Archaeologist turned Skincare CEO: Michal Morrison Turned Tragedy into a Thriving Beauty Business | #188

In this inspiring episode of the Second Act Success Career Podcast, Shannon sits down with Michal Morrison—an archeologist-turned-entrepreneur—who transformed personal adversity into a groundbreaking second act. After surviving a traumatic brain injury, Michal left behind her world-traveling career in archaeology to launch her own science-backed skincare company using cutting-edge stem cell technology.

Discover how Michal’s passion for history, her resilience through health setbacks, and her mission to create social impact through entrepreneurship led to the creation of Michal Morrison Skincare and the development of the revolutionary ingredient, BetaStem-6™.

Whether you’re recovering from a life-altering event or simply dreaming of starting a business that makes a difference, Michal’s journey is a powerful reminder that reinvention is always possible. Listen now!

🎯 Key Takeaways:

• How Michal transitioned from a career in archaeology to founding a biotech beauty brand
• The role of a traumatic brain injury in reshaping her life’s direction
• Why she chose skincare as her second act—and how her mother’s skin cancer inspired the mission
• The importance of resilience, adaptability, and spiritual growth after life-changing experiences
• Lessons in startup fundraising, science-driven product development, and brand-building
• Encouragement for women to embrace flexibility in career and life transitions

🔗 Connect with Michal:

• Website: michalmorrison.com
• Instagram: @michalmorrisonskincare
• Threads: @michalmorrison

__________

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Transcript

Second Act Success Career Podcast

Season 1 - Archaeologist turned Skincare CEO: Michal Morrison Turned Tragedy into a Thriving Beauty Business | #188

Episode - #188

Host: Shannon Russell

Guest: Michal Morrison

Transcription (*created by Descript and may not be perfectly accurate) 

[00:00:00] 

Shannon Russell: All right. Let's get ready for a new episode of the second Act Success Career podcast. I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Michal Morrison. She is the founder of a cutting edge skincare company, rooted in science and powered by groundbreaking stem cell technology.

However, Michal started her career as an archeologist. That's right. She was traveling the world discovering ancient artifacts this was all until everything changed when she found herself in a car crash surviving with a traumatic brain injury. Michal came out on the other side deciding she wanted to take control of her life and her career, and that is when she launched her own skincare company, Michal is an entrepreneur committed to social impact champion causes around women's health and gender equality.

Let's dive in. This is my conversation with entrepreneur and founder Michal Morrison.  

Are you ready to quit your nine to five job and start a business of your own? Well, you're in the right place, my friend. [00:01:00] Welcome to the second Act Success Career podcast. I am your host Shannon Russell. I am a former television producer, turned business owner, career transition coach, and boy mom. My mission is to help you produce your best life.

This podcast will teach you how to get from where you are now to where you want to be, and how to build a business that fits your life and lights you up. Let's get started. 

Shannon Russell: Michal Morrison. Thank you so much for being here. I've been looking forward to our conversation, to hear all about your career, your second acts, but let's take it back to the beginning. Where did your career begin? 

Michal: I'm really excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me. My career began in a totally different fields than I'm currently working in. When I graduated, I graduated from Texas A& M in 2012. so much. And I have degrees in history and English literature. And I jumped right into archaeology, actually. I went on my first archaeological [00:02:00] excavation when I was in college, uh, to Greece, which was a life changing event for me.

And I ended up working on archaeological projects and historic preservation projects around the world, um, after that. And so that's where my career started. I went from Greece to Turkey. I've worked in the Emirates actually for the royal family, which was an incredible experience.

in Ireland.

I've worked in the Caribbean. And so that was just a lot of fun to say the least.

Shannon Russell: Was that your dream since you were little? Did you know that you wanted to get your hands dirty and dig around and really study history in that way? Ha

Michal: So I have been really fortunate. I grew up in a family of readers. My parents gave that gift to me and my mom was a history teacher. And my dad's really interested in history. And so it really runs in the family. We spend Christmas Day wrapped up in books. You know, that's how we like to celebrate together. And so it was definitely in line with how I was raised to pursue a history degree. Archaeology [00:03:00] became part of that. I was, you know, Two classes away from an anthropology degree, like a third degree. And that still keeps me up at night. Those two classes,   

So yeah, I've been really passionate about history for a long time. Geology as well. Actually, I really considered that path. Most of the time there is a geologist on an archeological dig at some point. And so I thought about that. My dad's really interested in that too. And so my parents really encouraged me to pursue all of my curiosities and interests. And so I think that's probably what led me to archeology.

Shannon Russell: What an incredible dream job, I think, for a lot of people to think about it, but it seems so far off, like, oh, I couldn't really do that, but you did it. Really inspiring, I think, and to see the world in such a way as you're learning and you're helping, how incredible. And so you did that, you got to see so much, and then what was the next step on your journey?

Silence. [00:04:00] Silence. Silence. Silence. Silence.

Michal: And, you know, for the first six months, Slept for, um, hours a day and for the next six months slept maybe two hours a day and very severe memory challenges, severe aphasia, which will occasionally come up for me, depending on my stress level and how much I'm doing just a very severe experience with a brain injury. so that really ate up about three years of my life, really going into the fourth year of that. And it's been eight years now, a little over eight years, amazing to me that that much time has passed, eventually got to a good doctor, up in Pittsburgh and was able to get some good help, but took a [00:05:00] long time. And so my body is not down for the intense lifestyle of excavating. I am somebody who I should, I joke about it, but I should have a punch card at the local ER. I really should.

Shannon Russell: Hello. Oh, God. Hello, everyone.

Michal: And so looking at that, it's like, you know, the corporate space. a disabled person is really going to be hard and I applied for a good number of jobs as I had recovered and was trying to

Shannon Russell: Okay. Mm hmm. Okay. Bye [00:06:00] bye.

Michal: workspaces for them in. The corporate world. so 2020 rolled around. My accident was in 2016 and I was married at the time and you know, we were stuck in our house and I had thought about starting a skin care company for a long time. My mom has struggled a lot with skin cancer and so I felt very motivated around. the potential science that I could get my hands on if I could and acquire something really interesting. And so that's what I ended up doing. I used 2020 to one, do about six months of research on the beauty industry before diving in. then I was really fortunate to be introduced to people who became part of my team and officially started the company in 2020 and started about two years of development after that.

We launched in 22.

Shannon Russell: How amazing what a change what a shift in

Michal: Oh

Shannon Russell: I want to talk about the fact that you were living this kind of dream role traveling the world [00:07:00] working as an archaeologist and then having this brain injury and it halts everything. And I think that must have been a big adjustment, I'm assuming for you to say, to realize I'm not going to be able to go back and live and work in that capacity any longer, or at least not right now.

And for you to think about, you know, how you're going to now take your, your skills and your experience and put that into work in another field or working for someone else. And what was that contemplation like of where you were? Looking at yourself in the situation you were in, unfortunately, and having to pivot. 

Michal: I appreciate you asking that. back on that when, you know, disappointment isn't even the right word. It was devastating as health stuff can be for a lot of people. I think a lot of entrepreneurs have a story like that, too, is that they ran into a disappointment. whether it was with their health or something else. [00:08:00] And that one was one of the big defining experiences of my life. required, and I did answer the call, but it was hard. It required a lot spiritual growth. And that wasn't religious for me. It was more spiritual and internal, EMDR. I got a lot of support after that experience and I needed that to reenter the world. I felt very vulnerable. This feeling of what if something else bad happens and none of us can answer that question. But staying in the house was not an option for me. I've been very, very, very, Curious.

I need intellectual stimulation. I like a challenge. And so entrepreneurship has fit me really well, but it took me a while and there's still days that I have that aren't the best, but I've come to grips with the loss. What was particularly hard is that it was the second half of my twenties that I really lost.

Which is a time that most people associate with feeling very vibrant and [00:09:00] social. And I didn't get to do that. That had been the case earlier in my

Shannon Russell: Uh,

Michal: a bit better to, you know, head down into the wind. When something tough comes up because you don't have a choice,

Shannon Russell: Uh, Uh,

Michal: the longer you that the more miserable you're going to be. And so I would never have described myself as a go with the flow person but now I am, I think a little bit more as I'm more adaptable than before. And you definitely need that as an entrepreneur.

Shannon Russell: Yes, that is so true. And I think maybe it is a blessing in a sense that it happened to you when you were young so that you were a little bit more resilient and could say, okay, I'm taking this time to take care of myself and heal myself. And now what is that second act? What else can I do? And, and I think.[00:10:00] 

You know, when you started thinking about what else you could do, was entrepreneurship the first thing or were you looking for jobs maybe in your field where you could work remotely or where did the idea of entrepreneurship come about before you came up with the idea of working in skin care?

Michal: Well, I started with contract work, so I did a lot of thought leadership help with startups, ironically, before I ever thought that I would have my own. But 2020, I think being shut away in the house and feeling like this is a time if it's ever going to be. It would be now. And ironically, I already knew how to survive a year in the house and because of my experience with my brain injury, I'd already done it and, you know, also being more vulnerable as part of, you know, the population that has health issues. I really didn't leave my house very much except for groceries for really the entirety of 2020. Which, um, you know, a lot of people were [00:11:00] anxious about the eight week thing. Like I've already done this. I already know how to do this. I already know how to make the most of being at home. so I really started to consider it.

I took a lot of classes. I took a, an entrepreneurship class called the guild and it's for, um, men believe women identifying entrepreneurs that really helped give me the groundwork for it. So I did this sort of not quite timid, but very deliberate exploration before I dove all the way in. But then I felt like, you know, I can do this.

I never took a business class in college, but that doesn't mean that I can't, you know, get the information elsewhere. And, um, I'm very self motivated. So that fit me too 

Shannon Russell: you knew that you wanted to venture into this field and skin care was top of mind, 

Michal: Yeah, it was from my mom. So I've watched her struggle for a long time with skin cancer. We live in Texas and so that heat, you know, the sun is just brutal. And so she told me from, A young age where SPF every day. Very grateful that she told me to do that. I [00:12:00] hope that pays off. Skincare had been interesting to me for a while. I was very much a dedicated consumer of the beauty world, more skincare and self care than makeup. I never felt overly drawn to that. I'm like, if this already looks good, I don't want to cover it up. So I already had a lot of passion for products. And to this day, my bathroom looks like a Sephora. Which is I find to be really fun, but because of that, it's like, you know what I'm going to see, where would I begin? And so I made a little list of like, what makes sense to start with? And so I looked for formulators and for manufacturers, because I didn't know anyone in the beauty industry at all.

Shannon Russell: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. [00:13:00] Okay.

Michal: know how to do. And, you know, I raised You know, almost a million and a half dollars there at the beginning, which helped us get started and a very difficult time to raise money, particularly for women you know, I only raised from angel investors, but women really received

Shannon Russell: Silence.  

Michal: A lot of women are very deserving of that. So, um, you know, getting to

Shannon Russell: Yes.

Michal: was instrumental. And so that's how we got into that. And we were able to acquire a fascinating molecule that is proprietary to us. We got a patent on it on beta stem six. And that was what I really wanted, is a focus on science because of my mom.

Shannon Russell: Mmm. So tell us about what you built then. So you have this molecule. What did you want to bring to the , skincare world that wasn't already there? What was that [00:14:00] gap that you wanted to fill?

Michal: Well, it's rare for a totally new ingredient to hit the market. A lot of times when there's intellectual property owned by a beauty company, it's more of a variation on a theme than something entirely new. And we have an entirely new form of matter in beta stem six. And Dr. Michal Kahn is the PhD and researcher behind that.

He and his team and PhD students worked for 25 years, And so they created a molecule that attaches to stem cells and the ones that are dormant, they get turned back on. And there's nothing like that in the industry. So beta stem six is based off of that research. And so it was exciting to be able to provide an alternative, particularly for people who want an active ingredient. very active but won't make their skin itchy and uncomfortable and red like retinoids do. Retinoids are so uncomfortable. They're very effective and I use them, uh, but it comes at a cost because you're [00:15:00] uncomfortable for a few days after you use it. And beta stem 6 is very comfortable to use. It plays well with other ingredients as well. It's safe for people who have sensitive skin, which I do too.

Shannon Russell: Mm hmm.

Michal: able to provide a, an anti aging solution for people who want that. tried hard to stay away from as much anti aging language as we can, particularly as a woman. I don't want the focus to be on be afraid of aging. I am thrilled, particularly because of my experiences with accidents and chronic health conditions.

I'm thrilled to be 35. I'm really grateful for that. I hope I'm never afraid of aging and I for sure never want to contribute to other women feeling that pressure. I grew up in the nineties where being a size two meant you were almost too big. Like

Shannon Russell: Okay. Thank you.

Michal: Pressure put on women, \ , in the, that millennial era was extreme.

And so I see a lot of women now running companies and building brands that are fighting [00:16:00] back against that. It's really lovely to see.

Shannon Russell: I appreciate that, that you're concerned with that messaging and that you can find a way to message your products. in a different way and still reach that audience who needs them. , and that's just incredible to have such a unique product. And it's Michal Morrison is the name of your skincare. 

So tell us more about how we can find it and what exactly, you offer to women.

Michal: So we have one product. We have our hero product, Genesis based M6 Molecular Serum. It's available on our website, Michalmorrison. com. We're also on Instagram, Michalmorrisonskincare. And people can sign up for emails from us as well. It's been really fun to engage with a community that wants something new. A lot of people are very ingredient driven in our community. We get a lot of emails asking about beta stem six. How does it work? And that, that made it a very exciting time to launch a skincare company is that's [00:17:00] part of the culture. Now 

Shannon Russell: And I have to say your skin does look beautiful. You are glowing. Um, I assume you're wearing the product now.

Michal: Yes. I use it every day 

Shannon Russell: , it looks like you don't even need anything else on. It just looks like very,

Michal: goal. You know, like I want to feel comfortable. I don't want to feel the need to cover anything up.

Shannon Russell: mm

Michal: back to when I was in, even when you're in middle school, you want to wear makeup because it feels like you're a part of a community of girls starting to wear makeup or boys now too.

Shannon Russell: hmm.

Michal: your skin just looks so good. Perfect. You know, when you're that age, I never want to take for granted the age that I am. I think I'm going to enjoy a lot of those different stages. And so a product that works with your skin, with your own biology to fix itself is amazing. Really the resource that I would prefer to move into deeper into my thirties with 

Shannon Russell: Absolutely. And now I have to ask how you have had many changes in your life since [00:18:00] you began your career. You never probably would have assumed you'd be an entrepreneur in the skin care field. But are you happy where you are now? Do you have any thoughts of maybe dabbling back in where you began in archaeology or is this what you're going to be doing for your second act moving forward?

Mm hmm.

Michal: at all.

You can always reinvent yourself. You know, I believed enough in my own resourcefulness and curiosity to learn something new. I'm sure I'll do it again. I have another idea up my sleeve that's in development and I can't really share anything about it, but it's a app that I'm really excited about.

Once you learn the basics of how to put a company together, all of a sudden it starts to feel much more. Like I can do that. And I want [00:19:00] more women to experience that, that there's definitely an uphill climb of learning about how to run a business. But once you have a lot of those tools at your disposal, you're going to start seeing opportunities everywhere to

Shannon Russell: Right. Mm hmm.

Michal: they retired after that

Shannon Russell: Right.

Michal: they're good to go. There's always this, this sort of itching to get to the next thing. but you know, it's funny. A couple of weeks ago, I was really thinking to myself like I do miss the historical work and an opportunity to do historical research on a PBS documentary fell right into my lap. And it's only a couple of weeks of work, but I'm glad that I put that intention out into the world that I was open for part of that to come back my way. And it's sitting on a couch reading. It's not the field work that I used to do, but it's still very close to my and reading books and being paid for it does not hurt. 

Shannon Russell: I love that. So it's the best of both worlds, really. Mm-hmm

Michal: Yeah.

Shannon Russell: [00:20:00] Um, Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.

Michal: really requires a lot of you. So I'm thinking about projects that are shorter term that are still creative. That I can put my vision toward, but not feel like I'm signing up for 10 years of this. I don't really foresee myself doing that, the belief in flexibility. And the value of flexibility is there now. And I never would have considered that. I only really saw one path for my life prior to the traumatic brain injury. And so that is something I've been able to take from it is flexibility will [00:21:00] get you far.

Shannon Russell: That's beautifully said, too. And I believe that so much myself that, you can start a project and or start a business and a few years later, , okay, that's great. I'm going to sell it and I'm going to move on to the next. I think that's what you were saying to that itching of wanting to start something new and keeping it going, that's what an entrepreneur does, I recently sold my first business, and it was such a Thank you.

And it was just, it was a big after eight years. And I said, I want to sell it when it's at the top. I learned so much through that process and I've been able to help other people now with the selling of their business. But now I have my coaching business and who knows what else I'll start, and I think for listeners who are thinking about going into entrepreneurship, it doesn't have to be the next 50 years. It can be as long as you want it. Yeah,

Michal: that's a very good point to be made. I actually have an investor that I admire quite a bit, and he has made a very [00:22:00] successful career out of starting things, but not being a part of the day to day. He doesn't manage anything. He has an idea. He gets it started. That's where his talent, I think, really lies. And then he hires a great team and becomes, I think, to the best of my understanding, I think. Pretty hands off.

Shannon Russell: yeah

Michal: moves on to the next thing. And I think that's part the process of entrepreneurship that I didn't know to be aware of at the beginning, but now I am are you an idea and vision person, or do you like the execution of the day to day?

Shannon Russell: Hmm Yeah

Michal: I think that could actually be quite a relief for a lot of visionary people. You can get the idea up and going, find people that you respect and trust with this idea. [00:23:00] Hire them and get another idea going. You don't have to be in the same position with your company forever. You just need a smart plan. And it sounds like you're the person to go to for that.

Shannon Russell: Thank you. And it's not as scary that way, I think, to know that you're not committing yourself to something that's, that may not work out and that you can always change and you don't know what you're going to like about the day to day of that business until you get in there. So it's, I think that's the fun of it.

Learning about yourself, learning about the challenges, fixing that puzzle as you build it. You're in control. What direction do you want to take that business in and your future in? 

All right, it's time for our five fast cues of the week. Here we go. 

Shannon Russell: The first one is name one thing that these different chapters in your life have taught you. 

Michal: There's so much stuff. I changed enormously as a person through this process. I learned and, you know, with health, you know, With starting a business. I also got divorced [00:24:00] during fundraising for my company, which was, I would not wish that on anyone is, resilient humanity can be. You can feel so vulnerable in the actual moment. And in a year you will wake up and you will feel okay. You'll feel better than you think that you will. And I've seen that in a variety of people's lives. , and people that I love that your resilience, the capacity for resilience is deeper than you think. 

Shannon Russell: Would you recommend taking a leap into a big life change to your best friend? 

Michal: I think I would, would just have a plan for you being okay. Regardless of how that goes, I would like to approach. Success and failure with the same amount of preparation. For example, I wish I had held onto another job or taken on contract work, even early on, even with how hard I was working on the business that first year in particular, I would have felt better knowing that I was building a nest egg.

Cause you never know how things will go. Even with fundraising. I think we're in a pretty volatile time for fundraising right now, [00:25:00] too. So I would tell my friend absolutely go for the dream, but what practical things do you have in place? To support yourself, no matter how it goes, 

Shannon Russell: I agree. I like that a lot. So what is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who's about to start their second act? 

Michal: I would be really mindful of the relationships that follow you into the second act. That that was one of the more painful things that I learned through that experience with health. I think a lot of people do is some people are meant for a period of time in your life and they can't or won't follow you into the next one. that can be really painful and feel like you're being cut off. Left behind. There's a variety of reasons that can happen. Sometimes people don't have capacity and they're being honest about it. that is hard across the board, but knowing that the friends that you can call in the middle of the night help, are the ones you're going to have with you for a long time. And so if you need to say goodbye to [00:26:00] someone who's not good for you, whether that's a romantic relationship, putting new boundaries in place with family, to be honest with you, even if you've had a friend for 10 years, They might not fit the next chapter, and that might feel like something that you need to grieve, which I understand. And that's something that I think in the future, you'll come to understand for whatever reason why they couldn't join you for your second act. So I would be, accepting of that process is what I would encourage.

Shannon Russell: Great advice. So what does the next act look like for you? You touched upon a project or two that are in the works. What would you like it to look like?

Michal: I want the flexibility to work probably with a couple different clients. I started working as a startup advisor to a really cool CPG company, and I'm liking the flexibility. There's that word again of working with multiple people. Not having to take full responsibility for the success of my own thing.

That also feels really great right now as being able [00:27:00] to be supportive of other people's dream, but to know at the end of the day, , I'm not on the hook for the success or failure of this enormous venture. I get to walk alongside people having their own experience with it and hopefully lending my, the wisdom that I've gotten from the past few

Shannon Russell: Okay.

Michal: And I got, you know, good advisors around me, probably like year two in particular. Everybody needs that friend next to them. So I'm hoping to be that for more people and I'm hoping to have the lifestyle flexibility to have more active rest incorporated into my routine.

Shannon Russell: Okay. Bye [00:28:00] bye.

Michal: I need to figure out in my next act, the. What feels like very, um, high value opportunities with people that I really enjoy and trust and balancing that with naps on a beach somewhere. That's the goal.

Shannon Russell: Oh, that is the goal. And it's probably easier than we think to plan that into our year ahead, but it's, it's hard when you've got. All those ideas and all the things you want to do, but knowing that you can't serve anyone if you are not healthy and rested yourself. So.

Michal: And I think that's a good point to make. I know a lot of entrepreneurs who, I think that era of, you know, burning the candle at both ends doesn't really matter what happens to your health. I think because of COVID in a way, some people who would have participated in that culture like health really is everything.

If you completely burn yourself out and there's nothing left to work with, [00:29:00] you might lose your idea too.

Shannon Russell: Yeah. Oh.

Michal: And just like

Shannon Russell: Um.

Michal: not have seen it coming ever he's going to be fine, but he's making some big changes because he has to.

And I don't want anyone to ever get there. He didn't think he was getting there, but stress really can hurt your body. And so being mindful of that and building a life that's feasible, even if that means building at a slower pace and being more methodical than we're going to the moon and we're doing it in a month. That's what will take you a long way

Shannon Russell: Uh, brilliant ideas. I love everything that you're sharing. So how can my audience connect with you? Where are all the places?

Michal: while I'm on Instagram, which I enjoy, I've recently got onto threads and made really fun friendships on threads and how I've heard it described is it's like the diary, you know, of social media is if you'd like to read, if you're a thinker and I never [00:30:00] enjoyed Twitter, it felt very misogynistic on there to me.

And so I never hopped on, but threads I'm finding this beautiful community of supportive women. A lot of entrepreneurs are on there. And I'm interested in a lot of different things. And so it's fun, you know, it's the algorithm to surround yourself with people who have great insight. And so I'm on there as well. And then of course the brand is on Instagram as well.

Shannon Russell: Fantastic. I'm going to link to everything in the show notes and Michal, I just thank you so much. This has been such a wonderful conversation and I am so inspired by your transitions and everything that you've built so far and I'm excited to follow along and see what's next.

Michal: Thank you. I appreciate it. It's been lovely to talk with you.

Thank you for joining us. I hope you found some gems of inspiration and some takeaways to help you on your path to second act, success. To view show notes from this episode, visit second act success.co. Before you go, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a single episode. [00:31:00] Reviews only take a few moments and they really do mean so much.

Thank you again for listening. I'm Shannon Russell. And this is second act success.