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"Pick a niche." "Stay in your lane." For women entrepreneurs, this limiting advice seems inescapable—unless you're KJ Miller, who's built an impressive career by doing precisely the opposite.

KJ joins us for a fascinating conversation about her refusal to be confined to a single identity. As co-founder of multimillion-dollar beauty brand Mented Cosmetics, lecturer, angel investor, content creator with hundreds of thousands of followers, and mother to a four-year-old daughter, KJ embodies what it means to embrace multiple passions simultaneously.

What happens when the dream career, the big funding round, and the perfect Instagram life still don’t feel right?

KJ Miller—Harvard MBA grad, Yale lecturer, co-founder of Mented Cosmetics, and certified member of both the Beyhive and Swiftie nation—joins us for a conversation that’s equal parts honest, inspiring, and overdue.

After building Mented into a multimillion-dollar brand and leading it through a successful exit, KJ hit a wall. Burnout, postpartum anxiety, and the crushing pressure to “do it all” forced her to pause—and ask what she really wanted next.

In this episode, KJ shares:

What it’s really like to raise millions in venture funding as a Black woman

How she navigated burnout while running a high-growth brand

Why leaving the company she built was the most radical act of self-preservation

Her transition into a slower, more sustainable life as a Yale lecturer, content creator, and mom

And yes—we talk about Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and the soundtracks that got her through it all

This isn’t a girlboss story. It’s a story about ambition, honesty, motherhood, and the courage it takes to choose yourself—even after “making it.”

ABOUT KJKJ lives in New Jersey with her husband of 10 years and their two daughters, ages 3 and 1.


Resources & Links:

Follow KJ on TikTok and Instagram

Mented Cosmetics

Postpartum Support International

"I am addicted to doing the most," she laughs, explaining how she thrives with a full plate rather than a narrow focus. This perspective has served her well, from Harvard to Yale to her current teaching position at Ohio State, from building a beauty brand that's now available in CVS stores to creating viral content about everything from Taylor Swift to reality TV.

The conversation takes a vulnerable turn when KJ shares her difficult pregnancy and traumatic birth experience, including an emergency C-section where she wasn't given enough anesthesia. Her candid discussion about postpartum depression, medication, and her experiences with GLP-1s offers a refreshing counterpoint to the sanitized narratives often presented about motherhood and body image.

Perhaps most striking is KJ's reflection on raising a Black daugh

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