Take Your Time
Take Your Time is a creativity podcast hosted by Dianna Cohen, founder of cult beauty brand Crown Affair. It’s a show about making things, trusting your inner voice, and redefining success on your own terms.
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Episode 009: Sarah Creal, The Secret Weapon
08/18/2026
Episode 009: Sarah Creal, The Secret Weapon
Today's conversation is with the brilliant Sarah Creal: beauty industry veteran, product developer, founder, and the woman behind some of the most iconic products in the history of prestige cosmetics. Sarah opens up about growing up in Warren, Pennsylvania, where she lay on rocks as a kid watching airplanes overhead and dreaming of what was out there. In our conversation, we trace her path from the Clinique beauty counter, to Revlon, to Bobbi Brown, to developing lines for Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, and Victoria Beckham, to finally launching her own namesake brand exclusively for women 40+. Sarah shares what it felt like to beg for investment and be told older women don't want to look at older women — and how she responded by building something that is redefining the entire visual language of beauty for women in their prime. Tune in for a conversation about taste, tenacity, and what it means to finally choose yourself after a lifetime spent in service to others. (1:12) Sponsor message (Shopify) (1:35) Show intro & meet Sarah Creal (2:47) Breathing exercise (4:27) Childhood in small-town Pennsylvania (7:30) First makeup experiments & discovering product development (10:22) Growing up with an architect father (16:04) Choosing Penn & studying English (21:40) Literature as the lifeblood of storytelling & selling (24:04) Starting at the Clinique counter (27:00) Landing her first product development job (30:03) Becoming Bobbi Brown's head of product development & marketing (34:26) Creating Tom Ford Beauty & the "architecture of the face" (38:41) The Ralph Lauren story (43:52) Throwing out the rulebook with her own brand (51:34) The new "beauty erotica" photoshoot (52:31) Channeling ideas & the dream that birthed the brand (56:51) Fighting for funding & naming the brand (1:00:45) Take Your Time Back segment (1:04:57) Closing thoughts Thank you for listening to Take Your Time, subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Follow along on Instagram: Follow Dianna on Instagram: Follow Sarah Creal:
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Episode 008: The Artist’s Way
07/29/2026
Episode 008: The Artist’s Way
This week, I'm giving you a guide to one of my favorite books in the entire universe: Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. I break down what this 12-week program actually is, why it changed my life (and how I approached building Crown Affair before and after doing the work), and I walk you through all 12 weeks, from recovering a sense of safety in week one, to the anger and jealousy of week three, the reading deprivation of week four, all the way to recovering a sense of faith in week 12. If this book has been sitting on your shelf, or you made it to week three or four and stalled out, this episode is your sign to pick it back up. Tune in for a breakdown of morning pages, artist dates, creative U-turns, and why growth is a spiral, not a straight line. (0:00) Intro (0:22) What is The Artist's Way? (1:11) Shopify ad (1:29) About Julia Cameron & the book's origins (1:45) Morning pages & artist dates (2:46) Growth is not linear (3:20) Week 1: Recovering a sense of safety (5:11) Week 2: Recovering a sense of identity (9:59) Week 3: Recovering a sense of power (13:34) Week 4: Recovering a sense of integrity (15:06) Weeks 5 & 6: Recovering a sense of possibility & abundance (17:37) Week 7: Recovering a sense of connection (19:04) Week 8: Recovering a sense of strength (20:01) Week 9: Creative U-turns (22:47) Week 10: Recovering a sense of self-protection (25:04) Week 11: Recovering a sense of autonomy (27:44) Week 12: Recovering a sense of faith (30:08) Morning pages & artist dates as lifelong tools (32:15) Closing thoughts Thank you for listening to Take Your Time. Subscribe to our podcast on , , and Follow along on and Follow Dianna on Instagram: Find everything Take Your Time at Check out Crown Affair at
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Episode 007: Cassandra Grey, The Curator
07/14/2026
Episode 007: Cassandra Grey, The Curator
Cassandra Grey is the founder of Violet Grey, the legendary Los Angeles beauty destination that, since 2013, has set the standard for curation, visual literacy, and taste in the beauty world. In this episode, we travel the full arc of Cassandra's life, from making Wonder Woman cuffs out of tinfoil as a child, to creating business plans as a young woman in the Bay Area, to falling in love with and marrying Hollywood producer Brad Grey, who taught her that quality is not a preference but a practice. Cassandra talks about what it means to build something with soul, how grief reshapes your relationship to time and objects, and why she’s spent nine years searching for a perfume that smells like the one that got away. Tune in for a meditation on curation as a life philosophy, the quiet power of surrounding yourself with beauty, and why heartbreak is the evidence of a life fully loved. 0:00) Introduction (1:36) Shopify ad (1:57) Breathing exercise (2:30) Early life and childhood (6:14) First creative sparks and pop culture (8:48) Visual literacy philosophy (9:30) The idea for Violet Grey (11:56) Building a business from vision (13:07) Founding Violet Grey (15:17) Moving to LA and meeting Brad (18:12) Falling in love and life in LA (21:23) What Brad taught her (24:55) Brad's career and legacy (26:17) Comparisons to Crown Affair (28:34) Striving for perfection over profit (29:39) Redefining visual literacy online (30:49) Building legacy with Madame Grey (38:56) Legacy, time, and meaning (40:52) Creating the fragrance (41:47) Aura farming (43:08) Confidence and desire (51:19) Sex appeal over time (52:23) Trust and Crown Affair partnership (54:16) Soul in creative work (54:58) Take Your Time Back segment (59:25) Closing thoughts Thank you for listening to Take Your Time. Subscribe to our podcast on , , and Follow along on and Follow Dianna on Instagram: Follow Cassandra: Find everything Take Your Time at
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Episode 006: Ego Nwodim, The One-Woman Wonder
06/30/2026
Episode 006: Ego Nwodim, The One-Woman Wonder
Today’s episode is with the amazing comedian and actress, Ego Nwodim. Known for seven seasons on Saturday Night Live, where she created an indelible gallery of original characters, Ego is now stepping into a new chapter on her own terms. This episode is about the slower, less visible journey underneath her impressive résumé: the role Ego's immigrant mother played in shaping her belief in herself, what comedy taught her about releasing perfectionism, and what it actually feels like to step off the ride after seven years and finally exhale. Tune in for a meditation on creative courage, the art of not thinking, and why learning to enjoy an unpredictable journey might be the most valuable thing time can teach you. (0:00) – Intro & welcome to Take Your Time (0:15) – Introducing Ego Nwodim (1:08) – Three deep breaths segment (6:47) – How Diana & Ego met as NYC neighbors (7:56) – Were we both waiting in line for our big breaks? (8:51) – COVID hits: Ego decides to hunker down in New York (20:16) – Ego's one-woman show: "Great Black Women and Then There's Me" (22:46) – Finding the title first, building the show around it (18:58) – "I'm funny?" — discovering comedy through a roommate (19:03) – The path to improv & UCB's "don't think" philosophy (28:10) – Siblings, growing up in Baltimore & family as first audience (32:20) – Ego's Nigerian immigrant mom: "She's following her heart" (43:02) – 7 years on SNL — the shift after leaving (46:05) – Marathon, not a sprint — running a half marathon & what it taught her (57:48) – What Ego is working on now (Netflix *Little Brother*, NSFW, Thanks Dad) (1:01:45) – Thanks Dad podcast & winning a Webby Award (1:05:14) – Take Your Time Back segment Thank you for listening to Take Your Time. Subscribe to our podcast on , , and Follow along on and Follow Dianna on Instagram: Follow Ego: Find everything Take Your Time at Recommendations and resources from this episode: : Ego's podcast on iHeart, Webby Award winner Ego’s new movie on Netflix
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Episode 005: Quincy Moore, The New Yorker
06/16/2026
Episode 005: Quincy Moore, The New Yorker
For this episode, I sat down with one of my closest friends: Quincy Moore, the brilliant mind behind . We met over twelve years ago in a conference room, and what followed was a friendship built on shared ambition, a lot of downtown New York benches, and an unspoken understanding that we were both trying to build something real. In this conversation, Quincy takes me through the full journey, from growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico as an only child, to moving to New York in a blizzard in January 2010 with exactly one connection. We also get into the deeply personal side of it all: how sports became his love language with his dad, how meeting his wife Sam transformed him personally and professionally, and what fatherhood has taught him about slowing down. This conversation felt like exactly what this show is about: two friends who've been on this journey together, finally sitting across from each other and taking stock of it all. Tune in for a conversation about the art of protecting something you love, why the best brands can't be built overnight, and what it means to design the life you want for yourself. (0:00) Introduction: Quincy Moore, Founder of New York or Nowhere (0:57) Shopify Ad (1:53) How Diana & Quincy Met: A Decade-Long Friendship Origin Story (7:04) Growing Up as an Only Child & Seeking Family Connection (11:20) Moving to New York City in 2010 (13:55) Pre-Social Media New York (20:41) Building Authenticity Through Knicks & Yankees Collaborations (28:23) The LeBron James Moment: Game 6 of the 2016 World Series (32:54) Love, Partnership & the IP Secret Weapon (42:46) Announcing the New York or Nowhere x Sesame Street Collaboration (46:21) How "New York or Nowhere" Was Written — and Why It Stuck (58:33) Rapid Fire: Take Your Time Back Segment (1:00:00) What Fatherhood Teaches You About Slowing Down (1:03:13) Forever New York or Nowhere? The Final Question Thank you for listening to Take Your Time. Subscribe to our podcast on , , and Follow along on and Follow Dianna on Instagram: Follow New York Or Nowhere on Instagram: Find everything Take Your Time at Recommendations and resources from this episode: — Lafayette Street between Prince and Spring, NYC — HBO series (produced by John Wilhelmi)
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Episode 004: Jennifer Fisher, The Non-Gatekeeper
06/09/2026
Episode 004: Jennifer Fisher, The Non-Gatekeeper
Today’s conversation is with the incredible Jennifer Fisher: jewelry designer, entrepreneur, cookbook author, and all-around force of nature. Jennifer opens up about growing up in Santa Barbara before becoming a true New Yorker, her early career as a commercial stylist, and how a health journey through chemotherapy and Hashimoto's led her to build not just a jewelry empire, but an entire lifestyle brand rooted in radical honesty. We talk about the original Jennifer Fisher dog tag, how her salt took over the internet, her cookbook Trust Your Gut, and why being your most authentic and imperfect self is the only real brand strategy that works. Tune in for Jen’s thoughts about fearlessness, the long game of building something real, and the joy of trusting your gut. (0:00) Intro & Welcome / Jennifer Fisher overview (1:24) Shopify Ad (4:35) Why she couldn't wait to leave California for New York (6:02) Listening to your audience and evolving in business (6:16) Being authentic and non-gatekeeping (8:41) Time management and intuition (9:20) ADHD and pattern recognition as a superpower (10:33) Health journey: chemotherapy and the desmoid tumor (10:48) Visual literacy and styling background (14:46) Hashimoto's diagnosis and anti-inflammatory eating (20:03) The 80/20 rule and lifestyle vs. diet (23:50) Being fearless after going through so much (27:08) Taking your time with hair (years, not months) (28:33) Crown Affair Overnight Serum love (39:30) Being your authentic self (the lesson only time teaches) (40:47) Lifelong work of becoming yourself (55:21) Outro / subscribe to Take Your Time Thank you for listening to Take Your Time. Subscribe to our podcast on , , and Follow along on and Follow Dianna on Instagram: Follow Heidi on Instagram: Find everything Take Your Time at
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Episode 003: Heidi Gardner, The Entertainer
05/26/2026
Episode 003: Heidi Gardner, The Entertainer
Today’s episode features the brilliantly funny and deeply warm Heidi Gardner. Heidi takes us back to her childhood in Kansas City, Missouri, where mall visits and prank phone calls helped shape her into the performer she is today. We explore the winding road Heidi took from working as a hairstylist for years, to watching her first Groundlings show, to performing on SNL for eight seasons. She shares how she learned to hear "no" without losing herself, and what it means to finally have time to rediscover the quieter parts of life after years of non-stop work on SNL. Tune in for a conversation about resilience, the power of people who believe in you before you believe in yourself, and the lifelong work of finding your why. (0:00) Introducing Heidi Gardner: SNL, Broadway & comedy (3:00) Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri (5:00) Mall culture, pop culture & childhood taste-makers (6:50) Heidi's Broadway debut and closing the show in All Out (12:00) How prank phone calls launched a comedy career (16:30) Her unconventional, creative single parents (21:30) Dropping out of college and moving to LA for beauty school (23:30) Heidi’s career as a hairdresser in Los Angeles (27:30) Discovering the Groundlings and finding her calling in comedy (31:00) What it's really like performing live on SNL (35:00) Life after SNL: slowing down, bookstores & decompressing (41:00) Handling rejection and resilience in a creative career (47:30) Hosting theme parties and creating experiences for friends (53:30) Take Your Time Back: three closing questions on time Thank you for listening to Take Your Time. Subscribe to our podcast on , , and Follow along on and Follow Dianna on Instagram: Follow Heidi on Instagram: Find everything Take Your Time at
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Episode 002: Ara Katz, The Mentor
05/12/2026
Episode 002: Ara Katz, The Mentor
For our first interview of the season, I sat down with my mentor and friend, the brilliant and ever-wise Ara Katz. During our conversation, Ara reflected on many things: her return to New York after years living in LA, how experiencing grief as a teen shaped her worldview, and how she turned to creativity as a means of survival as a child. We explore neuroaesthetics and the impact of physical space, the importance of quiet, intuition, and trust in oneself, and why creatives must resist “contorting” f
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Episode 001: Welcome to the Take Your Time Universe
05/12/2026
Episode 001: Welcome to the Take Your Time Universe
For the very first episode of Take Your Time, I'm sharing my own story and the "why" behind this podcast. I reflect on growing up in a small town in South Florida, discovering art history in eighth grade, and how collecting images through magazines, art books, and Tumblr became my creative safe space. I talk about how Take Your Time became my personal mantra as I built Crown Affair, what it really means to slow down and reclaim your time, and why I believe that all of us are creative, we just have to get
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Take Your Time
05/09/2026
Take Your Time
Welcome to Take Your Time, a podcast about creativity and intention hosted by Dianna Cohen.
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