This week on Brown Ambition, Mandi sits down with the incredible Monique Rodriguez, founder of the powerhouse haircare brand Mielle Organics and author of the new book, The Glory in Your Story: Activating a Fearless Faith to Change Your Life, Your Career, and the World. From her kitchen table to a billion-dollar acquisition by P&G, Monique's journey is a masterclass in faith, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit.
This episode is for anyone who's ever faced adversity and dared to dream bigger, for the aspiring entrepreneur needing that push, and for every Black woman who knows the power of her own story and is navigating partnership in all its forms.
Tune in to hear Monique's transparent take on:
* The P&G acquisition: What *really* changed (and what absolutely didn't!), her non-negotiables in the deal, and her message to the community.
* Staying true to her vision: How she remains CEO and the driving force behind Mielle's DNA.
* The "Tariff Tea": How global trade impacts Black-owned businesses and what it could mean for your beauty budget.
* Paying it Forward: How Monique and her husband, Melvin, are now angel investing in other Black-owned businesses.
* Building a Brand Beyond Social Media: The power of community, networking (and a little "healthy stalking"!).
* **Partnership, Femininity & Faith:** Monique shares her perspective on embracing feminine energy in leadership and dives into the often-triggering word "submission" within her marriage – what it means to her and what it absolutely doesn't.
* Her new book, "The Glory in Your Story": Why she penned this powerful guide and how owning your narrative can change your life.
* The complexities of sisterhood in the business world.
* Balancing a billion-dollar brand, marriage (to her business partner!), and motherhood.
### Guest Spotlight:
**Monique Rodriguez** is the founder and CEO of Mielle Organics, a global beauty brand she launched in 2014. A former registered nurse, Monique built Mielle from the ground up, fueled by her passion for healthy hair and her deep faith. Her brand was acquired by Procter & Gamble in 2023, with Monique remaining at the helm. She is also the author of "The Glory in Your Story: Activating a Fearless Faith to Change Your Life, Your Career, and the World."
### Key Discussion Points:
* **[01:41] The P&G Acquisition Unpacked:** Monique addresses the critics, shares what it's *really* like working with a conglomerate, and why it was crucial for her to remain CEO and protect Mielle's formulas.
* **[05:25] A Call for Community Support:** Monique discusses the impact of criticism on Black brands seeking investment and acquisition.
* **[08:17] Leading Lady:** Monique clarifies her role – she works for Mielle and her customers, not P&G.
* **[10:43] Tariffs & Your Wallet:** How international trade policies can affect the price of your favorite products.
* **[13:27] From Mentee to Mentor:** The story of Richelieu Dennis's early investment and how Monique is now supporting other Black founders.
* **[16:04] Faith as a Foundation:** How Monique's faith guided her through profound grief and inspired the creation of Mielle.
* **[19:46] Beyond Analysis Paralysis:** Actionable advice on netwo
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Faith was my blueprint to help push me forward because
when we were in one of our darkest moments, I
felt that God was using one of our darkest painful
moments to birth purpose. And sometimes when you're going through pain,
it doesn't feel good. No one likes it, no one
likes to go through it. But I had to trust
and believe in God's word. And believe in God's word
(00:21):
is faith that joy comes in the morning, that he
was going to renew my strength, that he was going
to never leave me, always be there with me and
comfort me during one of my darkest moments, and he
was going to bring me out on the other side.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hey, Hey, via Faan, Welcome back to the show. I
am really really I'm still kind of sitting in this
conversation that I just had with today's guest. If you
have hair on your head, if you like to use
nice products for that hair, chances are you've heard of
my next guest company.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Her name is Monique Rodriguez.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
She is the CEO of Mayel Organics, one of the
fastest growing textured haircare brands in the world, and she's
got a new book out. The book is called The
Glory in Your Story. Activating a fearless faith to change
your life, your career, and the world. I was a
bit nervous for this, y'all, but I felt like today's
conversation was It was important for me because I love authenticity,
(01:22):
and Monique first of all, just exudes authenticity and strength
and faith, and I mean just her own personal story
of how Mayel was born out of her own grief.
She was in nursing school, thought she was going to
go back to being a nurse practitioner, and then had
this tragic loss of her infant son, Milan. She dedicates
(01:43):
the book to and from that grief. While she was
steeped in that grief, this concept for experimenting with homegrown ingredients,
starting with a hair oil and creating this brand Mayel
came to her and ten years later she has sold
the company. Now, let me be clear, she has sold
the company to Procter and Gamble, but she hasn't sold
(02:05):
the company to Procter and Gamble. They get to put
Mayel under their brand, but Monique is still the CEO.
They haven't changed headquarters. And we'll get into that on
the show. And I want to be upfront in talking
about that and you'll hear more when we get into
the interview, because we give the black female founders so
much crap when they sell to a big.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Brand like PNG.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
We did it with Shaane Moisture, we did it with
Carol's daughter, especially when it comes to our hair. I
know it's deeply personal, but I get into it with
Monique about how some of the controversy around Mayel selling
to P ANDNG and some of the controversy that's come since,
has emboldened her and made her really want to tell
her story because if you look at the facts, she
still owns it. It's just that they get more resources,
(02:48):
they get to grow, they get to fulfill the dream
of basically every product based founder's dream, which is to
have an IPO or sell your company and have an exit.
And you'll hear also how she's taken the money that
she got in that sale and in part has used
it to put it back into the community. So we'll
talk a little bit about her and her husband starting
(03:09):
to dip their toe into angel investing and giving other
black owned brands a shot at building and growing. And
it's just a really inspirational story, really nuanced. I'm really
grateful to Monique for letting me kind of awkwardly get
to some of my questions on some issues that I
thought were a bit more touchy, such as some comments
she's made in the past because she keeps faith in
(03:31):
God so central to who she is, and it's clear,
and how she talks about the power of becoming submissive
and standing in her feminine energy and how that actually
has served her as an entrepreneur and as a wife, mom,
partner in all things. So I not gonna lie. It
may be a bit triggering be a fan, but please
(03:52):
stick with the conversation. When the word submissive comes up,
do not immediately turn down the dial. I think it's
an important conversation to have. It's a conversation that I'm
open to having because I have my own complex relationship
with faith and some of the teachings in the Bible,
like I'm sure lots of us do, and where that
coincides with like modern world like feminism and these ideals
(04:14):
and progression and the way that our bodies are being
controlled now, and I thought it was I thought it
was appropriate to give her a chance to expand on
that and to bring me in behind her thought process
and how she uses faith to inform her relationship, her
business and how it's working for her. So she was
wonderful in that. Please go get her book. I'm going
to put a link in the show notes. Her book
(04:35):
is the Glory in your story, activating a fearless faith
to change your life, your career, and the world.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Enjoyba Fan.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I just want to start off by I was I
was doing all my research and all my prep. Obviously
I'm a mal customer, and sometimes when the product is
so good, you don't necessarily even think about the founder,
and I hadn't for a long time, but obviously Brown
Ambition we keep tabs on the trailblazers, and Mayel is
one of the handful of black owned beauty brands that
(05:09):
was acquired by a massive company.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
You've been with PNG now for a year?
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Two years?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Two years?
Speaker 5 (05:17):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Wow? Okay, So two years in.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I know that you've gotten this question, and I know
I'm sure you had your skeptics. Has anything changed significantly?
And what's it like now being under such a big
parent company.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah, And to be honest with you, nothing has changed.
If I can be transparent. One of the things that
I will say that's changed is some of the people
you know, did not come with us on this journey,
some people, but that's that's in business. You know, you
have people that start with you that won't continue on
the journey with you. You have people fall off along the journey.
So that's the only thing that has been a little
(05:51):
different is that people decide that they don't want to
work under a big conglomerate and they want to stay
working for a small own brand.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
And that's totally fine, and that's choice to do so.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
But as far as like who we are, the authenticity
of the brand, our formulas, our processes, the brand's ultimate
DNA has not changed. And that's the thing when people
are making assumptions, and they make assumptions just based off
of past experiences or what they've seen done to other brands.
(06:21):
No one knows what goes on in that negotiating room
other than the two people that are sitting there, and
that's my husband and I and our attorneys and Procter
and Gamble. So no one knows what was negotiated in
our contract. So when people make these comments, oh, well,
the formulas have changed, Oh, she's just like the face
of the brand. No, it's in my contract that I
wanted to still be CEO and still make the decisions
(06:44):
for the brand and still lead the brand, still be
the visionary for the brand. Like that was my choice.
I didn't have to do that.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
But I found you sure didn't. That's what everybody else does.
Take that golden parachute and fly.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
On they leave.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yeah, but yeah, I felt that I wanted to change
your trajector or changed your narrative.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
And I felt that I was.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Opening doors and breaking barriers for the next generation of
black women entrepreneurs that you know will have an opportunity
like this and for them to see that wow, like
I can have a dream of vision and I can
have this conversation with the conglomerate to take my idea
that I started in my kitchen and be able to
scale up and become a global beauty brand like that
(07:22):
for me was about purpose and impact and that's why
I chose to stay on to show my community something different.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
And then we had people that chose.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
To not believe or to make negative criticism, and then
you have those that did understand. So I chose to
focus on the people that wanted to understand the process
and why brands become acchoir because that is the goal.
You either want to IPO or you want to exit,
or you can say a small business, and that is
your freedom and flexibility. And every entrepreneurs have the freedom
(07:53):
and flexibility to do what they want to do with
their company that they created. And to your point, you know,
black wo in we already face a lack of resources,
a lack of funding, mentorship, expertise, and we scream to
the rooftops that we lack this, we don't have this.
But then when someone received the abundance of what we're
(08:14):
complaining that we don't have, we tear them down for that.
And what it causes is investors. It causes strategic companies
like a Procter and Gamble to now take a pause
and say, do we want to acquire black brands? Do
we want to invest in black brands? And that can
cause us to be devalued because they're going to devalue
us because of how our community acts towards us, or
(08:35):
they're not going to invest at all because they're scared
that the community will now turn their back on us
for taking on capital from outside source. If they're scared,
what does that do to the black community. It stifles
us and then we don't get ahead. So then we
continue down this rat race of complaining but not getting
the results because we tear down every black person that
has done the things that we complain that we don't have.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
You get what I'm saying, so.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Oh absolutely, as I want to like get off the
subject because I feel it, I mean it also it
pisces me off.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
I know, I know you're a woman of faith.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I don't mean to, sorry, but it really upsets me.
I just I appreciate that perspective. That's not what we're
about at Brown Ambition, And I love what you've said
in the past about how that fear like you understand
it right, Like we we don't feel like things can
be just for us and then once they're discovered.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
I mean, I don't know if you've seen sinners. Maybe not,
but it's all yet not yet who is a doozy?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
But it also, you know, it's just the most recent
cultural phenomenon to really tackle the idea that when we
create something, whether it's music, style, culture, it is gentrified,
it is commandeered. But just to be clear, to be
a fan, we at Brown Ambition, you know, at my
backgrounds in business journalism. I will look behind the curtain.
I will look at INK interviews and I'll find out,
(09:50):
so is she still running it? And you know, and
how involved is she? And like, you're still so deeply
rooted in my l And I just want to commend
you for that, because that is.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Also a bit of a risk.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
You didn't create a beauty brand maybe to go then
work for a parent company and to like be an
employee of PNG.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
And the thing is like, and that's another thing, Like
I don't work for P and G. I work for
myself and PNG doesn't tell me what to do, Like,
I still have a very entrepreneurial spirit, and that's one
of the reasons why I became an entrepreneur, because I
didn't want.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
To work for anyone. Who I do work for is
my customers.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
So no, I am not an employee of P and G.
I am an employee of Mayo. My checks and benefits
are from Mayo.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
How many staffs do you have so you have your own,
how many? How big is the team and is it
largely like manufacturing. I don't really know much obviously scientists,
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
No. So our team we have over about three hundred
employees and it consists of marketing department, finance, operations, are
warehouse logistics. It so many different departments that make Mayo
go round. And within those different departments we have quite
(11:04):
a few different employees. We have our chemistry department. We
have sciences chemists that work for us. So yeah, we
have a pretty big quality assurance. That's another department shipping
and receiving. So yeah, a lot of different departments that
you know, we employ and provide jobs an opportunity for
(11:24):
people in the community.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
That's wonderful. And it is in Indiana. Did I get
that wrong?
Speaker 4 (11:30):
Yes? Correct, Indiana.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Okay, now you're from the south side of Chicago, but
that's like close.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
I don't want to sound dumb.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Yeah, no, close to Indian It's literally like across the.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Way a suburb. If you would say, like it's like
Jersey and New York.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Oh got it? I figured as such.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah, okay, well, I mean and that you are a
homegrown girl who is you know. That's another thing that
we can be criticized for, is like leaving our roots
and then moving to a big city like New York
or LA and then not bringing it back to the community.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
I'm curious to know.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
In this climate right now, with all this trade debacle,
one put judgment on about this trade situation the tariffs.
Have you been impacted, are your products being impacted? And
are you concerned about what that could mean for consumers
of Mayel products?
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, so I believe that every sector of business is
impacted by the terriffs, myself Mayo included. Sometimes packaging comes
from China, you know, the bottles that we put our
products in, Our ingredients and everything is manufactured here in
the States. But sometimes there are raw materials that we
pull from overseas. So let's say if there is an
(12:36):
exotic ingredient and we will pull those ingredients from overseas,
and there's a terriff attached to that, So how does
that translate to the customers. Customers will have a price increase,
and that's across the board.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
So we try to say competitive.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
We pride ourselves and being an affordable luxury brand. But
I think there will come a time where a lot
of brands will be increased in their prices because the
price increase that we received from these tariffs has to
be passed on down to the consumer. So everyone's going
to get a trickle effect, because that's business one on one.
You can't operate and sell product if you don't have
(13:10):
the profit to reinvest back into your business, to pay
for inventory, cost of goods, et cetera. Everything is it
trickles back down to the consumer. So if we get
a cost increase on anything, then we have to pass
that cost along.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
U am. I right that it may take a while,
like there may be a lag because you probably have
a bunch of product already.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Yeah, that's why I said.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Eventually we see brands that will start increasing their prices.
It's not something that's going to happen overnight, but I
do see a trickle down slow effect of prices slowly
starting to increase.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
That show I gotcha, So go get your Mayel at
the price you can Now. I reupped on some the
other day at old time. I was like, oh, yes,
I'm going to be right back. I'm gonna pay some
bills and come right back with more of my interview
with Monique Rodriguez, the CEO of Mayel Organics. Al rightba fan,
(14:01):
we're back. Enjoy more of my conversation with Monique Rodriguez,
the CEO of my l organics and the brand new
author yes of the book The Glory and Your Story,
activating a fearless faith to change your life, your career
and the world being with brown ambition, and just being
so invested and knowing how female founder, especially black women
founded businesses are doing. I think about with someone who
(14:24):
hasn't been acquired and doesn't have a large parent company
to help with the funding, or hasn't raised lots of capital.
How material increase in the cost of doing business can
like put some businesses out of operation.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Have you had anyone come to you. I know that
I'm the worst at combining so many questions. You think
ten years in I would get better at it.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Like whatever, Well, we're going to get there, because immediately
I'm like, wait a second, because you had this angel investor.
I don't know if it's called an angel investor. I
mean maybe just in the literal sense she was an angel,
but the founder of was.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
It Shaye Moisture? Yeah, yes, rachel Aadennis.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
He invested in MAYEU when y'all were in the middle
of some deal where they were trying to ask you
for a crazy amount of equity and your brand and
I'm just wondering in a climate like this now being
with P ANDNG, are you able to turn around and
also support other founders who may be struggling.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Absolutely, And that's to your point, it's really going to
hurt small businesses. I don't want to be a debbie
down or speak negative.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
But I look you to do it.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
It's just reality, right.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
It's the reality.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
And I look at myself ten years ago Vinde's tier
supplied like it would have been really challenging and hard.
But to that point, I don't think that any challenge
is an opportunity for you to sink. It's an opportunity
for you to rise higher. So you just have to
figure out what are some ways that you can still
go around it to accomplish, you know, the skill and
(15:52):
growth that you're looking to acquire for your company, which
may mean surrounding yourselves with mentors, and eventually that mentor
may turn into an investor. So yes, Melvin and I
have invested in.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Quite a few brands.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
We have not publicly announced it because we just haven't.
I actually just started talking about one company that I
recently invested in, and that's I Best Wines by Ingrid Best.
She's a black owned wine company, and you know, she's
in growth mode. She is growing her company and she's
feeling the challenges of getting capital just to help with scale.
(16:28):
So we recently invested in her, but that is what
we do, So we do invest in other companies, and
I guess we will start being more public with our
investment because we do want to show the community that
this is why acquisitions like this need to happen, because
this is how we can support and give back to
our community and help other small business black owned businesses
(16:49):
scale up as well, because we want to be that
angel investor that we had when we needed it to
someone else.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
So absolutely, you.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Were a labor and delivery nurse by the way, thank
you for your service being incredible, and you created Mayel.
It was really born out of grief, you know, the
loss of your son, who you dedicate your book to. Yes, Milan,
I want to give him his yeah, his shine. As
a MoMA myself, it's very touched by that. So you're
(17:19):
building this brand, you have this background as an RN.
It's not like you and your husband had a ton
of people around you who had also built beauty brands
and you just had this blueprint but you talk a
lot about the importance of your faith in one another
and your faith in general. I mean, could you share
a little bit about how that really you know, in
this moment of grief and this idea, this vision for
(17:41):
this business at the same time, how.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Did faith play a role in pushing you forward?
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Yeah, faith was like it was my blueprint to help
push me forward because when we were in one of
our darkest moments, I felt that God was using one
of our darkest painful moments to birth purpose. And sometimes
when you're going through pain, it doesn't feel good. No
one likes it, no one likes to go through it.
But I had to trust and believe in God's word.
(18:08):
And believe in God's word is faith that joy comes
in the morning, that he was going to renew my strength,
that he was going to never leave me, always be
there with me and comfort me during one of my
darkest moments, and he was going to bring me out
on the other side. So telling myself that and believing
in his word, it was nothing but by faith that
kept me strong, that kept me moving forward, that even
(18:30):
kept my mind saying for my girls, and to even
give me this idea to.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
Start my yell.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
It was literally by faith alone, because it came from nowhere,
this vision to go online and talk about hair care
on social media. The passion was always there because I've
loved hair care ever since I was a little girl.
But God spoke to me and he gave me this
idea to just start on social media, and that's what
I did, not knowing what it would look like, not
(18:57):
knowing how I was going to learn all of this
because I didn't come from a business background. I came
from a nursing background, which is totally different. But I
told myself that it wasn't for me to figure out
how pieces were all going to come together. It was
for me to just trust, have faith and take the
first step and watch God open the doors. And faith
is a lifelong journey. Sometimes we will doubt ourselves, sometimes
(19:18):
we will question, but we have to be able to
give ourselves grace. And when we are doubtful, you know,
that's an opportunity for us to have a conversation with
God and talk about our weaknesses with God so he
can show up in his strength. And the only way
that I'm able to do that is by knowing and
having faith and trusting in the word that he has written.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
And in those early days, I know that it was
you talk about these when those dots started to get connected.
For example, you said, you guys didn't have a golden
mentor one person who kind of sat you down and
that this is the way. But you bootstrapped the business.
You emptied out your four to one kse, which is like, aha,
but obviously it worked out. We love knowing the end
of the story before we go back to the heroin beginning. Yeah,
(19:59):
and then you just start, you start creating these products.
You sell them first to mom and pop shops near you,
Is that right? And then it was someone at that
mom and pop shop that said, hey, I know someone
who's like a broker who can help you get into
better or bigger stores. And then the Sally Beauty supply
store came it.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Is that right? Is that kind of how it transpired?
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yes, uh huh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I mean I think that's one of the biggest questions,
especially when it's like you talk about funding businesses and relationships.
And I believe, just like you say, relationships are currency,
They're so essential and I know there's a lot of
isolation out there in loneliness, especially in our community where
it doesn't feel like where am I going to meet
these people? Where am I going to see or find them?
(20:43):
And m M, what would you say to someone who
is wondering that based on your experience, my.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Experience, from my experience, I would just say stop wandering
and just go start going out there meeting people, find
networking events that you can go to and attend. You
can have mentors in your head, people that you admire,
and you can stalk them in a healthy way.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
And I.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Love a light stocking.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeah, and not to.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
The point of like you're possessive and you're crazy, but like, oh,
she's speaking it such and such. Let me go and
try to see if I can meet her and give
it my product. Like you just have to just start
doing things and stop trying to worry or figure out
how it's going to get done, because it can cause
what you call analysis paralysis, Like you're sitting there overthinking
and you're overthinking of trying to see, Okay, well I
(21:33):
need to get my product into such and such hand,
but I don't know how exactly to do that, and
it's going to take this step to get to her
and this stuff, and you're going to think so hard,
you're going to talk yourself out of it, and nothing's
gonna ever happen. So that's analysis paralysis.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I know many BA fan members are right now in
that analysis paralysis. Stage your book again, BA fam, just
to remind you, because you need to go to get
your copy. It's called The Glory in Your Story, Activating
a fearless faith to change your life, if your career,
and the world.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
What a subtitle.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
I'm working on my first book right now. I actually
just submitted the manuscript yesterday. I'm a little bet Oh, congra,
thank you so much. I don't have a subtitle yet,
but I'm just like finding myself really looking at that
point for the book yet. Congratulations to you, Thank you.
What are you hoping people take from the book?
Speaker 1 (22:19):
What I hope people take from the book is really
viewing themselves from a different lens in perspective and identifying, like,
what is the glory in their story?
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Because we all go through stories.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
We all go through pains, trials, and tribulations, and we
have to know that there is beauty on the other
side of that pain, there is glory in that story.
Whatever your story is, your story matters, Your narrative should
be in your control. It doesn't matter if your story
has messy parts, broken pieces. God will put everything back
together and restore. But we have to surrender and submit
(22:54):
and know that there will be power from our story.
But we have to own it and we have to
be able to share it and not be afraid, not
be a shame because your story matters, and your story
can help someone overcome a situation that they're going through,
and we can overcome by sharing our testimony. God put
us through that to share because it is our testimony.
It's been already written for you, and it's nothing that
(23:17):
you can do to change it. The only thing that
you can do is own it. If anyone is looking
for hope, if they're looking to increase their faith, if
they're looking for a blueprint on how to start a
business from scratch and stop self sabotaging themselves, this book
is for you. If you're looking to balance your career
and being a mom a wife, or you're looking to
(23:37):
eventually have a family and not sure like how all
the pieces are going to come together. This book, it
hits on so many different facets of life. If you
experienced childhood trauma, this book is for you. So there
are many different people that can relate to this story.
And from the glory in your story.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
There is a sense of shame sometimes because we're kind
of we can be self conscious about the missteps or
pursue missed ups we took along the way. But how
that's just a part of the fabric. And I love
that you point that out, like you don't have to
be ashamed of it. It's like you're saying, this is
my story, this is a beautiful story, and everyone is.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Right along with you. They're like, great, I love a
beautiful story. This is amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, and no one can make fun of you for
your own story if you have owned it and told
it yourself. And then you also don't give people permission
to make up their own story because now you're hearing
it from my mouth, we do.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Be doing Yeah. How is your relationship with social media
changed since you launched my l I was one of
the early adopters when it was like blown up on
TikTok the Rosemary oil.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Yeah, my relationship with social media has changed quite a bit.
I actually have a love hate relationship with the social media.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Is a safe space for that.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Yeah, and to be quite honest and transparent with you.
I am pretty glad that I don't have to feel
so tied and chained to social media like I did
when I was building the brain, because I felt like
I had to show up, I had to post content,
stay relevant, and make sure that I'm posting two three
times a day engaging with people. And I have a
(25:09):
problem with engagement with people. But now I'm like, I'll
engage with people when I get a chance to. I'll
check my DMS when I get a chance to. I
don't feel the pressure to have to always respond right
when someone sends me a message, because you can get
to a point where you let social media control you
and dominate your life. And I no longer want to
have that type of relationship with social media because it
(25:31):
is addicting, it can be controlling, and it takes a
lot of your energy, your space, your mental clarity for
you to be a creative person. And I am a
creative so I need to take my mind space from it.
So I don't check social media when I first wake up.
You know, there are some people that wake up in
the morning.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
That's you.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
That's totally fine. You wake up in the morning and
the first thing you do is scroll. I don't scroll
or get on social media maybe till about ten thirty eleven,
and then I try to set my timer or my
social media limit on my phone for like an hour
of scrolling to like remind me, okay, you've been scrolling
too much, like get off. And I also have stopped
(26:14):
like aimlessly scrolling. So now when I go on there,
I'm being intentional. So if there are people that I
want to intentionally check on or like make sure that
I'm commenting and supporting them, I will go directly to
their page and like a few pictures, support them, comment,
I'll look at a few stories, engage with people that way,
check a few dms. But I'm not aimlessly scrolling with
no point or mission. Like when I get on there,
(26:36):
I'm trying to have some type of purpose, even though
sometimes it is purposeless when you're just scrolling. I try
to be mindful of just like the time that I
spend on social media. And also as far as me posting,
I have a team that posts a lot of content
for me with the book because I just don't have
the capacity to do it.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
I'm very free spirited now.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
With what I post I post what I want to
post when I want to post it, don't care what
people think. And I'm not posting because I'm looking for
likes or engagement. I really post and because I feel like, oh,
this is something inspirational that I want people to see.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
And that's why I would really post that.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Yeah, I mean, I wonder, I know. I mean, I'm
in it right now. I'm in that building phase for
I mean, I'll be in that building phase from my
book and from always feel like I'm always building with
the podcast. And yeah, that relationship with social media, it
is it's like a love hates It.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Can be toxic.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
But I feel like what helped me was someone said, like,
you know, you're in control, right, you can control like
what you do where you go. But on the other hand,
you know, just like you've acknowledged, it's a lot of
people building out there who are still feeling like I
gotta drag myself, put a lip on, show.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
Up, like talk to the people. But one other ways.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Besides like showing up on social What are the other
ways that y'all built a community early on or was
it really just word of bounce and social Yeah, no.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Not just social media alone.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
We would get out there and go to trade shows,
lots of networking events, brunches, any type of women empowerment events.
We had to be out there in the community. Engaging
with them as well. Was a huge part of our
success and building up that momentum for MYO. Because social media,
you know, and especially now, the algorithm has changed so
much where they're only showing your content to a certain
(28:16):
group of small percentage of your audience, so not everyone
seeing your content unless you're paying for it. So that's
a challenge in itself. So can't you can't just rely
on social media to build your fan base. You have to,
like get out there. You have to be in the
community talking with people, telling them about your product, letting
them feel your love and your passion for whatever it
is that you do, and also helping them build trust
in you as a brand founder CEO, because building a
(28:39):
brand is about relationship, connection and engagement and building trust.
And in order to build trust, I have to have
a relationship with you. I have to engage with you.
I have to get to know you. I have to
like you, and that will equate to me trusting you eventually.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
I don't know if you agree with us, But do
you feel like that's kind of our nature as women
of color is to we have this there is a
level of inherent trust among us. Like even how you
showed up today, you're like, oh, I feel good, I'm
that brown ambisioned, like seems like this is for me.
Have you always kind of had that sense of sisterhood
and support from the other women of color in your life,
whether like family, friends, entrepreneurs, mentors along the way.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
It's fifty to fifty yes and no.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I've had that you know, have supported me, that are
rooting for me, cheering for me. And it's not just
what they say in my face, but I can actually
see the actions or I hear about their actions behind
my back, and then vice versa. I've had women that
you know don't support me or don't like me for
whatever reason. And that's quite all right as well, because
(29:38):
we're not meant to be liked by everyone, and I'm
not a people pleaser.
Speaker 4 (29:41):
I've heard and.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Have experienced women that were, let's say, competitors or in
the entrepreneurship space that don't give or reciprocate the same
type of energy that I give out. And it's quite alright,
Like I just feel like those are just not my people.
So I just redirect my energy into the people that
you know reciprocate that same type of energy me.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
On my end, all I can do is control how.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
I respond to the energy that's put out in the atmosphere,
and I have control over my emotions. And if I'm
presented with bad energy or bad emotions, I'm still going
to give out and be a light and positivity to
that person. I mean sometimes, I mean, I'm human. I
can be a little shady, but I can be shady
and it's still in a positive I mean, or not
(30:27):
in a disrespectful way. But I still will let people
know like just because I'm nice, Like, don't take my
kindness for weakness, but I'm gonna still treat you with respect,
and I expect for at least respect to be returned.
You don't have to like me, we don't have to
have dinner together, break bread, but.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
At least we have to respect each other as black women.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Yeah, and I mean, you're raising two girls, right, and
I just feel like, what is what your oldest daughter?
Is she in college yet or she was about to
go to college?
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Yeah, she's nineteen, she's in college.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
Oh, congratulations to her.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Is she asking you for advice?
Speaker 2 (31:00):
What's happening? Because you are very like accomplished and everything
like that. But does she want to hear from mommy
the founder of Mayel.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
Absolutely, She's always talking to me.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
She's always asking me for advice on how to navigate
and deal with people, dealing with friendships, dealing with women.
You know, it's it's been a little challenging for her,
especially first year in college, being away from home and
just dealing with all different walks of life. So I've
had to sit her down a couple of times and
like give her some wisdom from my own experience on
(31:31):
how to navigate certain situations. I'm glad that she comes
to me because I know that she feels comfortable enough
to ask me for advice. I feel that she takes
my advice and she applies it to her life. But
I'm just thankful that she even is okay with telling
me about situations. But you know, I'm that mom that like,
if my daughter is telling me about you or your friend,
(31:52):
then me and you gonna have a problem because and
I've probably never even met the person. But you know,
I think all moms were. I'm a mama bear. I
think all moms are like that, but yeah, she definitely
comes to me for advice.
Speaker 5 (32:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
I took my kid, I have a five year old
and a two year old and took him to a
birthday party at those one of those trampoline parks. Those
kids are fairal in there, like it's wild, and I
saw some little kid try to push my kid into
the phone pit and the way I was like, Ah,
come over here, get this little boy. You just knalk
my boy down like I'm getting the teenagers that they hire.
I'm like, you need to be on this. He needs
(32:27):
to be ejected.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Yes, yes, I don't blame you.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Listen, don't blame you.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
You have to take up for your babies.
Speaker 5 (32:34):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Yeah absolutely, And the mama bear energy is so crucial.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
You're also a WiFi.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Your partnership with your husband is so unique, especially because
y'all didn't necessarily set out to launch a business together.
But I'd love to hear just any gems you might
have as far as navigating business with your partner and
how do you I can hardly navigate life as with
my husband and having two kids and businesses like let
alone being in it together.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
It's like, are you good at the end of the night.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Okay, cool, I'll see you in the morning maybe. And
I'm just how did give me advice? Give me free
advice is what I'm asking for. Let me just keep
it one hundred Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
I mean I think that first we have to give
each other grace and know that it's not going to
be perfect, and you will have disagreements and arguments with
your spouse or whatever. You're not going to always agree,
so you have to like say, Okay, we're gonna make
a commitment to make sure we give each other grace.
For us, we keep God first, and we understand that
(33:33):
we have a mission. We have a bigger picture, and
that's impact and legacy that we want to leave for
our family and generations to come.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
And having great mentors.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
That are married, that have been married for years that
can give us sound advice and looking at them as
an example of how they've been able to navigate things
in their relationships and how they have still maintained to
be together. Because for Melvin and I, we realize that
we were husband and wife before Mayo, and we're not
(34:02):
going to let Mayo come in between us. So that
means we have to take our egos out of it.
We have to have a mutual level of respect for
each other and each other's Roland Lane. We have to
identify what are some of our strengths and weaknesses, and
for us, we compliment each other's in areas where I
may be weak, he's strong, and where he's weak in
certain areas I'm strong. So we truly believe that Mayo
(34:23):
will not be what it is today if it wasn't
for us knowing where we were strong and where we
were weak, and coming together and complimenting each other with
different skill sets to build a dynamic duo. He obviously
didn't know anything about hair.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
Products, but I did.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
But he knew about operations, logistics, and finance, and combining
those skill sets together, we've been able to build this
amazing company because we respect each other's gifts and that's.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
What worked for us.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
But again I also tell like, when you're married, you
have to keep certain things sacred. You shouldn't be going
to other especially if you are a married woman. Don't
go to single woman for advice and vice versa for
a man. Make sure that the circle that you hang
around is a circle that's uplifting you and holding marriage
to a high standard because your community is also important
(35:14):
as well too. So I mean that's kind of like
what our code and what we go by and having boundaries.
I talk about boundaries a lot in the book, and
setting those boundaries of what makes me feel good and
comfortable as his wife and then what makes him feel
comfortable as my husband, and being respectful of each other's
boundaries and not crossing those.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
I also think there's something in that I've seen in
interviews where he's like talked about how he's allowed you
to shine. And I imagine I've just heard from so
many other founders who are women that if there's a
man nearby, sometimes it'll be like they'll defer to the
man at the table. And I'm sure, how have you navigated,
if at all, those situations and does he understand that
(35:55):
may happen? And then like, here's how we're going to
handle this as a team.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
So the crazy thing is people think that I'm such
just extroverted personality, but I'm not.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
I am an introvert person by nature. I just weep
out of the world.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Introverts, Yeah, sneaky, I step out of my comfort zone.
I stretch myself and so that's how I'm able to
like be the person that I am.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
And to them it comes off as.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Like, oh, you're this extroverted, friendly person. No, I'm really
like stretching myself and I'm very uncomfortable, but it just
looks like I'm comfortable in the moment. And he is
a more extroverted person, big personality, and that would be me.
I would shy away and say, okay, you speak, I
don't want to speak, but he would tell me, no,
you speak, You get up there and you talk. So
(36:47):
having him push me into different roles and positions that
I didn't even think that I was capable of doing,
Like he would always encourage me when I used to
do panels back in the day.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
I used to be so nervous.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
I didn't want to do them, but I knew I
had to because again, how do people know about your
brand if you don't talk about it.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
And he would give me these pep talks.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
Before it, and you know, just give me just words
of encouragement to go out there and just be the best.
And even now he still like talks to me on
panels even though I'm a lot better I still get nervous,
but he's always there to like reassure me and encourage
me to like speak up. My voice matters, and I
think it's important to have someone beside you that will
(37:27):
not let you shy away.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
And that's okay.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
And he's also okay with stepping aside and saying I'm
gonna I'm okay with being behind the scenes so I
can push you forward and let you shine. And him
pushing me forward has allowed me to evolve into the
woman that I am today.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
I remember, like you know, you see these viral videos
and listen social media. It gets me sometimes and viral
videos of like husbands at weddings and how they'll like
steal a white group of bride's moment or like take
the shine away, and how they say potentially portend like
issues later on. And there's nothing more incredible for me
to see than like a partner who is willing to
(38:06):
shine on their partner and not feel threatened by that.
So that's wonderful. Now you talk a lot about faith,
I have to talk to you about this and I
want to do it with an open heart, open mind.
I'm from the South and I have a complex relationship
with faith myself. And I was listening to an interview
that you gave and you were talking about the importance
in a marriage. The word that you use was submissive,
(38:28):
like how it's important to be submissive to your partner,
and that word triggered something in me. But with an
open heart and open mind, I want to I want
to talk about that because I believe that it's so
important for us to find the intersection where faith can
cohabitate with like progression and feminism and these modern ideals.
(38:49):
So I kind of I just want to chat about
that for a second and give you a chance to
give me your perspective on how submission in your marriage
has helped with your business and with your relationship.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Well, that's a great question. I feel like for me,
I want to embrace my femininity. I feel that the
stigma has been for a woman to enter into the
business space that she has to take on this masculine energy.
And I think it has also been a trend on
social media for a woman to say, well I don't
(39:23):
need a man, and you know I can do this
all by myself. And for me, I feel that is
a defense mechanism of women who may have been hurt
by men who should have been there their protective whether
it was our father's growing up, a boyfriend, or whatever.
But I don't think that it's in our mother nature
(39:44):
to take on and mask masculine qualities. I think that
being a woman and being in touch with my intuition,
the reason why I'm so in touch with my intuition
is because of that softness.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
In that femininity that I carry. And I never.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Felt that I had to lose my softness to run
a company. I never felt that I had to be
what some may perceive as a bitch, but they're really.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
Taking on masculine energy. To get my.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Point across, I felt that part of the reason why
the brand is so successful is because I've led with empathy, compassion.
I understand, I work with women, I serve women. I
feel that I understand a woman better than a man does.
And in order for me to understand women and women
intuition and instincts, I still have to be in touch
(40:33):
with that feminine side. So I don't want to put
on that masculinity. I don't want to own that because
I don't feel that's how God built us.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
I feel that even watching my mom grow up, she was.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Tough and she has some of those characteristics of like
she doesn't feel that she needs a man, but I
know that it came from the trauma that she had
growing up with her dad and also dealing with my dad,
and it caused her to feel like she had to
be independent and she had to carry the weight of
the world on her shoulders. And I just don't think
that we're built that way. So I just want to
(41:05):
embrace who God.
Speaker 4 (41:06):
Created me to be.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
He created me to be a woman, and there are
certain characteristics that a woman have that quite frankly, men
don't have. And that's what makes us special. Like, that's
what makes us unique, and that is our superpower. And
when you combine femininity, your power, and your purpose, that
(41:27):
is a great dynamic du altogether. And we can lead
and change.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
The world by just embracing who we are.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
We don't have to embrace someone else's energy to get
and accomplish our goals.
Speaker 3 (41:42):
Okay, I hear you.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
So as a business partner, does that mean that if
you're like what your husband says goes no, okay.
Speaker 4 (41:51):
No, So let me no actlutely not.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
So let me be clear and my husband knows like
I am not a punk by no means like I
will stand up to him and and like and he
knows when I'm mad. So that and that's the thing
I think when women think submissive, it thinks like, oh,
I have to shrink who I am.
Speaker 3 (42:08):
It's a very triggering word.
Speaker 4 (42:09):
It is a triggering work.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
But yes, the Bible talks about it, right, But to me,
it doesn't mean that I have to shrink who I am.
It doesn't mean that I don't have a voice. It
doesn't mean that I can't speak up. I can fully
embrace being a woman and letting you lead because I
trust you to lead.
Speaker 4 (42:26):
And if I I trust you to lead.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
But it has to be you have to have a
strong man and he has to be a good leader
and protective and he has to be submitted under God
in order for me to submit under him. Because the
Bible talks about our wives submit to their husbands. It
doesn't say like, wives be stupid, or it doesn't say
wives you don't have a voice. It doesn't say wives
(42:49):
just go on the back end, just sit there and
let your husband do everything.
Speaker 4 (42:53):
It doesn't say that. It just says wives be submissive.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
To your husband because he's submissive to me, And so
I can be submissive and you know, let my husband
lead and still speak up for myself because I trust
that he's also guiding us correctly. But if he wasn't
guided or leading us or protecting us correctly, then I
will speak up and I will say something.
Speaker 4 (43:14):
And I'm okay with that.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
So I don't want to confuse like submissive, submissive with
being like a punk, because by no means you have
to be that. You still can be a strong woman
and submit to your husband, but the husband has to
be able to lead properly. Yeah, I mean, and obviously
I didn't know that at that time, but you know.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
He'll prejudice situation. You taught he was like so cocky
and obnoxious.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
Right, yeah, And I think we see that now, Like
even with the issue with Shadora Sanders, how he's been
labeled as being cocky and arrogant, and it's really like
just the world is afraid of a black man's confidence.
You can't be a black man and be confident, can't
be a black woman and be confident. So what I
(43:59):
misconstrued as arrogance was really like his confidence. And I
see that now, because my husband will walk in a
room and not care. He doesn't care who he's talking to.
You don't care if you are big celebrity or you're
just a regular everyday person. He will talk to you
the same and interact the same no matter who you are.
He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. He's just
(44:20):
gonna be himself. And that is a level of confidence
that a lot of people don't have, and quite frankly,
it's admirable, right.
Speaker 5 (44:28):
Self love is in a way, it's self love.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
Self love Like I stand fully in my body here,
I belong here, I'm taking up space. Yeah, and like
it can be threatening.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
It can be very threatening for those that are insecure.
So like when a sche George Sanders says I'm legendary,
it's intimidating to people that don't, that don't have the
courage to speak up and speak positivity over their life.
Speaker 3 (44:50):
It's a sports guy, I don't really know.
Speaker 4 (44:51):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, my husband.
Speaker 2 (44:53):
All talk about being legendary, isn't what happens when you
get in sports. You have to think you're God.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Not and I think your God, I don't think, but
you we have to speak greatness over your life.
Speaker 4 (45:01):
Like Muhammad Ali.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
He would always say I'm the greatest, and he was
the greatest, and his attitude could have been misconstrued as
kacky and arrogant. But you should be allowed to speak
greatness over your life. We have to speak life over us.
We don't speak death. So if you're speaking life over
yourself and someone's considering that it's like arrogance, then that's
their own insecurities that they're projecting onto you.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
Okay, yeah, I mean this concept of submission. I'm trying
to be very curious about why I feel certain ways
about certain words or certain I mean, this armchair that
I'm sitting in is actually a trigger for me because
as a kid, when I was growing up, I used
to get so annoyed at my mom because she would
move everybody out.
Speaker 3 (45:40):
Of the armchair.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
It had to be like the father figure. My mother's
married a couple times of the father figure's chair in
like that space. And as a kid, I remember being like,
why don't we get that? Like why don't we and
like it hasn't necessarily done wonders for me because my
husband's like, girl, can I just sit in the chair.
I like having a nice Drea, and I don't even
have an answer for myself. I was just really I
(46:02):
was really like triggered emotionally by that term. And I
appreciate you kind of sharing your perspective. What I'm taking
from this is I am learning. We're eight years into
our marriage. I'm learning the give and the take. It's
like I could do a lot more giving in not
giving in, but like I could do a lot more
compromising and meeting.
Speaker 3 (46:21):
In the middle.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
Yeah, and it's not necessarily like I wouldn't say I'm
submitting because again the emotional tie up of that word,
but that part of being in a partnership I wasn't
necessarily prepared. I feel like I'm part of that generation
of like kids, and I mean we're the same age, run,
the same age, late thirties, but like they built us
(46:43):
up to be women who could have it all, but
they forgot how to also create men who could support
a woman who thinks she can have it all, and
how to do that in a healthy, supportive way.
Speaker 5 (46:56):
Yeah, and that's exactly what it is.
Speaker 1 (46:59):
So I don't want you to look at the word
even if this word, if the word submissive triggers you,
take that word out of it and look at it
as I just trust you to lead. Right, Submissive does
not mean you're weak. It's just I'm trusting you to lead,
and I'm trusting that in your leadership, you're going to
support me and what I do. So if you're supporting
me and what I do, I do have a voice.
(47:21):
I can stand up for myself. I can say that
you're wrong in certain aspects. I'm not going to just
sit down and tolerate disrespect or any craziness, right, because
you're supporting me and you respect me, and I'm trusting
you that you're going to do all of that.
Speaker 2 (47:35):
And that trust has to be earned, like you have
to absolutely, Yeah, you earn that trust. You don't take
it for granted, like, Oh, it's a man, so I
must trust that he will have my best interest.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
Yeah, he has to show it.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
He has to show it. Okay, Well, thanks for going
down that little rabbit hole with me. The book again
is called The Glory in Your Story. Y'all please go
check it out.
Speaker 3 (47:54):
I know you have a.
Speaker 4 (47:54):
Website gloryanyourstory dot com.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Gloryanyourstory dot com. I'll put a link in the show notes.
What else do you want to tell a BA fan.
What else do you want to leave us with?
Speaker 1 (48:03):
Yeah, you can purchase The Glory in your Story anywhere
books are sold and tell a friend to tell a
friend it's a great read. If you have children, you know, teenagers,
anyone that you know you want to bless because this
book will be a blessing to them. You know this
book is something that you should purchase.
Speaker 5 (48:22):
So that was it.
Speaker 2 (48:24):
Well, thank you for sharing your story. I can't wait
to get my hands on the physical copy. I got
a pdf. I don't like the PDFs, but I'm going
to go. I'm going to go to my barns and
note and be like, you need to book. Put this
book on the shelves please. Monique, thank you so much
for sharing your story, your insights, your gems with BA
fam and we hope to have you back on some day,
pushing you so much success.
Speaker 5 (48:45):
Thank you again, thank you, wishing you much success as well.
Speaker 4 (48:48):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
Hey, BA Fam, if you're listening to this right now,
if you're checking out the podcast now, if you're driving,
keep driving because that's not safe. But if you are scrolling,
you're having your walk, you're doing the dishes. Can you
do me a favor and just pop into Apple Podcasts,
give us a five star review, and maybe leave some
kind words on the wall. You have no idea how
crucial these reviews matter. And I'm a part of the
iHeart family now, which is very exciting.
Speaker 3 (49:10):
But it's a lot of fish.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
In this big old pond, Okay, So I want them
to know that ba Fan is still writing with brown ambition.
I've got so much incredible content in store for y'all.
We've got Mental Health Awareness Month all of May. So
if you're listening to this now, we're probably already in
the thick of it and Mental Health Awareness Month. So
I got incredible content, some great guests who are going
(49:30):
to be talking to us and offering insights and gems
on gems on gems on how we can take care
of ourselves on the inside so we can get out
there in the world.
Speaker 3 (49:38):
And make money on the outside. Okay, all right, va
fam take care
Faith was my blueprint to help push me forward because
when we were in one of our darkest moments, I
felt that God was using one of our darkest painful
moments to birth purpose. And sometimes when you're going through pain,
it doesn't feel good. No one likes it, no one
likes to go through it. But I had to trust
and believe in God's word. And believe in God's word
(00:21):
is faith that joy comes in the morning, that he
was going to renew my strength, that he was going
to never leave me, always be there with me and
comfort me during one of my darkest moments, and he
was going to bring me out on the other side.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Hey, Hey, via Faan, Welcome back to the show. I
am really really I'm still kind of sitting in this
conversation that I just had with today's guest. If you
have hair on your head, if you like to use
nice products for that hair, chances are you've heard of
my next guest company.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Her name is Monique Rodriguez.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
She is the CEO of Mayel Organics, one of the
fastest growing textured haircare brands in the world, and she's
got a new book out. The book is called The
Glory in Your Story. Activating a fearless faith to change
your life, your career, and the world. I was a
bit nervous for this, y'all, but I felt like today's
conversation was It was important for me because I love authenticity,
(01:22):
and Monique first of all, just exudes authenticity and strength
and faith, and I mean just her own personal story
of how Mayel was born out of her own grief.
She was in nursing school, thought she was going to
go back to being a nurse practitioner, and then had
this tragic loss of her infant son, Milan. She dedicates
(01:43):
the book to and from that grief. While she was
steeped in that grief, this concept for experimenting with homegrown ingredients,
starting with a hair oil and creating this brand Mayel
came to her and ten years later she has sold
the company. Now, let me be clear, she has sold
the company to Procter and Gamble, but she hasn't sold
(02:05):
the company to Procter and Gamble. They get to put
Mayel under their brand, but Monique is still the CEO.
They haven't changed headquarters. And we'll get into that on
the show. And I want to be upfront in talking
about that and you'll hear more when we get into
the interview, because we give the black female founders so
much crap when they sell to a big.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Brand like PNG.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
We did it with Shaane Moisture, we did it with
Carol's daughter, especially when it comes to our hair. I
know it's deeply personal, but I get into it with
Monique about how some of the controversy around Mayel selling
to P ANDNG and some of the controversy that's come since,
has emboldened her and made her really want to tell
her story because if you look at the facts, she
still owns it. It's just that they get more resources,
(02:48):
they get to grow, they get to fulfill the dream
of basically every product based founder's dream, which is to
have an IPO or sell your company and have an exit.
And you'll hear also how she's taken the money that
she got in that sale and in part has used
it to put it back into the community. So we'll
talk a little bit about her and her husband starting
(03:09):
to dip their toe into angel investing and giving other
black owned brands a shot at building and growing. And
it's just a really inspirational story, really nuanced. I'm really
grateful to Monique for letting me kind of awkwardly get
to some of my questions on some issues that I
thought were a bit more touchy, such as some comments
she's made in the past because she keeps faith in
(03:31):
God so central to who she is, and it's clear,
and how she talks about the power of becoming submissive
and standing in her feminine energy and how that actually
has served her as an entrepreneur and as a wife, mom,
partner in all things. So I not gonna lie. It
may be a bit triggering be a fan, but please
(03:52):
stick with the conversation. When the word submissive comes up,
do not immediately turn down the dial. I think it's
an important conversation to have. It's a conversation that I'm
open to having because I have my own complex relationship
with faith and some of the teachings in the Bible,
like I'm sure lots of us do, and where that
coincides with like modern world like feminism and these ideals
(04:14):
and progression and the way that our bodies are being
controlled now, and I thought it was I thought it
was appropriate to give her a chance to expand on
that and to bring me in behind her thought process
and how she uses faith to inform her relationship, her
business and how it's working for her. So she was
wonderful in that. Please go get her book. I'm going
to put a link in the show notes. Her book
(04:35):
is the Glory in your story, activating a fearless faith
to change your life, your career, and the world.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
Enjoyba Fan.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I just want to start off by I was I
was doing all my research and all my prep. Obviously
I'm a mal customer, and sometimes when the product is
so good, you don't necessarily even think about the founder,
and I hadn't for a long time, but obviously Brown
Ambition we keep tabs on the trailblazers, and Mayel is
one of the handful of black owned beauty brands that
(05:09):
was acquired by a massive company.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
You've been with PNG now for a year?
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Two years?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Two years?
Speaker 5 (05:17):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Wow? Okay, So two years in.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I know that you've gotten this question, and I know
I'm sure you had your skeptics. Has anything changed significantly?
And what's it like now being under such a big
parent company.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Yeah, And to be honest with you, nothing has changed.
If I can be transparent. One of the things that
I will say that's changed is some of the people
you know, did not come with us on this journey,
some people, but that's that's in business. You know, you
have people that start with you that won't continue on
the journey with you. You have people fall off along the journey.
So that's the only thing that has been a little
(05:51):
different is that people decide that they don't want to
work under a big conglomerate and they want to stay
working for a small own brand.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
And that's totally fine, and that's choice to do so.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
But as far as like who we are, the authenticity
of the brand, our formulas, our processes, the brand's ultimate
DNA has not changed. And that's the thing when people
are making assumptions, and they make assumptions just based off
of past experiences or what they've seen done to other brands.
(06:21):
No one knows what goes on in that negotiating room
other than the two people that are sitting there, and
that's my husband and I and our attorneys and Procter
and Gamble. So no one knows what was negotiated in
our contract. So when people make these comments, oh, well,
the formulas have changed, Oh, she's just like the face
of the brand. No, it's in my contract that I
wanted to still be CEO and still make the decisions
(06:44):
for the brand and still lead the brand, still be
the visionary for the brand. Like that was my choice.
I didn't have to do that.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
But I found you sure didn't. That's what everybody else does.
Take that golden parachute and fly.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
On they leave.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Yeah, but yeah, I felt that I wanted to change
your trajector or changed your narrative.
Speaker 4 (07:01):
And I felt that I was.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Opening doors and breaking barriers for the next generation of
black women entrepreneurs that you know will have an opportunity
like this and for them to see that wow, like
I can have a dream of vision and I can
have this conversation with the conglomerate to take my idea
that I started in my kitchen and be able to
scale up and become a global beauty brand like that
(07:22):
for me was about purpose and impact and that's why
I chose to stay on to show my community something different.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
And then we had people that chose.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
To not believe or to make negative criticism, and then
you have those that did understand. So I chose to
focus on the people that wanted to understand the process
and why brands become acchoir because that is the goal.
You either want to IPO or you want to exit,
or you can say a small business, and that is
your freedom and flexibility. And every entrepreneurs have the freedom
(07:53):
and flexibility to do what they want to do with
their company that they created. And to your point, you know,
black wo in we already face a lack of resources,
a lack of funding, mentorship, expertise, and we scream to
the rooftops that we lack this, we don't have this.
But then when someone received the abundance of what we're
(08:14):
complaining that we don't have, we tear them down for that.
And what it causes is investors. It causes strategic companies
like a Procter and Gamble to now take a pause
and say, do we want to acquire black brands? Do
we want to invest in black brands? And that can
cause us to be devalued because they're going to devalue
us because of how our community acts towards us, or
(08:35):
they're not going to invest at all because they're scared
that the community will now turn their back on us
for taking on capital from outside source. If they're scared,
what does that do to the black community. It stifles
us and then we don't get ahead. So then we
continue down this rat race of complaining but not getting
the results because we tear down every black person that
has done the things that we complain that we don't have.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
You get what I'm saying, so.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Oh absolutely, as I want to like get off the
subject because I feel it, I mean it also it
pisces me off.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
I know, I know you're a woman of faith.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
I don't mean to, sorry, but it really upsets me.
I just I appreciate that perspective. That's not what we're
about at Brown Ambition, And I love what you've said
in the past about how that fear like you understand
it right, Like we we don't feel like things can
be just for us and then once they're discovered.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
I mean, I don't know if you've seen sinners. Maybe not,
but it's all yet not yet who is a doozy?
Speaker 2 (09:29):
But it also, you know, it's just the most recent
cultural phenomenon to really tackle the idea that when we
create something, whether it's music, style, culture, it is gentrified,
it is commandeered. But just to be clear, to be
a fan, we at Brown Ambition, you know, at my
backgrounds in business journalism. I will look behind the curtain.
I will look at INK interviews and I'll find out,
(09:50):
so is she still running it? And you know, and
how involved is she? And like, you're still so deeply
rooted in my l And I just want to commend
you for that, because that is.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Also a bit of a risk.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
You didn't create a beauty brand maybe to go then
work for a parent company and to like be an
employee of PNG.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
And the thing is like, and that's another thing, Like
I don't work for P and G. I work for
myself and PNG doesn't tell me what to do, Like,
I still have a very entrepreneurial spirit, and that's one
of the reasons why I became an entrepreneur, because I
didn't want.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
To work for anyone. Who I do work for is
my customers.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
So no, I am not an employee of P and G.
I am an employee of Mayo. My checks and benefits
are from Mayo.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
How many staffs do you have so you have your own,
how many? How big is the team and is it
largely like manufacturing. I don't really know much obviously scientists,
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
No. So our team we have over about three hundred
employees and it consists of marketing department, finance, operations, are
warehouse logistics. It so many different departments that make Mayo
go round. And within those different departments we have quite
(11:04):
a few different employees. We have our chemistry department. We
have sciences chemists that work for us. So yeah, we
have a pretty big quality assurance. That's another department shipping
and receiving. So yeah, a lot of different departments that
you know, we employ and provide jobs an opportunity for
(11:24):
people in the community.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
That's wonderful. And it is in Indiana. Did I get
that wrong?
Speaker 4 (11:30):
Yes? Correct, Indiana.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Okay, now you're from the south side of Chicago, but
that's like close.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
I don't want to sound dumb.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Yeah, no, close to Indian It's literally like across the.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Way a suburb. If you would say, like it's like
Jersey and New York.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Oh got it? I figured as such.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Yeah, okay, well, I mean and that you are a
homegrown girl who is you know. That's another thing that
we can be criticized for, is like leaving our roots
and then moving to a big city like New York
or LA and then not bringing it back to the community.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
I'm curious to know.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
In this climate right now, with all this trade debacle,
one put judgment on about this trade situation the tariffs.
Have you been impacted, are your products being impacted? And
are you concerned about what that could mean for consumers
of Mayel products?
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, so I believe that every sector of business is
impacted by the terriffs, myself Mayo included. Sometimes packaging comes
from China, you know, the bottles that we put our
products in, Our ingredients and everything is manufactured here in
the States. But sometimes there are raw materials that we
pull from overseas. So let's say if there is an
(12:36):
exotic ingredient and we will pull those ingredients from overseas,
and there's a terriff attached to that, So how does
that translate to the customers. Customers will have a price increase,
and that's across the board.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
So we try to say competitive.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
We pride ourselves and being an affordable luxury brand. But
I think there will come a time where a lot
of brands will be increased in their prices because the
price increase that we received from these tariffs has to
be passed on down to the consumer. So everyone's going
to get a trickle effect, because that's business one on one.
You can't operate and sell product if you don't have
(13:10):
the profit to reinvest back into your business, to pay
for inventory, cost of goods, et cetera. Everything is it
trickles back down to the consumer. So if we get
a cost increase on anything, then we have to pass
that cost along.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
U am. I right that it may take a while,
like there may be a lag because you probably have
a bunch of product already.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:29):
Yeah, that's why I said.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Eventually we see brands that will start increasing their prices.
It's not something that's going to happen overnight, but I
do see a trickle down slow effect of prices slowly
starting to increase.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
That show I gotcha, So go get your Mayel at
the price you can Now. I reupped on some the
other day at old time. I was like, oh, yes,
I'm going to be right back. I'm gonna pay some
bills and come right back with more of my interview
with Monique Rodriguez, the CEO of Mayel Organics. Al rightba fan,
(14:01):
we're back. Enjoy more of my conversation with Monique Rodriguez,
the CEO of my l organics and the brand new
author yes of the book The Glory and Your Story,
activating a fearless faith to change your life, your career
and the world being with brown ambition, and just being
so invested and knowing how female founder, especially black women
founded businesses are doing. I think about with someone who
(14:24):
hasn't been acquired and doesn't have a large parent company
to help with the funding, or hasn't raised lots of capital.
How material increase in the cost of doing business can
like put some businesses out of operation.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Have you had anyone come to you. I know that
I'm the worst at combining so many questions. You think
ten years in I would get better at it.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Like whatever, Well, we're going to get there, because immediately
I'm like, wait a second, because you had this angel investor.
I don't know if it's called an angel investor. I
mean maybe just in the literal sense she was an angel,
but the founder of was.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
It Shaye Moisture? Yeah, yes, rachel Aadennis.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
He invested in MAYEU when y'all were in the middle
of some deal where they were trying to ask you
for a crazy amount of equity and your brand and
I'm just wondering in a climate like this now being
with P ANDNG, are you able to turn around and
also support other founders who may be struggling.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Absolutely, And that's to your point, it's really going to
hurt small businesses. I don't want to be a debbie
down or speak negative.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
But I look you to do it.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
It's just reality, right.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
It's the reality.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
And I look at myself ten years ago Vinde's tier
supplied like it would have been really challenging and hard.
But to that point, I don't think that any challenge
is an opportunity for you to sink. It's an opportunity
for you to rise higher. So you just have to
figure out what are some ways that you can still
go around it to accomplish, you know, the skill and
(15:52):
growth that you're looking to acquire for your company, which
may mean surrounding yourselves with mentors, and eventually that mentor
may turn into an investor. So yes, Melvin and I
have invested in.
Speaker 4 (16:04):
Quite a few brands.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
We have not publicly announced it because we just haven't.
I actually just started talking about one company that I
recently invested in, and that's I Best Wines by Ingrid Best.
She's a black owned wine company, and you know, she's
in growth mode. She is growing her company and she's
feeling the challenges of getting capital just to help with scale.
(16:28):
So we recently invested in her, but that is what
we do, So we do invest in other companies, and
I guess we will start being more public with our
investment because we do want to show the community that
this is why acquisitions like this need to happen, because
this is how we can support and give back to
our community and help other small business black owned businesses
(16:49):
scale up as well, because we want to be that
angel investor that we had when we needed it to
someone else.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
So absolutely, you.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Were a labor and delivery nurse by the way, thank
you for your service being incredible, and you created Mayel.
It was really born out of grief, you know, the
loss of your son, who you dedicate your book to. Yes, Milan,
I want to give him his yeah, his shine. As
a MoMA myself, it's very touched by that. So you're
(17:19):
building this brand, you have this background as an RN.
It's not like you and your husband had a ton
of people around you who had also built beauty brands
and you just had this blueprint but you talk a
lot about the importance of your faith in one another
and your faith in general. I mean, could you share
a little bit about how that really you know, in
this moment of grief and this idea, this vision for
(17:41):
this business at the same time, how.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
Did faith play a role in pushing you forward?
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Yeah, faith was like it was my blueprint to help
push me forward because when we were in one of
our darkest moments, I felt that God was using one
of our darkest painful moments to birth purpose. And sometimes
when you're going through pain, it doesn't feel good. No
one likes it, no one likes to go through it.
But I had to trust and believe in God's word.
(18:08):
And believe in God's word is faith that joy comes
in the morning, that he was going to renew my strength,
that he was going to never leave me, always be
there with me and comfort me during one of my
darkest moments, and he was going to bring me out
on the other side. So telling myself that and believing
in his word, it was nothing but by faith that
kept me strong, that kept me moving forward, that even
(18:30):
kept my mind saying for my girls, and to even
give me this idea to.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
Start my yell.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
It was literally by faith alone, because it came from nowhere,
this vision to go online and talk about hair care
on social media. The passion was always there because I've
loved hair care ever since I was a little girl.
But God spoke to me and he gave me this
idea to just start on social media, and that's what
I did, not knowing what it would look like, not
(18:57):
knowing how I was going to learn all of this
because I didn't come from a business background. I came
from a nursing background, which is totally different. But I
told myself that it wasn't for me to figure out
how pieces were all going to come together. It was
for me to just trust, have faith and take the
first step and watch God open the doors. And faith
is a lifelong journey. Sometimes we will doubt ourselves, sometimes
(19:18):
we will question, but we have to be able to
give ourselves grace. And when we are doubtful, you know,
that's an opportunity for us to have a conversation with
God and talk about our weaknesses with God so he
can show up in his strength. And the only way
that I'm able to do that is by knowing and
having faith and trusting in the word that he has written.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
And in those early days, I know that it was
you talk about these when those dots started to get connected.
For example, you said, you guys didn't have a golden
mentor one person who kind of sat you down and
that this is the way. But you bootstrapped the business.
You emptied out your four to one kse, which is like, aha,
but obviously it worked out. We love knowing the end
of the story before we go back to the heroin beginning. Yeah,
(19:59):
and then you just start, you start creating these products.
You sell them first to mom and pop shops near you,
Is that right? And then it was someone at that
mom and pop shop that said, hey, I know someone
who's like a broker who can help you get into
better or bigger stores. And then the Sally Beauty supply
store came it.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Is that right? Is that kind of how it transpired?
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Yes, uh huh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I mean I think that's one of the biggest questions,
especially when it's like you talk about funding businesses and relationships.
And I believe, just like you say, relationships are currency,
They're so essential and I know there's a lot of
isolation out there in loneliness, especially in our community where
it doesn't feel like where am I going to meet
these people? Where am I going to see or find them?
(20:43):
And m M, what would you say to someone who
is wondering that based on your experience, my.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Experience, from my experience, I would just say stop wandering
and just go start going out there meeting people, find
networking events that you can go to and attend. You
can have mentors in your head, people that you admire,
and you can stalk them in a healthy way.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
And I.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
Love a light stocking.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yeah, and not to.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
The point of like you're possessive and you're crazy, but like, oh,
she's speaking it such and such. Let me go and
try to see if I can meet her and give
it my product. Like you just have to just start
doing things and stop trying to worry or figure out
how it's going to get done, because it can cause
what you call analysis paralysis, Like you're sitting there overthinking
and you're overthinking of trying to see, Okay, well I
(21:33):
need to get my product into such and such hand,
but I don't know how exactly to do that, and
it's going to take this step to get to her
and this stuff, and you're going to think so hard,
you're going to talk yourself out of it, and nothing's
gonna ever happen. So that's analysis paralysis.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
I know many BA fan members are right now in
that analysis paralysis. Stage your book again, BA fam, just
to remind you, because you need to go to get
your copy. It's called The Glory in Your Story, Activating
a fearless faith to change your life, if your career,
and the world.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
What a subtitle.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
I'm working on my first book right now. I actually
just submitted the manuscript yesterday. I'm a little bet Oh, congra,
thank you so much. I don't have a subtitle yet,
but I'm just like finding myself really looking at that
point for the book yet. Congratulations to you, Thank you.
What are you hoping people take from the book?
Speaker 1 (22:19):
What I hope people take from the book is really
viewing themselves from a different lens in perspective and identifying, like,
what is the glory in their story?
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Because we all go through stories.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
We all go through pains, trials, and tribulations, and we
have to know that there is beauty on the other
side of that pain, there is glory in that story.
Whatever your story is, your story matters, Your narrative should
be in your control. It doesn't matter if your story
has messy parts, broken pieces. God will put everything back
together and restore. But we have to surrender and submit
(22:54):
and know that there will be power from our story.
But we have to own it and we have to
be able to share it and not be afraid, not
be a shame because your story matters, and your story
can help someone overcome a situation that they're going through,
and we can overcome by sharing our testimony. God put
us through that to share because it is our testimony.
It's been already written for you, and it's nothing that
(23:17):
you can do to change it. The only thing that
you can do is own it. If anyone is looking
for hope, if they're looking to increase their faith, if
they're looking for a blueprint on how to start a
business from scratch and stop self sabotaging themselves, this book
is for you. If you're looking to balance your career
and being a mom a wife, or you're looking to
(23:37):
eventually have a family and not sure like how all
the pieces are going to come together. This book, it
hits on so many different facets of life. If you
experienced childhood trauma, this book is for you. So there
are many different people that can relate to this story.
And from the glory in your story.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
There is a sense of shame sometimes because we're kind
of we can be self conscious about the missteps or
pursue missed ups we took along the way. But how
that's just a part of the fabric. And I love
that you point that out, like you don't have to
be ashamed of it. It's like you're saying, this is
my story, this is a beautiful story, and everyone is.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Right along with you. They're like, great, I love a
beautiful story. This is amazing.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, and no one can make fun of you for
your own story if you have owned it and told
it yourself. And then you also don't give people permission
to make up their own story because now you're hearing
it from my mouth, we do.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Be doing Yeah. How is your relationship with social media
changed since you launched my l I was one of
the early adopters when it was like blown up on
TikTok the Rosemary oil.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Yeah, my relationship with social media has changed quite a bit.
I actually have a love hate relationship with the social media.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
Is a safe space for that.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Yeah, and to be quite honest and transparent with you.
I am pretty glad that I don't have to feel
so tied and chained to social media like I did
when I was building the brain, because I felt like
I had to show up, I had to post content,
stay relevant, and make sure that I'm posting two three
times a day engaging with people. And I have a
(25:09):
problem with engagement with people. But now I'm like, I'll
engage with people when I get a chance to. I'll
check my DMS when I get a chance to. I
don't feel the pressure to have to always respond right
when someone sends me a message, because you can get
to a point where you let social media control you
and dominate your life. And I no longer want to
have that type of relationship with social media because it
(25:31):
is addicting, it can be controlling, and it takes a
lot of your energy, your space, your mental clarity for
you to be a creative person. And I am a
creative so I need to take my mind space from it.
So I don't check social media when I first wake up.
You know, there are some people that wake up in
the morning.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
That's you.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
That's totally fine. You wake up in the morning and
the first thing you do is scroll. I don't scroll
or get on social media maybe till about ten thirty eleven,
and then I try to set my timer or my
social media limit on my phone for like an hour
of scrolling to like remind me, okay, you've been scrolling
too much, like get off. And I also have stopped
(26:14):
like aimlessly scrolling. So now when I go on there,
I'm being intentional. So if there are people that I
want to intentionally check on or like make sure that
I'm commenting and supporting them, I will go directly to
their page and like a few pictures, support them, comment,
I'll look at a few stories, engage with people that way,
check a few dms. But I'm not aimlessly scrolling with
no point or mission. Like when I get on there,
(26:36):
I'm trying to have some type of purpose, even though
sometimes it is purposeless when you're just scrolling. I try
to be mindful of just like the time that I
spend on social media. And also as far as me posting,
I have a team that posts a lot of content
for me with the book because I just don't have
the capacity to do it.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
I'm very free spirited now.
Speaker 1 (26:54):
With what I post I post what I want to
post when I want to post it, don't care what
people think. And I'm not posting because I'm looking for
likes or engagement. I really post and because I feel like, oh,
this is something inspirational that I want people to see.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
And that's why I would really post that.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Yeah, I mean, I wonder, I know. I mean, I'm
in it right now. I'm in that building phase for
I mean, I'll be in that building phase from my
book and from always feel like I'm always building with
the podcast. And yeah, that relationship with social media, it
is it's like a love hates It.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Can be toxic.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
But I feel like what helped me was someone said, like,
you know, you're in control, right, you can control like
what you do where you go. But on the other hand,
you know, just like you've acknowledged, it's a lot of
people building out there who are still feeling like I
gotta drag myself, put a lip on, show.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
Up, like talk to the people. But one other ways.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Besides like showing up on social What are the other
ways that y'all built a community early on or was
it really just word of bounce and social Yeah, no.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
Not just social media alone.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
We would get out there and go to trade shows,
lots of networking events, brunches, any type of women empowerment events.
We had to be out there in the community. Engaging
with them as well. Was a huge part of our
success and building up that momentum for MYO. Because social media,
you know, and especially now, the algorithm has changed so
much where they're only showing your content to a certain
(28:16):
group of small percentage of your audience, so not everyone
seeing your content unless you're paying for it. So that's
a challenge in itself. So can't you can't just rely
on social media to build your fan base. You have to,
like get out there. You have to be in the
community talking with people, telling them about your product, letting
them feel your love and your passion for whatever it
is that you do, and also helping them build trust
in you as a brand founder CEO, because building a
(28:39):
brand is about relationship, connection and engagement and building trust.
And in order to build trust, I have to have
a relationship with you. I have to engage with you.
I have to get to know you. I have to
like you, and that will equate to me trusting you eventually.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
I don't know if you agree with us, But do
you feel like that's kind of our nature as women
of color is to we have this there is a
level of inherent trust among us. Like even how you
showed up today, you're like, oh, I feel good, I'm
that brown ambisioned, like seems like this is for me.
Have you always kind of had that sense of sisterhood
and support from the other women of color in your life,
whether like family, friends, entrepreneurs, mentors along the way.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
It's fifty to fifty yes and no.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
I've had that you know, have supported me, that are
rooting for me, cheering for me. And it's not just
what they say in my face, but I can actually
see the actions or I hear about their actions behind
my back, and then vice versa. I've had women that
you know don't support me or don't like me for
whatever reason. And that's quite all right as well, because
(29:38):
we're not meant to be liked by everyone, and I'm
not a people pleaser.
Speaker 4 (29:41):
I've heard and.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Have experienced women that were, let's say, competitors or in
the entrepreneurship space that don't give or reciprocate the same
type of energy that I give out. And it's quite alright,
Like I just feel like those are just not my people.
So I just redirect my energy into the people that
you know reciprocate that same type of energy me.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
On my end, all I can do is control how.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
I respond to the energy that's put out in the atmosphere,
and I have control over my emotions. And if I'm
presented with bad energy or bad emotions, I'm still going
to give out and be a light and positivity to
that person. I mean sometimes, I mean, I'm human. I
can be a little shady, but I can be shady
and it's still in a positive I mean, or not
(30:27):
in a disrespectful way. But I still will let people
know like just because I'm nice, Like, don't take my
kindness for weakness, but I'm gonna still treat you with respect,
and I expect for at least respect to be returned.
You don't have to like me, we don't have to
have dinner together, break bread, but.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
At least we have to respect each other as black women.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Yeah, and I mean, you're raising two girls, right, and
I just feel like, what is what your oldest daughter?
Is she in college yet or she was about to
go to college?
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Yeah, she's nineteen, she's in college.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
Oh, congratulations to her.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Is she asking you for advice?
Speaker 2 (31:00):
What's happening? Because you are very like accomplished and everything
like that. But does she want to hear from mommy
the founder of Mayel.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
Absolutely, She's always talking to me.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
She's always asking me for advice on how to navigate
and deal with people, dealing with friendships, dealing with women.
You know, it's it's been a little challenging for her,
especially first year in college, being away from home and
just dealing with all different walks of life. So I've
had to sit her down a couple of times and
like give her some wisdom from my own experience on
(31:31):
how to navigate certain situations. I'm glad that she comes
to me because I know that she feels comfortable enough
to ask me for advice. I feel that she takes
my advice and she applies it to her life. But
I'm just thankful that she even is okay with telling
me about situations. But you know, I'm that mom that like,
if my daughter is telling me about you or your friend,
(31:52):
then me and you gonna have a problem because and
I've probably never even met the person. But you know,
I think all moms were. I'm a mama bear. I
think all moms are like that, but yeah, she definitely
comes to me for advice.
Speaker 5 (32:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
I took my kid, I have a five year old
and a two year old and took him to a
birthday party at those one of those trampoline parks. Those
kids are fairal in there, like it's wild, and I
saw some little kid try to push my kid into
the phone pit and the way I was like, Ah,
come over here, get this little boy. You just knalk
my boy down like I'm getting the teenagers that they hire.
I'm like, you need to be on this. He needs
(32:27):
to be ejected.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Yes, yes, I don't blame you.
Speaker 3 (32:31):
Listen, don't blame you.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
You have to take up for your babies.
Speaker 5 (32:34):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Yeah absolutely, And the mama bear energy is so crucial.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
You're also a WiFi.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Your partnership with your husband is so unique, especially because
y'all didn't necessarily set out to launch a business together.
But I'd love to hear just any gems you might
have as far as navigating business with your partner and
how do you I can hardly navigate life as with
my husband and having two kids and businesses like let
alone being in it together.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
It's like, are you good at the end of the night.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Okay, cool, I'll see you in the morning maybe. And
I'm just how did give me advice? Give me free
advice is what I'm asking for. Let me just keep
it one hundred Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
I mean I think that first we have to give
each other grace and know that it's not going to
be perfect, and you will have disagreements and arguments with
your spouse or whatever. You're not going to always agree,
so you have to like say, Okay, we're gonna make
a commitment to make sure we give each other grace.
For us, we keep God first, and we understand that
(33:33):
we have a mission. We have a bigger picture, and
that's impact and legacy that we want to leave for
our family and generations to come.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
And having great mentors.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
That are married, that have been married for years that
can give us sound advice and looking at them as
an example of how they've been able to navigate things
in their relationships and how they have still maintained to
be together. Because for Melvin and I, we realize that
we were husband and wife before Mayo, and we're not
(34:02):
going to let Mayo come in between us. So that
means we have to take our egos out of it.
We have to have a mutual level of respect for
each other and each other's Roland Lane. We have to
identify what are some of our strengths and weaknesses, and
for us, we compliment each other's in areas where I
may be weak, he's strong, and where he's weak in
certain areas I'm strong. So we truly believe that Mayo
(34:23):
will not be what it is today if it wasn't
for us knowing where we were strong and where we
were weak, and coming together and complimenting each other with
different skill sets to build a dynamic duo. He obviously
didn't know anything about hair.
Speaker 4 (34:37):
Products, but I did.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
But he knew about operations, logistics, and finance, and combining
those skill sets together, we've been able to build this
amazing company because we respect each other's gifts and that's.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
What worked for us.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
But again I also tell like, when you're married, you
have to keep certain things sacred. You shouldn't be going
to other especially if you are a married woman. Don't
go to single woman for advice and vice versa for
a man. Make sure that the circle that you hang
around is a circle that's uplifting you and holding marriage
to a high standard because your community is also important
(35:14):
as well too. So I mean that's kind of like
what our code and what we go by and having boundaries.
I talk about boundaries a lot in the book, and
setting those boundaries of what makes me feel good and
comfortable as his wife and then what makes him feel
comfortable as my husband, and being respectful of each other's
boundaries and not crossing those.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
I also think there's something in that I've seen in
interviews where he's like talked about how he's allowed you
to shine. And I imagine I've just heard from so
many other founders who are women that if there's a
man nearby, sometimes it'll be like they'll defer to the
man at the table. And I'm sure, how have you navigated,
if at all, those situations and does he understand that
(35:55):
may happen? And then like, here's how we're going to
handle this as a team.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
So the crazy thing is people think that I'm such
just extroverted personality, but I'm not.
Speaker 4 (36:07):
I am an introvert person by nature. I just weep
out of the world.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Introverts, Yeah, sneaky, I step out of my comfort zone.
I stretch myself and so that's how I'm able to
like be the person that I am.
Speaker 4 (36:24):
And to them it comes off as.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Like, oh, you're this extroverted, friendly person. No, I'm really
like stretching myself and I'm very uncomfortable, but it just
looks like I'm comfortable in the moment. And he is
a more extroverted person, big personality, and that would be me.
I would shy away and say, okay, you speak, I
don't want to speak, but he would tell me, no,
you speak, You get up there and you talk. So
(36:47):
having him push me into different roles and positions that
I didn't even think that I was capable of doing,
Like he would always encourage me when I used to
do panels back in the day.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
I used to be so nervous.
Speaker 1 (36:58):
I didn't want to do them, but I knew I
had to because again, how do people know about your
brand if you don't talk about it.
Speaker 4 (37:03):
And he would give me these pep talks.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
Before it, and you know, just give me just words
of encouragement to go out there and just be the best.
And even now he still like talks to me on
panels even though I'm a lot better I still get nervous,
but he's always there to like reassure me and encourage
me to like speak up. My voice matters, and I
think it's important to have someone beside you that will
(37:27):
not let you shy away.
Speaker 4 (37:28):
And that's okay.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
And he's also okay with stepping aside and saying I'm
gonna I'm okay with being behind the scenes so I
can push you forward and let you shine. And him
pushing me forward has allowed me to evolve into the
woman that I am today.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
That's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (37:43):
I remember, like you know, you see these viral videos
and listen social media. It gets me sometimes and viral
videos of like husbands at weddings and how they'll like
steal a white group of bride's moment or like take
the shine away, and how they say potentially portend like
issues later on. And there's nothing more incredible for me
to see than like a partner who is willing to
(38:06):
shine on their partner and not feel threatened by that.
So that's wonderful. Now you talk a lot about faith,
I have to talk to you about this and I
want to do it with an open heart, open mind.
I'm from the South and I have a complex relationship
with faith myself. And I was listening to an interview
that you gave and you were talking about the importance
in a marriage. The word that you use was submissive,
(38:28):
like how it's important to be submissive to your partner,
and that word triggered something in me. But with an
open heart and open mind, I want to I want
to talk about that because I believe that it's so
important for us to find the intersection where faith can
cohabitate with like progression and feminism and these modern ideals.
(38:49):
So I kind of I just want to chat about
that for a second and give you a chance to
give me your perspective on how submission in your marriage
has helped with your business and with your relationship.
Speaker 1 (39:02):
Well, that's a great question. I feel like for me,
I want to embrace my femininity. I feel that the
stigma has been for a woman to enter into the
business space that she has to take on this masculine energy.
And I think it has also been a trend on
social media for a woman to say, well I don't
(39:23):
need a man, and you know I can do this
all by myself. And for me, I feel that is
a defense mechanism of women who may have been hurt
by men who should have been there their protective whether
it was our father's growing up, a boyfriend, or whatever.
But I don't think that it's in our mother nature
(39:44):
to take on and mask masculine qualities. I think that
being a woman and being in touch with my intuition,
the reason why I'm so in touch with my intuition
is because of that softness.
Speaker 4 (39:55):
In that femininity that I carry. And I never.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
Felt that I had to lose my softness to run
a company. I never felt that I had to be
what some may perceive as a bitch, but they're really.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
Taking on masculine energy. To get my.
Speaker 1 (40:11):
Point across, I felt that part of the reason why
the brand is so successful is because I've led with empathy, compassion.
I understand, I work with women, I serve women. I
feel that I understand a woman better than a man does.
And in order for me to understand women and women
intuition and instincts, I still have to be in touch
(40:33):
with that feminine side. So I don't want to put
on that masculinity. I don't want to own that because
I don't feel that's how God built us.
Speaker 4 (40:41):
I feel that even watching my mom grow up, she was.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Tough and she has some of those characteristics of like
she doesn't feel that she needs a man, but I
know that it came from the trauma that she had
growing up with her dad and also dealing with my dad,
and it caused her to feel like she had to
be independent and she had to carry the weight of
the world on her shoulders. And I just don't think
that we're built that way. So I just want to
(41:05):
embrace who God.
Speaker 4 (41:06):
Created me to be.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
He created me to be a woman, and there are
certain characteristics that a woman have that quite frankly, men
don't have. And that's what makes us special. Like, that's
what makes us unique, and that is our superpower. And
when you combine femininity, your power, and your purpose, that
(41:27):
is a great dynamic du altogether. And we can lead
and change.
Speaker 4 (41:32):
The world by just embracing who we are.
Speaker 1 (41:34):
We don't have to embrace someone else's energy to get
and accomplish our goals.
Speaker 3 (41:42):
Okay, I hear you.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
So as a business partner, does that mean that if
you're like what your husband says goes no, okay.
Speaker 4 (41:51):
No, So let me no actlutely not.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
So let me be clear and my husband knows like
I am not a punk by no means like I
will stand up to him and and like and he
knows when I'm mad. So that and that's the thing
I think when women think submissive, it thinks like, oh,
I have to shrink who I am.
Speaker 3 (42:08):
It's a very triggering word.
Speaker 4 (42:09):
It is a triggering work.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
But yes, the Bible talks about it, right, But to me,
it doesn't mean that I have to shrink who I am.
It doesn't mean that I don't have a voice. It
doesn't mean that I can't speak up. I can fully
embrace being a woman and letting you lead because I
trust you to lead.
Speaker 4 (42:26):
And if I I trust you to lead.
Speaker 1 (42:28):
But it has to be you have to have a
strong man and he has to be a good leader
and protective and he has to be submitted under God
in order for me to submit under him. Because the
Bible talks about our wives submit to their husbands. It
doesn't say like, wives be stupid, or it doesn't say
wives you don't have a voice. It doesn't say wives
(42:49):
just go on the back end, just sit there and
let your husband do everything.
Speaker 4 (42:53):
It doesn't say that. It just says wives be submissive.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
To your husband because he's submissive to me, And so
I can be submissive and you know, let my husband
lead and still speak up for myself because I trust
that he's also guiding us correctly. But if he wasn't
guided or leading us or protecting us correctly, then I
will speak up and I will say something.
Speaker 4 (43:14):
And I'm okay with that.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
So I don't want to confuse like submissive, submissive with
being like a punk, because by no means you have
to be that. You still can be a strong woman
and submit to your husband, but the husband has to
be able to lead properly. Yeah, I mean, and obviously
I didn't know that at that time, but you know.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
He'll prejudice situation. You taught he was like so cocky
and obnoxious.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
Right, yeah, And I think we see that now, Like
even with the issue with Shadora Sanders, how he's been
labeled as being cocky and arrogant, and it's really like
just the world is afraid of a black man's confidence.
You can't be a black man and be confident, can't
be a black woman and be confident. So what I
(43:59):
misconstrued as arrogance was really like his confidence. And I
see that now, because my husband will walk in a
room and not care. He doesn't care who he's talking to.
You don't care if you are big celebrity or you're
just a regular everyday person. He will talk to you
the same and interact the same no matter who you are.
He doesn't care what anyone thinks of him. He's just
(44:20):
gonna be himself. And that is a level of confidence
that a lot of people don't have, and quite frankly,
it's admirable, right.
Speaker 5 (44:28):
Self love is in a way, it's self love.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
Self love Like I stand fully in my body here,
I belong here, I'm taking up space. Yeah, and like
it can be threatening.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
It can be very threatening for those that are insecure.
So like when a sche George Sanders says I'm legendary,
it's intimidating to people that don't, that don't have the
courage to speak up and speak positivity over their life.
Speaker 3 (44:50):
It's a sports guy, I don't really know.
Speaker 4 (44:51):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, my husband.
Speaker 2 (44:53):
All talk about being legendary, isn't what happens when you
get in sports. You have to think you're God.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
Not and I think your God, I don't think, but
you we have to speak greatness over your life.
Speaker 4 (45:01):
Like Muhammad Ali.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
He would always say I'm the greatest, and he was
the greatest, and his attitude could have been misconstrued as
kacky and arrogant. But you should be allowed to speak
greatness over your life. We have to speak life over us.
We don't speak death. So if you're speaking life over
yourself and someone's considering that it's like arrogance, then that's
their own insecurities that they're projecting onto you.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
Okay, yeah, I mean this concept of submission. I'm trying
to be very curious about why I feel certain ways
about certain words or certain I mean, this armchair that
I'm sitting in is actually a trigger for me because
as a kid, when I was growing up, I used
to get so annoyed at my mom because she would
move everybody out.
Speaker 3 (45:40):
Of the armchair.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
It had to be like the father figure. My mother's
married a couple times of the father figure's chair in
like that space. And as a kid, I remember being like,
why don't we get that? Like why don't we and
like it hasn't necessarily done wonders for me because my
husband's like, girl, can I just sit in the chair.
I like having a nice Drea, and I don't even
have an answer for myself. I was just really I
(46:02):
was really like triggered emotionally by that term. And I
appreciate you kind of sharing your perspective. What I'm taking
from this is I am learning. We're eight years into
our marriage. I'm learning the give and the take. It's
like I could do a lot more giving in not
giving in, but like I could do a lot more
compromising and meeting.
Speaker 3 (46:21):
In the middle.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
Yeah, and it's not necessarily like I wouldn't say I'm
submitting because again the emotional tie up of that word,
but that part of being in a partnership I wasn't
necessarily prepared. I feel like I'm part of that generation
of like kids, and I mean we're the same age, run,
the same age, late thirties, but like they built us
(46:43):
up to be women who could have it all, but
they forgot how to also create men who could support
a woman who thinks she can have it all, and
how to do that in a healthy, supportive way.
Speaker 5 (46:56):
Yeah, and that's exactly what it is.
Speaker 1 (46:59):
So I don't want you to look at the word
even if this word, if the word submissive triggers you,
take that word out of it and look at it
as I just trust you to lead. Right, Submissive does
not mean you're weak. It's just I'm trusting you to lead,
and I'm trusting that in your leadership, you're going to
support me and what I do. So if you're supporting
me and what I do, I do have a voice.
(47:21):
I can stand up for myself. I can say that
you're wrong in certain aspects. I'm not going to just
sit down and tolerate disrespect or any craziness, right, because
you're supporting me and you respect me, and I'm trusting
you that you're going to do all of that.
Speaker 2 (47:35):
And that trust has to be earned, like you have
to absolutely, Yeah, you earn that trust. You don't take
it for granted, like, Oh, it's a man, so I
must trust that he will have my best interest.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
Yeah, he has to show it.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
He has to show it. Okay, Well, thanks for going
down that little rabbit hole with me. The book again
is called The Glory in Your Story. Y'all please go
check it out.
Speaker 3 (47:54):
I know you have a.
Speaker 4 (47:54):
Website gloryanyourstory dot com.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Gloryanyourstory dot com. I'll put a link in the show notes.
What else do you want to tell a BA fan.
What else do you want to leave us with?
Speaker 1 (48:03):
Yeah, you can purchase The Glory in your Story anywhere
books are sold and tell a friend to tell a
friend it's a great read. If you have children, you know, teenagers,
anyone that you know you want to bless because this
book will be a blessing to them. You know this
book is something that you should purchase.
Speaker 5 (48:22):
So that was it.
Speaker 2 (48:24):
Well, thank you for sharing your story. I can't wait
to get my hands on the physical copy. I got
a pdf. I don't like the PDFs, but I'm going
to go. I'm going to go to my barns and
note and be like, you need to book. Put this
book on the shelves please. Monique, thank you so much
for sharing your story, your insights, your gems with BA
fam and we hope to have you back on some day,
pushing you so much success.
Speaker 5 (48:45):
Thank you again, thank you, wishing you much success as well.
Speaker 4 (48:48):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (48:50):
Hey, BA Fam, if you're listening to this right now,
if you're checking out the podcast now, if you're driving,
keep driving because that's not safe. But if you are scrolling,
you're having your walk, you're doing the dishes. Can you
do me a favor and just pop into Apple Podcasts,
give us a five star review, and maybe leave some
kind words on the wall. You have no idea how
crucial these reviews matter. And I'm a part of the
iHeart family now, which is very exciting.
Speaker 3 (49:10):
But it's a lot of fish.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
In this big old pond, Okay, So I want them
to know that ba Fan is still writing with brown ambition.
I've got so much incredible content in store for y'all.
We've got Mental Health Awareness Month all of May. So
if you're listening to this now, we're probably already in
the thick of it and Mental Health Awareness Month. So
I got incredible content, some great guests who are going
(49:30):
to be talking to us and offering insights and gems
on gems on gems on how we can take care
of ourselves on the inside so we can get out
there in the world.
Speaker 3 (49:38):
And make money on the outside. Okay, all right, va
fam take care
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