Second Life

Chrissy Rutherford has become the ultimate multi-hyphenate. She is a writer, entrepreneur, digital creator, and brand consultant. This year, Rutherford launched her own newsletter, FwdJoy, where she shares her unique perspective with her audience and covers a vast range of topics, from her relationship with therapy to tarot card readings. In 2020, alongside Danielle Prescod, Rutherford co-founded 2BG Consulting—a company dedicated to educating fashion and beauty brands on how to create actively anti-racist brand identities from the inside out while fostering inclusive and diverse values. Rutherford has become a passionate, authentic voice in the industry, but before she manifested her own unique path, she spent 12 years in the fashion media space, working her way up at Harper’s Bazaar as one of the first members of the digital team. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Rutherford found the faith to take the leap toward a new career path—on her own terms.

Jing Gao is the brilliant chef and entrepreneur behind Fly by Jing, the first premium Chinese food company that has turned into a foodie phenomenon, bringing thoughtfully crafted pantry staples to the modern kitchen. Inspired by the flavors of her hometown Chengdu, China, Gao launched the brand with the hero product Sichuan Chili Crisp, which became the highest-funded food project on Kickstarter and, subsequently, the top-selling hot sauce on Amazon. Prior to Fly by Jing, Gao founded an award-winning restaurant in Shanghai, Baoism, and even started an international roving supper club. But before Gao found her calling through food and flavor, she actually worked as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble and in tech for Blackberry and the global design firm Frog Design. Is your jaw on the floor now? Just wait until you’ve heard Gao’s entire story.

Susan Matheson is responsible for costuming some of our favorite blockbuster movies, from Step Brothers and The Town to The Big Short and Friday Night Lights. She has been leading teams in creating sartorial worlds for over two decades, and her latest project is the highly anticipated Netflix film Don’t Look Up, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, that is debuting on December 24. But before Matheson established herself as a major player in the industry, she actually started her career working for Mattel, where she designed clothing patterns for Barbie and Disney toys. On this episode of Second Life, hear about the catalyst that made Matheson leave what she describes as a “dream career in fashion” to follow the truest form of her passion within film.

Frustrated by the lack of women in the luxury watch world, creative consultant and writer Brynn Wallner created Dimepiece, an Instagram account and complementary website aimed at empowering women to become smarter consumers of their own luxury timepieces. On this episode, Brynn breaks down and demystifies the shopping experience, gives us the history behind a few particularly iconic models, and dishes on the upcoming trends to be on the lookout for.

With over 30 years in the industry, Meagan Good, an actress, producer, director, and entrepreneur, has created her own path throughout Hollywood. Good made her debut into the world of acting when she was just 4 years old, appearing in shows such as Doogie Howser and Amen. By the time she was an early teen, she was in movies such as Eve’s Bayou and the Nickelodeon show Cousin Skeeter. She has also starred in major box-office films Think Like a Man and Anchorman 2. In her latest role, Good leads the new Amazon series Harlem, produced by legends Amy Poehler and Pharrell Williams, from Girls Trip writer Tracy Oliver. As if her extensive list of acting accomplishments and features wasn’t monumental enough, Good has taken a step behind the scenes into producing and directing. In fact, her co-directorial feature debut, If Not Now, When?, was released last January. Good has also tapped into her entrepreneurial side and founded Good Girl Wraps, a line of multifunctional satin hair wraps. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Good has navigated many career pivots and continues to carve out space for herself in whatever arena she enters.

Image architect June Ambrose has been creating culture-defining work for the past 25 years. Throughout her work on over 200 music videos with artists like Missy Elliott and Jay-Z to styling celebs for the red carpet to her newest role as the creative director for Puma Hoops, June’s fiercely imaginative mind amplifies any projects she touches. On this episode, she’s here to talk about her first collection with Puma out this December, as well as her current fashion obsessions, outfit formulas, and styling tips you don’t want to miss.

In 2018, Éva Goicochea changed the sexual-wellness industry forever with the launch of Maude, a line of thoughtfully crafted intimacy essentials. Along the way, Dakota Johnson joined the team as an investor and co–creative director, and Goicochea is now one of 10 Latinx female founders to raise over $10M in venture funding. But before Goicochea became a trailblazer in the sexual-wellness industry, she spent her early career as a legislative aide in healthcare and then a decade working in marketing and branding with forward-thinking companies such as Everlane and Josie Maran Cosmetics. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Goicochea was able to use her past career experiences to build a brand that pushes industry boundaries and encourages a healthy, everyday approach to intimacy—for everyone.

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle are the comedic geniuses behind the show Pen15, in which the two adult women play outcast 13-year-old versions of themselves as they navigate the highs and lows of middle school. Taking place in the year 2000, the pair not only nail teenage angst and awkwardness like we’ve never quite seen on TV before, but watching the show also evokes major nostalgia. On this episode, Erskine and Konkle bring us inside creating the Pen15 world—Tamagotchis, braces, and tankinis included. Plus, hear what we can expect from season two, part two, available on Hulu Dec 3.

Tia Williams is not only the editorial director at the Estée Lauder Companies Inc., overseeing the voice of its subsidiary brands, but she’s also a best-selling author. Her latest book, Seven Days in June, became an instant hit as an NYT best seller and a Reese Witherspoon book-club pick. Williams is also the author of The Accidental Diva, young adult novels It Chicks and Sixteen Candles, The Beauty of Color (which she wrote alongside supermodel Iman), and The Perfect Find, which is currently being adapted into a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union. Meanwhile, she’s held beauty editor positions at Elle, Glamour, and Essence. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Williams has managed to fulfill her childhood dreams of not one but two successful career paths simultaneously.

Celebrity stylist Jeanne Yang’s Instagram profile reads “Stylist to four Superman, five Batman, three Spiderman, Ironman, Neo, Mr Grey, Aquaman, other super people,” and somehow, that’s not all she is. Yang's also the genius behind the fashion of Regé-Jean Page, Keanu Reeves, Kumail Nanjiani, and many more of the best-dressed men in Hollywood. On this episode, she dishes on her secrets to making her clients look so cool, how to tell if a garment actually fits, and stylish gift ideas for the men in your life.

Sahra Nguyen is the founder and CEO behind Nguyen Coffee Supply, the first specialty Vietnamese coffee company importing directly from the source and roasting in Brooklyn, New York. Nguyen works with a fourth-generation Vietnamese farmer, whose bold arabica and robusta beans are certified clean and organic, making for the perfect cup of coffee. The brand has garnered the attention of celebrities such as Mindy Kaling and Tory Burch and publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, and Food & Wine. On this episode of Second Life, find out how a mission for diversity, visibility, and empowerment has been a constant thread throughout Nguyen's career, weaving its way from her first life as an award-winning filmmaker and producer through her burgeoning career within the coffee industry.

Heidi Gardner is responsible for some of our favorite characters on the current season of Saturday Night Live, including Bailey, the teenage movie critic; Angel, also known as every boxer’s girlfriend; and Michael Wozniak, a stadium security guard who lost everything to Michael Jordan in the digital short The Last Dance: Extended Scene. Heidi is on the show this week to discuss her fifth season with the SNL cast, her come-up within comedy (she was a hairdresser for nine years prior!), and the sneaky places to find the real fashion moments on the show.

Kate Berry is the chief content officer at home publication Domino as well as the food, wine, and travel destination Saveur. At the helm of the two major lifestyle publications, Berry draws from her 14 years of editorial experience to lead teams across various digital platforms and has become an integral part in building the brands. Prior to joining Domino and Saveur, Berry spent eight years at Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings after her own wedding was featured in the latter publication and its design caught the attention of Martha Stewart herself. But prior to her fortuitous calling within media, Berry was actually a floral and interior designer in San Francisco. On this episode of Second Life, hear the entire story of how Berry became the chief content officer behind not one but two aspirational publications and all of the lessons she has learned along the way.

On this episode, Harper’s Bazaar Digital Fashion Director Nikki Ogunnaike brings us inside fashion month, where she attended the spring/summer 2022 shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Nikki tells us about her favorite collections from around the world, plus the biggest spring trends and who’s doing them the best.

If you’re into wellness, you likely would instantly recognize the modern pastel palette of superfood brand Golde from your Instagram feed. The collection of superfoods and skincare-boosting products, such as the Original Turmeric Latte Blend, are made with contemporary ingredients that think beyond the traditional healing box. In 2017—at just 23 years old—Trinity Mouzon Wofford launched the brand from her Brooklyn apartment. Four years later, Golde can be found on the shelves of massive retailers like Urban Outfitters, Goop, and Target. But before it all, Wofford was actually on a more traditional path to becoming a doctor. On this episode of Second Life, find out how Wofford built her accessible and joyful wellness brand after diverging from her initial medical path and stopping at various startups along the way.