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“I want to teach women to read an ingredient list and actually simply understand, not every ingredient, but what they need to be looking for.”
On this episode of Startups in Stilettos, Ingrid Zapata-Read sits down with Danielle Ruess, founder of Ionian Skincare, to discuss how a personal skincare crisis led her from a successful corporate marketing career to building a science-backed skincare brand focused on education, transparency, and healthy aging.
Danielle shares the story of struggling with an unexplained skin condition in her 40s, discovering the importance of the skin barrier, and developing her own formulations after traditional solutions failed. She also opens up about launching a product-based business, bootstrapping a skincare company, finding mentors through the Entreprenista community, and navigating the steep learning curve of entrepreneurship.
What We Talked About:
A Personal Skin Health Turning Point [1:44]
From Corporate Career to Founder [7:40]
How to Read Skincare Ingredients [17:46]
What Happens to Skin as We Age [24:31]
Advice for Beauty Founders [36:52]
Connect with Danielle:
@eonian_skincare on Instagram
Danielle Ruesson LinkedIn
Connect with Ingrid:
@itsingridsworld on Instagram
Ingrid Zapata-Read on Linkedin
Connect with Carlyn:
@carlynbushmanconsulting on Instagram
Carlyn Bushman on LinkedIn
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Guests
Danielle Ruess
Hosts
Ingrid Zapata Read
Grow With Community
Ingrid Zapata Read is a community strategist and founder of Grow With Community. She helps businesses get closer to the people they serve and build stronger, more intentional relationships around their mission.
After building a global community for moms of over 200,000 members, and through her experience in sales, startups, and customer experience, Ingrid brings a people-first perspective to growth across industries. She’s known for her thoughtful, practical approach and believes community building should be a part of every business strategy.
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