Body Butters and Silver Hair Care—Beauty Founder Angel Cornelius of Maison 276 Builds a Pro-Age Beauty Movement
Show Snapshot:
Angel Cornelius went from mixing body butters at home with a Kitchen Aid mixer to founder of beauty brand Maison 276, now a national beauty brand and TODAY Show and Oprah Magazine favorite.
We get into how Angel went from hospital administrator to beauty founder at 57, the rise of the pro-age beauty movement, how to care for silver hair, why your dry winter skin might need a body butter, and the beauty of self-belief.
Bonus—how an improbable call from Essence Magazine changed Angel’s life.
In This Episode We Cover:
How Angel went from DIY beauty products made in her kitchen to a national beauty brand.
Angel’s silver hair journey and Maison 276 3-Step System for caring for silver, white, grey, and blonde hair.
You want how many? The shocking phone call from Essence Magazine that kickstarted Angel’s entrepreneur journey.
The rise of the pro-age beauty movement and why so many brands still don’t get it.
How empty-nesting fueled Angel’s second-act.
Shea butter, coconut, jojoba, honey, oatmeal, and pomegranate — how plant power feeds your skin and hair.
From Etsy to Macy’s to HSN — how Angel got her products out of the kitchen and onto beauty store shelves across the country.
Failures as “learnings'“ and the beauty of self-belief - how midlife wisdom manifests.
Show Links:
Angel on The TODAY SHOW:
Quotable:
I was just creating products for myself, solving my own personal pain point, and looking for something that was clean and didn’t have purple dyes… that was the impetus for me getting this KitchenAid blender—that I still have, mind you—and buying a set of pots to mix these concoctions in my kitchen.
Transcript:
Katie Fogarty [0:28]:
Welcome to A Certain Age, a show for women who are unafraid to age out loud. Have you ever experienced the phenomenon of buying, say, a red car and then seeing red cars everywhere? Or maybe mulling over the idea of getting bangs and then everywhere you look, it’s women with bangs, bangs, and more bangs. Ever since I launched a podcast to spotlight amazing women who are thriving in midlife, everywhere I look, magazines, social media, the news, I keep seeing women who are knocking it out of the midlife park. My guest today is one of those women.
I first saw Angel Cornelius, the founder of beauty brand Maison 276, on the cover of the digital magazine, The Pro-Age Woman. With her stunning silver hair and electric smile, she jumps off the page. But it’s the story of her improbable pivot from hospital administrator to beauty brand entrepreneur at the age of 57 that had me hooked. If you’re a fan of “It’s never too late, and you’re never too old” stories, stick around. This is show is for you. Welcome, Angel.
Angel Cornelius [1:32]:
Well, thank you, Katie, thank you so much. I am thrilled to share my journey with you and the A Certain Age community, and yeah, I’m honored to be here. Thank you so much.
Katie [1:47]:
I’m so delighted you said yes. I’m really excited to dive more into you and your work. I love a good founder backstory. I know you went from mixing your body butters in your home kitchen with a KitchenAid mixer [both laugh] to launching and bringing this beauty brand into the world. You’re now sold in national retailers like Macy’s, and you’ve been featured on the Today show. Walk us through how this happened.
Angel [2:12]:
Honestly, this is very improbable, and I could never have written this story myself. The journey started as a child. My mother discovered my first silver strand, I was so young she was still combing my hair, and so over time, this hair and I just grew up together. When I was in college, I had a little streak that most people thought I had bleached. So, you know, just over time, it became what you now see today.
I’d always been a bit of a DIY-er with beauty products long before that was a term. I would buy products off the shelf, not just for my hair but also for my skin. I would add other ingredients, just kind of cocktailing it until it worked for me. And so, in my fifties, when I decided to start creating products from scratch, as you would have it, it really wasn’t something new for me. I just had the internet that now could actually help me source plant-based ingredients. And I really was looking for something for my hair because by then, it was very much what it is now, predominantly silver and salt and pepper, and I always struggled with products for my hair.
As you know, most of the products on the market for silver and blonde hair are purple shampoos, and when you keep adding color to colorless hair, you get what I affectionately call "Old lady blue hair.” [Katie laughs] And I love that reaction from people because I get it from both women and men because they immediately know what I’m talking about and that just is an indication of how pervasive the problem is and how the industry has just not bothered to innovate for this particular category of consumer. She’s just ignored. It’s just like, she’s just going to buy whatever we put out there.
So, I was really just creating products for myself, solving my own personal pain point, and looking for something that was clean and didn’t have purple dyes, so I could create something that I could use every time I washed my hair instead of this journey of trying to figure out what to use when, when to use the purple stuff, when to use the regular stuff. And that’s really, that was the impetus for me just getting this KitchenAid blender, that I still have, mind you, and buying a set of pots just to mix these concoctions in my kitchen, and that’s really how I started.
Katie [5:04]:
I love the fact that you created a product for yourself and then recognized that there’s this enormous need. I have blonde hair, which I’m just going to confess that I actually pay for. So, I am familiar with purple shampoos, and I have to monitor when I use them, as it’s a pain in the neck. I try to make sure I’m only doing it twice a month just to make sure that it’s not becoming overly purple. So, I think that a lot of women who are listening to this show can identify with that pain point that you referred to.
So, how did you go from mixing this in your kitchen and then getting it onto the market? I believe you started off with Etsy. Is that correct? And then how did you make the jump into these bigger retailers? Was it easy or hard?
Angel [5:45]:
Oh no, it is hard, not was. [both laugh] It is hard. And I always want entrepreneurs, whatever the industry or the category, to know it is hard and the struggles and challenges that you have. They’re just a part of the journey. Don’t think you’re doing something wrong because it’s hard. It just, in fact, it’s hard.
But my friends discovered that I was mixing beauty products because what happened was, I had a lot of leftover raw ingredients like shea butter, coconut, jojoba, and lots of oils and butters from making the hair care products, and I realized that I could make skincare products with the same things, so the skincare products were from the leftover raw ingredients. And my friends inadvertently discovered that I had something when they saw me using it one day in church, and I had to create an Etsy store just to sell products to my friends. And you should know it took a lot of convincing. It wasn’t something that I– it wasn’t a lightbulb moment when somebody said, "Oh I want this,” and I said, "Sure.” It was just like, “No, I don’t have time for this, I have a real job.” [both laugh]
Katie [7:06]:
You have a real job and kids and a whole life, and yet you managed to make this happen.
Angel [7:12]:
Yeah, and true confession, we were empty nesters when I started this journey. And I always say, for me, as an entrepreneur, the empty nest stage was the perfect time in my life because, frankly, I don’t know where I would have gotten the hours from had I tried to pursue this and still have mommy duties. I know there are countless women that are doing it, and let me tell you, my hat off is to them. I frankly don’t know where I would have found the hours in the day. So, for me, being an empty nester was the perfect time to start this crazy, unlikely journey.
Katie [7:53]:
Yah, I love that Angel, because we have a lot of women that come on this show, and there’s a poignancy around empty nesting, there’s a poignancy around having your family dynamics change, but there’s also an opportunity for a lot of people to have that extra time to say, maybe I’m going to launch that business, volunteer more, start a creative endeavor, and I love that you looked at the free space in your calendar and created something new for you.
Angel [8:20]:
Yeah, it was just the perfect opportunity for me, even though I didn’t have– Interestingly enough, I’d said, “When our daughter graduates from college...” I kind of had put myself on this timeline of. I’m going to transition to a new position. I wanted to do something creative. I didn’t want to be anybody’s boss. I had nothing in mind. I had just planted this seed like, “I’m going to do this thing five years after she graduates,” having no idea this was going to be the thing. [laughs]
Katie [8:56]
That’s such a great story because you don’t have to know what the ending is going to be to get started.
Angel [9:02]:
Right. It just seemed like a fun thing, right, to just kind of plant. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but it’s going to be different, and it’s not something where I’m going to be on call 24 hours a day or anything like that. Who knew, it’s the same. [laughs]
Katie [9:17]:
Yeah, I’m sure. Being an entrepreneur is a 24/7 situation, and I need every listener to know that Angel is not on Eastern Standard Time and very kindly agreed to get up super early with me to record this show. I know how much work it takes to bring a product to market. You’re bringing physical products; I’m bringing a podcast. You have to really nurture these babies.
Angel [9:43]:
Yes, that’s exactly... it’s a baby.
Katie [9:46]:
It is a baby. And I also really adore the fact that you shared that the launch of your signature body butter was really a waste-not-want-not moment, where you were taking the ingredients that you had from your personal haircare products, and then you really developed a signature product. So, for our listeners who don’t know what the difference between a body butter and a body lotion is, can you walk us through that and what your products offer?
Angel [10:12]:
Right, so the biggest difference is that lotions have a very high level of water content. If you look at the ingredients on any lotion compared to body butter or balm, you’ll see the water is a lot higher in the ingredient list. And that was what actually started me with my whole DIY journey, even when I was in my twenties; because of that very high water content, I was always having to reapply moisturizers. And that’s why I would cocktail them together because I wanted something that would keep my body moisturized throughout the day as opposed to something that I would have to reapply. And also, I’m a girl of the Gulf Coast, born and raised in New Orleans, and if you know anything about the Gulf Coast, it’s super humid. So, always wanting something that kept me moisturized, very emollient and concentrated, but not sticky, and that is what I was solving for once I started creating the body butters.
But to answer your question about how I went from Etsy to retail, it was a very interesting journey. I got a call from a family friend, a friend of my son actually, who had been hired from Birchbox, the original beauty box subscription program, a pioneer in that area. She had been hired away from Birchbox by Essence to curate their beauty box program, Essence magazine. And so, she had been using my little kitchen creations when she visited my son in New York, and so she called me, and she said, “Hey, Mrs. Cornelius, I’ve been using your body butters, I really love them. I think they’re great. I’m here at Essence with this new project, and I’d love to introduce you to the editors. I can't make any guarantees, but we really want to focus on female entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs of color.” And I was like, “Yeah, sure!” Because for me, a middle-aged woman, Essence is a very iconic cultural platform. Not just a magazine but very much the voice of women of color and where you are used to seeing yourself portrayed in a very beautiful, feminine, powerful way. So, I was quite honored that I even had the opportunity.
So, a few weeks later, she called me, and she said, “Hey, you know, we like all the products, but we really love the Pomegranate Kiss Body Butter, so we’d love to feature that in the beauty box.” Now, I’m in my office, I’m taking the call during lunch when the clinic is closed, and I said, "Sure! Absolutely, I’d be thrilled to participate. What do I have to do?” and she said, “Well, first of all, we’ll need at least 10,000 units.”
Katie [13:16]:
Oh my gosh! [laughs]
Angel [13:16]:
And I was just like, O-M-G! And fortunately, there was no Zoom, so she couldn’t see the look of complete... I don’t want to say horror, [Katie laughs] but just like, “Oh my” on my face because I was still making products in my kitchen.
Katie [13:35]
You’re like. I’m going to need a much bigger mixer. I need a huge mixer!
Angel [13:38]:
This is still a passion project. Now, of course, I definitely had more sales. I had moved from Etsy to, you know, a more traditional website, by the way, that I had built myself. And I just thought, oh my goodness, what did I get myself into?
Katie [14:00]:
Angel, I love this story so much. We are heading into a quick commercial break, but when we come back from it, I want to hear how you found that bigger mixer.
Angel [14:08]:
Absolutely.
[Ad Break]
Katie [15:28]:
We’re back from the break. We headed into it learning that you received this incredible phone call from Essence. They loved the Pomegranate Body Butter. They wanted 10,000 units. How did you deliver on that?
Angel [15:41]:
I honestly had to figure it out every step of the way. It was a 9-month process. They wanted it in 3 months, and I said, "That’s not going to happen.” So, I’m very grateful that they were patient and understood where I was at that point in time in my entrepreneurial journey and giving me the time and grace to fulfill the project. So, I honestly it was just google research, google research, and calling manufacturers. Because while 10,000 seemed daunting to me, from a manufacturing perspective Katie, that’s actually not a lot of units. And so, it’s very difficult to find a manufacturer that’s willing to take a chance on someone that has no manufacturing and fulfillment experience, and that will actually work with your formulation, as opposed to selling you a white label.
A white-label product is a product that the manufacturer creates, and he or she sells it to literally anyone who wants to buy it the only difference is the label. And that’s why in beauty, oftentimes women will say, “Well, I’ve used these three different products, and there’s absolutely no difference. I can't tell the difference.” It could be that it’s actually the same product with a different label because that’s what white labelling is.
Katie [17:07]:
Yeah, absolutely. We’ve had a lot of beauty experts on this show, people who’ve created beauty brands and I’ve heard this common theme. That oftentimes with the very, very– We’re not going to throw anyone under the bus, but some of the very big labels that you see in drugstores, the products are all essentially the same. It’s really people like you, or it’s people like Alpyn Beauty or Caire Beauty that have really homed in on their special formulations. We had Kari Gran, who has been on this show. She has her own plant-based oils too. You’re really mixing up unique formulations. It sounds like you were able to get somebody to craft the Pomegranate Body Butter the way it needed to be mixed. Was Essence the launching pad for getting into the bigger retailers, or was that still a slow climb?
Angel [17:57]:
It was still a very slow climb, honestly. So, once we launched the pomegranate kiss body butter, eventually, we had to deliver 15,000 units. I started going to different beauty events. I started getting invited to these events. So, I would go to events on the weekend because I’m still working my full-time job. I might go to something in Atlanta or New York, very strategic locations where I knew that I had a base, small though it be. But I was selling the skincare products because that was the product that people knew that I had. I wasn’t selling haircare products at the time.
But something really interesting happened that I noticed, each time I went to a place, the vast majority of the vendors, regardless of the size of the company, small indies, and large conglomerates, the women behind the booths, behind the tables, inevitably were 20-year-olds; they looked like my daughter. I was one of the very few middle-aged women in these venues, no matter how big or small, and what would happen is a lot of the middle-aged women would be drawn to the table, yes, one because they saw someone that looked like them. Women of all ethnicities, all hair textures, and types. And yes, they loved the Pomegranate Kiss Body Butters and the other skincare products that we had. But eventually, the conversation would turn to my hair and general beauty questions. Because here’s the thing, middle-aged women actually don’t want beauty advice from their daughters. We want advice from peers, from women who are experiencing the same changes in our bodies, in our skin, in our hair. That’s where we want the information. We don’t want information from 20-year-olds.
Katie [19:56]:
100%! 100% I agree.
Angel [19:59]:
And so, the conversation always turned to my hair, and people would say, "How do you get your hair to look that white, and can I touch it?” With permission, yes. “Oh, it’s so soft. If my hair looked like that, maybe I wouldn’t color it.” And I immediately realized, oh, I may be a unicorn, but apparently, there are a lot of unicorns, and I need to produce a haircare product. So, that’s actually what made me realize the product that I was still creating in my kitchen for myself. I needed to bring that to market. So, what is now our hero product, the Maison 276 3-Step System for silver and blonde hair, is actually based on the products that I created in my kitchen to take care of my own silver hair.
Katie [20:51]:
And by the way, we know they work. Obviously, when this show drops, there will be images that support it, and there will be show notes. Everyone needs to stop listening. Go look at Angel’s hair, and you’ll be like, "I’m buying what she’s selling.” Because you have stunning silver hair, and I do know that women are interested in cutting out dyes or perhaps feeling more authentic or embracing their age. I’ve done two episodes of going gray and going silver. They’ve been very popular. People are very curious about this.
The very first guest I ever had on this show is a woman named Dr. Anita Sadaty. She’s a gynecologist, she delivered J. Lo’s twins, and she’s a great, great champion of women’s health. And after listening to the episode I did, where I featured Katie Goes Platinum, she stopped coloring her hair, and she’s now a beautiful silver because women are looking to step into sort of maybe more authentic midlife beauty, and they need tools. What’s your take on that? I know you said you went silver when you were very, very young. Your first strands came when your mom was still combing your hair, and you had a very cool streak when you were in college. But when you went fully silver, what was your experience from your peers and the larger culture about having this silver hair?
Angel [22:14]:
Yeah, because, you know, it’s really interesting because that was before we had social media where now there are millions of women globally that are there to support you through your journey. Interestingly enough, the whole time I was growing up, my hair was not a thing to family or friends. It was just like, “Oh, that’s Angel.” So, it was always something that I was very comfortable with.
But something really interesting happened in my mid-30s when my second child, our daughter, was born, and it really came in with a vengeance. I had a friend tell me, “Oh, you really should color your hair. You’re much too young to have silver hair.” And that was the first time anyone had associated my hair with making me look older or not adding to my own personal beauty. And so, very shortly after that, I’m with my baby, pushing this carriage and this friend happens to be with me, and this woman says, “Oh, is that your grandchild?” And I was so mortified, I thought, oh my goodness! Does this really make me look older? I share this with women because I don’t want them to feel bad about... At some point in our life, we all question are we doing the right thing. And so, at that point in time, the friend looks at me, and she goes, "See, I told you.” And I thought, oh my goodness. And this is someone that is very close and that I know loves me.
So, those two experiences, back-to-back, made me question what I was doing and what I was embracing, and I actually colored my hair. And the moment that I did it and looked in the mirror, I knew it was a mistake.
Katie [24:16]:
And when did you make that transition back to your more authentic hair?
Angel [24:21]:
It took a long time because I couldn’t... Once anyone colors their hair, you know, it’s so hard. You can't undo it. You can't undo the thing, and for maybe four, five years, I colored it. I couldn’t figure out how to get from under this, and every day, I woke up feeling like I was wearing a hat, and one day, I just cut it off. This was before social media, and this was before the term “The big chop” was a thing. I just cut it off. I couldn’t stand it anymore. And it just grew my hair out, I had a very short, kind of like pixie cut or whatever, and it was so short I was actually going to my husband’s barber to get my hair cut. [both laugh] That’s how short it was.
Katie [25:13]:
Oh my gosh, I love it.
Angel [25:14]:
Until it grew out, and I share that, not because I’m embarrassed about it, but it’s just kind of how women throughout our entire life, at some point, it’s like the pressures of society to conform whether it’s how you look, how you dress, what you do for a living. There are so many pressures that women have that, frankly, men just don’t.
Katie [25:44]:
They don’t, I agree.
Angel [25:45]:
And I share that like, yes, even I, even me with this, you know...
Katie [25:51]:
Yeah, you’re a silver hair evangelist, and you’re somebody who creates products that allow women to have gorgeous silver, gray, and white hair. And I love that you shared that at one point, you, too, struggled with whether or not you should be rocking your natural color.
Do you feel that beauty has become more expansive at this moment in time that we’re living in? I feel like it’s become more expansive, but maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by gorgeous, more mature women. What’s your take on that?
Angel [26:25]:
I think it has become more inclusive and expansive, but I think that is because there are indie brands and indie founders across every spectrum of both beauty and fashion that do not want to be bound by the old guard of what beauty is, what fashion is. And I think the proliferation of indie brands has really been responsible for the inclusivity and expansiveness that we see. There is still a lot of anti-aging rhetoric.
Katie [27:10]:
Yes, a lot of messaging.
Angel [27:14]:
A lot of the larger brands still talk to us as though it’s their job to fix what they believe is wrong with us. And I think when you see things like phrases like anti-aging, wrinkle reduction, or when the only time you see a middle-aged woman in an ad, it’s for a medication. So yes, we’ve come a long way, but I think we have a long way to go. And I think it is the outsiders like myself. I don’t come from beauty, who see the problem and decide to fix it themselves because we’ve given you decades to do it, and we’ve just decided as indie founders, we’re going to address it ourselves and provide platforms like this, products, and opportunities that allow women to be their authentic self in whatever way they define that.
Katie [28:23]:
Absolutely, I love that. And I think that you’ve really hit the nail on the head when you talk about the rise of indie brands because there is something for everyone out there, and you don’t have to– The gatekeepers that dictate how women age and the products that they’re given, some of those gates are falling, and it’s the indie brands that are at the vanguard of this more inclusive movement. I love that Maison 276 is leading the charge in this.
I have a question for you. We talked about Essence magazine, which was a big win, you’ve been in O magazine, and I know you’ve won QVC’s Next Big Find. These are highs, and these are big wins. But entrepreneurship is not all just glossy magazine coverage and wins. Have you had any particular failures that you’ve had to struggle with, and is there anything that you learned from this moment of possible failure?
Angel [29:22]:
Yeah, you know, I like to call them learnings. [laughs]
Katie [29:27]:
Yes, I like that reframe. It’s not a failure. It’s... You either win, or you learn something.
Angel [29:34]:
Right. The great thing for me about starting small, like the boots on the ground, I like to say the stilettos on the ground, [Katie laughs] is that you get to have that one on one truly, personal relationship with your customers, I like to call them the Maison 276 community. If you talk to your community, they will tell you what they want, they will tell you what they don’t like, and you have to be open to that because sometimes you can be going down a road that you think is important to your community and you realize, that really wasn’t important at all. [laughs] And so, I think, you know, even missteps like maybe you really think this is the next product launch, and they’re like, "No, actually we want this other thing,” I think that’s all beneficial, and I think that’s all helpful and it’s a lot better to learn those lessons when you’re a young emerging brand and beginning to scale as opposed to you know... It’s a lot easier to learn something at a 10,000 SKU level than a 100,000 SKU level.
Katie [31:04]:
I bet.
Angel [31:06]:
Yeah, it’s a lot easier to pivot. And so, I just, yeah, I look at them as learnings, not failures, and embrace that and embrace the difficult messages. Like a lot of times as an emerging brand, particularly if it’s involved with any type of manufacturing, there are so many different people and partners that are a part of the process that you have no control over, whether it’s the raw ingredients, whether it’s the transportation partner. As you grow, your partner base expands, and a lot of things you don’t have control over.
And so, I remember a few Christmas seasons ago; we thought one of our hero products was going to be available, and it’s a product that people use to purchase gifts, and it was not. So, you know, we had to send the emails out that said, “We’re sorry this product won't be able to ship until January,” and it was one of the hardest communications that I ever had to write because I just envisioned it like something horrible happening and nothing horrible happened. [laughs]
Katie [32:33]:
People were patient. They waited until January.
Angel [32:34]:
People were just like, “Oh, okay, I really wanted it, but okay.” So, sometimes we create scenarios in our head that actually just aren’t true.
Katie [32:50]:
Yeah, we’re telling ourselves a story that gets us upset and in a lather, and it doesn’t always have to be that way. These learnings that you talk about is this something that you could have learned when you were younger? Could you have brought Maison 276 to market when you were younger, or did it take getting to midlife to make this happen?
Angel [33:09]:
For me, I think it’s all the perfect time. My experience, just my lifetime experience, there’s so much that I know that by the time I was in my mid-50s, I mean, I’m 62 now, but just the accumulation of life experiences, I honestly believe that for me, this is the optimal time. I don’t think I was mature enough to have created this type of product and it’s not just the product, it’s the messaging and the strategy of going to market because I understand at this stage in my life, all the ways that the market has not given me what I need, on so many levels. Whether it’s products, whether it’s representation, whether it’s messaging. So, coming to it from a place of wanting to give other women the things that I feel, where the market is failing us.
Katie [34:28]:
I love that. I love that. And you’ve stepped into the breach, and you are offering all these wonderful inclusive products. When you spend time on your website, they sound incredibly yummy. It’s a wonderful thing. And I love that you shared that this was the perfect time for you.
Angel, we’re going to be moving into our speed round. Our time is coming to a close, which makes me sad. When we get to the show's end, I’m like. I could keep going!
Angel [34:54]:
I didn’t even talk about QVC.
Katie [34:56]:
Exactly! Maybe you’ll come back, and we’ll do it again.
Angel [35:01]:
Yes, for sure.
Katie [35:02]:
But I do want to do this... so, quick question. This is our speed round. It’s one- to two-word answers. Launching Maison 276 was: _____
Angel [35:12]:
Exciting.
Katie [35:13]:
Exciting. I love it. This one’s going to be easier. Body butter application in the morning, night, or both?
Angel [35:22]:
What’s most important is that when you do it, is right after you shower or bathe because you want to lock in that moisture, and so, you need to do that as soon as you shower or bathe so, if you’re a morning showerer, in the morning. If you’re a nighttime showerer or bather, after. To me, that is the most important thing, to lock in moisture.
Katie [35:51]:
Good advice. Okay, so the Maison 276 product that you personally cannot live without: _____.
Angel [35:59]
The 3-step system for my hair.
Katie [36:01]:
Nice. Your products, as I said, are all yummy with amazing names and ingredients, pomegranate, oatmeal, honey. What’s a grocery cart staple that gives you beautiful skin?
Angel [36:14]:
Coconut oil.
Katie [36:16]:
Love it. Silver haircare question, daily shampoo, yes or no?
Angel [36:24]:
No. And it’s not just for silver hair. I think many women over-shampoo their hair which is why it’s dry.
Katie [36:32]:
Got it. Okay, so be cautious about when you’re shampooing. I saw on your website that you have a quote that says you’re intentional about self-care for both physical and emotional health, which includes doing things that make you happy. You say, “It’s not vanity. It’s sanity.” What is keeping you sane these days in terms of your physical health? What are you doing?
Angel [36:56]:
My Peloton.
Katie [36:58]:
Nice. And what’s keeping your emotional health sane?
Angel [37:05]:
I take breaks throughout the day just to do breathing exercises. It’s like 60 seconds, but I do it about two or three times a day and it really helps center me when I feel like I’m getting anxious working through a particular problem or issue, and it really centers me. It sounds simple but I recommend you try it.
Katie [37:36]:
I love it. Breathing is so critically important. I love the fact that you use it to center yourself. Finally Angel, your one-word answer to complete this sentence: As I age, I feel _____.
Angel [37:50]:
Free and boundless.
Katie [37:52]:
Augh, I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. This has been such a blast. You’re going to come back. We’re going to dive into QVC. But before we wrap this particular show, how can our listeners find you and Maison 276?
Angel [38:05]:
You can find us online at Maison276.com. The brand name is inspired by my New Orleans roots, maison is French for house and 276 is the street address of the house where I grew up. And you can also find us, the same name, on Instagram and on Facebook.
Katie [38:30]:
Thank you, Angel.
This wraps A Certain Age, a show for women who are aging without apology. Join me next week when we gear up for holiday fun, fashion, and gifting with Nada Jones of Liberty Road. And be sure to visit our new sister account over on Instagram, Age Out Loud. We want to feature your Age Out Loud story. If you believe your age stands for something, head to Instagram @LetsAgeOutLoud and share your story at the link in bio.
Special thanks to Michael Mancini, who composed and produced our theme music. See you next time, and until then: age boldly, beauties.