ULTA Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman: From An Hourly Job At Target To Leading The Largest Beauty Retailer in the U.S.
Tue Feb 03 2026
Kecia Steelman was a 20-year-old single mom living in government housing when she faced a realization: if she wanted a better life, it was up to her. She became determined to find a job where she could learn and grow. From the men’s department at Target, she buckled down, worked holidays and weekends, and transformed what started as an $8 an hour gig into something much more. She built a career path that would lead her to become one of the most powerful women in the beauty business.
On this episode of How She Does It, Kecia opens up about her first year as CEO at ULTA Beauty, the country’s largest beauty retailer. With 30 years of retail experience, including almost five years as ULTA Beauty’s COO, she was able to take on this new challenge and “hit the ground running.” From expanding the brand into international markets to working closely with brand founders like Beyoncé, Kylie Jenner, Paris Hilton, and more, the company has seen growth across both their e-commerce and retail sales.
💬 In this episode, we explore:
Kecia’s rollout of ULTA Beauty’s most recent strategy, from the C-Suite to the employees on the sales floor
The approach Kecia takes when it comes to setting expectations for Wall Street
What her “best day” and “worst day” working in retail look like
The three factors Kecia looks for when making a new hire
What happens when Kecia visits an Ulta Beauty store unannounced
The profound way Kecia’s mother inspired her
Resources:
🔗 Visit Ulta.com
📸 Follow Kecia Steelman on Instagram
📸 Follow Kecia Steelman on LinkedIn
📸 Follow Ulta Beauty on Instagram
🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Kecia Steelman was a 20-year-old single mom living in government housing when she faced a realization: if she wanted a better life, it was up to her. She became determined to find a job where she could learn and grow. From the men’s department at Target, she buckled down, worked holidays and weekends, and transformed what started as an $8 an hour gig into something much more. She built a career path that would lead her to become one of the most powerful women in the beauty business. On this episode of How She Does It, Kecia opens up about her first year as CEO at ULTA Beauty, the country’s largest beauty retailer. With 30 years of retail experience, including almost five years as ULTA Beauty’s COO, she was able to take on this new challenge and “hit the ground running.” From expanding the brand into international markets to working closely with brand founders like Beyoncé, Kylie Jenner, Paris Hilton, and more, the company has seen growth across both their e-commerce and retail sales. 💬 In this episode, we explore: Kecia’s rollout of ULTA Beauty’s most recent strategy, from the C-Suite to the employees on the sales floor The approach Kecia takes when it comes to setting expectations for Wall Street What her “best day” and “worst day” working in retail look like The three factors Kecia looks for when making a new hire What happens when Kecia visits an Ulta Beauty store unannounced The profound way Kecia’s mother inspired her Resources: 🔗 Visit Ulta.com 📸 Follow Kecia Steelman on Instagram 📸 Follow Kecia Steelman on LinkedIn 📸 Follow Ulta Beauty on Instagram 🎧 New episodes of How She Does It drop every Tuesday. Be sure to follow us so you never miss an episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices