WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY

Ron Gee’s career has taken him from chemical engineering and Kraft Foods to senior leadership roles at some of the biggest companies in beauty including L’Oréal, Coty and Shiseido. Now an Industry Luminary Advisor at Accenture, Ron joins Jodi and CEW President Elana Szyfer to unpack the unexpected career decisions that led him from engineering to finance, M&A and ultimately beauty and why learning the language of finance became one of the most important building blocks of his career. The conver

Shane Evans, CEO and co-founder of Heights Wellness Retreat, turned one disappointing spa experience into a business that has endured for more than two decades. After starting her career selling fitness memberships and later moving into medical sales, a frustrating birthday massage sparked an idea: what if high-quality massage could be professional, convenient and affordable enough to become a regular wellness habit? Four months later, the first Massage Heights opened and nine months after that,

Michelle Lee has built a career around seeing where culture is headed next. From Editor-in-Chief of Allure and Nylon to a global leadership role at Netflix and now CMO of Landing International and K Beauty World, her path is anything but conventional. Michelle opens up about feeling intimidated when she first reached the top ranks of publishing, learning to take bigger creative risks, and recognizing early that the traditional media model was about to radically change. Together with Jodi and gu

Michael Marcano, CMO of ZO Skin Health, didn’t follow the traditional path to the C-suite. He grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens, dreaming of becoming a doctor, worked full-time while finishing college, and even auditioned for American Idol…twice…before finding his way into the beauty industry. His career story is a lesson in curiosity, persistence and being willing to pursue opportunities even when you don’t have the expected credentials. Michael shares how he deliberately built his career by rai

What happens when you stop accepting industry rules as fact and start asking, "Why not?" On Episode 313 of Where Brains Meet Beauty, Personal Day CEO Amanda Domaleczny and Co-Founder Dan Reich join Jodi Katz for a conversation about entrepreneurship, innovation, and building brands that challenge conventional thinking. Amanda shares how a career spanning operations, product development, sales, and retail strategy shaped her approach to leadership, while Dan reflects on his journey from technol

What does it take to build products that consumers don't just use, but genuinely love? On Episode 312 of Where Brains Meet Beauty, Shark Beauty Global Head of Marketing Julie Bailey Blanche and Vice President of Product Development Shannon McSweeney join Jodi Katz for a conversation about innovation, leadership, and the relentless pursuit of solving real consumer needs. Julie and Shannon share how Shark Beauty approaches product development differently, from identifying unmet consumer needs an