Ep. 47 | Skin Care for Lips with Founder of MAED Beauty, Denise Vasi
denise"THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOLLOWERS AND COMMUNITY IS IF I STEP AWAY—DO THEY STAY TOGETHER?
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Denise is the founder of MAED Beauty, a brand dedicated to holistic skincare with a special focus on lip care. You’ll hear us talk about about manifestation and intuition, the difference between followers and community, navigating career pivots, building a clean beauty brand from the ground up, and the importance of authenticity and self-care.
description:
In this compelling episode of It Takes A Village with Delina Medhin, Delina sits down with Brooklyn-born, LA-based Denise Vasi, model, actress, and now founder of MAED Beauty. Denise walks us through her remarkable journey, from her early days gracing pages of Vogue and starring on “Single Ladies” to launching her clean beauty brand centered on meaningful daily rituals. As a gifted storyteller, Denise unpacks how navigating the fashion and entertainment industries shaped her path, the role relationships and networking played in her evolution, and the determination it took to pivot from model and actress to digital entrepreneur.
She opens up about the lessons of community-building, the power of honesty and intention on social media, and the unique challenges behind launching MAED Beauty, from formulating her first product to manifesting acceptance into Sephora’s prestigious Accelerate Program. Whether you’re here as a longtime fan, aspiring founder, or someone looking for inspiration on how to embrace each chapter with authenticity and passion, Denise’s story will move and motivate you.
Show Topics:
Journey from model to actress and digital entrepreneur
Meeting her husband and family life
Networking and the value of relationships
Harnessing social media for storytelling and community growth
Community-building vs. follower-count in the digital age
Creating and launching maedbeauty.com
The process and challenges of developing a beauty product
Building and leading a team
Manifesting big goals like joining Sephora’s Accelerate Program
Balancing motherhood, creativity, and ambition
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
05:25 Career Journey: Modeling to Acting
15:58 The Impact of Social Media
32:21 A Life-Changing Trip to Uganda
33:43 The Evolution of Instagram
34:01 From TV to Social Media Storytelling
36:10 Launching mae.co: A Resource for Intentional Living
36:33 Clean Beauty and Building Trust
43:16 Creating a Community vs. Having Followers
51:29 Developing a Beauty Product
59:16 Joining Sephora's Accelerate Program
ABOUT Denise vasi
Denise Vasi is the founder of Maed Beauty, a wellness-driven clean beauty brand inspired by rituals for modern, multifaceted lives. Originally rising to fame as a model and star of VH1’s “Single Ladies,” Denise successfully transitioned into the digital space, building a vibrant community around authenticity, self-care, and purposeful living. She’s been honored by Create & Cultivate and Boss Women for paving new ways for female entrepreneurs and is now at the helm of Maed Beauty’s 2024 debut. Denise splits her time between LA and NYC with her husband, Anthony, and their two children.
Follow Denise on Instagram @denisevasi
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