Breaking Beauty Podcast

BONUS: Happy International Women’s Day!

Hosts: Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins
Guests: Chelsea Riggs (CEO, Amica) and Gian Doherty (Director of Diversity, Equity & Impact, Amica)
Release Date: March 8, 2026

Episode Overview

In this energetic and heartfelt bonus episode celebrating International Women’s Day, hosts Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins invite two pivotal women from the haircare brand Amica—CEO Chelsea Riggs and Director of Diversity, Equity & Impact Gian Doherty—for a candid discussion about friendship, inclusivity, and community within the beauty industry.

The conversation explores how Amica’s “friend to all” ethos challenges the competitive, gatekeeping norms of beauty business, creating a brand culture that is radically inclusive, supportive, and innovative. The guests also share insights on product development for diverse hair textures, fostering real connections inside and outside the company, and maintaining professional empathy while leading with kindness.

Listeners get a “sneak peek” at Amica’s newly unveiled body care line and hear practical advice on women supporting women, both at work and in life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breaking Beauty: The Hosts and Their Mission

[00:37 - 01:27]

• Jill and Carlene introduce Breaking Beauty’s magazine roots, nine years of podcasting, and the show’s tradition of spotlighting breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty.
• "We have a catalog of 450 episodes...with incredible people in the beauty industry…The list goes on." — Carlene

2. Meet the Guests: Chelsea Riggs & Gian Doherty

[02:10 - 04:39]

• Chelsea Riggs: CEO of Amica, elevated the brand to a global powerhouse, recipient of numerous industry accolades.
• Fun fact: “Amica” means friend in Latin—reflecting its core values.
• Gian Doherty: Director of Diversity, Equity & Impact, with a background in marketing and community building.

3. The Amica Ethos: Radical Friendship in Beauty

[05:23 - 08:51]

• Amica’s philosophy opposes the traditional cutthroat model of beauty business.
• Chelsea describes building a brand "by the people, for the people," blurring professional-consumer lines, putting community first:

  “We really wanted to build something alongside our community of stylists and, of course, consumers, because we ourselves were consumers.” — Chelsea (06:44)

• Trust and authenticity have translated into business success—high loyalty, strong Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and engaged communities.

4. True Inclusivity: Product Formulation & Representation

[09:15 - 10:40]

• Amica’s inclusive product development starts with diverse representation at every stage:

  “Being a true friend to all hair textures starts at formulation–from the quad mannequins in our R&D to the lived experience from our curly-coily committee.” — Gian (09:41)

• Shoutout to Dr. Sicily, AVP of Product Development, herself a curly-coily woman—her insights shape Amica's offerings.
• Importance of attending the CROWN Act events: “You can’t talk about hair equity if you’re not looking beyond the retail shelves.” — Gian (10:12)

5. Social Impact in Action: Rooted in Growth

[10:40 - 12:13]

• Amica’s “Rooted in Growth” initiative gives $50,000 grants and mentorship to four up-and-coming hair brands each year.

  “Mentorship without capital is knowledge you can’t afford to act on. And then capital without knowledge is money you may not spend wisely.” — Gian (11:41)

• The program makes space for competition and collaboration: “There’s really room for everyone.” — Gian (12:23)

6. Authentic DEI Commitment

[12:25 - 14:13]

• Unlike many brands, Amica never viewed DEI as optional or performative. It's embedded in every function.
• Chelsea pushbacks on the “charity” label for inclusivity, calling it “smart business”:

  “It’s not charity. It’s smart business… The world is multi-ethnic, multi-texture. That is who our customer is.” — Chelsea (13:16)

• Brands that retreated from DEI, she asserts, never truly embedded it to start.

7. Building Community (and Learning from Mistakes)

[14:34 - 17:52]

• Amica learned from “oops moments,” turning one-star reviews and local pop-ups into vital opportunities for relationship and iteration.

  “That is not scalable…but that is the way that we show up as a true friend.” — Chelsea (15:37)

• Gatekeeping versus sharing knowledge: Chelsea notes a shift toward openness, especially among women founders.

8. New Product Sneak Peek & Pop-Up Activation

[17:53 - 18:47]

• Amica’s immersive, education-focused pop-up at Disney Springs (March 20–25)—“We’re inviting you to come into the shower with us.” — Chelsea (18:00)

9. Favorite Amica Products: Hidden Gems and New Launches

[19:01 - 20:12]

• Chelsea and Gian champion Amica’s Superfruit Star Oil:

  “Hair oil for people who don’t like hair oils, but also for people who do.” — Chelsea (19:10)
  “You end up smelling delicious. Who doesn’t want to smell delicious?” — Gian (19:59)

• Amica Aura Hair & Body Mist: sells every 42 seconds at Sephora; massive cult following.
• New launch: Amica’s body care line featuring “Big Embrace” whipped smoothing body butter and regenerative shea butter.

10. Leadership & Empathy: Radical Candor in the Workplace

[24:05 - 26:08]

• Amica invests in professional development with “Radical Candor” training and offsites.

  “Giving that clear feedback is being a friend and showing up when it’s hard.” — Chelsea (25:23)

• Gian adds, “Feedback is a gift… but talk nice to me.” (25:44)

11. Small Gestures, Big Impact: Lifting Women Up

[26:37 - 28:53]

• Chelsea: “Small gestures look like maybe speaking about that person in an uplifting way when they’re not in the room…send the text, mention their name, support their business.”
• Gian: “If you think something kind…don’t keep it to yourself. Look someone in the eyes and be like, I see you.”

12. Dream Collaborator

[29:02 - 30:58]

• Amica hasn’t chosen a “face” because their brand is the community, but seeks to partner with culturally magnetic, unapologetically authentic individuals (e.g., Chapel Roan, Rosalía, Olivia Dean, and Olympian Alysa Liu).

13. Wellness, Boundaries, and Self-Care in Leadership

[31:36 - 33:23]

• Chelsea shares how fitness, laughter, and daily boundaries keep her grounded:

  “You can’t do any of that if you don’t take care of yourself first.”

14. Lessons Learned—and Unlearned

[33:23 - 36:19]

• Chelsea unlearned rigid professional boundaries: “You can have both (friendship and professionalism), but it does require boundaries and mutual respect.”
• Gian on self-advocacy:

  “Advocate for yourself, cheerlead for yourself…especially for black and brown women…you’re seen and not heard, so push through that.” (35:26)

• Both share tips on self-pep talks and manifesting confidence (“You’re a bad mamacita!”).

15. Endorsement of Women’s Self-confidence Power

[36:30 - 37:51]

• Referencing athletes like Eileen Gu, Jill and Carlene affirm the importance of women internalizing belief in themselves and retraining their own brains for success.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Trust is love in a brand.” — Chelsea (08:51)
• “Mentorship without capital is knowledge you can’t afford to act on.” — Gian (11:41)
• “It’s not charity, it’s smart business…the world is multi ethnic, multi texture.” — Chelsea (13:16)
• “Feedback is a gift…but talk nice to me.” — Gian (25:44)
• “If you think something kind or nice about someone, don’t keep it to yourself.” — Gian (28:33)
• “You’re a bad mamacita!” — Gian (pep talk, 35:43)

Important Timestamps

• 00:37 — Breaking Beauty podcast background, hosts’ experience
• 02:10 — Introduction of Chelsea Riggs
• 04:14 — Gian Doherty’s background
• 06:01 — Amica’s founding philosophy and radical “friend” approach
• 09:41 — How Amica ensures inclusivity in product development
• 11:14 — "Rooted in Growth" program explained
• 13:12 — Discussion on true DEI embedding
• 15:37 — Amica's approach to building local, real-world community
• 18:00 — Sneak peek of Disney Springs pop-up
• 19:01 — Amica’s sleeper hit product: Superfruit Star Oil
• 20:50 — Launch of Amica's body care line and details on regenerative supply
• 24:05 — Radical Candor training and workplace empathy
• 26:47 — Small gestures that lift up other women
• 29:02 — Dream collaborations for Amica
• 31:36 — CEO’s personal self-care rituals
• 33:39 — Lessons learned and unlearned in work-life boundaries
• 35:24 — Advocating for oneself as a woman of color
• 36:30 — Athlete stories and self-confidence affirmations

Conclusion

This upbeat, honest roundtable celebrates female leadership, inclusive business, and the power of women uplifting one another—delivering both business insights and practical career advice. It’s a masterclass in the future of beauty: collaborative, diverse, and driven by friendship.

Promo Code Reminder:
Use code BREAKINGBEAUTY20 for 20% off all Amica products at loveamica.com (valid March 8–15).

For all products and exclusive offers, visit breakingbeautypodcast.com.