Lipstick and Life Lessons: Monica...

Lipstick and Life Lessons: Monica Walls' Journey to Empowerment

I Got it Girl Podcast by Jackie Cote

S1 · E23

Jul 27, 2026

33:06

Episode notes

In this episode Coach Jackie interviews her friend and peer, Monica Walls the owner and creator of Keca’s Usna on letting go, receiving support and building her own lipstick brand. Monica, an HR executive turned entrepreneur, met Jackie through Polka Dot Powerhouse, to discuss the launching of Monica’s lipstick company Keca’s Usna (named from her teenage nickname and the Croatian word for “lip”) and the personal growth behind building it. They explore the “I Got It Girl” mindset—fierce independence rooted in control, fear, and survival—and how it can keep people at a distance, limit receiving help, and affect relationships, especially in male-dominated corporate environments. Monica shares how learning to ask for support, letting women in through community, and doing mindset/body-based work, helped her shift toward trust and surrender. She highlights three key practices: release control, stop carrying the past, and trust the process, and invites listeners to connect with her on social and discover her inclusive, timeless beauty brand.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:43 From HR to Lipstick Startup

01:52 Permission to Take the Leap

03:34 Making the Brand Personal

04:24 What Is the I Got It Girl

06:29 Monica on Independence and Control

08:47 Letting People In and Real Support

11:54 Women Supporting Women

12:38 Corporate Culture and Being the Only Woman

15:44 Learning to Trust Women Again

17:00 Polka Dot Powerhouse in Action

18:20 Seeing People Again