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What You'll Learn in This Episode
Most people spend their careers doing work that doesn't fuel their passion — and they know it. In this episode of Get Authentic with Marques Ogden, Marques sits down with Monica Walls, former Silicon Valley HR executive turned beauty entrepreneur and founder of Keca's Usna, a lipstick brand built entirely on her own terms. Monica breaks down what it actually looks like to leave a high-powered corporate career, bet on yourself, and build something that honors every piece of who you are. You'll hear why authenticity isn't just a feel-good concept — it's a competitive advantage. You'll learn how Monica took corporate principles and applied them to a startup, why asking for help is a strength, and how building a genuine community of women who lift each other up became the most unexpected reward of entrepreneurship. If you've had an idea you've been sitting on, this one's for you.
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Show Notes
[0:00] Welcome + Sponsor Message: Carpa Dia Law Firm
Marques opens the episode and thanks sponsor Carpa Dia Law Firm, founded by Ilona Anderson. He poses a question most entrepreneurs don't ask until it's too late: Is your business name legally protected? Ilona specializes in trademark registration, employee handbooks, and contracts — serving everyone from first-time founders to seven-figure operators, nationwide.
> "Don't wait until someone steals your name or an employee sues you." — Marques Ogden
Visit: carpadiamlawfirm.com or connect with Ilona Anderson on LinkedIn.
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[2:10] What Does Authenticity Actually Mean? Monica's Definition
Marques opens every conversation with this question, and Monica doesn't hedge. Her answer is direct:
> "Authentic means being your true self, regardless of what anybody else thinks, regardless of what is trending now, regardless of what is popular. Being authentic is being true to yourself. Your core values are intact — those concrete pillars of who make you what you are."
For Monica, authenticity isn't a brand strategy. It's a way of operating that keeps your core values non-negotiable — no matter the external noise.
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[4:45] From Silicon Valley HR Executive to Lipstick Founder — Monica's Origin Story
Monica spent years as a senior HR executive in Silicon Valley. The last stretch, she says, was a clear signal: good companies, good people — but not the right fit.
> "The last couple of companies I worked for weren't perfect fits for me — good people, but just didn't fuel my passion."
A childhood friend finally cut through her list of reasons why she couldn't do it — mortgage, single income, timing — and said simply: "You'll figure it out. You need to do it."
That conversation unlocked everything. Monica created Keca's Usna — a brand name that's entirely personal:
- Keca was her nickname as a teenager
- Usna is Croatian for "lip" — a nod to her Croatian heritage
- Her favorite color, purple, runs throughout the brand
- Personal touches — a Tigger collection, a photo of her favorite church in Croatia — fill the visual identity of her business
> "I get to do it honoring all the different pieces and parts of me."
Marques uses this moment to speak directly to the audience: "I'm not saying give up your job and not be able to pay your bills. What I'm saying is if you have a passion, you have to find a way to get it done." He points to his own experience doing it on the side — football trainer, janitor, selling gold — while building toward what fueled him.
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[11:20] Why Authenticity Is a Competitive Advantage in the Beauty Industry
Marques poses a question he says he just started asking guests: Why does being authentic give you an advantage in your specific industry?
Monica's answer centers on connection and resonance — especially relevant right now:
> "People are looking for people that they can relate to. They're looking to be around people that resonates with them."
She compares it to shopping at a farmer's market — you're drawn to the story, the proximity, the realness of the person behind the product. Being unambiguously herself means she can walk into any room, onto any panel, and connect authentically with women at every stage of their journey.
She describes a recent panel experience where three women who had never met were perfectly aligned on one message: "Don't let fear be the reason why you don't do it." Afterward, women from the audience came up to say it gave them courage to finally act on their own ideas.
> "If I get one person like that a year, I'm super happy."
Marques underlines the core insight: in health, beauty, and wellness, authenticity solves the problem of worrying about what naysayers think. "People are going to talk about you regardless of what you do. So you might as well live your life."
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[18:05] Building Keca's Usna — The Wins, the Hard Lessons, and the Community That Surprised Her Most
Monica is candid: she thought launching a company would be easier than it turned out to be.
> "I thought, oh, this will be a cakewalk. Not even close. Not even close."
The first two years included real moments of doubt — "Oh my God, what have I done?" — followed by the discipline of pushing through. Key lessons she took from corporate and applied to her own company:
- It's okay to ask for help. "You're better off as a team than you are as an individual."
- Build a team around you. Even informal — girlfriends who work expos, people who show up for pop-ups, collaborators who help with presentations. She now dedicates a slide in her presentations to every person who has worked alongside her.
- Learn the industry from the inside out. Monica dove into formulations, factory relationships, and the mechanics of the cosmetic industry.
- Social media is a skill set. As an HR executive, Monica stayed off social media professionally. As a founder, she had to rebuild that entirely — showing more of herself, not less.
> "I was used to kind of keeping that away just because of the nature of my job. And so now it's really, really different."
And perhaps most powerfully, she had to apply to herself the same advice she gave employees for years:
> "I used to tell my employees all the time: I'll let you skin your knees, but not break your legs. And I had to take that on for myself too. I'm going to skin my knees and I'm going to get bruises and it's okay. This is how you learn. This is how you get better."
What she didn't expect: the community. Women genuinely supporting each other, no one building a reputation on someone else's back.
> "Nobody's creating a dead body to stand on to get taller than the next person. We're all saying, there's enough room on the stage. Come on, we're gonna pull you with us."
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[26:00] Showing Up as the Real You — Why Monica's Authenticity on Social Media Matters
Marques spotlights a critical shift Monica made: in corporate life, she deliberately kept herself off social media. As an entrepreneur, the pivot to showing her real, authentic self publicly has been central to how Keca's Usna connects with its audience.
> "She is now showing people her real authentic side. And that I feel is huge."
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⭐ Key Takeaways
> 1. Authenticity means honoring your concrete pillars — no exceptions. > Monica defines it plainly: "Being authentic is being true to yourself. Your core values are intact." It's not situational. It doesn't flex for what's trending.
> 2. Don't let fear be the reason why you don't do it. > This was the message Monica and two strangers aligned on during a panel — and it changed the lives of women in the audience. If you've had an idea since grad school, the moment is now.
> 3. You don't have to sell your soul to do what you love — and a lot of those things aren't for sale. > The most powerful thing Monica says about authenticity in business: the core of who you are is non-negotiable. Build the business around that, not over it.
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Resources Mentioned
| Resource | Link | |---|---| | Carpa Dia Law Firm (Ilona Anderson) — Trademark registration, employee handbooks, contracts | carpadiamlawfirm.com | | Ilona Anderson on LinkedIn — Connect directly with the founder of Carpa Dia | linkedin.com — search "Ilona Anderson Carpa Dia" | | Keca's Usna — Monica Walls' lipstick brand | Search "Keca's Usna" on Instagram and social platforms | | Monica Walls — Founder, speaker, and community builder | Connect with Monica via Keca's Usna social channels | | Get Authentic with Marques Ogden — Full podcast archive | Available on all major podcast platforms |
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About Your Host: Marques Ogden
Marques Ogden played five seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and Tennessee Titans. After football, he built a multi-million dollar construction company — and then lost it all. From eight figures to $8.25 an hour. Bankruptcy. Rock bottom.
But Marques came back.
Today he is a five-time bestselling author, a top-rated keynote speaker who has delivered to 750,000+ people across 500+ events, and the host of Get Authentic with Marques Ogden. He's spoken for clients including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and PNC Bank. His programs don't just motivate — they equip teams with real frameworks built from real experience. He teaches what he learned the hard way: on the field, in the boardroom, and at rock bottom.
> "I don't teach theory. I teach what I lived."
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