WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY

WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY

The beauty industry's top talent share their wisdom, advice and authenticity with our WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™ listeners. Topics include: work/life balance, how to hustle and how to handle challenges - all discussed with great honesty and humor. Conversations humanizing the beauty exec experience. Hosted by Jodi Katz, Founder and Creative Director of Base Beauty Creative Agency. New episodes launch every other Wednesday - follow us to get alerts! Episodes can be found on all streaming platforms and our website www.wherebrainsmeetbeauty.com Follow us on LinkedIn @JodiKatz and @BaseBeautyCreativeAgency for announcements, BTS, and more! For inquiries about the show, please email Natasha@basebeauty.com.

Episodes

February 25, 2026 37 mins

Our Power Duos theme with a duo that is building in every sense of the word with Yongxi Tan and Aidan Neziri, co-founders of Bessie Nails. They share what it takes to launch a fast-growing press-on nail brand from a true consumer need, compete in a legacy category, and build a company together while also being partners in real life. Their roles are distinct but collaborative, and their dynamic is the through-line of this episode: Y...

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A true power duo: Blair Lancer, CMO, and Daniela De Los Santos, Global Education Director from Lancer Skincare. Together they share what it takes to grow a family-founded, dermatologist-led brand in a world where trust is everything, education cuts through noise, and community is built one conversation at a time.

Daniela brings the brand to life on QVC, where she treats the camera like a one-on-one appointment, translating ingredie...

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Each year, the Listen Again Awards recognize the episodes our audience continues to return to. Conversations that stay relevant, spark reflection, and offer depth beyond the moment. We’re thrilled to honor the 2025 Listen Again Award winners in this special Where Brains Meet Beauty episode.

Q1 Power Moves: Excellence in Leadership Episode 277 – Danessa Myricks & Anncy Rowe. A powerful conversation on leadership, vulnerability, ...

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For its 300th episode, Where Brains Meet Beauty highlights two women who prove that creative careers rarely follow a straight line. Celebrity hairstylist and makeup artist Sarai Martinez and influencer and UGC creator Tania Grover share how childhood dreams, unexpected pivots and sheer perseverance shaped the paths they are on today.

Sarai always knew she wanted to be a hairstylist, even drafting a sixth grade project imagining her ...

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Episode 299 of Where Brains Meet Beauty™ brings together two very different kinds of “technicians” who both turned specialized skills into flexible, creative lives. AR and AI developer, content creator and Cannes Lion winner Grace Choi sits beside fashion industry veteran, technical design consultant and creator Emily Kammeyer Sumner for a conversation that moves from X-Men superpowers to tax codes for dogs, and somehow makes it al...

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Episode 298 of Where Brains Meet Beauty is one of the most emotional and human conversations of the season. Celebrity Esthetician Miranda Sturce and creator, former Miss South Carolina and Bachelor alum Davia Esther Bunch join the show for a raw discussion on ambition, burnout, healing and finding your way back to yourself.

Miranda shares how caring for others has been part of her identity since childhood, soothing her father’s hand...

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In Episode 297 of Where Brains Meet Beauty, founder and CEO of Glamazon Beauty Cosmetics Kim Baker and content creator and Your Glow Guide author Felicia Walker sit down to talk about building careers that did not exist when they were kids.

Kim’s path starts at 13 as a model with Elite, crossing paths with legends like Andy Warhol and Basquiat, then being pulled out of the industry for her own safety. She later returns, co-pioneers ...

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In this Artistry & Influencer episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, content creators Jess Martinez (@jessstheblessed) and Kirti Tewani (@kirtitewani) share what it really looks like to build a career online while staying grounded offline.

Jess calls herself an “accidental creator.” After casually posting hair videos, one went viral - 46 million views in under three weeks, while she was still working full-time in criminal justice....

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In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, Jodi Katz sits down with Dr. Ariel Ostad Dermatologist, Cosmetic Surgeon & Brand Founder and Kelsie Johnston, Former GM/Head of Beauty & Personal Care TikTok Shop US to explore how artistry, influence, and authenticity shape the future of beauty.

From a middle school dream of becoming a buyer to helping launch TikTok Shop in the U.S., Kelsie shares how pairing data with creativity...

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In Episode 294 of Where Brains Meet Beauty, host Jodi Katz sits down with Annie Robertson Hockey, President & Head of Consulting Skytale Group and Lauren D’Amore, Vice President Prelude Growth Partners to explore the intersection of personal passion and professional success in the booming beauty and med spa industries. From nearly becoming a ballerina or a doctor to leading investment and consulting firms, these two powerhouse ...

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In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty with Jodi Katz, we explore how legal and financial experts fuel the growth of beauty and wellness brands. Guests Kara Posner, Partner at Gianuzzi Lewendon and Thomas Cunningham, Director of Business Development at Physician Growth Partners share how they help founders navigate funding, scale strategically, and prepare for exits.

From childhood dreams of animation and pro sports to careers ...

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In Episode 292 of Where Brains Meet Beauty, host Jodi Katz sits down with Sarah Foley, Managing Partner at InviNext Growth Partners and Caroline Chiaroni, Vice President at TJC for a compelling conversation at the intersection of private equity, consumer brands, and personal passion. From childhood dreams of veterinary clinics and art galleries to managing multi-million-dollar investments in beauty and wellness, these two trailblaz...

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In Episode 291 of Where Brains Meet Beauty with Jodi Katz, the spotlight turns to two investors redefining what it means to back beauty and wellness brands: Kara LaForgia, Founder & Managing Partner at Hive Ventures, and Rich Gersten, Co-Founder & General Partner at True Beauty Ventures. Their paths to venture capital could not be more different, yet both reflect the persistence, gut instincts, and passion that this industr...

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In this episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty we meet Kevin Kim the Director of Beauty & Personal Care Investment Banking at Raymond James. His career journey didn’t begin with balance sheets and deal rooms it began with medicine.

As the oldest son of two psychiatrists, Kevin grew up assuming he’d follow in their footsteps. But by late high school, he realized his path needed to be his own. Drawn to a more global career, he pivote...

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What do NASA and luxury beauty have in common? In this stellar episode of Where Brains Meet Beauty, Jodi Katz sits down with Lindy Firstenberg, Senior Vice President, Beauty & Luxury at Alix Partners and Catherine Nekavand, Partner at Alix Partners - two powerhouse leaders who traded space suits and oil rigs for silk scarves and fragrance launches.

Lindy, who once tested satellite mechanisms at NASA, shares how her journey took ...

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In this high-energy finale of our Health Compass: Navigating Careers in Wellness theme, host Jodi Katz welcomes Lisa Rossmann, Chief Concept Officer at Hand & Stone Spa and Bryan Appio, CEO of Drywater for a dynamic conversation about leadership, career pivots, and hydration.

Lisa shares her journey from aspiring spy to beauty industry executive, while Bryan reflects on early entrepreneurial ventures and a drive to succeed shape...

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Preventative care meets powerful branding in this electric conversation with Dr. David Kim, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Lightsaver and Vicente Vasquez, Global Senior Brand Design Manager at Colgate-Palmolive.

We explore the emotional and behavioral roots of beauty rituals — and what it really takes to shift them. From daily sunscreen to oral care routines, they reveal why so many people know what to do, but still do...

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Host Jodi Katz sat down with two women at the forefront of redefining health care as we know it: Liz Josefsberg, Founder & CEO of Target 100 Inc and Sarah Pesce, COO of stealth-mode wellness startup Radence.

Despite wildly different paths—Liz went from Broadway star to Weight Watchers executive, while Sarah pivoted from nurse practitioner to health-tech builder—both share a mission: to help people move from “sick care” to well c...

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Jodi Katz sat down with two powerhouse women making waves in personal health: Taryn Shockley, USA Sales & Education Manager at AlumierMD, and Kelly Murphy, General Manager at Lola. What followed was a deep, human, and often hilarious look at ambition, imposter syndrome, reinvention—and the workouts that keep them grounded.

Taryn’s story starts on the balance beam. A gymnast from age two, she was competing at elite levels by ten ...

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What does a TikTok-famous hand surgeon and the descendant of mushroom farmers in France and have in common? Purpose—and the courage to follow it, even when the path looks nothing like the plan.

Jodi Katz sat down with Dr. Erin Nance, founder of FeelBetr Health and Sonia Gaillis-Delepine, founder of Verdoie. While their companies serve different corners of the wellness space, both women share a mission: to help people better understa...

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