The Courage to Pivot at Any Age

Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff

Rebecca Minkoff

Society & Culture

4.8 • 543 Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Most people are settled by 40. Carrie Gross was just getting started. With four kids at home and a solid career, her decision to start a new business seemed like a risky choice. But her vision was stronger than the fear. This week on SUPERWOMEN, I chatted with the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare about her pivot from fashion to beauty. She shares how she and her dermatologist husband launched the brand with one product—their now-iconic peel pads. We talk about what it’s like to pursue your passion later in life, how to stay married while running a business together, and what it means to grow without burning out. Carrie opens up about early failures, trusting her gut, and staying focused on what really matters. Episode Guide: (00:00) Meet Carrie Gross, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare (03:21) The elevator encounter that changed her life (06:29) How Dr. Dennis Gross’ Peel Pads took off (11:07) Building a marriage and a business that lasts (15:51) The Sex and the City controversy (17:25) The 2008 crash that led to a brand rebirth (18:39) Selling the company and learning to let go (24:01) Innovating without chasing trends (26:02) Lessons from failure and being too early (27:14) Balancing ambition, motherhood, and slowing down Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	When we started the company, when we launched, I was 40.
0:03.0	I had four kids at home.
0:05.0	I had a successful husband.
0:06.0	Did I really need to be doing this?
0:09.0	Today's guest is the incredible Carrie Gross.
0:12.0	If you have not heard of Dr. Dennis Gross skincare, they took the World by Storm over 20 years ago.
0:19.0	She talks about what inspired her to start the brand, how she's navigated a transaction,
0:23.9	and what her job is like now.
0:25.2	The connection between fashion and beauty for me really lies in confidence, feeling in
0:30.5	control of my appearance and feeling a little bit more powerful when I enter a room.
0:36.7	The hardest thing you've had to do in business or personal or they converge in it's both.
0:41.8	It was selling the company.
0:43.2	We went out with this whole complete, like, franchise of hair products, and it was a complete
0:48.7	flop.
0:49.3	We end up being ahead of our time, quickly.
0:52.4	You can Google Dr. Dennis Gross. It's the most incredible
0:55.4	skin care line you were acquired by Chesedo for $450 million. When you have controversy, it
1:01.1	creates a lot of buzz. We didn't spend a lot of money on advertising. Skin is the largest organ
1:05.7	on our body, and it does have a lot of reflection about what's happening inside. We're never safe.
1:10.7	I have startup energy every morning.
1:13.1	I'm so ambitious and I'm so competitive with myself.
1:16.0	I'm never satisfied.
	...

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