Brigitte Zaki on Breast Cancer Awareness, Prevention, and Reducing Everyday Chemical Exposure
Jadu Beauty Podcast ·
From " Corporate Services Director" to Breast Cancer Prevention Advocate
Ever wonder why someone who ate well, exercised, and had no family history of cancer still got diagnosed at stage two? Brigitte Zaki did too, right up until the mammogram that changed everything. She's the Director of Corporate Services and Head of Administrative Support at Apollo Global Management, LLC, where she's spent her career managing complex teams and high-stakes operations. But since her 2017 diagnosis, she's spent just as much energy managing something else: the everyday chemical exposure most of us never think to question.
"Usually when people wait until they feel something, sometimes it's too late."— Brigitte Zaki
Brigitte isn't a doctor, and she's not trying to be one. What she is, is someone who turned a diagnosis into a discipline. She started reading labels, questioning ingredients, and building a lower-exposure home for her family, one small swap at a time. She's not chasing a chemical-free life, because she knows that's not realistic. She's chasing a reduced one. This episode is about trusting that small, consistent choices add up, and it's exactly the reduce-don't-remove thinking Jadu applies to hair care too. Chemical exposure doesn't check for gender, and neither does prevention, it's why we've always believed hair care isn't a men's or women's category, just a daily habit worth getting right.
What We Cover in This Episode
Early Detection Isn't Optional — It's the Whole Game
Brigitte's cancer was caught during a screening she'd put off for years. No symptoms, no warning, just a routine appointment that happened to land at the right moment. Her point isn't to scare people into constant vigilance, it's that waiting for a visible sign is already waiting too long. Hair works the same way, for any hair type or gender. Thinning and breakage rarely show up overnight; by the time you notice, the pattern's been building for months, which is exactly why consisten scalp health routines matter, and why scalp treatments matter for catching root-level issues early , before the damage is visible in the mirror.
Awareness Over Fear: Reading Labels Like It's Part of the Job
Post-treatment, Brigitte didn't overhaul her life overnight, she got curious. Ingredient labels became something to actually read, not skim. That's the same standard behind every Jadu formula, made for every hair type regardless of gender: no guessing, no vague "natural" claims. If you want to understand exactly what you're opting out of, our breakdown of sulfates, silicones, and parabens covers what those ingredients actually do, and our deeper dive on why paraben-free hair care is trending upward explains why so many brands are dropping them.
Nutrition, Endocrine Disruptors, and the Exposure You Don't Notice
Brigitte's food philosophy is additive, not restrictive: more pomegranates, green tea, and Mediterranean staples, less sugar and processed everything.
"Sugar is the beast. It feeds cancer cells."— Brigitte Zaki
She also flags a category most people never question: endocrine disruptors like parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrance, hiding in products used daily by anyone, regardless of gender. It's the same conversation Dr. Kevin Yeroushalmi raised on the podcast when he connected gut inflammation to nutritional deficiencies and hair shedding, different specialists, same through-line. If you missed it Gut Check: The Health Truth That Starts Inside is worth a listen. Her larger point is really about ingredient transparency :knowing what's in a product, not just trusting the packaging.
No Quick Fixes, Just Consistency
This is where Brigitte's story and Jadu's philosophy fully overlap. She's not eliminating every risk, she's stacking small, repeatable choices: glass over plastic, labels over guesswork, cleaner products where it's realistic to swap them.
"You can't remove all chemicals from life, but you can reduce them."— Brigitte Zaki
That's the whole idea behind switching to clean, non-toxic hair care as a resolution, not a one-time reset: the swap only works if it's something you'll actually keep doing.
Related to This Episode
Brigitte didn't call out a Jadu product on air, this episode is a philosophy match, not a product mention. But her big idea, that prevention is built from small daily habits and honest labels rather than one dramatic fix, lines up most directly with three Jadu picks. Each are formulated for every hair type, whether you're shopping for yourself or sharing a routine with your partner.
The Magic Ritual
"You can't remove all chemicals from life, but you can reduce them"
Brigitte doesn't treat prevention as a single decision, it's scalp, nutrition, and environment, working together. The Magic Ritual is built the same way: scalp care, deep treatment, and end repair in one daily routine, instead of one product doing all the work. Ease into the routine and start with Jadu Heal.
Shop Magic Ritual →Jadu Silk Bonnet
"Knowledge is power."
Prevention doesn't stop when you go to sleep. The Jadu Silk Bonnet locks in moisture instead of stripping it overnight, same small-habit logic Brigitte applies to everything from her pillowcase to her pantry.
Shop Jadu Silk Bonnet →Jadu Shampoo & Conditioner
"Usually when people wait until they feel something, sometimes it's too late."
This is the most literal match to Brigitte's own advice: read the label, know what's in it, reduce what doesn't need to be there.Jadu Shampoo and Jadu Conditioner are made with food grade ingredients. The standard we apply everywhere is simple: what you can't put in your mouth, you shouldn't put on your skin. No chemical fillers, no toxic shortcuts, just a natural shampoo and conditioner slow-infused in small batches.
Shop Shampoo & Conditioner →Listen on
Join the Conversation
What did you enjoy most from this episode, and what inspiration are you taking away? Do you have a tip to share about hair, health, or wellness? We'd love to hear from you, you could be our next guest in our Manhattan office or join us virtually.
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