Let’s start at the beginning! Who are you, what are you building, and how did it all begin?

My name is Olivia and I’m the founder and formulator of Sudz Cauldron. A haircare brand that I started after years of experiencing hair that was always oily no matter what I tried. In search of healthier alternatives, I discovered how many of the haircare products available on our drugstore shelves are filled with unnecessary toxic ingredients, microplastics, and are marketed to us through problem language instead of providing long term support and understanding of our hair. I believe your hair doesn’t exist in isolation: your body, climate, routine, and seasons of life all impact your hairs wellbeing. Through Sudz Cauldron, I want to help amigas discover products that help you reconnect with your hair as an act of wellness. I believe that when you understand your hair and know what you’re doing. You step out of this cycle of beauty overwhelm and get peace of mind. You begin to accept your hair, stop chasing perfection, stop over consuming, and buying less impulsively.

Was there a moment when you realized something in your life, career or identity that once worked for you no longer fit? What happened next?

I had worked hard to build a career in HR, driven by my passion for advocating for workers and making sure people were treated fairly. But once I reached that goal, I realized corporate life wasn’t the right fit for me. I began to question whether the life I was working so hard to build was the life I actually wanted.

What came next was starting a business from the ground up, creating something that reflected my values and the kind of impact I wanted to have in the world. Through Sudz, I’ve been able to put people at the center of the business, work alongside farmers, and help make healthier haircare more accessible to my community. Looking back, I didn’t lose sight of what inspired me to pursue HR in the first place, but instead I found a different way to bring that purpose to life.

What have you become more ambitious about as you’ve gotten older?

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more ambitious about proving to myself what I’m capable of. When I was younger, I think fear of failure kept me from fully embracing my ambition. I spent too much time worrying about what could go wrong instead of giving myself permission to try.

Building a business has taught me that I’m the only person I need to prove anything to. Learning to trust myself more and give myself permission to dream bigger. The more I’ve done that, the more clarity I’ve found in what I want to build and the kind of life I want to create.

What do you know now that you wish you had understood ten years ago?

I wish I had understood that life isn’t a race and that I didn’t have to have everything figured out so early. As the daughter of Mexican immigrants who worked physically demanding jobs and never had the opportunity to pursue higher education, I felt a responsibility to make the most of the opportunities they worked so hard to give me. After college, I thought having a clear career path was the next step, even though I was still figuring out what I truly wanted for myself.

It took time, and even a master’s degree, for that clarity to come. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but I wish I had given myself more grace along the way. I’ve learned that you can honor your parents’ sacrifices without rushing your own journey. Sometimes, you have to give yourself the time and space to discover what’s meant for you.

Tell us about a decision that looked risky from the outside but felt completely right to you.

Starting a business was a risk in itself, especially coming from a family where no one had experience running a business, let alone in the beauty industry. There was no blueprint to follow, and I’ve had to learn so much along the way.

From the outside, it may have looked like stepping away from the security of a traditional career into the unknown. But for me, it felt like stepping closer to the kind of work I wanted to do and the impact I wanted to make. I didn’t have all the answers, but I believed in what I was building, and that belief was enough to take the first step.

Where do you refuse to compromise anymore?

I refuse to compromise on my health and well-being. I’ve become much more intentional about what I put on my body and what I choose to bring into my daily routine. To me, beauty and self-care is about choosing better and making everyday products more accessible to our community so that you don’t have to choose between caring for yourself and feeling beautiful.

What are you still figuring out?

As Sudz grows, I’m constantly learning how to navigate things from building the right partnerships and creating the systems that will allow us to grow sustainably without losing sight of our mission.

Building a business is a continuous process of learning, adapting, and trusting yourself through the unknown. There’s always another level to grow into, and I’m learning to embrace that rather than feel like I need to have it all figured out.

What does success look like in this particular season of your life?

In this season, success looks like expanding our retail presence to make healthier haircare more accessible for you to shop locally. It’s about building the right foundation, creating opportunities for others, and growing a business that can thrive long-term without losing sight of the values it was built on.

Personally, it also means learning to trust the process and giving myself grace along the way.

What do you want the next generation of women to know sooner than you did?

I want the next generation of women to understand their hair before spending years trying to fix it. Many of us grew up using whatever was available at the drugstore, wondering why our hair still felt dry or oily no matter how much we washed or conditioned it. I wish I’d learned sooner that healthy hair starts with understanding what it needs and knowing what’s in the products we use.

With greater transparency, knowledge, and products formulated with purpose, we can make more intentional choices and break the cycle of trial and error. You deserve haircare that helps you feel confident in your hair and happy about what you’re using so much, that you don’t even need to style it to look “presentable.” Society is pretty effective at making us think that.