profitability of our our full investment profile. So I think that's what we've really done. We. We've kind of expanded on our our mix relationship as well as added additional tools to help us understand the interplay between D2C and retail.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

I mean, that's really interesting on so many levels, but it's incredibly unconventional as well that you're basically using retail to whet enough of the appetite to then drive them in. To me, it brings a little bit of a correlation to the Nespresso novel. But they weren't going in retail for so many years. They wouldn't go in retail and they only had advertised D to CM where you can get your pods. And then that migration to first distributing on Amazon and then ultimately getting distribution in store in certain cases changed the game of the way that they thought about acquisition and retention. Your quick move, relatively speaking, especially to that hybrid model. How do the retailers feel about the fact that you're basically using them as lead gen?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Using them as what?

[Sarah Hofstetter]

Lead gen. Right, Lead gen.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Correct.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

You're getting that starter pack. But ultimately your goal is to get lifetime value through D2C. So how do you think about it that way?

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's a very interesting question. I don't necessarily know if they think of us purely as lead gen. I think they just view us as a brand that's extremely relevant for their target consumer and they fully understand that the assortment that we sell in omnichannel retail is different than what we sell direct to consumer. But if you talk to Target specifically, they said there was a lot of demand to bring Curology in just because of the popularity of the brand, how critical it's been to really help people solve their concerns around mild to moderate acne. And I think they've totally been fine. So if you look again, the signage in the physical stores, how we approach messaging on our storefronts, they've been totally fine with it because they understand that we bring something very unique in terms of our model, not only selling non RX regimen products, but also offering this highly efficacious rx. They've been totally fine with it.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

No, it's been great. And frankly, every time I walk into cvs, it reminds me to nag you as to whether or not you're going to finally join us on the podcast. So the in store signage definitely is working super duper well. It serves as a great reminder to meet a nag. You just kind of going back to the whole idea of this, knowing when you want to lean into experts, understanding all the different levers at your disposal. You talked a lot about the idea of certain fundamentals don't change, but kind of how you bring it to life does. When you grew up at craft, I mean that marketers are trained to be these Swiss army knives, but you're talking about certain levels of expertise. How do you coach both your peers as well as your team to embrace the collaboration of that expertise with the fundamentals?

[Ryan Reynolds]

So I would say first, there's not enough time in the day to do it all. And I think there has to be a point where brand leaders say they need to make choices, to decide where to focus and where to lean on external experts to help solve your problems and take the business to the next level. So I'll actually give you a live example right now at Curology. So when the company was founded 10 years ago, it was a one brand, one product company. And the tech stack was homegrown. And it was built to be very efficient at one thing and one thing only, which was giving consumers a 30 day trial size of a single product for free, followed by a 60 day subscription. Now, fast forward to today. The business has gotten a lot more complex. It's got two brands, it's got multiple RX offerings, it's got full non RX regimens. But as the business grew, it was very hard to evolve this sort of rigid tech stack with it. And ultimately it became a blocker that was standing in the way to achieving the company's full potential. So we took a step back and we said, we have incredible products, we have an Incredible care model through our dermatology providers. But we just came to the conclusion that we're not experts in building a low friction, high engagement commerce experience for a subscription business. And there are experts out there that invest a lot of money every single year building out engaging experiences and introducing new commerce features for companies who are set up in the right way to really take advantage of out of the box. So very soon we'll be talking about a pretty exciting commerce transformation at curology. And that's where I would say we drew a line in the sand to say here are areas where we feel like we can be really excellent in and there are others where we just really need to lean on external experts because we have some expertise. But there are others who have a lot more.

[Rachel Tippograph]

How do you introduce experts without maybe undermining the team when they might think that they're capable of doing it themselves?

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's an interesting question. I would say we've definitely handled it carefully. I would use the example of subscription management. So again, I would go back and say for a very, very long time we sold one thing and we became very efficient at selling that one thing. And there just wasn't a lot of internal expertise around how do we get the most out of a subscription business? So I think there was openness for an external partner to come in and say, listen, here's what the entire competitive set is doing. Here are some features that you could be leveraging that others are leveraging to a great deal of success. And I feel like it was a very rational, data driven argument to say you have scaled to this unbelievable level, basically doing one thing really, really well. But if you really want to transform your business, you have to be open to the idea that there's a lot more bolt ons that you can do to make your business much more successful, to drive much higher ltv. And in order to do that, you kind of have to take the shackles off and say you're not going to lean into this legacy platform anymore. You're going to kind of reinvent yourself and kind of go back to the beginning to provide the best possible commerce experience.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

So it's a great transition to the idea of psychological safety. Because when you bring in experts, obviously that can make people a little bit uncomfortable or it can get more curious people, even curiouser. You and I have spoken over many conversations, we've had many conversations about the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. So how do you create an environment where people feel safe enough to take these risks or bring new ideas as well as be able to execute with some element of risk.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, there's a few things to think about. I would say I feel very strongly in this idea that trust is given and not earned. To me, that's foundational. I think you have to assume that people are well intentioned and trustworthy. So that to me is. You absolutely have to start there. And I think second, if you're forward with people and you're very clear about your expectations and you give your team members room to operate, it can actually be very freeing. So I feel like something like micromanaging is a sign that people are just unable or unwilling to give up control and to give trust. That would be the second thing. The third thing is, as I try to lead, I lean into the principle that you really need to praise in public and give constructive feedback in private. Not everything is going to go swimmingly. And if people worry that they're going to be called out in public, it can really foster a culture of fear. And people, I feel like, are a lot more afraid to speak up and lean in. And I think this happens more often than you think. And then finally, you have to exist to serve your teams. So they need to make sure they know that you're there to support them. And good times, bad, and you have to walk the walk. And pretty much every conversation I go into, I start with, how can I help? And that's the ultimate sign of service. So I think if you lay down those principles and you live them early on, then I think people are more willing to lean in, bring their best selves forward, and then create great work.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I love all those principles. Steve, we gotta ask you our famous last question, which is, what's the bravest thing you've ever done?

[Ryan Reynolds]

So I'll tell a short version of a much longer story. So I was standing on a street corner in Cape Town, South Africa, at a shoot. I was a global director on Halls at the time. And I got a phone call from our HR team at Mondelez saying that the Global Candy team is going to move to Singapore. And how do you feel about that? And I think I knew something like this was brewing in the background, but I didn't actually believe that it was going to manifest. So it was a shock to the system. I said, I really need to think about it and I think about my background. So I was born in Philly and I grew up in the New Haven, Connecticut area. So I've been Northeast Corridor my entire life. My wife grew up near where Sarah lives right now. So we've been northeast all the way, so this idea that we're gonna live halfway around the world was pretty foreign to us. So we went on a look see trip. My wife was working for Nielsen at the time so she was able to get a transfer to their Singapore office. We found a school for our kids where they were able to basically lift and shift their curriculum that they were getting in Jersey over in Singapore and all the pieces fell into place and we just took the dive and we did it. I would say that's the bravest thing we've ever done and honestly it was the best decision that our family ever made. It was completely transformational for us. In Singapore there's 25,000Americans on an island of about 5 million people, so it is the most amazing place to live, but you definitely live a different life than you do here in America. And we were able to travel within Asia so much when we lived there and open our eyes and our kids eyes to so many things that in a million years we never would have gotten in the States. So I think that was a pretty bold and brave move. But honestly it was one of the best things that our family ever did and we're thrilled that we did it.

[Rachel Tippograph]

That's awesome. How long did you live there?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Long enough for the kids to remember and not long enough for the kids to resent is what we had to say. They were young enough that they got a lot out of the experience, but then they came back and they were able to reassimilate into their Jersey school system with their friends before we had been there too long and were out of sight, out of mind.

[Rachel Tippograph]

That's awesome. Cool experience. Well Steve, we thank you for all of these lessons, both leadership, business and life. And everyone go check out curology.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Great. Thank you so much for having me.

[Rachel Tippograph]

If you like what you heard, please tell a friend, write a Review, share on LinkedIn, send us a DM and tell us what you liked. And if you want to go further down the Rabbit hole of D2C brands that are now going omnichannel retail, we've actually done quite a few episodes, but a recent one to check out would be Carrie Sullivan from Versed, who also is tackling skincare from a different angle. And if you want to debate brand media versus retail media, you can go check out an episode we recently published from Brave Commerce Live between Wella and Reckitt. And if you want to think about new revenue streams, go check out a recent episode we did with Soda Health's Leadership team. Thanks for listening.

[Monday.com Ad]

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[Sarah Hofstetter]

Hi, I'm Jackie Cooper, Global Chief Brand Officer at Edelman and the host of Touch of Truth, a new podcast launching on the Adweek Page Podcast Network. My dad gave me this incredibly smart piece of advice. Meet everyone once. As a result, I've met some of the most fascinating and inspiring people on the planet.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Now on Touch of Truth, we're coming centre stage and sharing the mic to.

[Sarah Hofstetter]

Experience stories of truth, insights and visions for the future that will challenge your way of thinking. Touch of Truth is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Ryan Reynolds]

New episodes come out every Tuesday. I do hope to see you there.