Beauty Redefined: What Is Modern Beauty?

 

On this episode of 3×5, a podcast by ThenWhat, Host Grant Barth talked with Cece Meadows, Founder, and CEO of Prados Beauty, which designs and crafts high-quality cosmetics, makeup brushes, and lashes. He also talked with Julie Thibault, Founder of Martingale Advisors, which manages equity portfolios for many of the world’s most demanding corporate pension plans, foundations, endowments, public retirement systems, and multi-employer funds.

Thibault started her career in finance, private equity, and banking. After business school, she found herself in brand strategy, eventually falling into the beauty world. In her last role, she was the Head of Retail Innovation for Global Beauty. She then founded Martingale Advisors, which works with beauty companies, as well as other industries.

“My passion is ultimately consumers and figuring out why consumers do what they do and helping to solve some of the problems that exist,” Thibault said.

Meadows is an innovator on a different level. She started out as a makeup artist and has some experience in banking. Prados recently launched under Thirteen June inside JC Penney, an e-commerce beauty platform focusing on black and brown beauty products. Meadows started her brand in her baby’s nursery with $150 and the dream to be a global beauty brand one day.

“We’re the first Chicana- and Indigenous-owned beauty brand in a major retailer,” Meadows said. “It’s pretty exciting.”

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Benchmark
What Is It Like for You to Be Part of the Benchmark Products Teams Now
December 23, 2025

Being part of the Benchmark Products team today means working at the intersection of precision manufacturing and deeply human collaboration, especially in the high-stakes world of cleanroom and sterility assurance solutions. As the organization grows, employees describe a culture that still feels familial—one where clear communication, personal accountability, and genuine care for customers drive…

Read More
Cleaning
Do Your Friends Ever Ask You For Cleaning Tips
December 23, 2025

In a media landscape increasingly shaped by privacy constraints, data clean rooms have emerged as a quiet but powerful way for brands to collaborate without exposing sensitive information, even if, as Will Sepsis quips, some partners would still prefer that “ignorance is bliss.” That tension—between curiosity and caution—captures the moment we’re in, where understanding…

Read More
Clean
Do You Friends Ask You For Cleaning Methods or Clean Their Home
December 23, 2025

At Benchmark Products, where cleanroom precision is part of everyday work, professionals often discover that specialized knowledge doesn’t always translate neatly into casual conversations—especially when friends jokingly wonder if you’ll critique their homes or turn them into germaphobes. The reality is that cleanroom science is about controlled environments and risk mitigation at an industrial scale,…

Read More
cleaner
Has Working at Benchmark Made You Cleaner at Home
December 23, 2025

At Benchmark Products, where clean room discipline is second nature, the habits forged on the job often follow employees home, turning everyday chores into a mindful extension of professional rigor. As voices like Will Sepsis illustrate, working in environments where precision cleaning protects products and people alike can quietly reshape how you see a…

Read More