Second Life

If anyone has mastered the art of the hustle, it's Ellen Bennett. The entrepreneurial powerhouse behind Hedley & Bennett, a Los Angeles–based chef wear and handcrafted apron company, started her own business at age 24 while working as a line cook at not one but two prestigious restaurants in L.A. "I was permanently running on adrenaline, and I loved it," she tells Hillary Kerr. Now, she's outfitti...

There was a time when Aurora James never thought she'd have a seat at the proverbial table. Now, after dipping her toes in multiple industries, she's at the helm of the sustainable fashion company Brother Vellies and is proof that if you have a goal, you can make it happen, even if that means finding a new way of getting there. "I always knew that I wanted to work in fashion. I just knew that fash...

In an updated and extended interview from our very first episode, Hillary sits down with Jen Atkin, celebrity stylist and founder of cult haircare line Ouai. Dubbed the "most influential hairstylist in the world" by The New York Times, Atkin counts Bella Hadid, Chrissy Teigen, and Kendall Jenner as clients. Here, she gets candid about the power of social media, reflects on her journey from salon a...

Anine Bing launched her successful clothing and accessories line in 2012, but her days once revolved around modeling, music, and blogging. Listen to the story of her career pivots on this week's episode. 

Jennifer Meyer’s career has taken a non-linear path that went from psychology to fashion editorial to PR before she founded her now wildly popular jewelry brand. Listen to her story on Second Life.

Lauren Kleban started out as a professional dancer and now runs L.A.’s popular LEKFit workout studio. Hear about her career journey and what’s next for her company on Second Life.

When Anastasia Soare immigrated to Los Angeles from her native Romania in the early ’90s, she had no idea she’d someday change the way we collectively groom our brows. But after attending aesthetician school and getting a job at a salon on Melrose Place, she noticed that her facial clients weren’t taking proper care of their brows. Sensing a white space, she eventually launched her own salon where...

Paige Adams-Geller was a fit model and actress before founding lifestyle and denim brand Paige in 2004. The brand now has a global presence and a slew of celebrity fans.

Laura Vassar has spent most of her life crafting beautiful ready-to-wear, a passion that began in high school when she learned to sew and designed her own prom dress. She met her future husband (and business partner) Kristopher Brock while studying at Parsons in New York City, and the rest is history: Their brand Brock Collection is now stocked at fine department stores and on big-time sites like...

Nancy Twine went from working at Goldman Sachs to becoming the founder and CEO of clean, buzzy haircare brand Briogeo. Find out how she did it on Second Life.

When Molly McNearney arrived in Los Angeles and landed an interview to work as an assistant producer at Jimmy Kimmel Live, she jumped at the chance (although she admits she had no idea who Kimmel was at the time). The job wasn’t glamorous, but the initiative she showed in those early days led to other opportunities on the show. She worked her way up the ranks and into the writers’ room, eventually...

Whitney Tingle went from working on Wall Street to co-founding Sakara Life, the go-to meal-delivery service of celebrities like Chrissy Teigen. Hear about her journey from finance to wellness on Second Life.

Mercedes Abramo, president and CEO of Cartier North America, has never been one to avoid taking risks or making moves. In fact, her career as a businesswoman has taken her all over the world, from the Ritz Carlton in Maui to business school in Paris to a stint at Tiffany & Co. in New York City before landing her at Cartier, where she worked her way all the way up the ladder. Tune in to this week’s...

Ariel Kaye started her career in PR and digital advertising. Now she’s the founder and CEO of Parachute , the wildly popular direct-to-consumer bedding and bath company. Hear the incredible story of her career on Second Life.

Gregg Renfrew has been an entrepreneur practically all her life… She started her own business cleaning summer homes when she was in college at the University of Vermont, she founded The Wedding List soon after she graduated (and later sold it to Martha Stewart!), and eventually she founded her current business, Beautycounter, which will be familiar to most of our listeners as a company that transf...

In addition to her prolific acting career, Michelle Pfeiffer recently created a clean fragrance line called Henry Rose. Listen to her story and learn about her new venture on Second Life.

When Tamara Mellon started working at Brown’s in London at age 18, she never could have imagined that the experience would someday lead to working at British Vogue, co-founding Jimmy Choo, becoming a designer in her own right, and eventually starting her own eponymous label. On this week’s episode of Life Lessons, Mellon swings by to deliver important advice for entrepreneurs, explain what it’s re...

Katherine Power moved to L.A. on her own at 16 to be a professional dancer. Now, she’s the co-founder and CEO of Who What Wear while also leading its namesake clothing line at Target and new skincare line, Versed. Listen to the story of her fascinating career on Second Life.

Jenni Konner always knew she wanted to work in entertainment, but she didn’t necessarily know that she’d find herself executive-producing one of the most talked-about TV shows of our time. On this week’s episode of Life Lessons, find out how Konner found her way to Girls (which she ran alongside Lena Dunham) after spending time in writing rooms on shows like Undeclared and Help Me Help You, and di...

After working as a special assistant at the White House, then in brand marketing for companies like Tiffany & Co., Kathryn Duryea started Year & Day, which is shaking up the tableware space with its chic, minimal plates, flatware, and glasses.

Karla Welch is the in-demand stylist behind some of the biggest names in entertainment, from Justin Bieber to Tracee Ellis Ross to Elisabeth Moss. In the first episode of the Life Lessons series, listen to how she got her start in the industry, ramping her way up from scrappy shoots to working on Apple’s memorably iPod commercials and eventually taking on clients as a personal stylist. She’s had a...

Erica Chidi Cohen is the co-founder and CEO of Loom, the Los Angeles–based empowered education and wellness center that focuses on everything from periods to parenting. In the latest episode of Second Life, listen to how she parlayed a background in the culinary and fine art worlds into becoming a doula and eventually co-founding Loom, where she’s helping people truly understand their bodies in a...

Reshma Saujani once had political aspirations, even becoming the first Indian American woman to run for Congress. Now, she's the CEO and founder of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that aims to close the gender gap in technology. Learn about her inspiring career path on Second Life.

What happens when you leave an established finance career in NYC to open a nail salon in Los Angeles? Olive and June founder Sarah Gibson Tuttle has some answers. She had spent 10 years working as an equity sales trader at JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley when she noticed a white space in the beauty industry. Listen to Second Life to hear her story.

Korean skincare expert and Glow Recipe co-founder Sarah Lee spent years in the corporate beauty world at L'Oreal Paris before making the leap to start her own company, which has created cult products that have sold out numerous times on Sephora. Learn about her fascinating career journey on the newest episode of Second Life.