Begin Again with Davina McCall

CEO of 'The Ordinary' Opens Up About Her Co-Founder’s Tragic Death

20 Mar 2025

Audio

Description

In this episode of Begin Again, Davina McCall sits down with Nicola Kilner, the powerhouse CEO behind beauty empire DECIEM and founder of The Ordinary, to explore the highs and heartbreaking lows of her journey. From co-founding a $2.2 billion beauty empire in her 20s to navigating the tragic downfall of her business partner, Brandon Truaxe, Nicola opens up about the immense challenges she’s faced. She reflects on her father’s struggle with alcoholism, the resilience it instilled in her from a young age, and the lessons she’s learned about leadership, loss, and finding purpose in chaos. Raw, inspiring, and deeply personal—this is a story of strength, survival, and redefining success on your own terms. 📢 Drop a comment: What’s your biggest takeaway? Follow me here: www.instagram.com/beginagain https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod (00:00) Intro (02:14) Nicola’s Childhood and Her Father’s Struggles with Alcohol (13:55) Early Entrepreneurial Spirit and the Power of Kindness (18:40) Meeting Brandon: A Life-Changing Connection (20:17) The Beginnings of Deciem: A Vision Takes Shape (23:37) How The Ordinary Was Born (31:51) (Ancient & Brave Ad) (33:10) (Adobe Ad) (34:13) Brandon’s Experimentation with Drugs (48:16) The Public Downfall (1:08:17) The Tragic Loss of Brandon (1:15:55) Recognizing the Signs and Offering Support (1:20:18) Starting Over and Finding Joy in Life (1:27:58) Championing Mothers in the Workplace (1:38:06) Davina’s Final Thoughts Sponsored by: Ancient + Brave - https://ancientandbrave.earth/pages/planet Adobe - https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcription

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.

0 upvotes

🗳️ Sign in to Upvote

Popular episodes get transcribed faster

Other episodes from Begin Again with Davina McCall

Transcribed and ready to explore now

Why The Modern World Is Breaking Your Body, And How To Fix It! | Roger Frampton

22 Jan 2026

Begin Again with Davina McCall

Spencer Matthews: The Real Reason I Push Myself So Hard...

18 Dec 2025

Begin Again with Davina McCall

View all episodes from Begin Again with Davina McCall

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.

Report any issue

Begin Again with Davina McCall

CEO of 'The Ordinary' Opens Up About Her Co-Founder’s Tragic Death

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other episodes from Begin Again with Davina McCall

Why The Modern World Is Breaking Your Body, And How To Fix It! | Roger Frampton

Spencer Matthews: The Real Reason I Push Myself So Hard...

Sign in to Audioscrape

Share this moment