“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..”          Charles Dickens But wasn't it always the worst of times from which we learnt something? Something useful? Welcome to Keeping Face, a podcast about beauty founders and the moment they might have, almost did - and in some cases most definitely did - lose the plot and had to scramble to get back on track. From the moment Tina Chen Craig collapsed on the floor of her hotel bedroom to Frederic Fekkai realising that no one listened to him in board meetings, their excitement in building a successful brand is always pitted against those moments where they thought everything might go up in flames (as it did once, for Rose-Marie Swift). Over seven episodes, our host Kathleen Baird-Murray unpicks the glossy success stories of our favourite beauty brand founders, to discover those moments of desperation, intense pressure, and often, astonishment. The series came about after Kathleen had tea with Frederic one day and while talking about starting a podcast -  because with a 28-year long career in journalism behind her, and a love of interviewing people, what else could she do -  Frederic suggested she focus on those times when everyone gets it wrong, “because then you learn something”.  Working with the team at Parkview Creative, she set about tracking down those founders she felt might want to open up, and then dug deep to find out how they turned things around. Some, like Bobbi Brown, took failure in their stride; others, like Alexia Inge, cried all weekend before picking themselves up and getting on with it.  Trusting Kathleen to let them tell their stories, there were plenty of surprises along the way. Keeping Face is essential listening for anyone wanting to know more about the business of beauty, but also it’s always life-affirming to hear how others cope with difficulty, and reassuring to know that even shiny successful people get a little insecure at times. Hosted by Kathleen Baird-Murray, a Parkview Creative Production.Sponsored by Renude