The Beauty Sessions

What does it take to build a brand that lasts? In this episode, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Jenny Lei, founder of Freja — the cult handbag label that's quietly become one of the most considered names in accessories. Jenny started Freja in 2020 with no design background, no industry connections, and no outside investment. What she had was a genuine problem to solve: she couldn't find a sleek, f...

What if a fragrance could begin as a poem? In this episode, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Carol Han, founder and CEO of Nette — the New York-based fragrance and candle brand redefining what luxury scent can be. Born in San Francisco, raised in Hawaii, and shaped by years as a fashion editor at Elle, Carol traces Nette back to the candle store her mother ran when she was a little girl, and the ca...

Dr. Natazia zu Stolberg is a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, licensed acupuncturist based in Los Angeles, and founder of Dr. Stolberg — the brand behind the iconic Rest + Digest tea. She's also the co-founder of Space 314, a wellness space offering acupuncture, sports recovery, and personal training. In this episode, Dr. Stolberg shares the deeply personal health journey that led h...

Frances Shoemack is the founder of Abel Fragrance, a brand proving that natural fragrances don't have to compromise on performance or sophistication. A former winemaker from New Zealand, Frances left the wine trade after moving to Amsterdam, fell in love with the world of niche perfumery, and quickly realised that nobody was making luxury fragrance from natural, fossil fuel-free ingredients. S...

Krystle Wilson is a model signed to Elite Model Management and the founder of Everything Clear, a luxury home organization service based in New York City. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Krystle's career has taken her from studying fashion design in Miami to modelling in Paris — including a go-see with Azzedine Alaïa himself that she booked because of her genuine appreciation for the craft of design....

Sean Garrette has held some of the most prestigious roles in beauty — first global ambassador for Fenty Skin then official skincare expert for Dior Beauty — but this episode goes far beyond the accolades. He shares the full story of how he was personally chosen to work for Fenty, what it was really like walking into the world of Dior as a man who didn't feel like he belonged, and why the diver...

Katini Yamaoka is a musical artist and founder of Katini Skin, a luxury facial oil brand stocked at Bergdorf Goodman and Sephora. In this episode, Katini shares how her mother's natural beauty rituals planted the seed for the brand, what it was like building a luxury skincare line during the stillness of 2020, and the moment a Sephora buyer discovered Katini Skin. She talks about why she chose to...

Bec Wilson is a beauty PR expert and the founder of Eleven Consultancy, a brand building company based in New York specialising in strategic PR communications and events. With nearly 20 years in the industry spanning Sydney, London, and New York, she has launched and shaped some of beauty's most iconic brands — including Charlotte Tilbury, Victoria Beckham Beauty, Glossier, and Ariana Grande&#...

From early skin struggles to becoming one of the most trusted voices in aesthetics, Dr. Ewoma Ukeleghe has built her brand SKNDOCTOR on a foundation of radical honesty. As an award-winning medical and cosmetic doctor, Contributing Editor for ELLE UK, she's collaborated with some of the world's most coveted brands including—Dior Beauty, Estée Lauder, Charlotte Tilbury, and Glossier — all wh...

Merit Beauty didn't just redefine minimalist beauty—it redefined what modern luxury cosmetics could be. And behind that evolution is Aila Morin, CMO, whose approach to marketing prioritizes emotional connection over fleeting trends. In this episode, Aila shares her journey from working on beauty counters at a young age to leading marketing at one of the industry's most intentional brands....

After a decade working with some of beauty and fashion's most beloved brands—Rose Inc., MERIT, Sofia Richie, Rhode, Gucci Beauty—Jordan Risa felt the shift. Social media had moved from genuine connection to relentless self-promotion. So she did something radical: she cut back on work and created Seen Library—a community for readers to connect in person through meaningful and inclusive storytel...

After 16 years as an award-winning Beauty Director and Editor—including her roles as Beauty Director at Stylist Magazine and Beauty Editor at The Sunday Times Style Magazine—Joanna Ellner felt disillusioned. Even the most science-driven skincare wasn't delivering tangible results. The answer didn't come from another lab or ingredient innovation—it came from studying Traditional Chinese Medicine. I...

Izzy Utterson has built a mini wellness empire teaching women how to level up and live their best lives. After leaving corporate marketing roles at brands including Charlotte Tilbury, the mindset coach and content creator has amassed almost 500K followers across Instagram and TikTok with her viral "Hot Girls Don't Gatekeep" series and practical glow-up advice. In this episode, Izzy breaks down why...

Welcome to Season 2! In this episode, Sophie Blowfield goes inside Pamela Anderson's mindful beauty brand Sonsie with CEO Kailey Bradt—the chemical engineer turned founder turned leader driving the brand's most successful year yet. Kailey breaks down what it's really like working with Pamela, how they're building a plastic-negative brand without compromising performance, and why he...

Isan Elba is building something radically different in beauty. As founder of Beauty Access and Beauty Forward, she's created a scalable, tech-enabled system that turns the industry's excess of beauty PR packages into dignity for underserved communities. In this conversation, Isan shares how receiving 1-3 PR packages daily led her to build custom inventory technology, redistribute over 3,00...

Your founder story isn't just background information—it's one of the most powerful tools you have to build trust, attract press, and position yourself as a leader in the beauty and wellness industry. In this solo episode, Global Brand Builder, Sophie Blowfield breaks down exactly how to strategically tell your founder story in a way that actually drives results. She shares why most founder...

In this episode of The Beauty Sessions, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Michelle Hu, founder and CEO of Étoile - the beauty accessories brand that's brought calm to the chaos of our beauty routines. What started as a chaotic morning in 2016 - getting ready in the dark with shocking lighting and constantly misplaced items - sparked the idea for a business that would transform how we organize an...

In this episode Sophie Blowfield sits down with Alex Goldney, founder of Née and Slope Siren, for a conversation about building modern luxury brands that solve real problems. After her own frustrating name-change experience following her wedding, Alex identified a major gap in the market and created Née - the elevated name-change brand that's become the go-to gift for modern brides. In the sam...

In this episode of The Beauty Sessions, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Neada Deters, founder of LESSE - the simplified, elevated ritual of clinically advanced, active botanical skincare. Born and raised in Sydney by the ocean, Neada moved to New York after studying art history and theory, where she worked as a beauty editor before founding LESSE seven years ago. Neada reveals how her beauty edito...

In this episode, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Darcy Moore, founder of Belnu – the clean luxury fragrance brand redefining the industry through mood-enhancing scents, 100% ingredient transparency, and emotional connection. After years leading creative and art direction at Apple and running her own design studio, Darcy built Belnu – creating fine fragrances that don't just smell beautiful, but se...

In this episode of The Beauty Sessions, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Noel Capri, model and founder of Nicoya Organics - the 100% certified organic skincare brand proving clean beauty doesn't have to compromise on luxury. Noel unpacks how this brand was born from a deeply personal mission and her unique perspective on building a beauty brand while navigating two worlds as both model and foun...

In this episode of The Beauty Sessions, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Maeva Heim, founder of Bread Beauty Supply - the Australian-born hair care brand that's redefining "lazy girl hair" for natural and textured hair. Growing up in Perth, Australia, Maeva found solace in her mother's braiding salon - the only place that catered to textured hair in her hometown. After years worki...

In this episode of The Beauty Sessions, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Casey James and Carla McGraw, co-founders of Réforme Beauty - home to the viral Power Lip product that is making makeup artist lip contouring accessible to everyone. Known as the "Lip Contour Queen," with her loyal following, Casey built a devoted community before Power Lip even launched, while Carla brought her expe...

In this episode of The Beauty Sessions, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Olivia Boyd-Smith, founder of Par Olive - the Australian-made ingestible beauty and wellness brand that's redefined the supplement space with dermatologist-developed marine collagen super powders. This is the collagen supplement that Victoria Beckham swears by, and what started as a law school side project built on communi...

In this episode of The Beauty Sessions, Sophie Blowfield sits down with Shiri Feldman, a beauty copywriting consultant and product marketer who's become the strategic voice behind compelling brand messaging for female-founded, eco-friendly beauty companies. Shiri unpacks the reality of transitioning from corporate to freelance life, the art of balancing business and creativity, and shares her...