Skin Anarchy Podcast: Anastasia Soare on Raising Brows and the Discipline Behind ABH

Episode Date: October 22, 2025
Host: Dr. Ekta
Guest: Anastasia Soare (Founder, Anastasia Beverly Hills)
Theme: The immigrant journey, category creation, discipline, and the reality behind building a billion-dollar beauty brand.

Episode Overview

This milestone 800th episode features global beauty icon Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH). Dr. Ekta and Anastasia dig deep into Anastasia’s inspiring immigrant story, her pioneering approach to eyebrow artistry, and the challenges, disciplines, and values that fueled the rise of her billion-dollar brand. The conversation is rich with hard-won wisdom, motivational moments, and candid business advice—rooted in both personal struggle and relentless ambition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immigrant Beginnings & Language Barriers ([00:36]–[02:13])

• Anastasia’s Arrival:
  Anastasia shares the trauma and isolation of moving to the U.S. alone, unable to speak English and lacking a support network.
  "The first six months, I think I cried every day." – Anastasia [00:59]

• Overcoming Language Hurdles:
  Learned English at age 31 through evening classes, emphasizing the difficulty but also her determination.
  "It was very hard... I was willing to try anything. I had the desire to do something with myself." – Anastasia [01:57]

2. Creating a Category: Eyebrow Artistry ([02:13]–[05:55])

• Accidental Entrepreneurship:
  Took a job in beauty because it didn't require perfect English; never had a business plan.
  "I never had a business plan because I never thought that that's my calling." – Anastasia [02:53]

• Eyebrow Realization:
  Noticed there was no serious focus on eyebrows in the U.S. industry; drew on her art background and studies on facial proportions (Leonardo da Vinci) to develop a science-based approach.
  "I thought that was revolutionary because nobody in the beauty industry talked about the reason why we put makeup, why eyebrows are important. It was important to understand why." – Anastasia [03:36]

• Client Validation:
  Began fixing her own and then clients’ eyebrows. Clients noticed a difference—even if they couldn’t identify it.
  "They always say, you look different... Did you cut your hair? So I start sharing with them and shaping their eyebrows. And that was the beginning." – Anastasia [04:22]

3. Commitment to Excellence in Service ([05:55]–[07:50])

• Ethos of Giving Your Best:
  Cultural roots taught her to always give her best, no matter the circumstance or client’s importance.
  "You do the best that you could do for your client... I wanted my clients to feel beautiful, to feel the best and to look the best." – Anastasia [06:20]

• Feedback as Fuel:
  The joy of seeing clients feel beautiful became her emotional engine, especially once celebrities began returning.
  "They validated my work. They gave me that power to keep going and doing more and developing." – Anastasia [07:19]

4. Pioneering Social Media in Beauty ([07:50]–[09:18])

• Instagram Leap:
  Inspired by her daughter's suggestion, ABH became the first beauty brand to leverage Instagram when resources were tight.
  "My daughter... said, mom, is this app that I think we should open an account for the brand... because we don't have the money to promote on magazines, on TV." – Anastasia [08:17]

• Overcoming Fear:
  Emphasizes the immigrant mindset and risk-taking.
  "Every time I wanted to do something, I always thought that, what do I have to lose? What do I have to lose? Nothing." – Anastasia [08:51]

5. Persistence & Embracing Uniqueness ([09:18]–[11:27])

• Making Your Own Table:
  On not fitting in and being relentless in one’s pursuit, with encouragement for those feeling excluded or bullied.
  "If there's no seat at the table, make your own table." – Ekta [09:31]
  "You don’t need to fit in... You are different and that's the beauty. You are different than everybody else. That's so much more powerful." – Anastasia [10:46]

6. Scaling & Adapting as a Global Brand ([11:42]–[13:01])

• Continuous Learning:
  Constant international exposure leads to innovative changes and learning, even after years in the industry.
  "You need to be alert and adapt. Being an immigrant taught me... you need to adapt to any situation." – Anastasia [12:48]

• Servant Leadership:
  The client and the brand always come first.
  "I never put my ego in front of the business. To me, I'm the business. I represent the business." – Anastasia [13:14]

7. Immersion Over Balance & The Myth of “Work-Life Balance” ([13:51]–[14:37])

• Sacrifice and Focus:
  Explains the reality of building something world-changing.
  "The only time when I don't work is when I sleep. No, that's reality." – Anastasia [14:03]

8. Mentorship & Tough Love ([14:37]–[18:55])

• Mentoring Women & Observational Learning:
  Learning by watching powerful figures (like Oprah) and being open to indirect mentorship.
  "You need to be open to learn. Observing how she [Oprah] does, how she talks to people, how considerate she is." – Anastasia [15:14]

• Mother as Mentor; Discipline for Her Daughter:
  The hard lessons of working in the family business, teaching responsibility and discipline to her daughter.
  "I was quite a strict employer because I want people to learn. Discipline is the most important thing when you want to do something in life." – Anastasia [18:42]

9. Hard Work Over Positivity Alone ([18:55]–[19:11])

• The Missing Ingredient:
  "Being positive is great, but that's not enough. That's not gonna get you where you want." – Anastasia [19:05]

10. Financial Discipline ([19:11]–[20:47])

• Spending & Investment Wisdom:
  Lived modestly, reinvested everything into the business, valued the long-term dream over short-term consumption.
  "Everything I made, I put back into the business. Didn't matter if I had the beat up car... the bigger goal to me was important." – Anastasia [19:34]

11. Beauty Industry Trends & Survivability ([20:47]–[21:57])

• Current Market Realities:
  Legacy brands with strong foundations will endure; new brands must overcome high barriers, costs, and challenges. "Legacy brands... will still be around; new ones, be successful long term. Some will not because business is not easy." – Anastasia [21:02]

12. Innovation & Favorite Products ([21:57]–[22:53])

• Continued Innovation:
  Highlights her current favorite launch: the Micro-Stroke Brow Pen—emphasizing the persistence required to improve products. "If you asked me two months ago, I would say the brow, but right now, we just launched the micro stroke brow pen and I'm in love with this product." – Anastasia [22:05]
  "It's not only I have the idea, but you need to find the lab to do what your vision is." – Anastasia [22:42]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Adversity:
  "Remember, I didn't speak the language, didn't have a community... The first six months, I think I cried every day." – Anastasia [00:59]

• On the Reality of Success:
  "Discipline will make you successful." – Anastasia [18:52]

• On Mentors:
  "Mentoring means... you need to observe and be alert. Observe people that you admire, even online." – Anastasia [15:46]

• On Financial Choices:
  "Never take clothes to cleaners... I would rather do my own cleaning and I will save the money and put it in the business." – Anastasia [20:18]

• On Fitting In:
  "It's okay if you don't fit in. When you are young, you think, 'Oh, I'm different.'... But you know what? You are different and that's the beauty." – Anastasia [10:54]

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:59] – Immigrant beginnings; emotional struggles
• [02:28] – Entry into beauty, no business plan
• [03:36] – Discovery: importance of brows, origins of insight
• [07:50] – Becoming the first beauty brand on Instagram
• [09:31] – “If there's no seat, make your own table”
• [11:58] – Global scale and need for constant adaptation
• [13:14] – On separating self from the brand
• [14:03] – Truth about work-life balance
• [15:02] – Different forms of mentorship
• [16:37] – Raising her daughter, firing and rehiring her
• [19:29] – Money discipline and reinvesting in business
• [21:02] – State of the modern beauty industry
• [22:05] – Favorite product and ongoing innovation

Final Thoughts

Anastasia’s journey is a candid exploration of resilience, innovation, and relentless hard work. Listeners gain not just entrepreneurial inspiration, but also grounded, practical insights for both life and business—from valuing discipline above talent, to building for the long game over instant gratification.

"I hope they get inspired by my story and they will never give up and follow their dream. Believe in themselves and don't give up." – Anastasia [23:08]

For more deep dives into beauty entrepreneurship, follow Skin Anarchy on Instagram @skincareanarchy.