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- [00:01]
A
The following podcast is a dear media production.
- [00:08]
B
Welcome to Breaking Beauty the Podcast. All about the breakthrough people, products and moments in beauty.
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C
We're your hosts, Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins. This conversation tonight is going to be so much fun and it's really all in celebration of International Women's Day. This is going to be a special bonus episode coming out on International Women's Day and I could think of no better way to celebrate it, really. So over to you. Yeah.
- [00:38]
B
So a lot of you may know, some of you may not. We are Breaking Beauty Podcast. We're going into our ninth year now. We are two former magazine beauty editors. That's the world we came from. And now we are full time beauty podcasters. And every Wednesday we're in your feed talking about the breakthrough people, products and moments in beauty.
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C
And if it is your first time connecting with us. We have a catalog of 450 episodes. So if you're ever in the mood to binge listen. We've got some good episodes with incredible people in the beauty industry. Everyone from makeup by Mario to founders like Tracee ellis Ross and Dr. Sherene Idris. And the list goes on. And even creators like Gloria George and Michaela Nogara. So there's so much conversation to have in beauty and we're always grateful when people share the microphone with us.
- [01:28]
B
Yes. Name drop. Name drop, yes. And one of the things that I love about being the co host of Breaking Beauty Podcast, honestly, is all of the women's stories. You know, I feel like there's been such a shift in the beauty industry where when we started, certainly when I first started at magazines, it was still actually pretty male dominated, which made no sense considering that the, it was largely a women's market that, you know, was being marketed to. And so I love discovering the inside stories from founders and brands and just like people who are shaking it up and rocking it in the beauty industry who are women, two of which are sitting here beside me today. We have Chelsea Riggs.
- [02:10]
A
Woo.
- [02:14]
C
And we also have John Doherty, everybody. And if you are not familiar, Chelsea is the CEO of Amica. And Chelsea first appeared on our podcast back in 2024 and she shared a great story about how she first started working with the brand in 2009. That's before Instagram. Okay, yeah, yeah, it was Facebook. Yeah. Instagram didn't arrive until I think 2010. But you shared a great story about finding the job listing on Craigslist. So you have to go back and listen to that. It was a great story. And Chelsea's been at the helm ever since. And she's, she's, she's been doing the most. I can safely say that she's. During her tenure, Chelsea has transformed Amica into a global powerhouse. It's now ranked as the number four premium hair care brand in the US and the number four professional hair care brand in the US and that influence is just really continuing to grow around the world.
- [03:08]
B
I'm going to continue to blow you up, Chelsea. Under Chelsea's leadership, Amica has been recognized as a great place to work. 2023 to 2025, I'm sure in 2026 as well. Also, Women's Wear Daily has named Amica a power brand multiple times, including last year. Chelsea herself was a finalist for Beauty Matters CEO of the Year in 2025, not to mention an adage breakout brand leader in 2023, just to name a few accolades. I had to leave some out. I was like, this is getting too long. Congratulations, though.
- [03:42]
C
We got to celebrate each other as women. And another fun fact, amica to mean friend, which I didn't know until we had you on the podcast the first time. So that's really great. And I think what's really amazing about Amica is, like, it really is a really living that DNA every single day, being a friend. And I think it's so special in this industry, which can be quite cutthroat, competitive, gatekeepy, making that word up. And it's just really refreshing to see that you're using the word friend in every single thing that you do. I love that. Yes.
- [04:15]
B
And we also have Gian Doherty here for her debut on Breaking Beauty Podcast. And Gian is the director of diversity, equity and impact at Amica. With a background in marketing and community building, Gian is passionate about inclusive storytelling, values aligned partnerships, and social impact work that is culturally resonant, joyful, and deeply human. We love that.
- [04:39]
C
And just ahead, we're going to be discussing what it means to be a friend in beauty and in business and how to cultivate real community online and in real life as well. And of course, we're going to be talking about hair, because we are a beauty podcast, after all. So we're going to get. We're going to get it. We're going to be talking about hair, and we're getting a sneak peek of some products that Amica is launching that I saw that are in that room over there. So we're going to be getting a peek of that at the end.
- [05:07]
B
And because it is Women's Day, all of our Listeners are friends of AM and we have a limited time promo code and use code breaking beauty. 20 for 20% off all Amica products on loveamica.com from March 8th to March 15th.
- [05:22]
C
Woohoo.
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B
All right, so this is a question for Chelsea. One of the things that I noticed about Amica when we first chatted a while back is it's just so different the way that you go about running the business, where I think a lot of times we think beauty is competitive, it's so saturated, it can feel kind of cutthroat, you know, climbing that ladder. But I feel like with Amica, this idea of being a friend to all community planet, it feels almost radical. So maybe you can tell us as somebody who's been with Amica from the beginning, what that's all about and how it's been good for business as well.
- [06:02]
A
So, yes, the name Amica means friend. It's derived from Latin and it is truly how we show up every single day and how the entire company operates. It's woven into the very fabric of every single thing that we do. And we can unpack, you know, exactly how we do that. I think what's really interesting is we didn't come from the beauty industry, we didn't come from the professional hair industry myself, nor the founders and a lot of the very early employees that joined the brand. We were huge fans of beauty, of salons and the artistry that was really goes into hairdressing as both a career, but also as a passion, as an art. And we really wanted to create something that was empowering the community that it was meant to serve. We felt a lot of brands at the time were very transactional, very, you know, authoritative. We tell you the trends, we tell you the. The colors of the season or the haircut. And we really wanted to build something alongside our community of stylists and of course, consumers, because we ourselves were consumers. And we're really craving for a brand that saw us as well as stylists because it kind of also creates that. That line between, like professional and consumer. And we were really struggling to understand the language and how we utilize these products. So it was really a goal to kind of blur these lines and create a brand with people and like, by the people. And it sounds radical today. It didn't. It was very intentional. But also at the same time, we didn't realize how radical it truly was. And we've continued to build on that. And it's really has so many legs that have gone into every single thing that we do if we think about how we show up for even our influencer community, we. We often get a lot of great reviews after the fact of, like, we love that this was an intimate dinner. It wasn't just like a party that you threw to see how many people would show up. And, you know, our team, I am not able to do all of those things. Like, our team truly embodies that, and it's been amazing for business because, you know, people buy from brands that they trust. They want to continue to support brands that they like, that they feel are doing the right things. And we've woven that through a lot of other things over the years in terms of our social impact, which Gian leads. So it is something that's very integral to everything that we do, and it truly shows up in, you know, loyalty and nps, and it's good for business in that way. Right. Like, trust is. Is love in a brand.
- [08:51]
C
Yeah. Wait, what's nps?
- [08:53]
A
Oh, Net Promoter Score. Sorry, I hate acronyms. But that one is. That's a long one.
- [08:59]
C
Is. Is it like when celebrities have a Q score score? When it's like.
- [09:02]
A
So your Net Promoter score is basically your promoters less your detractors.
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C
Oh, okay, okay. So you're like your lovers versus your haters.
- [09:12]
A
Yes, exactly. Lovers versus haters. Our love versus hate score.
- [09:15]
C
Yeah, okay. Obsessed with that. So one of the things that that's always stood out to me about Amica is just how much it's catering to so many individuals and people that were often neglected, I think, in the hair care industry. And you cater to so many different hair types and textures. So when you're looking at product development for all hair types and identities, how do you ensure the brand is really a true friend to all of those textures?
- [09:42]
D
Yeah, great question. For us, being a true friend to all hair textures starts at formulation. So from the quad mannequins that we use in our R D to the lived experience from our curly coily committee. And it's also, we all know representation matters. It needs to be in the room. So I love to always shout out our Dr. Sicily, our AVP of Product Development, who herself is a curly coily woman at the table making decisions. But also, you can't talk about hair equity if you're not looking beyond the retail shelves. So for us, that's why we show up for our Crown act event every year at Amica to attend, because it's about policy, it's about education, and it's about cultural conversation.
- [10:26]
C
I love that. That's so important. And it's such a good point. Just being at the table, having people to weigh in on those conversations. It's, it's, it's. It really shows when it comes to the store shelf offering.
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D
You can't fake that.
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C
Yeah, yeah.
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B
It's all about raising all ships. I was doing some research, obviously, when we, you know, for this conversation and on the website, I saw that you. You have so many programs and initiatives, and I think that's the thing. Again, stepping back. What we do is kind of analyzing the industry. There are a lot of brands who talk about inclusivity, and maybe they offer a range of products, but what are they really doing? It's noteworthy how many initiatives, what you're actually doing that's having an impact. One of them is the Rooted in Growth initiative. Maybe you could tell us about that.
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C
Yes.
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D
Thank you. The hardest part of my job is probably how do I talk about all the things that we do? Because it's infused in Amica. The Rooted in Growth program is one of my favorite parts of my job. And that's our annual program where we gift a $50,000 grant to four emerging hair care brands. And it's paired with mentorship. But our belief is that mentorship without capital is knowledge you can't afford to act on. And then capital without knowledge is money you may not spend wisely. And throughout the program, they have access to Amica's entire C suite. Our brand friends. And there's nothing like it. And I love when Chelsea says this is something that she wishes was around during Amica's early. And that's how we've built. Built it so intentionally and with such impact.
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C
That's very impressive, especially that it's for other brands.
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B
That's what I said.
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C
It's like a launch. A launch pad.
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B
When I saw it, I was like, it's almost like they're competing brands and they're so. They're. They're younger brands, but they are supporting other.
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C
Yeah.
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B
Brands. Like, how could.
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D
There's room for everyone.
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A
Yeah.
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D
There's truly room for everyone.
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C
Yeah. Yeah.
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B
Amazing.
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C
And, Gian, I feel like in the last few years, certainly with our reporting, we've noticed that DEI initiatives, like, it was really. People had a megaphone about it and really trying to bake it into brands. But then I think you saw the people that are the brands that it wasn't necessarily legitimately and authentically baked in, kind of go quiet about. About Di. And, you know, Amica is still here doing the work. So how do you reflect on that now? Versus maybe five years ago or you know, it has shift.
- [12:57]
D
Yes. So the work for us never disappeared because it was never optional. And it's been embedded in everything Amica does, from our product development to our marketing to our education. It's non negotiable and that's why it's endured.
- [13:13]
A
I think DEI and well, inclusivity in general gets construed as charity for some reason. And it's not charity, it's smart business. At the end of the day, the world is multi ethnic, multi texture. And I mean, that is who our customer is. And I think often, especially in today's environment, there can be some very polarizing conversations. And I think the brands that abandoned their kind of initiatives, it was never fully embedded in their business to begin with. You have to think about it from not just representation in your advertising, of course, that is important. Like you can only be what you see, right. Or have that ambition to be what you see. But also it has to reflect in everything underneath that, from the products that you're creating to the team behind it, the creators that you're choosing to work with, the suppliers that you're choosing to work with. It really has to be embedded from every aspect of the organization. And if it's not currently and that's where the company wants to go, then they need to think about it in all of those facets to like truly build it and to be enduring. Like Gian said, is there a specific
- [14:34]
C
failure or maybe an oops moment that taught you more about creating community than a successful moment ever did? Because I remember when you were on our show before, you talked about the power of the one star review and you had a great response about that.
- [14:48]
A
Yeah. I will say that there are some things that I reflect back on as marketing has changed and how you reach audiences has changed. We have certainly thought about our events and where we meet our community in a different way. It's not just about LA and New York. It's, you know, how do we meet people in other cities? Like, we just did something recently in Arizona and we're going to do something in Tennessee and something in, in Florida. Right. So there are other cities besides New York and la. I know we don't like to think that those of us from these cities, I've also there' there's other amazing examples of the team, you know, popping up in Central park and asking our community like, hey, come meet us in Central Park. We're going to be at the, at this place at this time and we're giving out free product just to like truly meet people. That is not scalable.
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C
Yeah.
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A
But that is the way that we show up as a true friend, as someone who is relatable, that wants to create that closeness. Because beauty can be so transactional and it's very much focused on like what we're giving you, whether that's, you know, a benefit for your face or hair.
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D
Yeah.
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A
And we're looking for to go beyond that and actually have a relationship with our community and learn from our community because that's where we get our best ideas from and create amazing products which, you know, we talked about sort of sneak peek body. Right. That's something that, you know, we're a hair brand or professional hair brand, but our community was begging us for that. So it really does require you to constantly, instantly iterate because we, yes, we did have and still do have bigger launch parties. But we, we really make sure that we, our team has these more intimate moments as well that allow us to. Yeah. Continue to iterate and, and really challenge ourselves on, on what it means to truly create community and be a friend.
- [16:37]
C
Yeah, I think that's really important to talk about on International Women's Day because what do women love to do more than yap about beauty and your beauty products? Like getting women or people together to talk about beauty products. It's like, you know, we're talking about your lipstick holder in the other room. It's like, it's exciting, it's fun to share. And that's what I love about, you know, the in real life aspect of what you're doing and people make friends
- [17:01]
A
and it's not about gatekeeping, it's about, you know, sharing and everyone has a seat at the table. You're not like fighting for, you know, a seat at amica's table. You know, it's really about being welcoming. And I don't know, I. Gian said the program that we had, the rooted in growth I wished we had when we were starting out because I felt like a lot of information was gate kept. Like founders weren't willing to talk or CEOs weren't willing to talk about what they were doing or the challenges they were having or, you know, what warehouse are you using? And I do think things have changed. I think a lot more women have come into the beauty space. That was also something shocking to me when I entered the beauty space. There weren't a lot of women in beauty. They weren't running businesses and brands and they, there are a lot more today and are the most, you know, open and welcoming and. And non gapekeeping as well. So, you know, we try to embody that in the work that we're doing as well.
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C
You have a really fun popup coming up, don't you?
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A
Yes. At Disney Springs.
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B
Can you.
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C
Can you give us a sneak peek on that?
- [18:00]
A
Yes. So it will be. So we're inviting you to come into the shower with us. I have to say that with a straight face. It's in Disney Springs. It's outside of the Sephora location there. It's one of our top doors.
- [18:13]
C
Okay.
- [18:14]
A
For Amica. So it's truly an immersive experience, but also really meant to meet our community and give, you know, education and tips and resources and truly connect. It's not like a content farm or, you know, we're just standing there handing out samples and lattes like we truly want to welcome you into our world. And this pop up is one of the opportunities that we'll have to do that. And it's March 20th through the 25th, so if you are in Orlando, Florida, gonna be there with your kids for spring break or something, stop by.
- [18:48]
C
That's really fun.
- [18:49]
B
So this is a beauty podcast after all. So, Chelsea, question for you. Is there a sleeper hit in the Amica lineup that maybe isn't the best seller, but people really should know about?
- [19:01]
A
We have this amazing lightweight hair styling oil that we launched last year called the Super Fruit Star in my hair
- [19:08]
C
right now, Actually, that's what I traveled with.
- [19:10]
A
This is not planned hair oil for people who don't like hair oils, but also for people who do like hair oils. I was definitely afraid of them. I would not let an oil near my head. Yeah, and I love that one. You can use it on wet hair, dry hair, and you truly feel the difference when you use it all the time. Like, your hair just has, you know, so much, like, better length. It doesn't get as silkier, and it protects against heat, so you can use it before sun styling. I love that one.
- [19:39]
C
Yeah, I traveled with that one here. So good to know the sleeper hits are. Maybe. Maybe we need to gatekeep that. No, I'm joking.
- [19:47]
A
Don't sell it out.
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C
And Gian, what's the number one product from Amica or cocktail of products that you reach for and you're just like, maybe you're having a bad hair day. And you're like, I know this is going to give me, like, a confidence boost.
- [19:59]
D
I love the Superfood star oil. I use it every day. I use it on my natural hair. I use it on extensions, sew in, it's lightweight and it's smell you. You end up smelling delicious. So I'm like, who doesn't want to smell delicious?
- [20:12]
C
Yeah, that's true. Okay, so this is.
- [20:14]
B
Yeah, I feel like the fact that both of you,
- [20:18]
D
to be honest, is it.
- [20:19]
A
It's not a hit yet, but it will be after this podcast.
- [20:22]
C
Tell your friends.
- [20:22]
B
Spread the word. Spread the word, everyone. Now, I know that last year Amica made waves when they bottled their iconic signature scent into the aura, hair and body mist. Have any of you tried that? Okay, where I get right now?
- [20:36]
A
All right.
- [20:37]
B
We're seeing nods in the audience. Apparently one sells every 42 seconds at Sephora. Now that is incredible. And we understand that you've dropped an even bigger product expansion just recent this week.
- [20:50]
A
Yes. So we just unveiled our highly in demand body care range, which has been at least a few, I know, a few years in the making, just truly to get it out the door. But in my brain and others who I've worked with for years, know, has been, you know, like a decade. We, we had some products that we had 10 years ago, so we've been iterating and tinkering ever since then. But the most highly requested products from our community, we have a signature fragrance as we talked about, which is in our. It's called Amica Aura. And we have just had so many people tell us they want to like, bathe themselves in soul food nourishing mask and, you know, using our shamp as body cleanser. So we knew we had to do something better than that for our community. And we wanted to do it in a way that was very amica. Like, how do we bring what Amica does very uniquely, which is this intersection of high performance, clinically proven, amazing skincare grade ingredients, but also wrap it in a way that's super fun and joyful. And it's like packaging that you just, it's so juicy and you want to look at it all the time and just display it. So we had a lot of fun developing the packaging because we didn't want it to just be, you know, adjacent to the hair care range, where it looks kind of the same and you're not really sure if it's different. And everything is clinically proven to, to smooth and to give a glow. It's like three steps to an amazing glow. The big star of the show is Big Embrace, which is our whipped smoothing body butter. And it has this like, we call it playtime. So it's like, you know, sometimes you put on a lotion, and you're like, rubbing, rubbing, rubbing, rubbing. Oh, my gosh. Is this ever going to blend in? We wanted to get, like, that playtime, right? So you got a ton of moisture, but you weren't, like, having to work on it forever. So I love that. And it also uses this amazing ingredient which I'm sure everyone here has heard of, which is called shea butter. But what's really unique about our shea butter is that we're actually sourcing it with this incredible company called Forested. And so we're actually. It's all regenerative agriculture we're bringing back in this. In these particular communities, the shade trees were not being harvested and sold for anything other than the wood because there was no one sourcing from these communities. So we actually were able to restore the trees with them, support them, and we actually import the shea butter ourselves directly to our manufacturers. So it is definitely a labor of love, and it's our first product that will have this regenerative shea butter. But we're going to be integrating it into our other products that use this ingredient, and then we're excited for our community to get it in their hands.
- [23:35]
B
I have a question, because y' all are so nice, and I feel like in the workplace, if anybody here is a manager or if you're listening and you. You're in a workplace, how do you. This is a real talk question. How do you have that empathetic environment, like, we're all friends here, but then still be professional? You know, like, you still need to manage people who need to report to you. You still need to be able to criticize them. So how do you navigate that world?
- [24:06]
C
Share feedback. This is a practical question. Share feedback.
- [24:10]
B
See, I'd be fired. I haven't had a boss in, like, 10 years.
- [24:16]
A
It's a great question, and I love the question because we just recently, about a month ago, came back from our company off site, where we did two things. So we had training by this company and an amazing book, which is called Radical Candor, which is all about, you know, giving exactly what you're saying, honest, clear feedback, but also considering the person and being empathetic in your delivery and, like, truly caring about other people. It's not like Radical Candor of, like, you know, you should go and be a butthead to everybody with your feedback. And then we also had a amazing keynote speaker, Danielle Baird Jackson, who talked about. She's a friendship expert. Yes. It's a real job.
- [25:03]
C
Wow.
- [25:03]
A
She's an. She's a former teacher. She was Amazing. Definitely one of the best parts of the conference and talked exactly about that. You know, friendships at work. What does it mean to truly be a friend at work? And when you think about being a good friend, you. You tell your good friends because you care truly about them when maybe they're not doing something in a way that is kind or, you know, giving them that clear feedback is. Is being a friend and showing up when it's. When it's hard, when you've got a lot of things on your plate and giving a helping hand, not like it's not my job. And you. You figure it out. So I don't know if Gianni, you want to add to that.
- [25:44]
D
I mean, ultimately, feedback is a gift, right? Who here doesn't want to do better but talk nice to me, right? Say it nicely, say it professionally, but it is a gift. And it was great at. At the conference to practice through that because it can feel uncomfortable delivering it. But I know that when I've received feed, ultimately I. I'm ending up being grateful because it's for my better.
- [26:08]
B
I think it says a lot, too, even just going and doing conferences like that in this day and age when, again, I think a lot of that has been cut. So investing in, you know, the culture of the business and learning to. To communicate in, you know, a new era and with new, new generations. Since I worked at a fashion magazine, I'll tell you that.
- [26:29]
A
Yeah, it was a different kind of radical candor back then.
- [26:32]
C
Devil wear.
- [26:32]
B
Yeah, Devil wear. Devil wear as Prada was not that inaccurate.
- [26:37]
C
Yes.
- [26:37]
B
And I. And on that note, we're talking about lifting each other up as women. What would be one small gesture that you feel has a big impact?
- [26:47]
A
I think small gestures look like, you know, even maybe speaking about that person in an uplifting way when they're not in the room, like mentioning their name or. I was even just talking about the other day. I had, like, a really insane week, and I'm flying home and my friends are texting me. And it was a really just funny story that I was, like, crying, laughing on the airplane, and everyone's looking at me like I'm, like, psychotic. And it's like those things, like send the text, like, mention their name, support their business or their brand or their initiative. I think those moments, they. They do lighten the load of. Of every day. And they are the small things that we can tend to forget to do. But I know that I always feel a lot better when my friends do that for me.
- [27:32]
C
You make a good point too. I think in the creator community, I've seen some people make TikToks and things. They're like the people who are closest to me in my life. They don't like my stuff, they don't share my stuff. And they're like, that's, you know, you would just assume that they kind of would. So I like that tip about liking and sharing and just even leaving a comment or saying, you know, to your content creator friend, I like what you did or what have you. I think that's, that's, that's like a very easy lift and like, makes a big difference.
- [28:00]
A
Or reach out to us. I mean, I reached out to a fellow founder who I had met recently at a dinner, but we weren't really close. Lainey, the founder of say, and she was on a amazing podcast recently with Emma Greed, and I, you know, sent her this, like, congratulatory note and, you know, we got to connect at the Sephora Summit that we were recently at and like, truly just share and like, hey, what's going on in your business? And that's how you, you know, how you make friends. Like putting yourself out there and yeah,
- [28:24]
C
making new friends, it's a good point. Is harder as well as you get, get older. And Gian, do you have any advice? Ding people up or lifting up?
- [28:33]
D
Yeah, I think if you think something kind or nice about someone, don't keep it to yourself. Life is lifing. There's so much going on and to just be able to look someone in the eyes and be like, I see you. I love your top when you're taking your selfie. I wanted to be like, beautiful. But I was nervous about the podcast so I kept it to myself.
- [28:53]
B
Okay. And our last one, Chelsea, who's the dream pal for amica to collaborate with, photographer, creator, a celeb. And why?
- [29:03]
A
This is the million dollar question. Because we've never had like an ambassador like that for our brand. And we've always just considered because our brand is our community. It's not like a single person. It's hard to pick, like, who's that one person that's going to represent everyone in our, in our world. But we think about people who, that we're drawn to tend to be individuals that are just culturally magnetic, like, know who they are, unapologetically themselves. Yeah, they're at the top of their game, their craft, whether that's music or sports. And they're also really carving their own path and kind of creating the culture and the history and just kind of like, because they are who they are. You know, that can be. I'll give you like a couple tidbit. Names. But we've looked at, you know, like Chapel Roan or like Rosalia Olivia Dean. Like, you know, unreal. They're amazing, stunningly beautiful and in all their own ways. But also when you think about them, they're so individually who they are. Yeah. So those are the kind of.
- [30:09]
C
My suggestion would be Elisa Liu or Alyssa Lou, the gold medalist.
- [30:13]
A
Oh. Oh, my gosh.
- [30:15]
C
She is unbelievable. Yeah, we got a few of those. Yeah. Yeah. Because I don't know if you saw her, but she has. I did the bleach, the striped hair. The striped. She gets it bleached once a year and that. It's like kind of like tree rings. You know, it grows. Yeah. Like, and I'm obsessed with her and her individuality and the way. All the way she expresses herself I think is so incredible. And I think she's maybe 20 years old or 21. Like, she's so young, but just I feel like is such a good. A cool example of just doing your own thing and embracing your own beauty and doing your stuff. Like.
- [30:48]
A
And I read that she, like, quit figure skating after doing it for a long time and then went back like, but wanted to own it in her own way. And she. Yeah, she really shows up in a way that is clearly her.
- [30:59]
B
Yeah.
- [30:59]
C
Yeah, I'm obsessed with that. So thank you so much to both of you. We're gonna open it up. Do any of you have any questions for ourselves or for Chelsea or Giant? I can pass around the microphone if you like. It's cool to hold it. Hi, my question is for Chelsea. So as a CEO running a company that's more community friend based, what are some self care or wellness tools that you use to keep you creatively grounded, but also avoiding burnout? Because I do believe you can still get burnout doing something that you love. So how do you balance that?
- [31:36]
A
That was such a nice question.
- [31:39]
C
Thank you.
- [31:39]
A
You cared so much about me in that question. I feel good. It's a great point. I mean, I've been part of this brand for basically almost my whole career. And there are definitely heavy days. I just remind myself this is. We're not like doing brain surgery or saving lives, you know, this is hair care. It's supposed to be fun and light. And there are certainly a lot of heavy moments in. In the world. And we have the opportunity to really change people's confidence, change the industry, Progressing equity in the industry through all the amazing programming that we get to do and working with these founders. And it's those, like, small little insights too. They're like, oh, my gosh, thank you for saying that. And it's like, wow, that's such a small thing. But you know, how much of a difference it made to them and how I stay grounded in that is one. Trying to remind myself of those things in a heavy moment. The self care piece is real. I work out. I try to do some level of fitness every day. Some days that's like, you know, walking around the block. We, you know, we are on an airplane all day. But that is how I get decompressed. It's when no one's bothering me. I have like my best thoughts. Either doing exercise or in the shower. Yeah, I think, yeah, you've got to make sure that you carve out time for yourself. I have two small kids, so it's like you want to be there for them. You want to be there for your company and your team. It depends on you. But also like, you can't do any of that if you don't take care of yourself first. So I really try six out of seven days to prioritize what I need in that day to really then give my best to other people. And it's. Sometimes it is hard.
- [33:24]
C
Yeah, for sure. Are there any other questions I can. I'm just going to repeat the question. So it was to either Gian or Chelsea and it was. What piece of advice did you learn early in your. In your career that you may have unlearned and what did you replace it with? Correct. Yeah.
- [33:39]
A
I used to think, like, work was work and like professional, like you had to be professional and you couldn't mix and you couldn't have friends at work. And I do think that you have to be. You still have to have a lot of respect for one another. Because what happens like with me, I mean, I started here when I was 21, I think I was a sales manager and I had a group of friends and many of them I still work with today. And I've progressed in my career and then I was the boss of some of these people. And I've realized that you can have both, but it does. You do have to have boundaries and mutual respect for one another and how you. And how you show up and, and like true care. And I don't. I no longer think that it's like just professionals, professional, like keeping work separate. Because I do think there is some I've seen that can also be a danger and how people operate they're like, oh, but I operate this way at work. It's like business is business. Nothing personal, but like it is because we're working with people and we're here every day. We spend more time with each other than we do with our friends and family. So there has to be a blend in a way, but not. You don't want the lines to blur too much.
- [34:54]
D
I would say. Not that I was told not to take up space because I'm a Leo, but I think as women, sometimes we've been socialized to not take up space. Right. And if we do good, like, good things will happen for us. We don't need to shout our name from the rooftop. But advocate for yourself, cheerlead for yourself. It's just, it's really important, I think, I think as women to do that, especially black and brown women, depending culturally what your home life is like.
- [35:25]
A
It's.
- [35:25]
D
You're seen and not heard.
- [35:27]
C
Right.
- [35:27]
D
So pushing through that to make sure that you're able to achieve your goals is super important.
- [35:32]
C
Yeah, that's great. That's a hard thing to like have learned and unlearn. Right. So it's just. Do you have any tips for how you unlearned that?
- [35:42]
D
I pep talk myself?
- [35:43]
C
You do?
- [35:44]
D
I do. I. I'm like, I don't know, something with bad words in it, but
- [35:50]
C
I'm
- [35:51]
D
like, you got this. You're a bad. You're a bad mamacita.
- [35:56]
A
There is something to that. Because I used to hype myself up before like meetings. I'd go and meet with like Sephora. I'm like, who am I? I'm like this 22 year old girl who has nothing to do with beauty. And I'm like, but I deserve to be in this room. Like, I believe in this brand. I like, like, if, if not me, then who? Like, you've gotta really hype yourself up.
- [36:15]
C
Right.
- [36:15]
A
Say it out loud. As long as I'm alone, I'm not saying it out loud in front of other people.
- [36:19]
C
Yeah.
- [36:20]
B
I feel like that's part of the manifesting. Right. Not just thinking it. You know who else does this? Jlo. Yeah. I was another Leo queen.
- [36:28]
C
Yeah.
- [36:30]
A
Do you know all the Leo?
- [36:31]
C
I do.
- [36:32]
B
But you should look up this clip because it's pretty powerful. When you see her doing it too, you're like, oh, yeah, there is something to that.
- [36:39]
C
And I also appreciate me back to the Olympics. Clearly. I was obsessed. I was like cheerleader on my couch. But when you heard Eileen goo. I don't know if any of you Heard her. She's the Chinese American, competed for China in the freestyle skiing. And she talked about. A reporter said to her, you're so well spoken. Do you think about your answer before you speak? Did you see that?
- [36:59]
A
Yeah, I did.
- [37:00]
C
And then she goes, oh, well, I have neuroplasticity on my side. I'm 22. So I. We have the power to think who we are. And we. The younger we are, the more of a muscle it is to, like, train it. And I was like, whoa, I am blown away by you. And she was just like, I'm like the best freestyle skier in the world. And she talked about how she talks, says that aloud to herself and creates those pathways in her brain, like she made it. I think she might be. I don't know what her major is, but she's also incredibly impressive in the academic world. And I just thought that was extremely powerful to hear from a young person that your thoughts are who you.
- [37:36]
A
Me too. Because sometimes you feel like your brain is like an enemy in a way. It just like does. Has its own life.
- [37:42]
C
Yeah.
- [37:43]
A
She talks about, I evaluate what I said, what I did, and I, like, recalibrate. So, like, I retrain my brain. And it does feel like you have a lot of power.
- [37:51]
C
Yeah.
- [37:52]
A
When you do that.
- [37:53]
C
Yeah. Well, thank you all so much for joining us this evening. And just a friendly reminder for our listeners and for our audience here, we have a very special promo code and you can shop amica@loveamica.com you can shop it at Ulta Beauty Sephora on Amazon. And we have a limited time promotion which is Breaking Beauty 2020 off all Amica products on loveamica.com from today, March 8 to March 15. So fill your carts, everyone. Thank you.
- [38:23]
B
Thanks, everyone. Thank you. Thanks for listening. You can find details on every product mentioned in today's episode along with our exclusive promo codes on our blog @breaking beauty podcast.com.
- [38:38]
C
while you're there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter. Every episode will be delivered directly to your inbox, so you won't miss a single thing.
- [38:46]
B
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- [38:52]
C
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- [38:57]
B
You can even leave us a voicemail at any time with questions or feedback at 1-844-227-0302.
- [39:04]
C
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- [39:15]
B
See you.
- [39:33]
A
Please note that this episode may contain
- [39:35]
C
paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services.
- [39:38]
A
Individuals on the show may have a
- [39:40]
C
direct or indirect financial interest in products
- [39:43]
A
or services referred to in this episode.