Trust Your Innersense™ with Joanne Starkman

Reflecting on loss, love, and new beginnings
In this tender solo episode, Joanne shares what she’s releasing in 2025 and what she’s calling in for the year ahead. She opens up about the grief of losing her beloved dogs, Callie and Bear, and the heart-softening arrival of two new rescue pups, Reese and Rusty. Through these moments, she explores how love can expand even in the wake of deep loss. She reflects on menopause as a sacred pause and a deeper invitation to connect with her body, truth, and spiritual path. With honesty and grace, she also shar...

Breaking the Hair Mold
Joanne sits down with Scott Cooper—known as The Curly Scott—for a bold and soulful conversation that unpacks hair, identity, and healing. Scott shares how his own journey as a biracial man in the beauty industry pushed him to reimagine what inclusion really looks like—on the salon floor and within himself. With deep reverence for culture and community, he offers a refreshing vision of what it means to truly belong.

More Than Hair
Scott opens up about the pain and power of being seen—how curls carry legacy, and how syst...

Rooted in Clean Skincare
Joanne sits down with Hillary Peterson, founder of True Botanicals, whose journey into clean beauty began with a thyroid cancer diagnosis. Backed by a background in public health and hospital administration, Hillary turned a personal crisis into a global mission. What started as a search for non-toxic products became a purpose-driven brand committed to disrupting the beauty industry and regenerating it from the soil up.

Beyond Skin Deep
With clinical testing, sustainable sourcing, and regenerative farming at its core, Hillary’s clean skincare philosophy is both science-backed and soul-led. She shares wh...

From Law School to Lifesaving
In this episode of Trust Your Innersense, host Joanne Starkman welcomes Julie Castle, the dynamic CEO of Best Friends Animal Society—the organization at the heart of the national no-kill movement. What began as a spontaneous detour on a post-college road trip led Julie to a life-changing encounter with Best Friends' founders in the red rock canyons of southern Utah. Forgoing law school, she became employee number 17 and has since helped grow the sanctuary into a transformative force for animals nationwide.

Building a Movement from the Ground Up
Julie shares th...

From C-Suite to Coaching Women
Joanne sits down with Julie Flowers, former Chevron executive and now CEO and founder of Elevate YOU Confidence Coaching Inc., and co-host of the podcast Savvy Sisters and Cocktail Conversations. With a refreshing mix of humor and heart, Julie opens up about her journey from the corporate world to empowering women to lead with clarity and confidence. She shares what finally pushed her to make the leap from executive to entrepreneur—and how her years in HR shaped her unique approach to growth and leadership.

The Power of Clean Beauty and Ho...

From Unthinkable Loss to Unshakable Love
Joanne shares a deeply moving conversation with Scarlett Lewis, the mother of Jesse Lewis, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. Rather than succumb to rage or despair, Scarlett chose to transform her grief into love—and founded the Choose Love Movement to bring social and emotional learning to children around the world. With profound vulnerability, she shares how that moment of loss became a lifelong mission.

The Courage to Forgive and Teach
Scarlett explains how emotional awareness, forgiveness, and compassion became essential tools in her he...

Following Celestial Clues

In this episode, Joanne sits down with her sister Anna-Thea—an evolutionary astrologer, Certified Venus Star Point practitioner, Divine Feminine educator, and Love Card expert—to explore how astrology and numerology can illuminate the journey of self-love.With warmth and clarity, Anna-Thea explains how your Venus Star Point and birth chart offer insights into your soul’s lessons, your patterns in love, and your deeper purpose.

Love Cards, Soul Paths, and Awakening

Anna-Thea shares the magic of the Love Cards—a unique system based on numerology and playing cards—that helps deco...

The Power of Shared Vision
Joanne connects with Abbie and Rhysa, the passionate co-founders of Baddhare Salon, who open up about the journey from solo stylists to leading a thriving, purpose-driven salon in Myrtle Beach. Fueled by friendship, alignment, and a little bit of risk, they share how trusting their instincts—and each other—allowed them to build a business that supports both beauty and wellness.

Redefining Success in the Salon World
Abbie and Rhysa talk openly about what it takes to move from booth rental to salon ownership, including the realities of managing people, prot...

A Facial Awakening
Joanne opens the episode by sharing how facial reflexology, discovered during her sauna sessions at the height of the pandemic, became a powerful part of her wellness practice. Her guest, Jackie Van Ruler, takes us back to the beginning—how she left a 20-year nursing career and stumbled upon facial reflexology through a random book search and a gut feeling she couldn’t ignore. That intuitive pull led her from a tiny class in a coffee shop to a lifelong mission to share this transformative healing modality.

Beauty Meets Body Wisdom
Jackie expl...

Tapping Into Nature’s Wisdom
Joanne sits down with Katie Hess, founder of Lotuswei and pioneer of flower alchemy, to explore the subtle yet powerful healing capabilities of nature. Katie shares how a deep curiosity about the natural world led her to discover flower essences and a lifelong devotion to plant-based vibrational medicine.

The Science of Subtle Shifts
Katie explains how flower essences—vibrational remedies made from the energetic imprint of flowers—work to support emotional wellness, clarity, and vitality. She describes how they interact with the body’s subtle energy field, often called “the 21 grams of y...

Beauty with Intention
Joanne sits down with Jacquelyn Rodriguez, a holistic salon owner, speaker, and clean beauty advocate who is transforming the industry from the inside out. Her turning point came while cleaning her own bathroom at home—when she thought, “If I don’t want my kids breathing in these chemicals, why am I?” After putting them to bed, she went down a rabbit trail of clean beauty research that ultimately sparked her mission to create a new standard of beauty that nourishes both body and soul.

Shifting the Standard
From building her own non-toxi...

Closing the Loop at Vagaro Iconic 2025
To wrap up this inspiring four-part series from Vagaro Iconic 2025 in Napa Valley, Joanne sits down with Charity Hudnall, Vagaro’s Chief Marketing Officer. Vagaro is an all-in-one software platform built to support beauty, wellness, and fitness professionals with powerful tools to grow and manage their businesses. With warmth and clarity, Charity reflects on the evolution of the event, the heart behind the brand, and how Vagaro continues to empower both independent stylists and growing salons through thoughtful innovation.

The Power of Listening and Leading
Charity shares how staying cl...

Barbers Breaking Boundaries at Vagaro Iconic 2025
Recorded live at Vagaro Iconic 2025 in Napa Valley, this second set of interviews dives deeper into the barbering community. Joanne Starkman and guest co-host Casey Voss connect with three bold voices who are not only redefining the industry—but challenging what’s possible behind the chair. Each story is grounded in purpose, grit, and a drive to serve through creativity.

Real Stories, Real Leadership
Carmina Barragan shares how embracing her identity as a bilingual, bicultural barber has empowered her work and connected her with clients on a soul level. Then...

Empowering Visions From the Beauty Industry
Live from Vagaro Iconic 2025 in Napa, Joanne sits down with three dynamic leaders reshaping the future of beauty. This episode weaves together technology, tradition, and deep purpose—revealing how much heart, vision, and grit lives behind the chair. Whether you're a stylist, an entrepreneur, or someone who simply loves this industry, you’ll feel inspired by what’s possible.

Candace Mitchell Harris, Paul Joseph Marzioli, and Shay Edwards
First up, Candace Mitchell Harris, founder of Myavana, shares how AI and data are revolutionizing hair care—especially for textured hair—and why re...

A Nudge That Changed Everything
Rachel Cook Northway joins Joanne for a heartfelt conversation about tuning into intuition when it matters most. While pregnant, she discovered a lump and felt a quiet but persistent inner voice urging her to ask for further testing. That moment became the turning point—one that led her deeper into wellness, clean beauty, and the power of self-trust. Through it all, it was her children who kept her grounded, reminding her what truly matters as she began to build a life led by purpose and presence.

Clean Beauty As A Sacred Pr...

Rooted In Beauty And Purpose

In this special episode recorded live at the Vagaro event, Joanne sits down with hairstylists and salon leaders who are transforming the industry from the inside out. You’ll hear from Mr. G of Blackbird Salon, Breanna Bell, Muhammad Abdullah, and Jacquie Ware—each offering insight, warmth, and wisdom. While not a stylist, Jacquie (Innersense’s social media manager) shares a practical perspective, offering tips on how beauty professionals can use social media more intentionally and effectively. What unfolds is a heart-led series of conversations about staying inspired, navigating burnout, and returning to the...

Energy, Ancestry & The Power Of The Soul
Joanne welcomes shamanic healer and spiritual teacher Dani Burling for a deeply personal and illuminating conversation. Dani shares how her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis led her to explore energy healing and shamanic practices. What started as a search for alternative healing became a lifelong path of guiding others through soul work and ancestral release. Known for converting skeptics with real, transformative results, Dani speaks to the deep healing available through spiritual tools.

The Triangle Of Relationships In Healing Work
With warmth and grounded wisdom, Dani breaks down th...

The Heart Of Leadership With Britt Seva
Joanne Starkman and co-host Casey Voss sit down with beauty industry strategist Britt Seva for a conversation that left them feeling a little star struck—especially Casey, made even more memorable by the chance to chat with Britt Seva, mentor to thousands of Thrivers From the very first question, the energy was honest, playful, and full of admiration for a woman who has helped reshape what leadership looks like in the salon world.

Owning Your Lane In The Industry
Britt shares how her journey started—not with a pair...

A Day Of Presence And Care
To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Joanne reflects on her time shadowing the Lipstick Angels at UCSF, a nonprofit offering beauty and healing services to cancer patients receiving treatment in hospitals. What she witnessed went far beyond makeup—it was about dignity, presence, and the kind of human connection that doesn’t require fixing. Each act of care was a reminder that even in sterile, clinical spaces, beauty and compassion can thrive.

When Touch Becomes Healing
Lipstick Angels create space for healing not just through beauty, but through the...

A Conversation Beneath The Surface
Joanne is joined by Kate Mackinnon, a craniosacral therapist, author, and advocate for gentle healing. With deep presence and years of experience, Kate shares how this subtle hands-on modality—focused on releasing tension in the nervous system—helps people reconnect to their bodies and access deep healing. From cancer patients to veterans, her work proves that the lightest touch can create lasting transformation.

What The Body Wants You To Hear
Kate offers a thoughtful breakdown of how craniosacral therapy works—not through pressure, but through quiet, attuned listening to the body’s...

The Power Of Community In Clean Beauty
Joanne welcomes Breanna Bell, Innersense™ Organic Beauty’s Educator of the Year and newly appointed Chair of the Kansas City Board of Cosmetology. One of 11 children in an entrepreneurial family, Breanna shares how growing up surrounded by resourcefulness and self-starting spirit laid the foundation for her path. Her personal journey with Innersense™ began with curiosity, education, and the boldness of not knowing she was “too young” to step into something bigger.

Reclaiming Beauty For Textured Hair
Breanna speaks to the transformative experience of working with textured hair clients who have l...

Singing Her Way Into Wholeness
Joanne sits down with Freja Eriksen—also known as the Singing Doctor—who brings together her credentials as a certified functional medicine practitioner, PhD, and trained unity therapist from the Complete Vocal Institute with her gifts as a singer-songwriter. From performing on Europe’s biggest stages to writing the viral track Breathe, Freja uses her voice to regulate the nervous system and promote collective healing. She shares how singing has always been her natural state and how, over time, music and medicine beautifully merged into one purpose-filled path.

How Sound Becomes A Heal...

The Power of Sensitivity with Sarah Grace
Joanne is joined by Sarah K. Grace, a former California paramedic who used her psychic gifts on the front lines of trauma. Now a best-selling author and intuitive healer, Sarah shares how she turned personal pain and professional intensity into a life of purpose. This soulful exchange between two healers explores sensitivity as strength—and the courage it takes to live that truth.

From Pain to Purpose
Sarah opens up about surviving a difficult childhood, enduring profound loss, and navigating near-death experiences. She explains how those moments shaped he...

Coming Home to the Sacred Feminine
Joanne reconnects with author and podcast host Liz Childs Kelly—once a client in her chair and now a guiding voice in the sacred feminine space. Liz shares how a spontaneous moment of stillness in a crowded hotel lobby, surrounded by hundreds of women at a business conference, cracked something open within her. It was the first time she heard the voice of the sacred feminine—and it changed everything. If you've ever wondered if there's more to your inner knowing, this conversation is your invitation to listen in.

Awakening Intu...

Turning Hollywood Magic Into Human Connection
LaQuita Cleare, CEO of Clear Communication Academy and Hollywood-trained storytelling expert, joins Joanne to explore how powerful stories build trust, loyalty, and connection—in the boardroom and beyond. With roots in Chicago and a love for matcha and tango, LaQuita shares how her creative past inspires her corporate teachings, helping leaders and teams break free from dry data and make people feel something real.

The Engagement Code That Changes Everything
You’ll hear how LaQuita’s “Engagement Code” breaks communication into three soul-centered parts: connection, content, and delivery. With warmth and...

A Father’s Quiet Leadership
 In this deeply personal solo episode, Joanne reflects on an unexpected moment of clarity during a recent leadership training that brought her father, Bernard Krieg, to mind. With warmth and nostalgia, she invites you into stories from her childhood—growing up with her dad as her elementary school principal—and the subtle, powerful ways he modeled leadership through action, humor, and unwavering support.

Lessons From the Hallways of Highlands
 From quirky hallway hand gestures to quiet medical accommodations made for a student in need, Joanne paints a vivid picture of a man wh...

Rooted in Purpose and Clean Beauty
Joanne sits down with Lindsay Dahl—author, activist, and Chief Impact Officer at Ritual—for a heartfelt conversation about what it means to truly care for ourselves and the planet. From her early days in Minnesota to her current life in California, Lindsay has helped shape the clean beauty movement from the inside out. Together, they explore the ripple effects small brands like Innersense™ can have when guided by integrity and soul.

Clearing the Air Around Wellness
Lindsay shares what inspired her to write Cleaning House—a book born from her...

Uncovering the Heart of Leadership
In this energizing episode, Joanne sits down with Cynthia Cleveland—a trailblazing CEO, brand builder, and longtime advisor to both Joanne and Greg in their Innersense™ journey. With decades of experience leading billion-dollar brands, Cynthia shares how she unexpectedly found herself in the C-suite and why psychology, intuition, and tools like Myers-Briggs have been central to her success. If you’ve ever wondered what truly makes a powerful leader—or how the people behind Innersense™ continue to grow—this conversation is rich with surprising insights and heartfelt connection.

Female Intelligence as a Superpower...

Tackling Plastic With Purpose and Heart
Joanne welcomes Svanika Balasubramanian, co-founder and CEO of Repurpose Global, for a powerful and eye-opening conversation about plastic pollution, social justice, and what it really means to lead with intention. You’ll hear how a college thesis led Svanika to landfills across the globe and sparked a movement rooted in human dignity, environmental justice, and systemic change. From facing threats from organized crime to disrupting global waste systems, she shares the bold beginnings of her mission-driven work.

Radical Responsibility in Real Time
 This episode dives into what it means to...

A Love Story Rooted In Passion And Purpose
In this special episode, Joanne is joined by her husband, co-founder, and CEO of Innersense™ Organic Beauty, Greg Starkman. Together, they share their personal and professional journey—from Greg’s early days sweeping salon floors and learning from industry icons to the serendipitous way their paths crossed and ultimately intertwined. You’ll hear how Greg had his eye on Joanne from the very beginning, even boldly telling her parents he would one day marry her—long before she realized his feelings. Their story is filled with charm, fate, and a shared dev...

A Chance Encounter Sparks a Movement
Renata Helfman shares how caring for her grandmother during cancer treatment revealed a gap in emotional support for patients. As a working makeup artist, she began volunteering at Cedars-Sinai, offering beauty services to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. What started as simple acts of care grew into Lipstick Angels, a nonprofit now serving major hospitals nationwide with beauty and wellness support for those facing cancer.

Redefining Beauty in the Face of Illness
Renata opens up about how her definition of beauty shifted from Hollywood sets to hospital rooms. Lipstick Angels...

Rediscovering Self Through Holistic Haircare
In this soulful episode, The Curl Maven Gabriella Strano shares her natural hair journey and how she embraced her curls after years of trying to fit in. Don’t mistake her for just another influencer—Gabriella is a true curly hair expert with years of hands-on experience and deep knowledge. She’s also an educator, content creator, consultant, and designer-maker, offering empowering insight into trusting your intuition, simplifying curl routines, and caring for your hair in a way that feels deeply aligned and sustainable.

Motherhood, AuDHD, and Purpose
Gabriella opens up abo...

The Magic of First Impressions
Joanne begins the episode with the charming story of meeting Libbee Smith —dressed as a black cat, bowls in hand, ready to bring magic into the room. That first encounter set the tone for a beautiful connection rooted in energy, intuition, and trust. Libbee opens up about her early sensitivity, shaped by a unique and challenging childhood, and how it became the foundation for the intuitive work she does today.

Healing Through Frequency
Libbee shares how sound works on a deep level with the energetic body, helping us return to ba...

From California Dreams to New York Stages
Salisha Thomas shares how a chance encounter with a stranger changed the course of her life and launched her into the heart of New York City. What started as a childhood dream quickly turned real—leading her from Disneyland performances to Broadway runs in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Once Upon a One More Time. Her story is filled with bold moves, big energy, and a deep belief in following the nudge.

The Voice Behind the Mic and The Page
When Broadway went dark, Salisha found her vo...

Family Legacy and Entrepreneurial Roots
In this episode, Joanne chats with Stephanie Luster, president of Essations Incorporated—a multifaceted manufacturer serving professional stylists and consumers in the textured hair space. Stephanie reflects on growing up in a family business, watching her parents build from the ground up, and how those early experiences—and doing the small things first—laid the foundation for future success as a second-generation leader.

Building a Brand with Purpose
Stephanie unpacks the truth about launching beauty products, offering real talk on contract manufacturing, product development, and defining your own version of succes...

The Power of Inclusive Hair Education

Joanne welcomes renowned hair educator and DEI advocate Keya Neal, founder of Texture vs. Race and Color Culture, for a powerful conversation on the evolution of inclusive hair education. Keya shares her unexpected path from journalism to the beauty industry and how her early experiences in both Black and white salon spaces inspired her to build a multicultural hair color curriculum. Her program challenges the status quo by teaching stylists to treat hair as a fabric—not a race—equipping them to serve clients of all hair textures with confidence and inte...

A Journey Back To the Curl

Casey Voss didn’t grow up loving her curls—in fact, she did everything she could to get rid of them. It wasn’t until her daughter’s natural red curls began to bloom that Casey had a profound realization. This sparked a return not just to her natural hair, but to a deeper sense of self and purpose. In this episode, she shares how the rejection of her own texture turned into a calling to help others embrace theirs, with Innersense™ playing a key role in that transformation.

The Salon...

The Diagnosis That Changed Everything
What if your instincts as a parent clashed with every professional opinion you received? Jessica Connor recounts the intense and isolating journey that followed her daughter Ava’s birth, leading to an unexpected diagnosis of Williams syndrome. Her story raises essential questions about maternal intuition, medical advocacy, and what happens when the life you imagined shifts in an instant.

Finding Unexpected Strength in Shared Stories
Searching for community, Jessica didn’t just find other special needs parents—she uncovered a profound commonality that cut across diagnoses. This episode explores how her co...

The power of mindful beauty
Joanne welcomes salon owner and kindred spirit Wafaya Abdallah for a soulful conversation on beauty, inclusivity, and the deeper meaning behind their work. Wafaya shares her journey from immigrating as a child from Egypt to creating a curly-hair sanctuary in Maryland, guided by a lifelong passion for justice, healing, and self-expression.

Integrating wellness and community
Wafaya opens up about how mindfulness, gratitude, and energy medicine transformed both her personal life and salon culture — especially in the face of challenges like the pandemic and her son’s mental health struggles. She offe...

“Everybody has bad days. Everybody has rocky roads. But it doesn't last forever. It's temporary... You just got to be yourself at the end of the day. Your weird self.”

Meet the Birch Sisters

Victoria and Alexandria, the dynamic duo behind the Birch Family, share their journey as sisters, creators, and advocates for Williams Syndrome awareness. With honesty and humor, they reflect on Alexandra’s early diagnosis and how their close-knit family navigated the unknown with love and determination.

Creating Joy and Purpose

What began as a simple awareness video blossomed into a...

Finding Connection
Joanne welcomes the team behind the Starry Eyed Podcast—Joel (podcast producer), Jen (CO-Host), and Brendan (Co-Host)—for a heartfelt conversation about the Williams syndrome community. With vulnerability and humor, they share personal stories of diagnosis, discovery, and the powerful support they’ve found through the Williams Syndrome Association.

Voices That Matter
Joel and Jen talk about the podcast’s origin and the importance of amplifying voices in the disability community, especially adults with Williams syndrome. Brendan reflects on his journey from guest to co-host, sharing what it means to use his voice to conne...

The heart behind the family business
Joanne sits down with her son Max for a rare, candid conversation about growing up inside Innersense™. Max shares childhood memories of working in the warehouse, his surprising path into the company’s finance team, and the moment he realized the brand was blossoming into something big.

Lessons in resilience and identity
Their conversation dives into the challenges and joys of working in a family business, the wisdom Max has gained from growing up with a sister with special needs, and the deep perspective that’s shaped how he sees l...

Meet Morgan Jane Starkman
In celebration of Williams Syndrome Awareness Month, Joanne welcomes her daughter and Innersense’s Director of Joy, Morgan Jane Starkman, to the podcast. Morgan opens up about how she joined the family business during the pandemic and found purpose in connecting with salons and greeting coworkers daily. Her role at Innersense is more than a job—it’s a source of joy and community, and her enthusiasm for life is contagious.

Living with Williams Syndrome
Morgan shares her personal experience with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic condition, and offers insight into how it...

The origin of Innersense™
Joanne Starkman shares the heartfelt journey from hairstylist to clean beauty pioneer, sparked by her daughter Morgan’s diagnosis and a determination to create something healthier for her family. What began as a mother’s search for safe products soon became the seed of a brand with purpose.

Beauty as a mindful ritual
Joanne reflects on the discoveries that changed everything, from hidden ingredients in labels to the importance of marrying clean formulas with performance. She reveals how every Innersense™ bottle carries a message of love and mindfulness, inviting people to connect...