Naked Beauty: "Brooke DeVard on Career, Community, and Cultivating Creativity"

Host: Brooke DeVard
Date: December 29, 2025
Guest: MBA Kasanga (Producer, co-host for this episode)

Episode Overview

In this special year-end tradition, the spotlight shifts to Brooke DeVard, Naked Beauty’s host and founder, with her producer MBA Kasanga conducting an in-depth interview. The conversation dives into Brooke’s reflections on a transformative year — encompassing motherhood, career pivots, creative philosophy, and shifting beauty standards — while celebrating the Naked Beauty community, meaningful connections, and the evolving media landscape. The tone is candid, supportive, and celebratory, with both hosts swapping insights and life lessons.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Navigating Motherhood, Trauma & Resilience

(02:09 – 04:45)

• Brooke reflects on returning from maternity leave after the LA fires, sharing feelings of unresolved trauma and immense gratitude:
  • “It was amazing to see community … people all banded together and helped each other. It was really beautiful.” (02:09, Brooke)
• She describes the tension between wanting to dive back into work and recognizing the need for a slower, more intentional pace.

2. Work-Life Balance & Embracing the Workaholic Nature

(05:03 – 08:11)

• Initial slower pace post-maternity was fleeting; full-throttle energy resumed quickly, especially with Brooke’s return to corporate.
• Both admit to being workaholics, but stress that enjoyment and boundaries matter:
  • “You kind of do have to be always on, but you don’t have to put in 100% all the time.” (05:35, MBA)

3. Stretching Creativity & Low-Stakes Projects

(07:07 – 08:47)

• MBA shares her “low stakes creative philosophy”: engaging in knitting, watercolor, DJing, and cooking lets her flex her creative muscle without pressure.

  • “Those are moments when I'm able to act on instinct without it being a catastrophe if something goes wrong... that allows me to feel a lot less precious about making a really big show or writing a piece.” (07:57, MBA)

• Brooke traces the origins of Naked Beauty to a need for a creative outlet not linked to corporate validation.

4. Multifaceted Identity & Titles

(09:26 – 11:30)

• Brooke juggles numerous roles (CCO of Refinery29, creator, podcaster, mom, brand founder).
• She prefers downplaying titles, referencing a French perspective that what you “do” isn’t your essence.
• Ultimately, she embraces “creative” as her primary identity:
  • “I identify as a creative 100%... What's the Erykah Badu quote? I'm an artist, so I'm sensitive about my shit.” (11:30, Brooke)

5. Podcasting Landscape & Growth Myths

(13:05 – 20:51)

• Discussion on the rapidly changing podcast world: major deals, rise of Substack, necessity of video.

• Brooke and MBA compare their tiny team to juggernauts with 100+ employees:

  • “These podcasts have 10 million downloads per episode... for essentially you, me, our video editor, our social manager, we are doing this show every single Monday, handling the guests, booking, handling everything.” (16:05–16:30, Brooke)

• Both stress intrinsic motivation over external growth, encouraging creators to love the process rather than chase validation:

  • “You really have to interrogate, why are you doing what you're doing, and do you love what you're doing? Because the people that are doing what they love will do it independent of the audience size.” (19:18, Brooke)

6. Validation, Achievements, and Resting on Laurels

(23:23 – 26:29)

• The hosts discuss moving past hyper-optimization and learning to recognize real accomplishments.
  • “What if the validation I’m seeking is the same validation that I am withholding from myself?... Do I believe I’m a writer?” (25:50, MBA)
• Winning the iHeart Award was significant, but satisfaction comes from sustained effort:
  • “Satisfaction lies in the effort not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.” (21:53, Brooke, quoting Gandhi)

7. Community, Connection & The London Trip

(27:09 – 35:38)

• A standout segment involves their London trip, highlighting the power of beauty spaces in community building. The salon visit with Charlotte Mensah and a dinner with women founders (including Sabrina Elba and Maya Njie) celebrate cross-cultural Black joy and entrepreneurial spirit:
  • “I can think of no better way to experience the city than going to a salon as, like, your first entry point.” (28:03, Brooke)
  • “That was such a delightful group of women and you would have never guessed that the six of us had never been at a table before.” (30:12, MBA)
• Brooke notes her pride in seeing Naked Beauty’s legacy support indie founders:
  • “You just kind of realize that you have a role in the industry and you have this platform to help to support founders that are doing very hard work.” (33:19, Brooke)

8. Motherhood, Representation, and Generational Impact

(34:02 – 36:45)

• Sweet moment: Brooke’s son Mavi appears and identifies the podcast.
• Brooke shares her intentionality about involving her children in her work:
  • “I go out of my way to always explain to Mavi...because I want him to understand that I'm building something that I love.” (34:36, Brooke)
• Discussion of mother’s influence and wisdom: “Do good, fear not."

9. Expanding Beauty Conversations—Patriarchy and Identity

(38:03 – 40:13)

• Naked Beauty now intersects beauty with environment, patriarchy, body image, and social politics.
  • “Before this year, I don't know if I've been as aware as I have been about how patriarchy literally seeps into every little thing that we do.” (38:55, Brooke)

10. Personal Beauty Practices & Trends

(43:09 – 52:15)

• Brooke shares her “hair architect” journey — hybrid styles, half-wigs, and new techniques inspired by guests.
• Beauty product discoveries of 2025: Red-light/cool therapy mask from Shark Beauty (Brooke) and using glycolic acid on feet (MBA).
• Trend predictions for 2026:
  • More normalized and varied cosmetic surgery.
  • Brooke’s hot take: return to single-color bright lips, away from complex lip combos.
  • MBA predicts a matte makeup renaissance, diverging from dewy/glass skin trends.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Podcast Consistency and Intimacy:
  “Is there anything else that I have done as consistently in the last two and a half years of my life as uploading Naked Beauty on a Monday? Yeah, it’s actually kind of crazy.” (16:30, MBA)

• On Creative Fulfillment:
  “Full effort is full victory. The satisfaction isn’t in the attainment of the goal. It’s in that effort that you exercise.” (21:53, Brooke)

• On Validation:
  “What if the validation I’m seeking is the same validation that I am withholding from myself?” (25:50, MBA)

• On Beauty & Politics:
  “I’ve become more aware than ever how much the patriarchy and white supremacy influences everything we think about beauty.” (40:13, Brooke)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Motherhood, Trauma & Return: 02:09 – 04:45
• Pace, Workaholism, Creativity Muscle: 05:03 – 08:47
• Multifaceted Career Identity: 09:26 – 11:30
• Podcasting, Growth & Intrinsic Motivation: 13:05 – 21:53
• Validation & Achievement: 23:23 – 26:29
• London Trip & Black Girl Joy: 27:09 – 35:38
• Motherhood, Generational Influence: 34:02 – 36:45
• Expanding Beauty Conversations: 38:03 – 40:13
• Hair & Beauty Practice Trends: 43:09 – 52:15
• Trend Predictions: 52:15 – 59:44
• Community as Beauty: 62:24 – 63:50

Final Reflections

• Brooke feels most beautiful in community and connection with others:
  • “There’s something...so beautiful about, like, looking around and realizing that someone feels safe enough with you to share their story. Just laughing with other people... this is what life is about.” (62:24, Brooke)
• MBA finds beauty in personal generativity and making space for her artistry outside traditional “productivity.”

Audience Takeaways

• Creative fulfillment matters more than external validation.
• Community, both online and in person, is central to both beauty work and personal growth.
• Industry trends are cyclical, so taking ownership of your unique style and definition of beauty is empowering.
• The importance of recognizing, celebrating, and supporting Black and Brown founders and creators.
• Motherhood, identity, and career are always in conversation — making room for joy and honesty in all roles.

Next up on Naked Beauty: A new year interview with Sir John.
Community Call: Listeners are urged to suggest future guests and share feedback: “The Naked Beauty audience is so smart and we want to tap into the hive mind.” (60:35, MBA)