Soul Makeup

⚡️She built it her way⚡️

Not the way she was told to.

Not the way that looked the safest.

Not the way that made everyone else comfortable.

Her way.

And if you’ve ever felt like you don’t quite fit the mold…

Like the traditional path doesn’t fully align…

Like you’re capable of more, but something isn’t clicking yet…

This series is for you.

Because what no one tells you about success is this ➡️ There isn’t one version of it.

There are many.

And the women who rise?

They’re the ones who stop trying to follow someone else’s blueprint and start building their own.

Starting Monday, I’m sitting down with a group of incredibly powerful women who have each built success, confidence, and influence in completely different ways.

Real stories.

Unfiltered conversations.

The truth behind what it actually takes.

“She Built It Her Way” - a special series on The Confidence Lounge.

Our first episode with the INCREDIBLE POWERHOUSE goes live on Monday.

If you’ve been craving clarity on your next move - this might be exactly what you need to hear.

Speaking at USC feels like another dream come true.

Because I can still remember being at FIDM wondering:

❓How do I break into this industry?

❓Is this even possible for me?

❓What does it actually take to build a career like that?

❓What role is right for me?

Before I step onto any stage, I always ask myself this question 👉 Who do I want to be when I walk into that room?

And this time - the answer stopped me 🥹

My answer was 👉 Be who you needed when you were in their place.

That younger version of me didn’t have someone showing her what was possible.

She didn’t have someone normalizing the doubts, the fears, the ambition.

And now?

I get to be that person for all of the women in the room.

That’s what makes this moment so meaningful to me.

Not just being invited to speak…

But having the opportunity to shift what someone believes is possible for themselves.

There is nothing more powerful than sitting in a room and realizing:

“Wait…if she did it, maybe I can too.”

I don’t take that lightly.

And I can’t wait for tonight 💝

I almost didn’t survive Q1.

The truth is - this was the hardest season of my life.

My mom was dying.
And then she died.
And in the middle of that, I was moving my dad into assisted living.

Grief, logistics, heartbreak, responsibility…all at once.

And yet - I still showed up.

Not perfectly.
Not without breaking down.
But I kept going.

And when I looked back?

I was blown away.

Q1 looked like:

▪️2 live events hosted
▪️3 Beauty Career Lab virtual sessions
▪️8 accelerator calls
▪️15 1:1 sessions
▪️1 corporate workshop
▪️6 coffee dates
▪️6 sponsorship/collab meetings
▪️1 live training launch
▪️1 product developed + launched
▪️12 podcasts launched
▪️Top 3% → Top 2% podcast globally
▪️15 LinkedIn Lives
▪️2 keynote speaking engagements
▪️2 major events attended
▪️66 emails sent
▪️2,000+ messages answered
▪️175 LinkedIn posts
▪️419 Instagram posts/stories
▪️345 graphics created
▪️3 vacations
▪️6 therapy sessions
▪️4 personal coaching calls

And I’m not sharing this to say “look how much I did.”

I’m sharing this because…

There’s a narrative that when life gets hard, everything has to stop.

And sometimes…yes.

But sometimes?

Your work becomes the thing that holds you.

The thing that gives you structure.

The thing that reminds you who you are when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

This season didn’t break me.

It cracked me wide open.

And in that opening, it showed me something I will never unsee:

My capacity.

My resilience.

My ability to hold grief and growth at the same time.

To feel heartbreak and still show up.

To be exhausted and still create.

To be in one of the hardest seasons of my life and still move forward.

If you’re in a hard season right now…

You’re allowed to rest.
You’re allowed to fall apart.
And you’re also allowed to keep going.

Both can exist.

And if all you did today was breathe and get through it?

That counts.

Just keep going 💝

I shared these 5 tips on stage at in LA 🎤 And honestly, most women in the beauty industry are missing at least one of these.

If your career isn’t where you want it to be yet…this is your starting point.

Quick breakdown:
1. NO = Next Opportunity
2. Get comfortable with failure & rejection.
3. Get clear on what you want (and why)
4. Authenticity over perfection
5. Don’t do it alone - build community

Save this. Come back to it. Apply it.

Which one hit you the most? Tell me ⤵️

PS: If you’re new here, I’m ⚡️Confidence Coach + Career Strategist for women in the beauty industry.

If you love this and want more support:

🎧 Listen to The Confidence Lounge podcast
(wherever you love to listen)

💄 Come to Beauty Career Lab

My free monthly career coaching session
(Last Friday of every month at 12PM PT)

⚡️ Need a deeper level support? 👉 Join BCA - my 4 month group program for women in beauty

DM me the word WAITLIST
and I’ll send you the details for the next round of Beauty Career Accelerator

⚡️Last night was electric⚡️Over 80 people from across the beauty industry showed up for the Beauty Connection x MULA Happy Hour and the energy in that room was unlike anything I’ve felt.

Every conversation I had ended the same way:

“When’s the next one?”
“Why does this feel so different?”
“Everyone here is so approachable.”
“We need this.”

And the truth is…we do.

The beauty industry is incredibly innovative, fast-moving, and ambitious but it can also be isolating.

So many of us are building careers, brands, and businesses in silos.

Last night reminded me what happens when we change that.

When founders, brand leaders, manufacturers, consultants, and innovators gather not to pitch…but to connect.

The room softened.

People leaned in.

Introductions happened naturally.

New collaborations were already being discussed.

It felt human.

It made me wonder ➡️ Should this become an annual kickoff to MakeUp in LA?

Because beauty is hungry for connection.

And last night, we gave the industry exactly that.

Now we’re taking that energy to the stage.

Today at 4:10 PM, Shannaz and I will be hosting Beauty Career Lab LIVE x MakeUp in LA bringing the same conversation about careers, confidence, and the human side of this industry to the show floor.

If last night was any indication…

The future of beauty will be built in rooms like this.

💄💋💄

If you were in the room last night, I would LOVE to know - what did you love about being in the room? What felt different? Was there anything you want more of? and I would love to hear from you 💝

What am I bringing to the stage tomorrow?

Not a panel.
Not a surface-level conversation.
Not industry clichés.

Shannaz and I are bringing the human side of beauty to the Beauty Talk stage.

Beauty Career Lab LIVE x MakeUp In Los Angeles is a live confidence-building and career coaching experience designed to spotlight what often gets overlooked in this industry:

The people behind the products.
The humans behind the launches.
The leaders navigating pressure, pivots, and reinvention.

Tomorrow, we’re talking about the real things ⤵️

Layoffs.
Burnout.
High-stakes leadership decisions.
Ageism.
Imposter syndrome.
Rebuilding after setbacks.
What it actually takes to grow and sustain a career in beauty today.

This is not passive listening.

If you are joining us, here’s what you can expect:

⚡️Practical, real-time career & confidence coaching
⚡️Real talk about the state of the 2026 beauty industry and how to thrive working inside of it
⚡️Honest conversation about leadership and resilience
⚡️Tangible language you can take straight back into their role

We’re centering the future of beauty not just on what’s being built or launched…

But on the confidence and community of the people building it.

Because products don’t innovate.
People do.

And when the people feel clear, confident, and connected - the entire industry moves forward.

Shannaz and I will take the stage in the Beauty Talk Corner at 4:10pm.

Drop a 💄 below if we’re seeing you there.

We’re already halfway sold through for the Beauty Connect MULA Happy Hour. And honestly…I’m not surprised.

Yesterday, and I went LIVE to talk about why we created Beauty Connect and it wasn’t about logistics or ticket sales.

It was about the kind of room we both wished existed when we were coming up in the beauty industry.

Because if we’re honest, this industry can feel lonely.

It’s fast. Competitive. High-achieving.

And yet so many people are navigating it without a space that feels real.

When I hosted Beauty Career Lab LIVE and asked attendees what they wanted most from the day, the answer wasn’t strategy.

It was connection.

✖️Not surface-level networking.

✖️Not exchanging LinkedIn profiles.

✅ But real proximity. Real conversations. Real relationships.

One meaningful conversation can shift the trajectory of your year.

When you intentionally build a room around that idea, people respond.

That’s why the Beauty Connect Happy Hour on March 3 during MakeUp in LA is already halfway full.

Not because it’s trendy.

But because people in beauty are ready for something that feels different.

Founders.
Brand leaders.
Manufacturers.
Consultants.

All in one room - not to pitch, but to connect.

📅 March 3
⏰ 5:30–8:30 PM
📍 JOEY Downtown Los Angeles
🎟 $29 (appetizers + your first drink included)

If this is the kind of room you’ve been craving, we would genuinely love to see you there.

Drop “CONNECT” in the comments or send me a message and I’ll share the details 💝

The future of beauty isn’t coming. It’s already being built. And in today’s Faces Behind Beauty podcast episode, I’m sitting down with someone who’s doing exactly that.

🎙 Episode 11 with Anne Laughlin is live.

Anne went from powerhouse roles at Estée Lauder, LVMH, and Marc Jacobs to co-founding Dillie, and most recently launching Sloane Studio - a brand, product marketing, and innovation studio at the forefront of beauty tech.

Anne and I originally bonded as podcast hosts, and from our very first conversation, all we could talk about was the same thing:

👉 Where is the beauty industry actually headed?

The truth is - no one has a crystal clear answer.

And that’s exactly why this conversation matters.

Anne isn’t waiting for permission or certainty.

She’s actively building what’s next using AI and AEO as a creative engine, not a replacement for human storytelling.

In this episode, we go beyond the buzzwords and talk about what this really looks like in practice and what it takes to reinvent your career after success on the corporate side of beauty.

In this episode, you’ll hear about ⤵️

⚡️ What the future of the beauty industry actually looks like as AI evolves

⚡️ How AI is influencing beauty brands right now

⚡️ What it really takes to pivot from corporate success into entrepreneurship

⚡️ Why failure can become one of your most powerful tools for growth and innovation

This conversation is honest, forward-thinking, and a must-listen if you work in beauty, brand, innovation or you know you’re being pulled toward what’s next.

🎧 Listen to Episode 11 of Faces Behind Beauty Podcast Series inside the Confidence Lounge now ➡️ DM me the word PODCAST & I’ll personally send you the link to listen.

💬 Share this with someone in beauty who needs this conversation

⭐️ And if it resonates, rate + review the podcast - it helps more women find these stories and keep our confidence (and success) growing

What part of the future of beauty are you most curious about right now? Tell me ⤵️

Not every dream works out the way you imagined and that doesn’t mean you failed.

One of the bravest things a woman in beauty can do is go for it.

▪️To take the idea that’s been living in her head…

▪️Put her name behind it…

▪️Invest time, money, energy, and identity into building something from nothing.

▪️And sometimes even when you do everything “right” 👉 it still doesn’t work out.

In episode 10 of our special edition Faces Behind Beauty podcast series, I am having a deeply honest conversation with

Hana is a former beauty brand founder, 3x patent holder, and now a strategic innovation consultant & we are talking about what it’s really like to launch a beauty brand and then have to let it go.

This episode isn’t about regret.

It’s about truth, timing, and evolution.

Here is everything we are covering:

⚡️ The courage it takes to launch a dream

⚡️ The heartbreak no one prepares founders for

⚡️ Why timing and market readiness matter more than talent

⚡️ What she wishes she’d known before starting

⚡️ How letting go can become the power move

⚡️ Why her founder chapter led her to her zone of genius

⚡️ How motherhood clarified what success really means

▪️If you’ve ever questioned yourself because something didn’t work…

▪️If you’ve wondered whether the pivot meant you failed…

▪️If you’re standing at the edge of what’s next…

This conversation is for you.

🎧 Listen Now (DM me the word PODCAST & I’ll personally send you the link to listen 💝)
💬 Comment if this resonates
🔁 Share with a woman in beauty who needs permission to keep going

If you were in the room with us this weekend, I want to hear from you 💝 In one sentence, what was the biggest takeaway, shift, or realization you’re carrying with you from Beauty Career Lab LIVE?

Your words don’t just reflect your experience ➡️ they help another woman in beauty see what’s possible for her too.

This is how knowledge travels.
This is how confidence multiplies.
This is how careers accelerate.

Drop your biggest takeaway or favorite moment in the comments so we can keep the wisdom moving far beyond the room.

💄🫶💄

PS: If you were in the room, this experience would not have been the same without you.
I truly believe there are no coincidences in who is meant to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with one another 👉 every connection happened for a reason.

Make sure you open your Career Confidence Playbook from the event recap page, start your follow-ups, and keep the conversations going.

Don’t let the moment pass you by.

Keep putting yourself out there.

Keep connecting.

Keep making yourself memorable.

⚡️This is how the momentum continues⚡️