834 Melisse Shaban: CEO of Aramore

0:00I am unwilling to give up, but I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be.

0:09Kara Goldin:You just want to make sure you will get knocked down, but just make sure you don't get knocked out. So your only choice should be, go focus on what you can control. Hi everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin Show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world's greatest leaders. We'll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can't wait to get started. Let's go. Today's episode is brought to you by 1-800-Flowers. I've been thinking a lot about the moms in my life lately, the quiet, everyday things they do that no one else quite notices, but that somehow hold everything together.

0:57Kara Goldin:The kind of care that doesn't ask for recognition, but deserves it more than anything. That's why I keep coming back to 1-800-Flowers. Flowers might feel like a simple gift, but when they're done right, they say everything you sometimes don't put into words. And for over 50 years, 1-800-Flowers has been helping people do exactly that. send something beautiful that really shows your appreciation. Right now, when you order one dozen roses, they'll double your bouquet to two dozen for free. Twice the flowers for the mom who gives everything. And I actually received a bouquet and have to say the quality really stood out.

1:39Kara Goldin:The flowers were fresh, beautifully arranged, and immediately felt like something you'd actually be excited to receive. It's the kind of gift that immediately makes someone feel seen and appreciated. And if you're like most people and tend to wait until the last minute, they've got same-day delivery, so you're covered. Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10th, and bouquets are selling out fast. Trust me, don't wait. To claim your Double Roses offer before they're gone, visit 1-800-Flowers.com slash Kara Golden. That's 1-800-Flowers.com slash Kara Golden. 1-800-Flowers.com slash Kara Golden. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Rula, affordable in-network online therapy designed to fit real life.

2:31Kara Goldin:Let's be honest, most of us will need support at some point. Maybe it's after a hard season, during burnout, or when stress and anxiety slowly start stacking up. We've all been there. And when it comes time to actually find a therapist, the hardest part shouldn't be figuring out who takes your insurance. But for so many people, it is. That's what's always felt backwards to me. We don't think twice about using insurance for our physical health. So why should mental health be any different? Accessible, affordable care shouldn't feel like a maze, and yet for too many people, it still does. That's exactly what RULA is changing.

3:11Kara Goldin:RULA works with most major insurance plans to make real licensed therapy more accessible, often bringing the average session cost down to around$15 and sometimes even zero depending on your benefits. This is legitimate mental health care using coverage you already have. What really stands out is how intentional the matching process is. RULA takes your goals, preferences, and background into account so you're connected with a therapist who actually feels like the right fit, not just the next available option. And many therapists have openings as soon as the next day, which makes starting feel doable instead of overwhelming.

3:53Kara Goldin:If taking care of your mental health is part of your plan this year, RULA makes it easier to begin and easier to stick with it. Real support covered by insurance when you need it most. Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high-quality therapy that's actually covered by insurance. Visit Rula.com slash Kara Golden to get started. After you sign up, you'll be asked how you heard about them. Please support our show and let them know we sent you. That's R-U-L-A.com slash Kara Golden. You deserve mental health care that works with you, not against your budget. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to The Cara Golden Show.

4:35Kara Goldin:Have you ever stopped to think about how much of the beauty industry is still focused on the surface instead of what's actually happening underneath? So many products promise results, but very few are actually designed to support how our skin functions at the cellular level. Our next guest has spent her career building and scaling science-driven brands. And along the way, she kept coming back to a bigger question. What if we could move beyond traditional skincare and actually support how our cells age? And that is exactly what Melissa Shaben, CEO of Aramore, has done. So today, I cannot wait to dig into how an experienced CEO is bringing cutting-edge science into everyday products and leading a category that is just beginning to emerge around NAD.

5:33Kara Goldin:So, so excited to finally meet you, Melissa. And welcome. Love, Airmore. So very, very excited. Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by LinkedIn Hiring Pro. Hi, Kara here. For small businesses, every hire matters, but so does your time. I felt that pressure firsthand. You know, a bad hire isn't just frustrating, it's expensive in time, money, and team morale. And yet hiring the right person can feel like a full-time job on top of everything else you're already doing. Sifting through applications, trying to spot the real standouts, second-guessing decisions, it can get overwhelming fast.

6:21Kara Goldin:That's why having a way to save time without sacrificing quality isn't just nice to have, it's critical. Luckily, LinkedIn Hiring Pro is built for that reality. It's your hiring partner designed to help you hire with confidence by surfacing only the right candidates without turning hiring into another full-time job. Posting a job isn't always the hard part. It's finding, connecting with, and screening the right candidates. Hiring Pro streamlines the entire process from drafting your job to shortlisting candidates and conducting AI-powered interviews for initial screenings. Their updated conversational interface lets you describe what you need in plain language, no recruiter jargon needed.

7:06Kara Goldin:Nearly 60 % of hires find a candidate to interview within a week. With Hiring Pro, you spend less time searching and more time connecting with the right talent. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Kara Golden. Terms and conditions apply. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Bombas. Let's be honest, this time of year just hits different. The weather finally turns, you're outside more, moving more, and suddenly the little things you wear every day actually matter. That's why I've been reaching for Bombas.

7:46Kara Goldin:I've been getting back into walking and hiking again and their sport socks are a total game changer. They're cushioned exactly where you need it, super breathable, and they just stay put. So I'm not thinking about my socks. I'm enjoying the movement. And once the hikes go away, their warm weather footwear is honestly my go-to. The slides are lightweight, waterproof, and incredibly comfortable. Perfect for running around Marin, traveling, or just relaxing at home. But it's not just socks and shoes. Their underwear and tees are next level. Soft, breathable, and actually built to last. It's one of those upgrades you don't realize you need until you try it.

8:27Kara Goldin:And here's the part I really love. For every item you purchase, Bombas donates an essential clothing item to someone facing housing insecurity. They've donated over 150 million items and counting. That's impact. Head over to bombas.com slash Kara and use code Kara for 20 % off your first purchase. That's B-O-M-B-A-S.com slash Kara. Code Kara at checkout. Super excited. So for For listeners who are just discovering Aramor, how do you describe the brand in sort of the short elevator speech and what truly makes it different from traditional skincare brands? The best way to think about this is that it is a supplement, topical supplement for your skin cells.

9:16So your entire body requires NAD. It powers cellular turnover, which keeps you alive. and this is focused and targeted at your skin cells, at the basal level of your skin cells. That's where the patents and the invention really happened here.

9:35Kara Goldin:It's exciting. So NAD Plus has suddenly become a major conversation, NAD as a whole, in both wellness and beauty. So what is it that is so special about NAD that makes so much sense to have it in skincare products. So NAD is not novel to medicine or the medical community or, you know, I mean, NAD has been a known part of how your cells are fueled forever. The challenge has always been, how can you supplement the NAD? You know, it's not terribly different than the GLP-1s, the GLPs. It's in your body. How do you make it function and stay longer? So its benefit is more measurable. And the scientists at the Stem Cell Institute at Harvard and MassGen, these are all really brilliant folks that for 15 years have been studying the process of whether cells in your skin actually age or they just proliferate or differentiate differently.

10:41And the net of it, what their discovery was, is that no, skin cells actually don't age, they weaken as your NAD declines. So if we can fuel NAD, if we can keep that energy level up at the base layer of your skin cells, then as those layers are moving and migrating to the surface, they're stronger and healthier. Not terribly different to the learnings now of, hey, we as women need more protein. We need more muscle. Like we're eating differently. We're working out differently because we've learned that some of this can really affect the health and wellness and the future.

11:21Kara Goldin:This message is a paid partnership with Dell Technologies. Hey everyone, Kara here, and I've got something I've just got to share. Dell PCs with Intel inside are built for the moments that matter, for the moments you plan and the moments you don't, built for the busy days that turn into all night study sessions. The moment you're working from a cafe and realize every outlet is taken, the times you're deep in your flow and the absolute last thing you need is an auto update throwing off your momentum. That's why Dell builds tech that adapts to the way you actually work. Built with long lasting batteries so you're not scrambling for the closest outlet.

12:06Kara Goldin:And built in intelligence that makes updates around your schedule. not in the middle of it. They don't build tech for tech's sake. They build it for you. Find technology built for the way you work at dell.com slash dellpcs. Built for you.

12:27Kara Goldin:This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by LinkedIn Hiring Pro. Hi, Kara here. First of all, businesses every hire matters, but so does your time. I felt that pressure firsthand. You know, a bad hire isn't just frustrating, it's expensive in time, money, and team morale. And yet hiring the right person can feel like a full-time job on top of everything else you're already doing. Sifting through applications, trying to spot the real standouts, second-guessing decisions, it can get overwhelming fast. That's why having a way to save time without sacrificing quality isn't just nice to have, it's critical.

13:11Kara Goldin:Luckily, LinkedIn Hiring Pro is built for that reality. It's your hiring partner designed to help you hire with confidence by surfacing only the right candidates without turning hiring into another full-time job. Posting a job isn't always the hard part. It's finding, connecting with, and screening the right candidates. Hiring Pro streamlines the entire process from drafting your job to shortlisting candidates and conducting AI-powered interviews for initial screenings. Their updated conversational interface lets you describe what you need in plain language, no recruiter jargon needed. Nearly 60 % of hires find a candidate to interview within a week.

13:54Kara Goldin:With Hiring Pro, you spend less time searching and more time connecting with the right talent. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Kara Golden. Terms and conditions apply. So you were actually, you're not the founder, but you were on the board of this company. And you were on the board of Airmore. and you have come from building multiple brands and got this opportunity to actually come in as the CEO. So when you saw this product for the first time, I guess maybe when you joined the board, were you just like, wait, what?

14:44Kara Goldin:What? I can't even believe this hasn't been. What was that aha moment, I guess, where you said, this needs to be here? So you mentioned it earlier. This is my third sort of trying to take a piece of biotechnology that had really basically side effects that were beneficial to other things, which oftentimes in the history of our business, it's always been an accident. No one starts out typically in our business. Maybe they are now today, but looking for some drug-like qualities in a product because you have to do human clinical trials and all those. And it's always been, whether it's Botox or some of the other drugs that have had, you know, other benefits to men and women, they were never intended it was a side effect.

15:32um so my previous company was virtue labs a hair care company and we took a protein that was designed for regenerative medicine with the regrowth of bone and tissue and nerves designed by a scientist in the military who was trying to conquer uh some of the challenges he had seen after he came back from war and so i was familiar enough with the idea that we have to create a piece of science that's understandable, that delivers on its promise, but mostly that you can see visible signs of change. Because the science story unto itself gets very muddled, and it's hard, and it's complicated. And as an industry, we sometimes commoditize that stuff, as you know.

16:20And that's what attracted me. I was using the product. Stephen Kennedy Smith, one of the many Kennedys, really started this company. The brand is Aramore, but the company is actually New Frontier Bio. And New Frontier was a JFK initiative when he was in the White House. And all of Stephen's connections and companies go back to his Uncle Jack. So it has this really interesting storytelling component to it. And it came out of these brilliant scientists out of MIT, Harvard, and MassGen. And I saw the difference in my own skin. And I'm such a non-believer because I've been doing it for so long that I was like, oh, come on, this can't be, this can't work.

17:09And it was really just other people saying to me, what are you doing? Like almost, have you had a procedure? You're not telling me, You know, that type of, you know, questioning. And I was like, there's a there, there, here. And I do think science now, because of the GLP-1s and because of people's desire to live healthier, longer, better lives, it's coming around for topical progress.

17:31Kara Goldin:This episode of The Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Bombas. Let's be honest. This time of year just hits different. The weather finally turns. You're outside more, moving more. And suddenly, the little things you wear every day actually matter. That's why I've been reaching for Bombas. I've been getting back into walking and hiking again, and their sport socks are a total game changer. They're cushioned exactly where you need it, super breathable, and they just stay put. So I'm not thinking about my socks. I'm enjoying the movement. And once the hikes go away, their warm weather footwear is honestly my go-to.

18:08Kara Goldin:The slides are lightweight, waterproof, and incredibly comfortable. Perfect for running around Marin, traveling, or just relaxing at home. But it's not just socks and shoes. Their underwear and tees are next level. Soft, breathable, and actually built to last. It's one of those upgrades you don't realize you need until you try it. And here's the part I really love. For every item you purchase, Bombas donates an essential clothing item to someone facing housing insecurity. They've donated over 150 million items and counting. That's impact. Head over to bombbuzz.com slash Kara and use code Kara for 20 % off your first purchase.

18:50Kara Goldin:That's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com slash Kara. Code Kara at checkout. This message is a paid partnership with Dell Technologies. Hey everyone, Kara here, and I've got something I've just got to share. Dell PCs with Intel Insight are built for the moments that matter, for the moments you plan and the moments you don't, built for the busy days that turn into all-night study sessions, the moment you're working from a cafe and realize every outlet is taken, the times you're deep in your flow and the absolute last thing you need is an auto-update throwing off your momentum. That's why Dell builds tech that adapts to the way you actually work.

19:37Kara Goldin:Built with long-lasting batteries so you're not scrambling for the closest outlet. And built-in intelligence that makes updates around your schedule, not in the middle of it. They don't build tech for tech's sake. They build it for you. Find technology built for the way you work at dell.com slash dellpcs. Built for you.

20:03Kara Goldin:This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by LinkedIn Hiring Pro. Hi, Kara here. For small businesses, every hire matters, but so does your time. I felt that pressure firsthand. You know, a bad hire isn't just frustrating, it's expensive in time, money, and team morale. And yet hiring the right person can feel like a full-time job on top of everything else you're already doing. Sifting through applications, trying to spot the real standouts, second-guessing decisions, it can get overwhelming fast. That's why having a way to save time without sacrificing quality isn't just nice to have, it's critical.

20:47Kara Goldin:Luckily, LinkedIn Hiring Pro is built for that reality. It's your hiring partner designed to help you hire with confidence by surfacing only the right candidates without turning hiring into another full-time job. Posting a job isn't always the hard part. It's finding, connecting with, and screening the right candidates. Hiring Pro streamlines the entire process from drafting your job to shortlisting candidates and conducting AI-powered interviews for initial screenings. Their updated conversational interface lets you describe what you need in plain language, no recruiter jargon needed. Nearly 60 % of hires find a candidate to interview within a week.

21:30Kara Goldin:With Hiring Pro, you spend less time searching and more time connecting with the right talent. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Kara Golden. Terms and conditions apply. That's so interesting. So when you joined the company, I guess, how many products did it have versus how many does it have today? So we've slimmed it down a little bit. There was about eight products. And you know what happens, and you know this as a business person, The science is fantastic, but we actually, as commercial marketers, we do do different things than the scientists do.

22:16And some of the things that would have been obvious to you and I, just relative to customer navigation and does the architecture of the line make sense to the consumer. So there was a little bit of renovation to be done. I'll put it that way. A little bit of cleanup. So anything that really didn't have NAD in it or wasn't, NAD didn't boost the product. We sort of slimmed it out of the line and cleaned it up a little bit and made it a little bit more easy to navigate and made some of the grittiness and the textures a little bit different. Things like that. Things that you and I would know in our own business, but they were really, their mentality was we've made a miraculous molecule and that's all we have to do is make great science.

23:07And if we build it, they'll come.

23:10Kara Goldin:So, so interesting. Is there one product that you make that is kind of the angel of the SKUs? Yeah. The energizing, the deli energizing treatment is the go-to product. And it does not replace anything you're using. It is not a moisturizer. It is not a retinol. It is not a vitamin C. So if you think about, along with all the things that you're doing mostly topically, we never get really past the second layer of skit when we're putting these products on. So we see an immediate benefit, a glow, an exfoliation, a feel. This is going all the way down to the basal cellular level and working to energize those cells.

23:54So as they're migrating to the surface layer of the skin, they're in better form and shape.

23:59Kara Goldin:This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Bombas. Let's be honest, this time of year just hits different. The weather finally turns, you're outside more, moving more, and suddenly the little things you wear every day actually matter. That's why I've been reaching for Bombas. I've been getting back into walking and hiking again, and their sport socks are a total game changer. They're cushioned exactly where you need it, super breathable, and they just stay put. So I'm not thinking about my socks. I'm enjoying the movement. And once the hikes go away, their warm weather footwear is honestly my go-to.

24:36Kara Goldin:The slides are lightweight, waterproof, and incredibly comfortable. Perfect for running around Marin, traveling, or just relaxing at home. But it's not just socks and shoes. Their underwear and tees are next level. Soft, breathable, and actually built to last. It's one of those upgrades you don't realize you need until you try it. And here's the part I really love. For every item you purchase, Bombas donates an essential clothing item to someone facing housing insecurity. They've donated over 150 million items and counting. That's impact. Head over to bombas.com slash Kara and use code Kara for 20 % off your first purchase.

25:17Kara Goldin:That's B-O-M-B-A-S dot com slash Kara. Code Kara at checkout. This message is a paid partnership with Dell Technologies. Hey everyone, Kara here, and I've got something I've just got to share. Dell PCs with Intel Insight are built for the moments that matter. For the moments you plan and the moments you don't. Built for the busy days that turn into all-night study sessions. The moment you're working from a cafe and realize every outlet is taken. the times you're deep in your flow and the absolute last thing you need is an auto update throwing off your momentum. That's why Dell builds tech that adapts to the way you actually work, built with long lasting batteries so you're not scrambling for the closest outlet, and built-in intelligence that makes updates around your schedule, not in the middle of it.

26:15Kara Goldin:They don't build tech for tech's sake. They build it for you. Find technology built for the way you work at dell.com slash dellpcs. Built for you.