Hi everyone! I'm Hilary Kerr, the co-founder and chief content officer of Who Up Where, and

this is Second Life, a podcast spotlighting women who have truly inspiring careers.

We're talking about their work journeys, what they've learned from the process of setting

aside their doubts or fears, and what happens when they embark on their Second Life.

Today I'm speaking with tattoo artist, beauty mogul and designer, Cat Fondi.

After getting her star in the tattoo world when she was just 14, Cat landed on TLC's

reality show Miami Inc and then LA Inc, which profile Cat's very own tattoo shop, High

Voltage Tattoo. After becoming one of the most renowned tattoo artists of our time, Cat

surprised fans by launching her cruelty free makeup line Cat Fondi Beauty, which she later

reformulated to be 100% vegan as well. The line quickly became a certifiable hit with

bestselling products like the Lolita Lipstick, which was Sephora's top selling lipstick

for 8 consecutive years. But just last week, Cat announced that she sold her shares of

the brand and decided to step away and refocus on new endeavors. Those projects include

a 100% vegan luxury shoe brand Cat Fondi Shoes and her debut album, which she will tour

around the world later this year. I can't wait for you to hear how Cat's artistry transcends

career paths and how she's reinvented herself time and time again.

Now on Second Life, it's Cat Fondi.

Cat on this podcast we always started at the beginning, so what did you study in school

and what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?

Well, it's always hard for me to talk about my school years because I'm not one to promote

kids dropping out at all, but I did drop out of school. I went to two weeks of my freshman

year of high school and around that time was when I wanted to do my first tattoo ever.

...