← Naked Beauty
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Listen as your day unfolds. Challenge what the future holds.
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Hello. Hello, this is Brooke Devard, and you're listening to the Naked Beauty Podcast. It's just me today on the podcast, but I'm coming to you solo with something big and personal. I recently stepped into a new role as Chief content officer at Refinery29, an announcement many of you may have seen online. But I didn't just want to post and move on. I wanted to sit down with you, the Naked Beauty community, and reflect on what this moment really means. If you've been listening over the years, you know this isn't just about me. We built this together. This is our win, too. And as soon as I shared the news, one of the most common questions I got was, what does this mean for the podcast? And the answer is, naked Beauty is not going anywhere. I still own the ip, I still have full creative control, and I still have the incredible team behind the show that's made it what it is today day. There isn't a job opportunity or role that I could step into at this point of my career that Naked Beauty would not be a part of. So this new role doesn't replace the podcast. It really supercharges it. It gives us more resources, more reach in more ways to tell the kinds of stories that we've always cared about. And I do want to spend a moment just talking about Refinery 29, because it is one of those platforms that loomed large in my formative years when I was really getting into media space, spending a lot of time reading stories online, figuring out what I was into. I think back to 29 rooms, that immersive experience that they had in New York city. Going to 29 rooms was a very big deal. I think about money diaries and how incredible those stories are. I think about strong opinions, loosely held, the podcast that Refinery29 had that I just loved and listened to every single episode. Refinery 29 has been a cultural force for over 20 years. They've consistently pushed the boundaries of what women's media can be. So I'm stepping into this legacy with deep respect and a bold vision for where we go next. And if you all remember, earlier in this year, I did an episode with my producer, mba, and we talked about the I Heart Award win and what it meant and how we were feeling about what was next and what we wanted for our careers in the long term. And I can remember so clearly, I said, I want to keep doing exactly what I've been doing, telling meaningful beauty stories, but on a bigger scale, with more resources and more support. So I really feel like I've manifested this moment. I spoke it out loud and I was specific about what I wanted and I stayed aligned with purpose and it came to me. So if there's anything you take from this episode, it's that you can manifest what you want too. Today I want to share four lessons that brought me to this moment. Lessons I've learned on the journey from dreaming about beauty and fashion as a young girl to stepping into the C suite. Whether you're just starting out, pivoting, or trying to reconnect with your purpose, I hope something here resonates with you. Lesson one, Pay attention to what you are drawn to and keep nurturing that curiosity. As a kid, I was magnetically drawn to beauty and storytelling. And this came from the earliest moments I can remember. I had a little dress up drawer in my room and I would create full on plays music videos. I can very vividly remember directing Spice Girls music videos in my bedroom and playing every role. The director, the stylist, the makeup artist. I was doing it all in a camcorder, but I had a whole vision for how each scene would play out and what I would be wearing. And I played all five parts. And this was done before I knew any of the industry terms. I was creating narrative, visuals, emotion. It was my first taste of media making. But I also can't reflect on this moment without recognizing my mother and my grandmother. Because from an early age I understood that beauty and style were a language. My grandmother, an educator with a PhD, was always carried herself with elegance and intention. And my mother, a trailblazing executive, would always command a room in her tailored blazers and her incredible pumps and the accessories. But the message was always clear. How you show up matters. Style is both armor and art. And my curiosity about beauty and fashion went deep. I wanted to know absolutely everything. My mom worked at Revlon and she would bring home makeup and campaign footage and she would show us the commercials before they aired. But I would always find myself asking for who picks the models? Who directs the ads? How do you pick the voiceover artists? How do you decide what they say? That curiosity wasn't accidental. It was the compass pointing me towards my career. And that's why I think it is so important to look back on your early interests. Before this idea of making a living became the question for me, those early sparks led me to here, the storytelling and identity work that continues to shape Naked Beauty and now Refinery29. And for the parents and caregivers listening, nurture those curiosities I try to do that with my son. I take him to museums, creative classes. I encourage his questions, and I'll do the same with my daughter, too. I think this is how we coach possibility. And in talking about this idea, the idea of Jean Michel Basquiat, one of my son's favorite artists, coincidentally came to me because his mother, Mathilde, was his first champion. She enrolled him in the Brooklyn Museum's junior program. She sketched with him at home in and every weekend, she would bring him to the MoMA and the Met. And she explained to him that you can be an artist. This is a job that you can have. Basquiat himself said, I'd say my mother gave me all the primary things. The art came from her. That early encouragement didn't just shape his eye, it literally shaped his career. He learned that what he dreamed of doing, he could do because he saw that possibility model, and he understood that this could be something that he did with his life. I always think about the moving story that Sir John told on this podcast. He was tall, he was athletic, but he wanted to be an artist, and his mother made space for that. She didn't push him to join the basketball team. She understood that her son was different, and she nurtured his artistry. And that's why he is the artist he is today. On my own creative path, I've also been doing the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I feel like the Artist's Way is having such a moment. We need to do our own solo episode on the Artist's Way. But the questions that the book asks you, what brings you joy? What. What did you do as a child just for the fun of it? They push you straight into that memory bank, and it forces you to reconnect with what made your heart come alive. And that's exactly where the work begins. So that leads me to lesson two, because I want for all of you listening that feel like, okay, I didn't actually do the thing that I always wanted to do as a child, as my career path. That doesn't mean that you're limited in any way. So lesson two is get closer to the work you want, even inside the job you have. Every role I've had has shaped the way I think about content, storytelling, and creativity. But what I've realized is your job title doesn't define the only work you're allowed to do. You can and should create opportunities to get closer to the work that lights you up. So I'm going to walk you through a few chapters of My career at Vogue, I learned what excellence looks like. The attention to detail was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The precision, the pressure to get it right. I would be remiss. Not to mention that on the same day of my announcement, there was news that Anna Wintour was stepping down at Vogue. Being at Vogue while she was there, and again, I was an intern. I interned in fashion, and I interned in features. But seeing her commitment to excellence and how everyone rose to her level taught me a lot. That experience shaped my standards forever. At Ralph Lauren, I learned how to build a brand that people could feel. They were so, so strict about the exact colors, the exact photography style, the exact. And there's a reason, because when you say Ralph Lauren, you can feel something. It's not just about a product. It is about world building. And Ralph Lauren certainly built worlds. Every photo, every store, every piece of content was part of a larger emotion. At Viacom, now Paramount, I understood how culture and talent and media come together to create these moments. Working on things like the VMAs and the BET Awards, I really understood this matrix around talent and culture. And at Instagram, I saw firsthand that creators were going to change everything. You could be an individual person in your bedroom and reach millions of people through your phone. And when I joined Instagram, this was before TikTok. This was before the term creator economy was even a widely used term. But I could see the shift happening, the power moving from traditional media to individuals who could tell stories, build community, and drive culture from their phones. And even though I wasn't on the fashion or beauty team, if you all will remember, I was on the creator marketing team working on video products. I raised my hand. I had a great manager and Instagram shout out to Natalie Chan, my forever mentor, and I asked, can I help with the Met Gala coverage? This was like my 15% project, my stretch project. So if you're doing really well in your current role and you're meeting all of the requirements of that role, you are able to ask for a stretch project. And my manager supported it. And that was my opportunity to get closer to fashion and beauty content, even within my role. So if you are in a role that isn't your dream job, I want to say you can still do your dream work. Look for ways to add value, offer support, create your own stretch projects, whether it's helping with internal events, pitching new ideas, shadowing a different team, advocate for the work that you want to be doing. Let's say you're in a legal role at a big company, but that company has an Instagram account. Maybe you want to sit in on some meetings with the social team and learn from them and what they do and offer your support. Of course, you have to be excelling at what's in the scope of your role, but try to create stretch projects that bring you closer to the type of work you want to be doing. Each of my jobs has felt like a puzzle piece that I didn't fully understand until much later. But they're all connected now, which always reminds me of that Steve Jobs quote that I come back to. You can't connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. And sometimes those dots that are connecting are teaching you what you don't want to do. Sometimes working under a bad manager is teaching you how you don't want to be as a leader when you get into that position yourself. So wherever you are in your career, trust the dots, follow your curiosity, and know that every experience can be a step towards something greater. All right, lesson three. You have the power to choose how you show up. Now. I debated putting this lesson into this episode because it seems a little frivolous, it seems a little non important. But I was like, actually this is something that I don't hear a lot of women talk about in senior positions, invisible positions. Because it's important. Let's talk about the headshot. When I accepted this role, one of the first things I had to do was take a new headshot. And it really hit me. This is a C suite role, this is a business. But I also want to show up as me. I want to show up as Brooke, someone who loves fashion and color and bold choices. So I ended up finding a stunning thing. Three piece suit by Gabriella Hurst. It's an orange, one of my power colors. Just look at the naked Beauty fragrance bottle. I did a second look too. I can't just do one look. I found a great pinstripe Stella McCartney power suit, bold shoulder. I paired it with these gorgeous gold Schiaparelli, very architectural earrings, a red lip. And I did a deep red backdrop. The Naked Beauty red. And so once I had the vision and the outfit, it was time to find my creative collaborators. I worked with Steven Simeone, who shot the podcast cover cover art you see every day, and Alexis, who's been my go to in LA to create something that felt like me. And we made it happen. I storyboarded the whole thing with Pinterest boards and clear direction and we got to work. So many of us approach headshots or professional photos like they're supposed to look one way. Neutral makeup, white button down shirt, polite smile. But you get to choose how you show up. Whether you're a teacher, a an entrepreneur, or in tech, your image can reflect your essence. And if you don't have a photo that feels like you create one, call on your creative friends, set the vision and make it happen. Okay, lesson four and final lesson, Build it first, then invite the right people to help you grow it. In 2016, I launched Naked Beauty because I couldn't find the beauty podcast I so desperately wanted to hear. Two mics, my dining room table, GarageBand. I had to upload to SoundCloud and then take that SoundCloud feed and bring it into the RSS Apple feed. It was a very manual process. Podcasters today have it much easier. But I had no big budget. I had no team. This was something that I knew I wanted to do, so I did it. Nine years later, we've released 350 plus episodes. I've built a loyal community. I get to work with a great sales team at Acast, we've won an iHeart award. But I didn't wait for someone to hand me a platform. I built it. And so now when I get an opportunity to build and scale with a partner like Refinery29, it feels so affirming to the fact that I started, I took a chance. I bet on myself, and that work is being recognized. So many people wait for permission to start or they wait for the right resources. But when you build something meaningful on your own terms, the right partners will find you. Trust me, this next chapter isn't about me. It's about possibility. And it's about the idea that you can start small, stay true and scale big. That you can stay creative and be strategic. That you can be in beauty and in the boardroom and you don't have to trade in one for the other. So if you've been with me on this journey, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I can never stop thanking you all because you all have given me my dream career. This community has carried me over the years into opportunities beyond my wildest dreams. If you're just tuning in, welcome. And if you're dreaming about your next big move, I hope this episode reminds you the dots will connect. Keep showing up, keep creating, and most importantly, stay rooted in who you are. Thank you for listening.
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- [15:27]
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