Hihi,
There’s something really grounding about going home after being away for months. I spent a few days completely offline with my family celebrating my mom’s 60th birthday, and it reminded me what really matters.
My mom is someone who put so much of her own life on pause to raise four kids alongside my dad. Being able to give her a birthday that felt as special as the ones she always created for us meant everything. It made me think a lot about community, and how family is often the first version of that, the one that shapes how we show up everywhere else.
Now I’m back in New York, still freezing, getting into the rhythm again and wrapping up the month surrounded by conversations, celebrations, and stories from incredible female founders in honor of Women’s History Month.
Let’s get into the week.
THIS WEEK’S MOOD <3
♡ This Week's Mood ♡
Locked in and moving with purpose.
Living a life that used to be a dream.
Grateful for all of it, even the hard parts.
Business & Marketing
e.l.f. Cosmetics Turns a London Café Into a It Girl Moment Beauty brands are leaning into café marketing and offline experiences this year, and e.l.f. delivered. The brand transformed London's iconic Regency Café into the "Concealer Caff" to celebrate the launch of its new Soft Glam Concealer, complete with an all-day breakfast, shade-matching stations, a live DJ, and plenty of photo opportunities.
Clinique Launches Its First-Ever Creator-Led Campaign Named Unstoppable Together, the campaign features Olympic athlete couple Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall. A meaningful shift for a legacy brand, moving creators from supporting roles to the heart of the story.
Alix Earle Launches Skincare Brand Reale Actives Built around her personal journey with acne. Created in partnership with her dermatologist Dr. Kiran Mian, the brand is rooted in the idea that acne can be approached with confidence, clarity, and even a little fun. The products are clinically proven and designed to make skincare feel less intimidating and more empowering. Reale Actives launches March 31st.
Culture & Lifestyle
Nutella Launches Its First New Flavor in Over 60 Years Nutella Peanut is almost here, available in just seven days. A rare moment of innovation for a brand built entirely on consistency, and the internet is already having feelings about it.
SKIMS Taps Into Bridal Season With a Dedicated Wedding Collection SKIMS leans into one of the year's biggest spending moments, continuing its strategy of owning key life milestones and turning them into full product ecosystems.
Hannah Montana Turns 20 and Miley Goes Back to Where It All Started Miley Cyrus returned to her roots for the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, from recreating the iconic intro to sitting down with Alex Cooper for an honest conversation about the journey, the special felt genuinely full circle. Performances, reunions, and a clear intention to honor the fans who grew up alongside her. Twenty years later, the love is still pretty much mutual.
Tech & Leadership
Claude Launches an Ambassador Program Built Around Community They are investing in in-person community events to deepen user engagement beyond the product itself. A signal that the most forward-thinking tech companies are betting on human connection, not just features.
Mark Zuckerberg Is Building a Personal AI Agent to Help Him Lead Designed to shortcut the chain of command when he needs fast answers. One of the clearest examples yet of AI operating at the highest levels of leadership.
Giggly Squad Wins Podcast of the Year at the iHeartPodcast Awards A well-deserved win that cements the dominance of creator-led media and the continued shift away from personality-driven platforms toward something that actually feels human.
The Bigger Pattern We're Watching
Brands are done selling products. They are selling moments and cultural belonging.
Offline and in-person experiences are the most powerful marketing tool right now.
Creator-led storytelling is no longer a trend. It is the new standard.
AI is moving from productivity tool to leadership tool, quietly and fast.
Women are rewriting the rules in rooms that were never built for them.
The people winning right now are the ones who kept showing up before anyone was watching.
THE MHOB PODCAST
EPISODE OF THE WEEK
In this conversation:
Hiring for values will always take you further than hiring for skill alone.
A 90-day onboarding checklist is not micromanagement. It is respect.
Building a global team is simpler than you think if you learn the room.
In Madrid, no one asks what you do for work, and that mindset shift might save you from burnout.
Real loyalty is built through genuine community, not forced team building.
Have ideas for future newsletters?
Hit reply and let me know what you'd like to see! I actually reply!
XX
P.S. If you’re thinking “I wish my brand had content like this” good news: we can make that happen.
