We had the good fortune of connecting with Lori Leib and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lori, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I have been the creative director and partial owner of Bodyography for 10 years now, my schedule has always been demanding with long hours, 70% international travel and the pressure of being a part of a family business which never ‘shuts off’. My work-life balance has certainly developed over the years, admittedly sometimes it is much better than others! In the first few years of my career (and life I spent all day and night working, I had no personal boundaries and when I was done working I went out late and over socialized, not leaving much time to focus on my self. After many years, I have finally found time for ME, it has not been easy, but focusing on my physical and mental health has helped me become more focused at work, increased my energy levels and changed my overall ‘mood’ and temperament in and out of the office. Due to the frequent travel I put a lot of emphasis on a healthy diet and exercise, whether I am at home or on the road I always make my health a priority and I find it really accelerates my success in other areas. That being said, family time and socializing is also important to me, so with whatever time I have left, after work and a healthy lifestyle, I spend with friends and sleeping! I think it it important to not ‘beat yourself’ up about your work life balance, it will morph as your career and life does and as long as you set attainable goals for your self, it should be easy to achieve.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Robanda is my family business – we have been operation for 21 years. The company was founded by my father David and Uncle Anthony, today three generations work at the company, it truly amazing that I get to come to work with people I love and who have the same goal as I do for our brands. Robanda is a multi-brand manufacturer, we own and operate 14 brands spanning across the beauty industry, from pedicure products to hair dye and everything in between. Our brands sell across retail and professional channels, and this is one of the aspects that keep my job very interesting, we are constantly evolving with the ever changing landscape of the beauty industry. I’d say Robanda is different to other beauty companies because we offer such a wide variety of products and though all of our brands cover a category in beauty, the all stand alone and have their individual identity – we are a one-stop-shop for global beauty distributors and sell our brands in over 60 countries worldwide. I am most proud of the growth of our makeup line, and my baby – Bodyography. When I came on board as the brand creative director, Bodyography lacked vision, direction and uniqueness and we were only available in the USA and Canada. Today we are found in top salons, spas. beauty supply stores and of course online in over 52 countries world wide. We’ve built an incredible Bodyography community of artists, hair stylists and beauty enthusiasts who are obsessed with makeup and continue to inspire one another and most importantly, they inspire me to keep on creating top quality products! The beauty industry is not easy, it is a flooded market of micro and macro brands owned by large corporations and backed by celebrities and influencers, as an ‘indie family owned brand’ our reputation comes from a long line of hard work in this industry, we truly let our products speak for themselves. I have had to overcome the onslaught of competition from new brands, navigate my way around social media and marketing (this was not really the case when I started 10+ years ago) and of course continue to stay authentic and innovative so that our fans stay interested and involved. To me, Bodyography and beauty are personal, my biggest take away over the last 10 years has been to create relationships with your customers, influencers you work with and even competing brands. The insight you get from people who love your brand is priceless and having a direct line to our core customer is and has always been a priority to me. Lastly, I’ve learned to stay true to the brand, while still taking chances on innovation and trends. There are the trends that come and go, but the there are the trends that become part of the culture of beauty – it’s these that I adapt and bring into the line in order to continue to grow as a brand.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
I was lucky enough to live in LA for 11 years, only recently moving back to my home city of San Diego. LA is super close to my heart as I spent my twenties running around that city! From the moment I landed in LA in 2006 I became obsessed with the East Side, I lived in Downtown and eventually settled and bought a home in Silver Lake – as you’ll see from my list, most of my favorite places are in Silver Lake and the surrounding neighborhoods. To me LA is food, fun, music, culture and friends – here are my picks for a epic couple of days in LA: For a concrete jungle, LA has some pretty great hike – it may be cliche, but I love Runyon and did the hike as often as possible. I also really enjoyed the hikes around Griffith Park and the Observatory. Brunch: an LA staple! – SQRL – Square One Silver Lake – Barbrix – Cafe Stella – Cliffs Edge I love a good vintage shop, my favorites that I would visit every few weeks were: – Squaresville – Painted Bird – Crossroads – Fairfax Market (if I was in the mood for a good people watch) Some of my favorite daytime activities include: – Peddle boats at Echo Park – Rooftop pool moments at Standard, Skybar, Freehand – Bike ride down the LA river – Drive to El Matador Beach I am a big music fan and saw a show nearly every week at the following places: – El Rey – Wiltern – Palladium – Greek For drinks and a boogie: – Bar Stella – Tenants of the Trees – The Virgil – Hyperion Public – The Abbey

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My success would not be achievable without the support of my husband and my industry peers. The constant feedback, creative collaboration and overall outpouring of encouragement within a super competitive industry, inspires me to keep on creating products and developing a brand. working for a family business, though challenging has incredible benefits, for one an honest sounding board and total love and support from my family, who also happen to be my partners.

Website: www.bodyography.com
Instagram: @lorileib @bodyography
Facebook: Lori Leib

Image Credits
Lori Leib

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