Second Life

Madison Utendahl is the founder behind the all-female, Black-owned, anti-trend branding and design agency, Utendahl Creative, behind brands like Simon Huck’s Judy, Halsey’s About-Face, and Chris Paul’s Good Eatn. But back before she went out on her own, she was helping to create viral sensations like The Museum of Ice Cream and Refinery29’s 29 Rooms. She was even a production assistant for HBO’s acclaimed series Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Along the way, she made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, won two Webby Awards, and eventually felt burnt out. In today’s episode, Madison talks about what it was like to feel so depleted after years and years of a highly productive and successful career, and why after walking away from it all, she decided to found a company of her own.

Live from Los Angeles, Hillary is joined by Dr. Deepika Chopra—aka the "optimism doctor"—for a conversation around beating burnout. Dr. Chopra holds a doctorate in clinical health psychology with a special interest in mind-body connection, sensory-based visual imagery, color therapy, innovative cognitive behavioral strategies, and methods to increase optimism and resilience. In this live episode, she shares the difference between acute stress and clinical burn out, how to cultivate more joy throughout your day, and the key to finding work that’s truly sustainable.

Independent fashion label With Jéan’s viral designs (such as its cult-favorite Andy dress, signature corsets, and best-selling ribbon-trimmed silhouettes) have been spotted on everyone from Rosalía to Bella Hadid. On this episode, founders Sami Lorking-Tanner and Evangeline Titilas join Hillary to discuss bringing their vision to life, what to expect from their upcoming drops, and the items on repeat in their own wardrobes.

Home décor expert and YouTube content creator Alexandra Gater connects with millions through her home makeover videos on YouTube, where she makes design accessible for renters and homeowners alike, no matter their budget. Today, Alexandra has over 500,000 subscribers on YouTube plus her own website where she provides virtual makeover packages, product collabs, and a collection of handmade Moroccan pom-pom slippers. But back before Alexandra found her career as a YouTube creator, she was working for a Canadian lifestyle magazine, Chatelaine, where she worked as an intern in the art department and eventually discovered her passion for home design. Tune in to hear about it all, including how she recovered from a gut-wrenching layoff and persevered to build something entirely of her own.

Allison Bornstein is a stylist, wardrobe specialist, and content creator popular for her signature systems outlining how to optimize your style and closet. On this episode, she walks Hillary through her signature closet editing system, the three-word method for defining your style, the seven questions you should ask when buying a new item, and so much more.

Makeup artist, beauty titan, and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown is a multihyphenate of the highest order. After beginning her career as a makeup artist who became known for a natural aesthetic that stood out against the highly graphic makeup of the time, Bobbi changed the beauty landscape forever by launching a collection of 10 natural shade lipsticks. Over the next 25 years, she would then build that eponymous brand—Bobbi Brown Beauty—into a billion-dollar brand. Then, in 2016, after over two decades, she walked away. In the four years afterwards, she continued to evolve time and time again. She launched justbobbi.com, an editorial beauty, fashion and lifestyle site; started an ingestibles wellness brand called Evolution 18; and even opened a boutique hotel in Montclair, New Jersey, called The George. Even without a cosmetics company, her influence kept growing: Brown became Masterclass’s first beauty instructor; launched multiple podcasts of her own; and authored nine books. In 2020, four years after she had walked away from the cosmetics world, she dove back in, launching cult-beloved Jones Road, a collection of edited and indispensable clean beauty products for all ages, skin types, and skin tones.

Hillary talks to Editorial Director Lauren Eggertsen about our brand-new seasonal series, Who What Wear 100. For this story, Lauren created the ultimate spring shopping guide featuring 100 editor-approved products across every major category, including season-defining It buys and must-have wardrobe staples. Essentially, it’s your shopping bible. Shop the story here: https://www.whowhatwear.com/who-what-wear-100-spring

Founder and CEO of Set Active Lindsey Carter has built a multimillion dollar activewear business. The brand’s made-to-match monochrome activewear sets have made their way to seemingly every influencer and fitness class alike, totalling a quarter million customers since 2018. Building a social following and community is Lindsey’s bread and butter. After all, she comes from a background of having started her own social media agency and running accounts for people like Maddie and Mackenzie Ziegler from Dance Moms. But her background is much more varied than that—it also includes an assistant position at NBC Universal, a marketing job at Variety magazine, and a whole lot more. Tune in to hear about her successes—and failures—that landed her at the helm of a massive brand of her own.

Allison McNamara is the founder of Mara skincare. Previously an on-camera host for outlets like PopSugar and E!, today, Allison is known as a force within the skincare space, launching Mara with a single innovative SKU: the Universal Face Oil. The brand is beloved by everyone from Chrissy Teigan to Hailey Bieber and has now expanded to include a tight yet robust product assortment. She’s here to discuss what it’s been like building her brand from the ground up, including formulations, active ingredients, and what’s next on the horizon.

Chances are you’ve seen Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co’s delightful boxes of smoked trout or Cantabrian anchovies grace your Instagram feed or even on the shelves of your local Whole Foods. By now, everyone from Food & Wine to Vogue has written about the sustainably sourced phenomenon, and the internet is well aware that hot girls eat tinned fish. But back before CEO and Co-Founder Becca Millstein was bringing the vibrancy of conservas culture to American tables, she was working within the music industry. After starting her career in the infamous mailroom at talent agency ICM, she worked at Atlantic Records specializing in music brand partnerships and artist marketing.