May 27, 2025 • 41 mins
Alyssa Ashley, founder of In Real Life Skin, was raised in a traditional West Indian household where self-care was embraced as a holistic lifestyle rather than a simple routine. From a young age, she incorporated natural ingredients like pomegranate extract, magnesium, and vitamin E into her diet and skincare, discovering their powerful benefits for both physical and emotional well-being.
Alyssa identified a missing link between agriculture, beauty, and wellness. This insight led to the creation of In Real Life Skin, a brand rooted in the principles of neurocosmetics and designed to promote skin health, emotional balance, and sustainability. Her vision centers on reflecting real life through skincare by offering plant-based products and resources that foster healthy habits, emotional wellness, and authentic community connections.
In this episode, Alyssa opens up about the realities of leaving a corporate 9-5 job in order to pursue starting your own business.. We’re talking about self-discovery, sacrifice, entrepreneurial affirmations, and understanding how your business is connected to your inner child. So if you have been trying to figure out how to make the jump from employee to employer or are just fascinated by the story behind founders, this one’s for you.
Where to Find Alyssa
Instagram: @alyssa_s_ashley
Instagram: @inreallifeskin
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Our Production Team
Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Maya Cole Howard
Senior Producer: Ellice Ellis
Producer: Tyree Rush & Ndeye Thioubou
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hey, y'all, we're back with another episode of Therapy for
Black Girls University. I'm your host, doctor Joy Hard and Bradford,
and this week we have a very special guest. We'll
be back with our conversation right after this break. Alissa Ashley,
(00:28):
founder of in Real Life Skin, was raised in a
traditional West Indian household where self care was embraced as
a holistic lifestyle rather than a simple routine. From a
young age, she incorporated natural ingredients like pomegranate extract, magnesium
and vitamin E into her diet and skincare, discovering their
powerful benefits for both physical and emotional well being. With
(00:52):
over a decade of experience in the consumer packaged goods
and health and wellness industries, collaborating with brands such as
Shamee Moisture and Weight Watchers, Alissa identified a missing link
between agriculture, beauty and wellness. This insight led to the
creation of in Real Life Skin, a brand rooted in
the principles of neurocosmetics and designed to promote skinhealth, emotional balance,
(01:15):
and sustainability. Her vision centers on reflecting real life through
skincare by offering plant based products and resources that foster
healthy habits, emotional wellness, and authentic community connections. In this conversation,
Alyssa opens up about the realities of leaving a corporate
nine to five job in order to pursue starting your
own business. We're talking about self discovery, sacrifice, entrepreneurial affirmations,
(01:39):
and understanding how your business is connected to your inner child.
So if you've been trying to figure out how to
make the jump from employee to employer, are just fascinated
by the story behind founders, this one's for you. If
something resonates with you while enjoying our conversation, please share
with us on social media using the hashtag TVG in
Session is our conversation. Thank you so much for joining
(02:05):
us today, Alyssa, thank.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
You, Thank you for having me here.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yeah, I'm excited to learn more about you, So tell
us for people who may be unfamiliar, a little bit
about yourself and your background.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yes, I am a connector and brand representative. I started
young at eighteen years old, working for companies like Mountain, Dew, HBO,
Amazon and representing their brands in New York City and
in college. Now I represent CpG clients up and coming startups,
like Flourished by Amray Johnson Junior recently supported Pharrell's Black
(02:39):
Ambition and Fortune and fok So everything. Brand, representing and
connecting is what I enjoy doing as well as just
helping people release stress and take that off their plate.
I'm deeply rioted in faith and I was guided to
open a neurocosmetic skincare brand that basically accumulates my work
in marketing and representing health and wellness brands help and
(03:02):
support people and their mental well being through skincare products.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Beautiful, So you already have such an incredible resume, right, Like,
those are some incredible companies that you have listened and
I'm sure a lot of the people listening will wonder, like, well,
how do I break into some of these companies? So
what suggestions would you have or maybe let's talk a
little bit about your journey into working at some of
these incredible companies.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yes, brand connection overall, just connecting, following through with people
when there's an opportunity, seizing that moment and seeing what
people need and really identifying that. I would say a
great example, actually I developed a great relationship with Black
Excellence Brunch and how I did that was I saw
them at an event, I saw that they needed help
(03:45):
or something, and I was able to help them with that.
And just being in La it's easier. It's almost naturally
you're seeing someone that you've seen on Instagram or on
social media and just kind of knowing how can I
help them and positioning yourself as a resource for them.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Hmmm, that's such a great tip. I wonder if they're
you know, and you make a great point of being
in Italy right, Like, I feel like it is much
easier to do something like that. But let's say somebody
is in somewhere Illinois, maybe Chicago is even several hours away.
What suggestions would you give to people about like how
to do some of that networking and like building intentional relationships.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I would still say the same the follow through still
showing up as yourself to people that you want to
help and you know, give your services to. So if
you're like in Illinois and you are good at social
media and there's a favorite store around you, whether that's
a local cults on Prameriy or somewhere, you go into
(04:46):
DLA it's a local mom and pop shop, seeing what
is a structure in your business that I can help
with because you identify the brand already, you already have
admiration for the brand, and you should have a skill
at that point that you've identified you can sharpen or
position differently, and just offering that too. I think a
lot of the face to face communications in my field
(05:09):
with these brands is most important versus sending a message
online or doing some sort of interactive experience through the web,
versus in person.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So in person is really key, Like if you can
get in front of some of these people, that's really
what you would suggest, and.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Putting yourself out there in any way, putting yourself out there,
and even if you can't get in front of them
and you kind of are levels away from them, still
seeing like what are they doing that I can do
for myself and that I want to strengthen within myself
and always having a takeaway with anything that you connect
with of how you can you know, support that more.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Thank you for that. So you mentioned that you have
started your brain as a neurocosmetic Is that the correction?
Why tell me what that term means. I'm not familiar
with that.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So connection between this stress of your self and your skin,
So really studying how the ingredients that you put on
your skin can affect your mood and uplift your mood.
And I use myself as a case study for that.
I grew up in a traditional West Indian household in
New York, where it was a time where natural ingredients
(06:20):
worn around us. My parents were both immigrants, and we
cannot have any of the juices in the stores. We
can only have water. They're very, very strict on what
we put in our bodies. And I specifically remember moments
of my parents coming home with a pomegranate juice and
being like, this is good for you. You can finally
have good juice for you. You have to know what
you're putting in your body and you also have to
(06:42):
know the effects of it for your mental well being.
So I really want to shed light on that, the
disparency between food and the economics of food as well
and ingredients. We're starting with skincare, but the overall brand
is on skincare is a lifestyle. It's across all of
these different pillars, what you eat, what you think about,
who you are, what you consume. And I'm seeing where
(07:05):
it goes and it's been a lot of fun so far.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
So was there a particular moment that made you realize,
I am now making the shift into entrepreneurship.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I think it naturally happened for me in terms of
it was a push, and I saw that this passion
I had was growing. I was gaining customers, people were
wanting to know more and more about the brand, and
it was at a point in my life where I
could do this full time and manage the clients that
(07:39):
I'm gaining and the partnership opportunities that I have. It
coincidentally just happened with like God's plan that as I
was trying to hold onto my nearly a decade of
experience in PR, he was like, it's time to launch
your business, and I did, and then opportunities came along
continuously from the work I had already put in to
(08:02):
make it successful.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
So little were you already like creating products for like
yourself and your friends? Like, how did you even start
with making a product for your skin?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Right, that's a really good question. So the magnesium spray
is a passed down staple in my family, and outside
of that, they're growing up. My mom every time before
school would start in the fall, she would make different
types of Jesus for us, and I was looking at
those ingredients and I was like, can I put these
(08:33):
on my skin? And specifically one moment last year. The
brand is still about five months old and it's growing incredibly.
But last year my mom said to me someone approached
her and wanted her to represent their skincare line. And
I started telling her all the aspects of being a
brand rap from my experience and telling her you better
(08:56):
make sure that you get your cut, like you got
to make sure that you know the business behind being
brand rapped. I was just like, you, you're giving your
face away. You need to make sure. And then I
was like, wait a minute, how did I not think
about this before. Everything she's passed down that's made a
difference on my face and on my skin should be shared.
And I can really create this based off of our
(09:19):
West Indian traditions being so firmly in our Guyanese culture,
I could do this with her and I can kind
of use her as my inspiration. So that's really that's right.
I was like, make sure you know the business beyond it,
and then I was like, wait, I can do this.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
So y'all were really on the whole wave of like
magnesium spray. Before it really took off on TikTok, I
had not heard of it before, like I saw people
sharing it on TikTok, but it was something that has
been a part of your life since forever.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Yes, the nighttime routine itself is so sacred, and having
those moments for yourself, those words of affirmation, preparing yourself
for the next day, knowing what you're going into and
just having that structure has always been so ingrained and
a part of my life. So also those ingredients break
before you take and before you go to bed are
(10:11):
so important too. So many people know magnesium is something
that you just eat and people so popular now everyone's
having the magnesium mocktail drinks now, but that has always
existed and always been something so important, And the magnesium
flakes are very essential to our magnesium spread. But also
(10:32):
now topically putting it on your skin and having a
soothed skin and going into your nighttime routine feeling soothed
and calm is something I want to make sure everyone
has access to, knowing those routines that make you break
you sometimes going into the next day too. So just
(10:53):
helping and preparing a generation of routines for all people
to know the importance behind clean and good And yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So you talked about like your experience and your background
in PR and now you are shifting into a very
different world, right, Like, it's a difference between making a
small bitch for like maybe yourself and some loved ones
to like a product you're actually selling.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
So tell me how you have picked.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Up the knowledge and like maybe been resourceful in connecting
with the right people to move into this new area.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yes, first, my manufacturer has been captal to it all.
I work with a manufacturer. She has her lab. It's
woman owned, and she shares all of her resources of
her even creating her own business and having labs. So
that partnership was really my first. I launched this independently,
going through that process just with the knowledge of the
(11:45):
lab and a chemist and working with them on the formula.
And then as I grew, I just knew I needed
an advisory boarder. I'm such a brainstorm junkie. I love brainstorming,
I love ideas. My earliest coworkers would say you're an
idea as generator. You just keep coming with these new
ideas and learning the importance of copyrighting these ideas and
(12:07):
all that goes into owning a business has been by
having and reaching out to the available resources. The economics
Centers Vermont Sausin has extremely helped me along this journey
and just reaching out to small business organizations and others
going through the same experience other founders and bringing them
(12:29):
in along the journey.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
So how did you even go about finding a manufacturer?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yeah, everyone cans asking me that, I because I think
a lot of people listening will think like, Okay, I
have a good idea, but like, where do I even start?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
How do you just find a manufacturer?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
I started by googling every single type of question that
I had. My question was how do I find a manufacturer?
Of googling manufacturers in California, manufacturers in New York. I
was looking at other beauty companies that I liked, and
I was looking to see where they were manufactured in.
I was going to Sephora five times a day, and
(13:08):
the people the forest unded knowing me because they were like,
are you here for like school? Like why are you here?
I was like, I have a project I'm working on,
and I would just go through each and every product label, product, packaging,
and you just have to really look to see where
are the manufacturers. And that's what I.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Did got it so lots and lots of research, it
sounds like, is what you're saying.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
No sleep, lots of research, and I did this all
managing a nine to five job successfully. I did this
basically all after hours, during my lunch breaks. It was
a passion at first. So it was every time I
had an idea in corporate America that maybe wouldn't breakthrough
with a certain client, I saw ways that could break
through with my brand.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Well. So as a fellow entrepreneur, I do know that
there's a lot of like sleepless nights, lots of resilience
really required to build the business, especially in the infant stages.
What kinds of wellness practices have been really important to
you as you get your business off the ground.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Grounding myself keeping a journal, journaling all of the good
moments and all of the bad moments. I learned throughout
this to start recording and video recording kind of experiences
that I'm going through as kind of a diary to
myself and just really hearing my inner dialogue. Now they
saying when you launch a business, that your inner child
(14:31):
comes out, and this was completely true throughout this process.
I had to really learn to hear myself, is this
coming from a place that's good for the brand, or
kind of coming from a place that is just what
I want to do? And just hearing how I was guided.
I relied so heapily on my faith to show me
the ways to go, the decisions to make, what to say,
(14:52):
what to do, that all of those practices is a
part of my wellness journey that helped me throughout this
whole process.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
That sounds like a very true saying, though I've never
heard it before, right, But I definitely know that there
are parts of yourself that you are introduced to in
entrepreneurship that you're like, where did that come from?
Speaker 2 (15:11):
What have been.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Maybe some of the mental health challenges or concerns maybe
that have been identified for you as you find yourself
building the business.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yes, my staff calls me a perfectionist, and I realize
that I am a perfectionist in every aspect of that term,
which I maybe used surprive myself on that that was
a good thing. I knew and felt confident wherever my
name was mentioned that I was mentioned for good, and
now I'm letting go kind of It's okay to be good.
(15:40):
Sometimes you don't have to be great all the time.
The important things matter. I now know more of what
important things are. I call them my big rocks, and
I know what the things that don't matter are, and
if those are still okay, it's okay. So definitely that
I have to be a people leader. I have to
care about people's mental well being. I am the type
(16:00):
of person who I'm so organized. Everything is structured down
to the tee and realizing some people aren't like that,
but they're still getting work done and they're just not
like that. So maybe embracing type B type B lifestyles
work too. You can coexist with type B.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
And is there anybody else in the business now? I
know you mentioned like advisory boys, but is there anybody
else on payroll besides you?
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Now? I have a dedicated social media strategist, Binelli, who
has been on a team basically since day one. She
helped me launch and it happened naturally. She was through
an organization. I'm a part of Fortune and Forks, and
I reached out to her. We're always sharing resources. If
she knows anyone who could help me, and she's so
quickly identified with the brand and so having fortune and
(16:44):
forks with Manned. Having that community has met everything to me.
And now we also onboarded a college ambassador too, so
we are using my experience as a college ambassador in
real life skin and we are super excited. I'm looking
to grow, so I'm open to the doors. There's a
lot of opportunities out there, so I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
So what new challenges has that brought forth?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yes, okay, managing people now I get it more. I understand.
I understand there's a lot of personalities, but you can
have fun with it. There's so many ideas you have
to say, focused on the goal. What is the goal?
Like just the whole overall business structure needs to be
really tied up, the key audience, the key profiles. Knowing
(17:32):
why and how you want to break through has been
the most important part in the direction. Leading with a
clearer directions is everything I go back to. So now
I have pillars for different areas that I want to
focus on, and as long as it falls in those pillars,
we're good. As a good I love it.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
So tell me more about the connection between skin care
and mental health and overwhell wellness because I think that
this is a still newer concept right, Like clearly not
for you, but I think you know, in terms of
like products being sold in like conversations around it, it
still feels pretty new. So what kinds of things can
we tell about like our mental health based on our skincare,
(18:13):
and like what is that greater connection?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Yes, so everything that you put on your skin is
going into your skin, so all of the nerves are
targeting the nerves that are in your skin through these
natural ingredients. So yes, it is very new, the connection
between your mind and your skin. Many people are understanding
more and more mental wellbeing and the importance of that
it's not just what you put on your skin, but
(18:37):
what goes into your skin. I was raised with that
same principle. My mom would always tell me it's not
what's on your head, it's what's in your head. So
what's in you matters. These are products that are including
pomegranate magnesium. These are things that you can actually have
the multi benefit and function.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
More from our conversation after the break, and you also
mentioned that you have kind of been building your business
alongside like your steady roster of nine to five clients.
What has it been like to navigate like both of
(19:14):
those because those are both full time jobs, right, so
you're basically working two full time jobs. How have you
managed that?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It's been hard. I would say it's something you have
to really be prepared for, and especially having agency experience
when I first started in the field. That's incredibly helpful
for me. It hasn't been something I thought I would
be doing. I did not think I would have multiple
clients that I'm managing and supporting, but it just happened.
(19:41):
With the network of opportunities I've had, which has been amazing,
But even things like health insurance, I'm still figuring things out.
I still have no idea on how to be an
entrepreneur other than just watching it. I have people that
I look up to, like that my Creeds of the
world that I like and like, Wow, they did it.
I can do it too, but it's still new. We're
(20:04):
in an age where anything can happen. Job security is
the most important to me. I've always been grounded education, education,
got a good job. My parents didn't really prepare for
me to have my own business. So the generational breakthrough
and that has been incredible.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Can you say more about that? As you mentioned kind
of being from a West Indian family and you know like, okay,
these are your choices in terms of what success looks like, right,
and you have chosen something there successful but very different.
So what has that been like the conversations with your
parents and your family.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Yes, so I want to start off by saying, very
traditional household, very very very traditional household. And my parents
only cared about education number one. Education, so and what
you eat, and they really taught me how to be healthy.
So growing up, Halloween came around, we couldn't have any
of the candy. Anything to drink in the house was water,
(20:57):
no juice. This was at a time growing up and
the early late nineties, early two thousands, juice wasn't available
without additives. So there were immigrants coming to America and
they didn't trust American food. They barely trusted the microwave.
So this was hard. This is really hard for me.
And I was an environment where my peers around me
(21:19):
were basically eating and doing what they could do, and
I was really structured on what I could eat. And
so I remember the moment my dad came in with
a pomegranate juice in two thousand and two, and he
was like, look, there's juice you can finally have because
that was such a joke that we could have juice,
and it was Palm wonderful, flap flash war in my
(21:40):
last job at Palm wonderful. So I think, just like
everything coming full circle has been incredible. But to go
back to your question, though, conversations have been very supportive,
nothing but support and telling me it will be okay.
I've been the one the most fearful out of it all.
I've been the one. I need a nine to five job.
(22:02):
I'm so worried about not having insurance. It's been my
biggest concern. And my parents are like, God has provided
an abundance for you that you will be okay. And
so just letting go of that fear that I won't
be okay because I've been okay this whole time and
I will be okay. And more than anything that makes
(22:24):
me so happy is that the people who work for me,
especially in the earlier stages, are people who are like me,
who want jobs. And I'm working with people overseas. Someone
from Pakistan who is working remotely, she's going through mental
health issues and she was looking for a job. She's
all the way in Pakistan, but she has skills at
(22:45):
or helping in real life skin and I have other
people who are in college who want to help me.
So just leaning into that help and support has been
new for me. But also everyone's been so encouraging that
I'm like, Okay, I have support, keep doing it. Something's
gonna happen. And I actually just was ranked top five
(23:05):
in a beauty accelerator program this weekend with judges from
When Beauty Fantisque and more. So it's been really exciting.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Well, congratulations. That little bit of validation is always nice, right,
especially in those moments when it feels difficult, like oh
do I continue with this? Right? So talk to me
more about like some of the sacrifices. So you've already
talked about, like the sacrifice of like the stability of Okay,
I know this check is coming twice a month, I
have health insurance. What are some of the other sacrifices
you've been able to identify that you've made an interest
(23:37):
in the business.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
My time with my community. I would say I want
to grow so much more and have people around me
that support me. Doing this and starting this independently. I
had so many nights alone. You're very alone throughout this
process that I don't think anyone prepares you for. For me,
I was the most alone I've ever been in my life.
(24:00):
And then all of these great ideas kept coming in.
I almost wanted to share them with everyone, but I
didn't do that because I really had to trust my
intuition and bring this to life myself as a founder.
I needed to make sure I was making and calling
those shots for the brand and that I had a
clear vision. But it was very lonely, and at times
(24:22):
when it's really low and things happen that are out
of your control, it's like no one can understand how
you're feeling except for yourself. And then when things are
so good, that's why a lot of people show up.
Sometimes that's when like everyone's celebrating you and feels good.
But just having kind of those core people who knew
why I couldn't hang out over the weekends and so
(24:44):
many nights I had to stay inside. I haven't been
like outside a really long time. So I'm excited now
to like just allow more fun into my life too.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Mm hmm. So do you feel like you found like
a supportive community maybe of other entrepreneurs that have been
able to make you feel a little less lonely.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yes, I always go back to Fortune and Forks. Fortune
and Forks is a woman of color social group founded
in New York, now in La Miami, all over the world,
and they have been the first community I felt completely myself.
And Naomi has been a childhood friend of my family
and just having her support. She's one of the first
(25:26):
people I told I want to start something on my own,
and she allowed me the opportunity to work with Fortune
and Forks right before I launched my business. So having
those girls and that community with me has been everything
to me. These are all first generation women of color
who all have succeeded in entertainment across various industries.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
And speaking of that, you know, I know that there
are lots of challenges that are unique to being a
woman of color, and especially in particular young woman of color.
Can you talk about maybe some of the challenge is
that you've had with that particular identity.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Overcoming the stereotype of being a pretty black girl. I
don't think that many people talk about this. I think
people talk about being a black woman. I want to
share that, Like, there's so many aspects of being pretty
privileged that people don't talk about. People don't talk about
navigating that at all, and a lot of negatives is like, oh,
(26:25):
she thinks she can do this or she thinks she
can have this, and it's like, I don't think anything
more of myself than anyone else. So just like reidentifying
what it means to be a pretty girl, a pretty
black girl, but issues of being that come with all
of that too, I think is something that I'm learning
how to share that narrative, but it's been something I've
(26:47):
had to overcome. A lot of rooms that I've been
in might just think, oh, she's a pretty girl who
doesn't have a brain for herself, who doesn't know how
to do certain things, when I'm actually maybe more of
an introvert.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
And what kinds of things have been helpful to you
in navigating some of those challenges.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Speaking of having a voice, affirming your voice, and knowing
who you are has been the most important. Knowing at
the end of the day, who you are you want
to be, and having a clear vision of them.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
And we talked a little bit about the challenges of
managing a team, and so you know, you've gone from
kind of just this self run thing to now having
more people, which means that you are now leading, right, Like,
So what kinds of lessons about leadership do you feel
like you have learned as the business has grown?
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Hearing the opinions and thoughts of others first and then
making a decision. So having a collective group kind of
thinking together, moving together, and then making decisions for the
business with that in mind has been really important. It's
been a shift from doing it alone to now doing
it with people who are just as invested and just
(27:58):
as involved. So that and managing kind of what could
work and still leading it has been new territory.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Can you talk a little bit about the process of
building your advisory board, Like what kinds of people are
you looking for?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Yes, So, having gone through the Vermont slaus and Beauty
and the Biz program and identifying the founders in that program,
they're about I want to say thirty of us that
I'm competing to be top five and for opportunity to
be in retail. So having those different founders in there,
I would identify with new founders the judges behind that
(28:34):
from Fenti to When Beauty and just really making sure
I'm keeping these connections that have been the foundation of
the brand. These are some of the first people I've
shared my thoughts too with the brand from this program,
So making sure that there's a follow through in that.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
And can you talk maybe about like a tough or
difficult decision you've had to make already in the life
of your business and what you've learned from that.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
Oh, my goodnes, Yes, so a tough decision I've had
to make. I started studying other brands and studying how
other brands got to where they are, and there was
always a face behind other brands. When you think of Road,
you think of Haley Bieber. When you think of even
When Beauty, you think of Serena Williams. So I was like,
(29:22):
I don't want to be the face of the brand.
I don't want to have my face out there. I
don't want people to know who I am. I would
rather create this brand and this product and let that
speak for itself. And I learned, and especially my social
media strategists who supported me, and all of these ideas.
The founder's story is so important and sharing who you
(29:43):
are and really who you are is so important, and
sharing the realness behind who you are is really the
foundation of the brand. So I had to really get
used to that. I was very firm and I don't
want me out there. I'm very much a private person.
I did this for a year and a half by
myself and then it became this, but it was always
a passion that I kept privately to myself. So that
(30:07):
was a big decision for me because it went against
what I had thought for the brand, and now having
myself associated with the brand and having the founder's story
really being about my story might passed down through me
from West Indian tradition is the root of it, so
I do have to have involvement in it. And so
(30:27):
that was definitely a learning lesson and I'm still getting there.
I'm still I know what I have to perfect about myself.
I know that I need to perfect myself in certain
ways that I'm creating a brand that I want to
be perfect and now I'm trying to make sure that
I'm perfecting myself. But really I just have to be myself.
(30:48):
So letting myself be with the brand has been the
biggest learning lesson. I think I just realized that just
now for you give me that question. I love that.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
I feel like that is another example of the stuff
we don't know that's hidden that comes out right when
we are building a business, Like what was really behind
the desire to not be the face of the brand?
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Right? Like?
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Is it because you wanted it to stand on its
own or was there something about you that you know
was coming out and you not wanting to put it forward?
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Yeah, yeah, Well thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Has therapy been a part of your story of building
the business?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
One hundred percent? Therapy was the only person I had
to tell anything to. So my therapist would be so amazed.
I don't have health insurance right now, so I had
to pause therapy for a bit and actually open up
to my community. So I'm like, you know what, everything
happens for a reason. But my therapists throughout it all,
(31:48):
we were dealing with other issues. We were dealing about
mental health issues in corporate America. Throughout it all, she
was giving me so much guidance, so much like strength,
and on the side, she was like, well, what's making
you happy? Was working in your life? I was like,
the business is then everything around the business is going great.
Everything about the business is going amazing. She's like, focus
(32:10):
on that. Focus on that. I was like, okay, and
then every day come crying, hysterically crying to her like
this is what happened to me, this is what happened.
And she's like, what was good about today? And I'd
say the business, and she'd say, focus on that. She
was a faith based therapist, which was the difference of
a lot of my journey to having a faith based
therapist who was reading scriptures to me, so I wasn't
(32:33):
just going based off of what she was saying. She
was actually seeing my life. She knew our intimate parts
of my life overcoming a lot of hardship when I
was younger. Having someone like her was so important to me.
I can't wait to have respients again.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
You know, have you been able to go through like well,
I don't think it's called Obamacare anymore, right, but like
the you know, the clearing house and stuff like, is
that not an option?
Speaker 2 (33:00):
I've just been so busy that God, I'm now A
part of the prize this weekend was that I'm awarded
a virtual assistant, So now I can actually have assistance
with those things, because, as I'm sure you can imagine,
the business has overtaken every single part of my life
that like the personal side, I need to give more
care to. But I'm like I did all my yearly
(33:22):
appointments right before I left Corporate America. I very much
prepare myself to be independent, that I'm like a healthy
young individual. That I was like, Okay, put insurants off.
But now I know, I know I'm doing that this week.
Good good.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
I love this. So it sounds like there was a
point at which you felt like, Okay, I can no
longer do both of these things at the same time, right, Like, So,
was it that you feel like, Okay, I got to
put all of my energy now into my business and
I don't have time to kind of be full time
somewhere else. Is that the point at which you decided, okay,
I'm leaving corporate. No, my plan was always Corporate America.
(34:02):
I always had that ingrained. My parents always define success
one is being a doctor. Both of them come from
the medical field. So one they're like, you gotta be
a doctor.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
I was like, no, I'll do pr for help them
mown as brands instead like to talk. I want to
yap with the like I want to just napped an hotword.
I was like, that's what I'm good at. I like
to represent brands and help them so they're okay with that.
Nine to five is always a goal. It was always
the plan for me, and like I said, it was
a push. Essentially, it was just God aligning things for
(34:33):
me to be out of certain situations, to timing it
with the launch of my brand, and then the brand
blowing up got it Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
More from our conversation after the break, So, what would
you say has been the most shocking thing that you
have learned about out business in this journey and maybe
the most shocking thing you've learned about yourself in this process.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
The most shocking thing I've learned about business is that
it's so evolving. So you can start creating a business
plan and structure. I didn't realize that it's always rolling.
For me. I was like, Okay, buy this certain deadline,
I will be done with my business structure and plan.
That's how I started things. I was like, okay by
(35:27):
this date, and then a financial advisor said to me,
you know that this is always going to be changing.
I was like, no, it's going to be done, be
done with it in two weeks and he was like, no,
it's you're done with it. It's not working. I was like, oh,
so Thathans something For me, everything is rolling, everything is
(35:48):
just continuous. So that has been definitely a learning lesson.
And then personally, I would say everything is working in
like your favor no matter what I think. The goal
is in success, The goal is being in your prepared
place and just riding that wave and when things are down,
knowing it will it will get up again. Like when
(36:10):
things are up, this is just validation. But don't like
glory in the up because I always am prepared for
the worst case scenario that like, even when things are up,
I'm like, like, don't move only up right now. That
just realizing that it's always going to go up or down,
up or down. You kind of want to be in
(36:30):
that middle balance where nothing that is good elevates you
and nothing that is bad it brings you down.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Yeah, So tell me more about the products that are
actually a part of the line. So there's a spray
that I think is the magnesium spray, correct, So are
there other products in the line.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Yes, we have our jeal and Timeless is my hero product.
It is a hydrator. It boosts your skins hydration barrier
by thirty percent after two weeks of consistent use. And
it is everything that's good for you. Like I said,
the pomegranate extract, the magnesium sink copper, Tree of Life antioxidants.
It's all of these plant based antioxidants and a quad
(37:10):
moisture complex that is good for you. So this is
my education. I want to start educating people on what
is good for you to put on your skin and
in your skin, the connection between stress and your skin,
and then leading into the ingredients and what is good
for you to eat and identifying that. So I see
(37:30):
it as a skincare lifestyle brand.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
And so do I use this in the morning in
the evening? Where does it go in the routine?
Speaker 2 (37:37):
Yes? So, and it's a nighttime routine. This can be
during the day at night. But it has a natural
form of redinoal in it that is greatest and most
active at night. So if you put it on during
the day, you have to put SPF on. And I'm
coming out with more and more innovations basically every day.
But right now, you put it on right before you
go to bed and it's a one step routine. It
(37:58):
will boost your hydration while you're sleeping all wake up refresh,
and also before you go to bed and you spray
the mad Meseum spread on your body, on your feet
and you're basically floating throughout the night and you feel
so good waking up in the morning and you look good.
It's all I use on my skin too, that I
feel so confident about it. I don't wear any makeup.
I only use my products, and it's really making your
(38:21):
confidence feel better by knowing your mood is being uplifted
with these products.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
So we just have to stay tuned for the other
things that will be rolled out as you continue to
evolve with the brain. It sounds like very very soon,
So listen. What's something that you would say to your
eighteen year olds?
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Sel I would tell her it's going to be okay.
Have fun, enjoy life and have fun. It's going to
be okay. I would just keep telling her over and over,
like you're gonna get everything you've wanted. Just keep your
self focused, work hard, and know that if you put
the good work in, if you're a good person and
(38:58):
if you try to help others it will be okay.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
And are there any particular affirmations that you have found
helpful in your entrepreneurial journey.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
Yes, I have shower affirmations, so I put on my
shower every single night, and like I said, this brand
is largely rooted in nighttime routines. I put in affirmations
of who I am and I know also each month
I have kind of a goal of who I will
be that month. So this month I am shutting and accepting.
(39:28):
Next month I come up with kind of a theme
hopefully that I will stick to what do I need
to learn or unlearn about myself in this month? And
that has deeply guided me. I have a full focused planner,
so every single day I had to write down three
of my biggest goals for that day. So having those affirmations,
knowing like what are my goals for this day? Who
(39:50):
am I going into these goals, and also just giving
myself the grace most of all to shift in and
out of those goals and what I'm want to get done.
I'm very goals orientated, so having that in mind for
me is really helpful.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
I love it. So where can we stay connected with you? Alyssa,
what is your website as well as any social media
channels you'd like to share with us.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
Yes, in real life, Skin dot com is our website
and in real life Skin is our Instagram, So follow
me on Instagram, on our website, and soon we'll be
on Amazon and we're also on TikTok as well in
real life.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Again, perfect, Well, thank you so much for spending some
time with us today, Alyssa, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (40:38):
Of course, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
I'm so grateful Lisa was able to join us for
our conversation today and share more about her entrepreneurial journey.
To learn more about her and in real life skincare,
be sure to visit the show notes at Therapy for
Blackgirls dot com, slash tvgu and don't forget to text
this episode to two of your girls right now. Did
you know you could leave us a voicemail with your
(41:04):
questions and feedback for the podcast. If you have a
movie or a book you'd like to suggest, or even
a topic you'd like for us to discuss, leave us
a voice message at Memo dot fm, slash Therapy for
Black Girls and let us know what's on your mind.
We just might feature it on the podcast. If you're
looking for a therapist in your area, visit our therapist
directory at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com slash directory. This
(41:28):
episode was produced by Elise Ellis Indichubu and Tyree Rush.
Editing was done by Dennison Bradford. Thank y'all so much
for joining me for this next episode of TVGU I
look forward to continuing this conversation with you all real soon.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Take good care,
Hey, y'all, we're back with another episode of Therapy for
Black Girls University. I'm your host, doctor Joy Hard and Bradford,
and this week we have a very special guest. We'll
be back with our conversation right after this break. Alissa Ashley,
(00:28):
founder of in Real Life Skin, was raised in a
traditional West Indian household where self care was embraced as
a holistic lifestyle rather than a simple routine. From a
young age, she incorporated natural ingredients like pomegranate extract, magnesium
and vitamin E into her diet and skincare, discovering their
powerful benefits for both physical and emotional well being. With
(00:52):
over a decade of experience in the consumer packaged goods
and health and wellness industries, collaborating with brands such as
Shamee Moisture and Weight Watchers, Alissa identified a missing link
between agriculture, beauty and wellness. This insight led to the
creation of in Real Life Skin, a brand rooted in
the principles of neurocosmetics and designed to promote skinhealth, emotional balance,
(01:15):
and sustainability. Her vision centers on reflecting real life through
skincare by offering plant based products and resources that foster
healthy habits, emotional wellness, and authentic community connections. In this conversation,
Alyssa opens up about the realities of leaving a corporate
nine to five job in order to pursue starting your
own business. We're talking about self discovery, sacrifice, entrepreneurial affirmations,
(01:39):
and understanding how your business is connected to your inner child.
So if you've been trying to figure out how to
make the jump from employee to employer, are just fascinated
by the story behind founders, this one's for you. If
something resonates with you while enjoying our conversation, please share
with us on social media using the hashtag TVG in
Session is our conversation. Thank you so much for joining
(02:05):
us today, Alyssa, thank.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
You, Thank you for having me here.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Yeah, I'm excited to learn more about you, So tell
us for people who may be unfamiliar, a little bit
about yourself and your background.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yes, I am a connector and brand representative. I started
young at eighteen years old, working for companies like Mountain, Dew, HBO,
Amazon and representing their brands in New York City and
in college. Now I represent CpG clients up and coming startups,
like Flourished by Amray Johnson Junior recently supported Pharrell's Black
(02:39):
Ambition and Fortune and fok So everything. Brand, representing and
connecting is what I enjoy doing as well as just
helping people release stress and take that off their plate.
I'm deeply rioted in faith and I was guided to
open a neurocosmetic skincare brand that basically accumulates my work
in marketing and representing health and wellness brands help and
(03:02):
support people and their mental well being through skincare products.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Beautiful, So you already have such an incredible resume, right, Like,
those are some incredible companies that you have listened and
I'm sure a lot of the people listening will wonder, like, well,
how do I break into some of these companies? So
what suggestions would you have or maybe let's talk a
little bit about your journey into working at some of
these incredible companies.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yes, brand connection overall, just connecting, following through with people
when there's an opportunity, seizing that moment and seeing what
people need and really identifying that. I would say a
great example, actually I developed a great relationship with Black
Excellence Brunch and how I did that was I saw
them at an event, I saw that they needed help
(03:45):
or something, and I was able to help them with that.
And just being in La it's easier. It's almost naturally
you're seeing someone that you've seen on Instagram or on
social media and just kind of knowing how can I
help them and positioning yourself as a resource for them.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Hmmm, that's such a great tip. I wonder if they're
you know, and you make a great point of being
in Italy right, Like, I feel like it is much
easier to do something like that. But let's say somebody
is in somewhere Illinois, maybe Chicago is even several hours away.
What suggestions would you give to people about like how
to do some of that networking and like building intentional relationships.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I would still say the same the follow through still
showing up as yourself to people that you want to
help and you know, give your services to. So if
you're like in Illinois and you are good at social
media and there's a favorite store around you, whether that's
a local cults on Prameriy or somewhere, you go into
(04:46):
DLA it's a local mom and pop shop, seeing what
is a structure in your business that I can help
with because you identify the brand already, you already have
admiration for the brand, and you should have a skill
at that point that you've identified you can sharpen or
position differently, and just offering that too. I think a
lot of the face to face communications in my field
(05:09):
with these brands is most important versus sending a message
online or doing some sort of interactive experience through the web,
versus in person.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
So in person is really key, Like if you can
get in front of some of these people, that's really
what you would suggest, and.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Putting yourself out there in any way, putting yourself out there,
and even if you can't get in front of them
and you kind of are levels away from them, still
seeing like what are they doing that I can do
for myself and that I want to strengthen within myself
and always having a takeaway with anything that you connect
with of how you can you know, support that more.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Thank you for that. So you mentioned that you have
started your brain as a neurocosmetic Is that the correction?
Why tell me what that term means. I'm not familiar
with that.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
So connection between this stress of your self and your skin,
So really studying how the ingredients that you put on
your skin can affect your mood and uplift your mood.
And I use myself as a case study for that.
I grew up in a traditional West Indian household in
New York, where it was a time where natural ingredients
(06:20):
worn around us. My parents were both immigrants, and we
cannot have any of the juices in the stores. We
can only have water. They're very, very strict on what
we put in our bodies. And I specifically remember moments
of my parents coming home with a pomegranate juice and
being like, this is good for you. You can finally
have good juice for you. You have to know what
you're putting in your body and you also have to
(06:42):
know the effects of it for your mental well being.
So I really want to shed light on that, the
disparency between food and the economics of food as well
and ingredients. We're starting with skincare, but the overall brand
is on skincare is a lifestyle. It's across all of
these different pillars, what you eat, what you think about,
who you are, what you consume. And I'm seeing where
(07:05):
it goes and it's been a lot of fun so far.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
So was there a particular moment that made you realize,
I am now making the shift into entrepreneurship.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
I think it naturally happened for me in terms of
it was a push, and I saw that this passion
I had was growing. I was gaining customers, people were
wanting to know more and more about the brand, and
it was at a point in my life where I
could do this full time and manage the clients that
(07:39):
I'm gaining and the partnership opportunities that I have. It
coincidentally just happened with like God's plan that as I
was trying to hold onto my nearly a decade of
experience in PR, he was like, it's time to launch
your business, and I did, and then opportunities came along
continuously from the work I had already put in to
(08:02):
make it successful.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
So little were you already like creating products for like
yourself and your friends? Like, how did you even start
with making a product for your skin?
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Right, that's a really good question. So the magnesium spray
is a passed down staple in my family, and outside
of that, they're growing up. My mom every time before
school would start in the fall, she would make different
types of Jesus for us, and I was looking at
those ingredients and I was like, can I put these
(08:33):
on my skin? And specifically one moment last year. The
brand is still about five months old and it's growing incredibly.
But last year my mom said to me someone approached
her and wanted her to represent their skincare line. And
I started telling her all the aspects of being a
brand rap from my experience and telling her you better
(08:56):
make sure that you get your cut, like you got
to make sure that you know the business behind being
brand rapped. I was just like, you, you're giving your
face away. You need to make sure. And then I
was like, wait a minute, how did I not think
about this before. Everything she's passed down that's made a
difference on my face and on my skin should be shared.
And I can really create this based off of our
(09:19):
West Indian traditions being so firmly in our Guyanese culture,
I could do this with her and I can kind
of use her as my inspiration. So that's really that's right.
I was like, make sure you know the business beyond it,
and then I was like, wait, I can do this.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
So y'all were really on the whole wave of like
magnesium spray. Before it really took off on TikTok, I
had not heard of it before, like I saw people
sharing it on TikTok, but it was something that has
been a part of your life since forever.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Yes, the nighttime routine itself is so sacred, and having
those moments for yourself, those words of affirmation, preparing yourself
for the next day, knowing what you're going into and
just having that structure has always been so ingrained and
a part of my life. So also those ingredients break
before you take and before you go to bed are
(10:11):
so important too. So many people know magnesium is something
that you just eat and people so popular now everyone's
having the magnesium mocktail drinks now, but that has always
existed and always been something so important, And the magnesium
flakes are very essential to our magnesium spread. But also
(10:32):
now topically putting it on your skin and having a
soothed skin and going into your nighttime routine feeling soothed
and calm is something I want to make sure everyone
has access to, knowing those routines that make you break
you sometimes going into the next day too. So just
(10:53):
helping and preparing a generation of routines for all people
to know the importance behind clean and good And yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So you talked about like your experience and your background
in PR and now you are shifting into a very
different world, right, Like, it's a difference between making a
small bitch for like maybe yourself and some loved ones
to like a product you're actually selling.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
So tell me how you have picked.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Up the knowledge and like maybe been resourceful in connecting
with the right people to move into this new area.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yes, first, my manufacturer has been captal to it all.
I work with a manufacturer. She has her lab. It's
woman owned, and she shares all of her resources of
her even creating her own business and having labs. So
that partnership was really my first. I launched this independently,
going through that process just with the knowledge of the
(11:45):
lab and a chemist and working with them on the formula.
And then as I grew, I just knew I needed
an advisory boarder. I'm such a brainstorm junkie. I love brainstorming,
I love ideas. My earliest coworkers would say you're an
idea as generator. You just keep coming with these new
ideas and learning the importance of copyrighting these ideas and
(12:07):
all that goes into owning a business has been by
having and reaching out to the available resources. The economics
Centers Vermont Sausin has extremely helped me along this journey
and just reaching out to small business organizations and others
going through the same experience other founders and bringing them
(12:29):
in along the journey.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
So how did you even go about finding a manufacturer?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yeah, everyone cans asking me that, I because I think
a lot of people listening will think like, Okay, I
have a good idea, but like, where do I even start?
Speaker 1 (12:42):
How do you just find a manufacturer?
Speaker 2 (12:45):
I started by googling every single type of question that
I had. My question was how do I find a manufacturer?
Of googling manufacturers in California, manufacturers in New York. I
was looking at other beauty companies that I liked, and
I was looking to see where they were manufactured in.
I was going to Sephora five times a day, and
(13:08):
the people the forest unded knowing me because they were like,
are you here for like school? Like why are you here?
I was like, I have a project I'm working on,
and I would just go through each and every product label, product, packaging,
and you just have to really look to see where
are the manufacturers. And that's what I.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Did got it so lots and lots of research, it
sounds like, is what you're saying.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
No sleep, lots of research, and I did this all
managing a nine to five job successfully. I did this
basically all after hours, during my lunch breaks. It was
a passion at first. So it was every time I
had an idea in corporate America that maybe wouldn't breakthrough
with a certain client, I saw ways that could break
through with my brand.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Well. So as a fellow entrepreneur, I do know that
there's a lot of like sleepless nights, lots of resilience
really required to build the business, especially in the infant stages.
What kinds of wellness practices have been really important to
you as you get your business off the ground.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Grounding myself keeping a journal, journaling all of the good
moments and all of the bad moments. I learned throughout
this to start recording and video recording kind of experiences
that I'm going through as kind of a diary to
myself and just really hearing my inner dialogue. Now they
saying when you launch a business, that your inner child
(14:31):
comes out, and this was completely true throughout this process.
I had to really learn to hear myself, is this
coming from a place that's good for the brand, or
kind of coming from a place that is just what
I want to do? And just hearing how I was guided.
I relied so heapily on my faith to show me
the ways to go, the decisions to make, what to say,
(14:52):
what to do, that all of those practices is a
part of my wellness journey that helped me throughout this
whole process.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
That sounds like a very true saying, though I've never
heard it before, right, But I definitely know that there
are parts of yourself that you are introduced to in
entrepreneurship that you're like, where did that come from?
Speaker 2 (15:11):
What have been.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Maybe some of the mental health challenges or concerns maybe
that have been identified for you as you find yourself
building the business.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yes, my staff calls me a perfectionist, and I realize
that I am a perfectionist in every aspect of that term,
which I maybe used surprive myself on that that was
a good thing. I knew and felt confident wherever my
name was mentioned that I was mentioned for good, and
now I'm letting go kind of It's okay to be good.
(15:40):
Sometimes you don't have to be great all the time.
The important things matter. I now know more of what
important things are. I call them my big rocks, and
I know what the things that don't matter are, and
if those are still okay, it's okay. So definitely that
I have to be a people leader. I have to
care about people's mental well being. I am the type
(16:00):
of person who I'm so organized. Everything is structured down
to the tee and realizing some people aren't like that,
but they're still getting work done and they're just not
like that. So maybe embracing type B type B lifestyles
work too. You can coexist with type B.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
And is there anybody else in the business now? I
know you mentioned like advisory boys, but is there anybody
else on payroll besides you?
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Now? I have a dedicated social media strategist, Binelli, who
has been on a team basically since day one. She
helped me launch and it happened naturally. She was through
an organization. I'm a part of Fortune and Forks, and
I reached out to her. We're always sharing resources. If
she knows anyone who could help me, and she's so
quickly identified with the brand and so having fortune and
(16:44):
forks with Manned. Having that community has met everything to me.
And now we also onboarded a college ambassador too, so
we are using my experience as a college ambassador in
real life skin and we are super excited. I'm looking
to grow, so I'm open to the doors. There's a
lot of opportunities out there, so I'm excited.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
So what new challenges has that brought forth?
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yes, okay, managing people now I get it more. I understand.
I understand there's a lot of personalities, but you can
have fun with it. There's so many ideas you have
to say, focused on the goal. What is the goal?
Like just the whole overall business structure needs to be
really tied up, the key audience, the key profiles. Knowing
(17:32):
why and how you want to break through has been
the most important part in the direction. Leading with a
clearer directions is everything I go back to. So now
I have pillars for different areas that I want to
focus on, and as long as it falls in those pillars,
we're good. As a good I love it.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
So tell me more about the connection between skin care
and mental health and overwhell wellness because I think that
this is a still newer concept right, Like clearly not
for you, but I think you know, in terms of
like products being sold in like conversations around it, it
still feels pretty new. So what kinds of things can
we tell about like our mental health based on our skincare,
(18:13):
and like what is that greater connection?
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Yes, so everything that you put on your skin is
going into your skin, so all of the nerves are
targeting the nerves that are in your skin through these
natural ingredients. So yes, it is very new, the connection
between your mind and your skin. Many people are understanding
more and more mental wellbeing and the importance of that
it's not just what you put on your skin, but
(18:37):
what goes into your skin. I was raised with that
same principle. My mom would always tell me it's not
what's on your head, it's what's in your head. So
what's in you matters. These are products that are including
pomegranate magnesium. These are things that you can actually have
the multi benefit and function.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
More from our conversation after the break, and you also
mentioned that you have kind of been building your business
alongside like your steady roster of nine to five clients.
What has it been like to navigate like both of
(19:14):
those because those are both full time jobs, right, so
you're basically working two full time jobs. How have you
managed that?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
It's been hard. I would say it's something you have
to really be prepared for, and especially having agency experience
when I first started in the field. That's incredibly helpful
for me. It hasn't been something I thought I would
be doing. I did not think I would have multiple
clients that I'm managing and supporting, but it just happened.
(19:41):
With the network of opportunities I've had, which has been amazing,
But even things like health insurance, I'm still figuring things out.
I still have no idea on how to be an
entrepreneur other than just watching it. I have people that
I look up to, like that my Creeds of the
world that I like and like, Wow, they did it.
I can do it too, but it's still new. We're
(20:04):
in an age where anything can happen. Job security is
the most important to me. I've always been grounded education, education,
got a good job. My parents didn't really prepare for
me to have my own business. So the generational breakthrough
and that has been incredible.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Can you say more about that? As you mentioned kind
of being from a West Indian family and you know like, okay,
these are your choices in terms of what success looks like, right,
and you have chosen something there successful but very different.
So what has that been like the conversations with your
parents and your family.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Yes, so I want to start off by saying, very
traditional household, very very very traditional household. And my parents
only cared about education number one. Education, so and what
you eat, and they really taught me how to be healthy.
So growing up, Halloween came around, we couldn't have any
of the candy. Anything to drink in the house was water,
(20:57):
no juice. This was at a time growing up and
the early late nineties, early two thousands, juice wasn't available
without additives. So there were immigrants coming to America and
they didn't trust American food. They barely trusted the microwave.
So this was hard. This is really hard for me.
And I was an environment where my peers around me
(21:19):
were basically eating and doing what they could do, and
I was really structured on what I could eat. And
so I remember the moment my dad came in with
a pomegranate juice in two thousand and two, and he
was like, look, there's juice you can finally have because
that was such a joke that we could have juice,
and it was Palm wonderful, flap flash war in my
(21:40):
last job at Palm wonderful. So I think, just like
everything coming full circle has been incredible. But to go
back to your question, though, conversations have been very supportive,
nothing but support and telling me it will be okay.
I've been the one the most fearful out of it all.
I've been the one. I need a nine to five job.
(22:02):
I'm so worried about not having insurance. It's been my
biggest concern. And my parents are like, God has provided
an abundance for you that you will be okay. And
so just letting go of that fear that I won't
be okay because I've been okay this whole time and
I will be okay. And more than anything that makes
(22:24):
me so happy is that the people who work for me,
especially in the earlier stages, are people who are like me,
who want jobs. And I'm working with people overseas. Someone
from Pakistan who is working remotely, she's going through mental
health issues and she was looking for a job. She's
all the way in Pakistan, but she has skills at
(22:45):
or helping in real life skin and I have other
people who are in college who want to help me.
So just leaning into that help and support has been
new for me. But also everyone's been so encouraging that
I'm like, Okay, I have support, keep doing it. Something's
gonna happen. And I actually just was ranked top five
(23:05):
in a beauty accelerator program this weekend with judges from
When Beauty Fantisque and more. So it's been really exciting.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Well, congratulations. That little bit of validation is always nice, right,
especially in those moments when it feels difficult, like oh
do I continue with this? Right? So talk to me
more about like some of the sacrifices. So you've already
talked about, like the sacrifice of like the stability of Okay,
I know this check is coming twice a month, I
have health insurance. What are some of the other sacrifices
you've been able to identify that you've made an interest
(23:37):
in the business.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
My time with my community. I would say I want
to grow so much more and have people around me
that support me. Doing this and starting this independently. I
had so many nights alone. You're very alone throughout this
process that I don't think anyone prepares you for. For me,
I was the most alone I've ever been in my life.
(24:00):
And then all of these great ideas kept coming in.
I almost wanted to share them with everyone, but I
didn't do that because I really had to trust my
intuition and bring this to life myself as a founder.
I needed to make sure I was making and calling
those shots for the brand and that I had a
clear vision. But it was very lonely, and at times
(24:22):
when it's really low and things happen that are out
of your control, it's like no one can understand how
you're feeling except for yourself. And then when things are
so good, that's why a lot of people show up.
Sometimes that's when like everyone's celebrating you and feels good.
But just having kind of those core people who knew
why I couldn't hang out over the weekends and so
(24:44):
many nights I had to stay inside. I haven't been
like outside a really long time. So I'm excited now
to like just allow more fun into my life too.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
Mm hmm. So do you feel like you found like
a supportive community maybe of other entrepreneurs that have been
able to make you feel a little less lonely.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Yes, I always go back to Fortune and Forks. Fortune
and Forks is a woman of color social group founded
in New York, now in La Miami, all over the world,
and they have been the first community I felt completely myself.
And Naomi has been a childhood friend of my family
and just having her support. She's one of the first
(25:26):
people I told I want to start something on my own,
and she allowed me the opportunity to work with Fortune
and Forks right before I launched my business. So having
those girls and that community with me has been everything
to me. These are all first generation women of color
who all have succeeded in entertainment across various industries.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
And speaking of that, you know, I know that there
are lots of challenges that are unique to being a
woman of color, and especially in particular young woman of color.
Can you talk about maybe some of the challenge is
that you've had with that particular identity.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
Overcoming the stereotype of being a pretty black girl. I
don't think that many people talk about this. I think
people talk about being a black woman. I want to
share that, Like, there's so many aspects of being pretty
privileged that people don't talk about. People don't talk about
navigating that at all, and a lot of negatives is like, oh,
(26:25):
she thinks she can do this or she thinks she
can have this, and it's like, I don't think anything
more of myself than anyone else. So just like reidentifying
what it means to be a pretty girl, a pretty
black girl, but issues of being that come with all
of that too, I think is something that I'm learning
how to share that narrative, but it's been something I've
(26:47):
had to overcome. A lot of rooms that I've been
in might just think, oh, she's a pretty girl who
doesn't have a brain for herself, who doesn't know how
to do certain things, when I'm actually maybe more of
an introvert.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
And what kinds of things have been helpful to you
in navigating some of those challenges.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Speaking of having a voice, affirming your voice, and knowing
who you are has been the most important. Knowing at
the end of the day, who you are you want
to be, and having a clear vision of them.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
And we talked a little bit about the challenges of
managing a team, and so you know, you've gone from
kind of just this self run thing to now having
more people, which means that you are now leading, right, Like,
So what kinds of lessons about leadership do you feel
like you have learned as the business has grown?
Speaker 2 (27:37):
Hearing the opinions and thoughts of others first and then
making a decision. So having a collective group kind of
thinking together, moving together, and then making decisions for the
business with that in mind has been really important. It's
been a shift from doing it alone to now doing
it with people who are just as invested and just
(27:58):
as involved. So that and managing kind of what could
work and still leading it has been new territory.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Can you talk a little bit about the process of
building your advisory board, Like what kinds of people are
you looking for?
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Yes, So, having gone through the Vermont slaus and Beauty
and the Biz program and identifying the founders in that program,
they're about I want to say thirty of us that
I'm competing to be top five and for opportunity to
be in retail. So having those different founders in there,
I would identify with new founders the judges behind that
(28:34):
from Fenti to When Beauty and just really making sure
I'm keeping these connections that have been the foundation of
the brand. These are some of the first people I've
shared my thoughts too with the brand from this program,
So making sure that there's a follow through in that.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
And can you talk maybe about like a tough or
difficult decision you've had to make already in the life
of your business and what you've learned from that.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
Oh, my goodnes, Yes, so a tough decision I've had
to make. I started studying other brands and studying how
other brands got to where they are, and there was
always a face behind other brands. When you think of Road,
you think of Haley Bieber. When you think of even
When Beauty, you think of Serena Williams. So I was like,
(29:22):
I don't want to be the face of the brand.
I don't want to have my face out there. I
don't want people to know who I am. I would
rather create this brand and this product and let that
speak for itself. And I learned, and especially my social
media strategists who supported me, and all of these ideas.
The founder's story is so important and sharing who you
(29:43):
are and really who you are is so important, and
sharing the realness behind who you are is really the
foundation of the brand. So I had to really get
used to that. I was very firm and I don't
want me out there. I'm very much a private person.
I did this for a year and a half by
myself and then it became this, but it was always
a passion that I kept privately to myself. So that
(30:07):
was a big decision for me because it went against
what I had thought for the brand, and now having
myself associated with the brand and having the founder's story
really being about my story might passed down through me
from West Indian tradition is the root of it, so
I do have to have involvement in it. And so
(30:27):
that was definitely a learning lesson and I'm still getting there.
I'm still I know what I have to perfect about myself.
I know that I need to perfect myself in certain
ways that I'm creating a brand that I want to
be perfect and now I'm trying to make sure that
I'm perfecting myself. But really I just have to be myself.
(30:48):
So letting myself be with the brand has been the
biggest learning lesson. I think I just realized that just
now for you give me that question. I love that.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
I feel like that is another example of the stuff
we don't know that's hidden that comes out right when
we are building a business, Like what was really behind
the desire to not be the face of the brand?
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Right? Like?
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Is it because you wanted it to stand on its
own or was there something about you that you know
was coming out and you not wanting to put it forward?
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Yeah, yeah, Well thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
Has therapy been a part of your story of building
the business?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
One hundred percent? Therapy was the only person I had
to tell anything to. So my therapist would be so amazed.
I don't have health insurance right now, so I had
to pause therapy for a bit and actually open up
to my community. So I'm like, you know what, everything
happens for a reason. But my therapists throughout it all,
(31:48):
we were dealing with other issues. We were dealing about
mental health issues in corporate America. Throughout it all, she
was giving me so much guidance, so much like strength,
and on the side, she was like, well, what's making
you happy? Was working in your life? I was like,
the business is then everything around the business is going great.
Everything about the business is going amazing. She's like, focus
(32:10):
on that. Focus on that. I was like, okay, and
then every day come crying, hysterically crying to her like
this is what happened to me, this is what happened.
And she's like, what was good about today? And I'd
say the business, and she'd say, focus on that. She
was a faith based therapist, which was the difference of
a lot of my journey to having a faith based
therapist who was reading scriptures to me, so I wasn't
(32:33):
just going based off of what she was saying. She
was actually seeing my life. She knew our intimate parts
of my life overcoming a lot of hardship when I
was younger. Having someone like her was so important to me.
I can't wait to have respients again.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
You know, have you been able to go through like well,
I don't think it's called Obamacare anymore, right, but like
the you know, the clearing house and stuff like, is
that not an option?
Speaker 2 (33:00):
I've just been so busy that God, I'm now A
part of the prize this weekend was that I'm awarded
a virtual assistant, So now I can actually have assistance
with those things, because, as I'm sure you can imagine,
the business has overtaken every single part of my life
that like the personal side, I need to give more
care to. But I'm like I did all my yearly
(33:22):
appointments right before I left Corporate America. I very much
prepare myself to be independent, that I'm like a healthy
young individual. That I was like, Okay, put insurants off.
But now I know, I know I'm doing that this week.
Good good.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
I love this. So it sounds like there was a
point at which you felt like, Okay, I can no
longer do both of these things at the same time, right, Like, So,
was it that you feel like, Okay, I got to
put all of my energy now into my business and
I don't have time to kind of be full time
somewhere else. Is that the point at which you decided, okay,
I'm leaving corporate. No, my plan was always Corporate America.
(34:02):
I always had that ingrained. My parents always define success
one is being a doctor. Both of them come from
the medical field. So one they're like, you gotta be
a doctor.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
I was like, no, I'll do pr for help them
mown as brands instead like to talk. I want to
yap with the like I want to just napped an hotword.
I was like, that's what I'm good at. I like
to represent brands and help them so they're okay with that.
Nine to five is always a goal. It was always
the plan for me, and like I said, it was
a push. Essentially, it was just God aligning things for
(34:33):
me to be out of certain situations, to timing it
with the launch of my brand, and then the brand
blowing up got it Okay.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
More from our conversation after the break, So, what would
you say has been the most shocking thing that you
have learned about out business in this journey and maybe
the most shocking thing you've learned about yourself in this process.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
The most shocking thing I've learned about business is that
it's so evolving. So you can start creating a business
plan and structure. I didn't realize that it's always rolling.
For me. I was like, Okay, buy this certain deadline,
I will be done with my business structure and plan.
That's how I started things. I was like, okay by
(35:27):
this date, and then a financial advisor said to me,
you know that this is always going to be changing.
I was like, no, it's going to be done, be
done with it in two weeks and he was like, no,
it's you're done with it. It's not working. I was like, oh,
so Thathans something For me, everything is rolling, everything is
(35:48):
just continuous. So that has been definitely a learning lesson.
And then personally, I would say everything is working in
like your favor no matter what I think. The goal
is in success, The goal is being in your prepared
place and just riding that wave and when things are down,
knowing it will it will get up again. Like when
(36:10):
things are up, this is just validation. But don't like
glory in the up because I always am prepared for
the worst case scenario that like, even when things are up,
I'm like, like, don't move only up right now. That
just realizing that it's always going to go up or down,
up or down. You kind of want to be in
(36:30):
that middle balance where nothing that is good elevates you
and nothing that is bad it brings you down.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Yeah, So tell me more about the products that are
actually a part of the line. So there's a spray
that I think is the magnesium spray, correct, So are
there other products in the line.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Yes, we have our jeal and Timeless is my hero product.
It is a hydrator. It boosts your skins hydration barrier
by thirty percent after two weeks of consistent use. And
it is everything that's good for you. Like I said,
the pomegranate extract, the magnesium sink copper, Tree of Life antioxidants.
It's all of these plant based antioxidants and a quad
(37:10):
moisture complex that is good for you. So this is
my education. I want to start educating people on what
is good for you to put on your skin and
in your skin, the connection between stress and your skin,
and then leading into the ingredients and what is good
for you to eat and identifying that. So I see
(37:30):
it as a skincare lifestyle brand.
Speaker 1 (37:33):
And so do I use this in the morning in
the evening? Where does it go in the routine?
Speaker 2 (37:37):
Yes? So, and it's a nighttime routine. This can be
during the day at night. But it has a natural
form of redinoal in it that is greatest and most
active at night. So if you put it on during
the day, you have to put SPF on. And I'm
coming out with more and more innovations basically every day.
But right now, you put it on right before you
go to bed and it's a one step routine. It
(37:58):
will boost your hydration while you're sleeping all wake up refresh,
and also before you go to bed and you spray
the mad Meseum spread on your body, on your feet
and you're basically floating throughout the night and you feel
so good waking up in the morning and you look good.
It's all I use on my skin too, that I
feel so confident about it. I don't wear any makeup.
I only use my products, and it's really making your
(38:21):
confidence feel better by knowing your mood is being uplifted
with these products.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
So we just have to stay tuned for the other
things that will be rolled out as you continue to
evolve with the brain. It sounds like very very soon,
So listen. What's something that you would say to your
eighteen year olds?
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Sel I would tell her it's going to be okay.
Have fun, enjoy life and have fun. It's going to
be okay. I would just keep telling her over and over,
like you're gonna get everything you've wanted. Just keep your
self focused, work hard, and know that if you put
the good work in, if you're a good person and
(38:58):
if you try to help others it will be okay.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
And are there any particular affirmations that you have found
helpful in your entrepreneurial journey.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
Yes, I have shower affirmations, so I put on my
shower every single night, and like I said, this brand
is largely rooted in nighttime routines. I put in affirmations
of who I am and I know also each month
I have kind of a goal of who I will
be that month. So this month I am shutting and accepting.
(39:28):
Next month I come up with kind of a theme
hopefully that I will stick to what do I need
to learn or unlearn about myself in this month? And
that has deeply guided me. I have a full focused planner,
so every single day I had to write down three
of my biggest goals for that day. So having those affirmations,
knowing like what are my goals for this day? Who
(39:50):
am I going into these goals, and also just giving
myself the grace most of all to shift in and
out of those goals and what I'm want to get done.
I'm very goals orientated, so having that in mind for
me is really helpful.
Speaker 1 (40:08):
I love it. So where can we stay connected with you? Alyssa,
what is your website as well as any social media
channels you'd like to share with us.
Speaker 2 (40:16):
Yes, in real life, Skin dot com is our website
and in real life Skin is our Instagram, So follow
me on Instagram, on our website, and soon we'll be
on Amazon and we're also on TikTok as well in
real life.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
Again, perfect, Well, thank you so much for spending some
time with us today, Alyssa, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (40:38):
Of course, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
I'm so grateful Lisa was able to join us for
our conversation today and share more about her entrepreneurial journey.
To learn more about her and in real life skincare,
be sure to visit the show notes at Therapy for
Blackgirls dot com, slash tvgu and don't forget to text
this episode to two of your girls right now. Did
you know you could leave us a voicemail with your
(41:04):
questions and feedback for the podcast. If you have a
movie or a book you'd like to suggest, or even
a topic you'd like for us to discuss, leave us
a voice message at Memo dot fm, slash Therapy for
Black Girls and let us know what's on your mind.
We just might feature it on the podcast. If you're
looking for a therapist in your area, visit our therapist
directory at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com slash directory. This
(41:28):
episode was produced by Elise Ellis Indichubu and Tyree Rush.
Editing was done by Dennison Bradford. Thank y'all so much
for joining me for this next episode of TVGU I
look forward to continuing this conversation with you all real soon.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Take good care,
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