Still Bobbi: Bobbi Brown on Reinvention, Midlife Entrepreneurship & Finding Purpose After 60

Nov 25, 2025

Bobbi Brown, beauty industry trailblazer and founder of Jones Road Beauty, shares her inspiring journey of reinvention at 62. She discusses the emotional challenges of leaving her namesake brand, the evolution of her 'no makeup' philosophy, and how she launched a new venture during the pandemic. Bobbi emphasizes redefining success in midlife, her experiences with mental health and resilience, and the importance of strength training. With practical tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, her passion for purpose shines through as she refutes the notion of retirement.

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ANECDOTE

Launching Jones Road In Person

Bobbi Brown describes launching Jones Road herself at in-person tables and speaking directly to customers with no entourage.
Mary Claire noticed the products felt made for drier, menopausal skin and connected personally to them.

ANECDOTE

From Ziplocks To Bergdorf Goodman

Bobbi turned a chemist-made lipstick she loved into a ten-shade line sold from her home and then at Bergdorf Goodman.
After growth she sold Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to Estée Lauder with a 25-year non-compete.

INSIGHT

Selling Changed More Than Control

Staying on as creative director after selling gave Bobbi autonomy but eventual misalignment emerged over time.
Leaving required processing grief, anger, and then ideation to find new purpose.

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What does it look like to begin again at 62 and thrive? Beauty industry pioneer Bobbi Brown joins Dr. Mary Claire Haver for an intimate conversation about her new memoir Still Bobbi, building Jones Road Beauty in her sixties, leaving behind the company that bore her name for 25 years, and redefining what success, purpose, and aging mean in the second half of life.

Bobbi Brown revolutionized the beauty industry with her "no makeup makeup" philosophy in the 1990s, sold her company to Estée Lauder, and spent decades as creative director before exiting in her late fifties. But instead of retiring, she launched Jones Road Beauty at 62 during a pandemic, proving that passion and entrepreneurship don't disappear with age, they evolve.

In this personal conversation, Bobbi shares her journey from Chicago to building a global beauty empire, the emotional reality of leaving the company with her name on it, and why she refuses to use the term "anti-aging." She opens up about growing up with a mother who struggled with mental illness, losing her brother to HIV, and how weighted vest training and strength over skinny became her midlife mantras.

Dr. Haver and Bobbi connect over shared experiences of menopause, hormone therapy, and the relentless pressure of being a founder. They discuss what it means to perform when exhausted, learning to say no, and why the maintenance phase of any transformation whether weight loss or career pivot is often the hardest part.

Bobbi's memoir Still Bobbi is a story of resilience, grit, and determination for anyone who thought their best work was behind them.

Guest links:

Jones Road Beauty
Bobbi Brown (Instagram)
Bobbi Brown (Threads)
Bobbi Brown (TikTok)
Bobbi Brown (LinkedIn)
Bobbi Brown (Facebook)
Bobbi Brown (Website)
Jones Road Beauty (Instagram)
Jones Road Beauty (Facebook)

Articles
- High-Impact Mechanical Loading Increases Bone Material Strength in Postmenopausal Women-A 3-Month Intervention Study (Journal of Bone and Mineral Research)
Other Resources
- Institute for Integrative Nutrition
- Miracle Balm (Jones Road Beauty)
- Bobbi Brown Teaches Makeup and Beauty (Masterclass)
- Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge (Hulu)
- American College of Culinary Medicine
- The Bobbi Kit 5.0 (Jones Road Beauty)

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