Episode 201: From Sobriety To Sephora | Jenn Harper | Founder & CEO, Cheekbone Beauty
What if your rock bottom turned out to be your turning point? That’s exactly what happened for Jenn Harper, the Anishinaabe founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty. After getting sober in her 30s, Jenn had a vivid dream that set her on a new path: to build a purpose-driven, Indigenous-owned beauty brand that could change the industry and support future generations. In this episode, Kara and Jenn talk about entrepreneurship, recovery, identity, and the hard-won lessons behind Cheekbone’s rise from kitchen startup to Sephora shelves. They explore mindset coaching for women, redefining success, community and social impact, and what it means to lead a business rooted in healing and representation.
“I want Cheekbone beauty to be a soft place for people to land. Our mission is to exude love at all costs, no matter how we’re being treated. We are forcing love out there.”
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CEO & Founder of Cheekbone cosmetics
Saint Catharines Ontario, Canada
How I Built This - NPR Podcast
Powerful Ladies Podcast Episode 170 with Rose Archie
Powerful Ladies Podcast Episode 147 with Daphne Littlebear
Powerful Ladies Podcast Episode 35 with Rosalie Fish
The Warrior Women Liquid Lipgloss
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Follow along using the Transcript
Chapters:
00:00 From rock bottom to business dream
01:45 Getting sober and discovering purpose
04:00 The dream that changed everything
06:30 Starting Cheekbone Beauty from her kitchen
09:00 Indigenous values at the heart of the brand
11:30 Building a B Corp rooted in representation
14:00 Learning to lead while healing
16:45 Why “failing fast” was essential
19:00 The long game of business and personal growth
21:30 Landing on Sephora shelves
23:00 Sustainability and impact beyond the product
26:00 Balancing entrepreneurship with personal wellness
29:00 What she’s building next
This little girl and her little brother. For them it would never be, maybe in a million years, they can't picture themselves doing something like this. 'cause they just met someone who looks like them, who owns a business that's working with Sephora. So that was just such a powerful experience. And so when I think back to my childhood it's, and when I think of raising my own kids, I love that they can see that the really, the opportunities are endless for them.
That's Jenn Harper. I'm Kara Duffy, and this is The Powerful Ladies podcast.
Welcome to The Powerful Ladies Podcast. Thanks for having me. Let's just jump in and tell everybody who you are, where you are, and what you're up to in the world.
Yeah. So my name is Jenn Harper. I'm the founder and the CEO at Cheekbone Beauty Cosmetics Inc. And we are a sustainable, vegan, clean color cosmetics brand.
We are available in Sephora, Canada and soon to be available in JC Penney in the us. And of course we have our own online store, and we're headquartered in St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada. And I am like, yeah. Is that everything? I feel like there's so much. And what am I up to? There's about a million things, but I feel like.
I've just been putting out fires for the last six months and I don't know if that, like I want it to end. It just doesn't feel like it's gonna end.
What type of fires are those? Because I think everyone's dealing with that.
Yeah. Like product related, right? Packaging, supply chain issues, team issues.
Like it's just, one thing after another, and I remember early on someone told me it's just a numbers game, which means the bigger you grow, the bigger. These are gonna get, and I'm trying to, I think, reframe how I look at it, but it's hard. Yeah.
It is really hard. Had you worked in beauty before you jumped into this?
No. Zero experience, which is still, blows my mind that someone who wasn't in the industry and we just celebrated six years this past November. Congratulations. Thank you. And yeah, it feels like just yesterday, but there were certainly, the six years since we launched and about two years of me figuring the things out before we brought the brand to life.
So it's eight years that this has been like flowing through my system and in my space. And there's still so much more to learn. And I do see, every brand founded I look, and when it's an industry veteran doing it, I'm like, oh, wow. They know a crap ton more than I do.
Like it's, yeah. And I'm like, wow. And it's interesting when you talk to organizations like Sephora, they love that because I think they realize how hard this is even though, they do for Canada is I think. A huge advocate. They do love us. They love our brand. They love this story, and they love what we're trying to do, but I think they really, they're used to working with the big players that understand the ins and the outs.
And so thank goodness for their grace and our ability as a team to figure things out really quickly. But I can see why experience is, it's an asset. And then I, at the same time, I love the fact that I came into this. So naive and so Pollyanna that it really brought a fresh brand to the world that didn't exist before.
And those two I, it's really interesting 'cause I think it's both important.
I do too. And I think looking at how different clients have come to me about like where they're struggling and where they're not. There are some people who have. 20 years industry experience and it's really hard to do a startup because you're so used to structures being in place and you're like, wait, hold on.
I forgot that there is no one to do that because it's just me. And then there's such beauty, I think, in, in a novice coming into an industry because like you said, anything is possible and there's no stress of knowing like what it should be. It's just every day we figure it out. Okay. That's the game.
Yeah,
exactly.
Do you ever listen to how I built this, the NPR podcast
Religiously? Yes. Every Monday
I, of course one of my favorite episodes is the Jennny's Splendid Ice Cream Live episode. Just because of that, she's I had never made ice cream, let alone cooked anything before. And so the fact that she's now, has a ice cream empire, she's you can figure it out.
It's fine. Yeah. I wish more people knew that message was there, and I'm glad that you're sharing yours today because if you want to work in a place where you are like, I have no reason to be in that space. It doesn't matter.
I love it. Yeah, I love, it's one of my favorite episodes. There's many, even like Sarah Blakely from Spanx, like she entered at a completely, like manufacturing is like a whole new world.
And yeah, so there's so many, there's two entrepreneurial journeys and sometimes it's interesting people that have had the experience and then just decided to go out on their own. And then there's, I think I call it like the crazies, like me, who were like, yeah, let me enter this and figure this out.
And. I personally have this like huge responsibility. I've given this to myself, but for my community, as an indigenous woman that has nieces and nephews that you know, live on reservations and haven't seen people succeed in the business world, I feel ultimately responsible to show our community that.
For us to survive economically speaking and figure out how to maintain our communities and really sustain ourselves as indigenous people that being able to build your own kind of company is really important for us to exist. And so that weight weighs on me heavily. So regardless of how hard it is I have that reason why and that drive to keep going and keep doing this.
And, I do enjoy it despite I, it's crazy. It's so hard and I'm, I literally cry I think, every other day at some point. But it's exciting and there's a bigger purpose for this for sure.
I think it's really interesting when you talk to people like yourselves who are B corporations, there's something different about heart led entrepreneurs like that.
Like when, that's who I like hanging out with because we're looking at business in a different way. It's this is a vehicle. How do you stay focused on what really matters to you? Versus getting, sucked into the, oh my gosh, we have to grow 10 x and oh my gosh, investors, oh my gosh.
Like all the things that are out there today. There's so much noise about what we should be doing as business owners, how do you just keep that all clear and stay on your path, or is that. A challenge, she'll get sucked into the minutia of how everyone else is doing business.
Yeah. It is it certainly is tough not to pay attention and be like, how did that brand just went from zero to 60 and like what this record amount of time and I think.
The values and principles that we built the brand on are solidly who I am. And even if not, maybe I'm not fully there with all of them yet. Personally, it's what I strive to be. And so as when you're the leader and still in the have the ability to position the brand that way, then I think that makes it a lot easier.
'cause it's, that's who I wanna be, it's what I want to put out into the world. And. Working with investors. 'cause we did take investment in 2019. Thankfully they are indigenous led and we have still been in an alignment since the beginning. I can tell you that. I know, if I was really working with the someone from the regular VC world, we would, not be, I think having the same kinds of conversations, especially like when you become a B Corp, you literally now have an EA legal obligation to people in the planet, and that is to come before profits. I don't know any VC that's having that conversation. However I should preface that with I've met and start to talk to a few because as you're growing.
And our current investors, obviously they they want to see us grow even further. So maybe we need a bigger fund from someone else at some point. And so I've met a few VC groups that are really shifting how they invest, which is really interesting right now at this point in history.
'cause they are talking to organizations that are B Corp. And that understand that they need to invest. Responsibly and think about social impact, or is that something I think the VC world is never really looked at because it is literally capital driven. It's like that, that when you say 10 x that's the bare minimum for these folks.
And, I had some great mentorship just along the way and one of our we were really fortunate to have an I rep invest in our brand for a lot of the research and projects that, and innovation that we're working on at Chief Bone Beauty. And the gentleman has since retired, but he's just just take your time. You don't have to do what you think. He had run his own company at one point and he's you don't have to grow 10 x. That's not how you create a healthy business that has the long view in mind. And if we're truly authentic. To, to my indigenous roots. I think the long view, that's always who we are and what we've been about.
So over the last couple of years, I have had to adjust and be careful what I pay attention to. But it is exciting when, I, I can get caught up in it when you're like watching these other brands just rapid speed and of course, and you're like could I even handle that? Could our team even handle it?
Lots of questions and I think we're growing quickly. This year for us will be a big growth year. And it's a bit scary, right? So you're like, okay, are we ready for this? Can we do this? The our partnership with JCPenney in 13 Loon is probably one of the biggest ones we've ever had.
And it's scary for us from going from where we were to where we're gonna be at the end of next year.
I think you really hit on that idea of growth is amazing, right? That's what we want. That's why we're doing this, and like the sustainability part of it and all the ways that sustainability can be applied it's a different approach, right?
Of how do we keep having this fun? How do we keep making this all work because. The scariest thing is when things take off and you're like, we don't have the product, so now what?
Yeah, and growth is expensive. Like I think that's the thing that I used to, I had no idea how this whole thing worked before, but now I know you just.
Are constantly gonna need a ton of capital, especially when you're scaling
and especially in a product based business. And especially yours. It also has all the, additional requirements of what you need for labeling and approvals. There's, so making a T-shirt is one thing. The beauty world is another animal all on its own, and it's such a fun industry.
And when I moved from working in foot and apparel into working in the beauty space, I was like, oh, this is why it takes so long. I thought take making shoes took a long time. Here's all the extra things that we get to do in this space. It's really interesting. Yeah, stability.
I think
the
average, I had no idea about.
Stability and how long that actually takes. So you, yay, you come up with a product, but it could be a disaster in a month, three months, six months, like it may not be the same thing. So those are things that take a really long time that I know the average consumer in the, in our I never knew. So I don't expect anyone else to know that.
But product development is such a long process and it's costly 'cause of that length. Like you just said, t-shirt, produce, sell it. And you're, it's that cycle of cash flow. It's all coming back.
Like at the end of the day, if nothing else, business is the cash flow management.
It's everything.
Yeah. Yeah. And some obvious, fans of how I built this, there's those episodes where I'm like, I. In my earlier days, I'm like, oh wow, that would be so scary to get there. I'm like, okay, I've been there now. Like I don't wanna be there anymore. Yeah.
I bet there's also a little bit of a like celebration milestone.
Oh, I'm dealing with stuff that they dealt with now. Like I am making it, and this is scary.
Yeah, my husband, he certainly reminds me of that 'cause I turned him onto that podcast as well. He works in for another company. So he certainly doesn't have the, he has his stresses, but not the same.
And he just reminds me, he's they all went through it. I don't wanna go through that. This is hard. Yeah.
When you look back at eight year olds, you. Would you have imagined that this is what you're up to today and this is the empire that you're building?
Not in a million years. A million. I, and it's funny you asked that question 'cause I've shared this over the la last year with so many people.
'cause in last June we had this big campaign with Sephora, Canada that was called hashtag glossed over. And so we visited all the Sephora locations that had physical product and we were at the Eaton Center. And this Eaton Center, Sephora location paid for this massive billboard in the Eaton Center.
You know when you're on the lower level and you look up and it's all windows and they have the billboard there. And I walked in that morning and I'm looking up at that and I was like, oh my goodness. And it was. So emotional because I remember going in there as a little girl, probably any between seven to 12.
'cause my dad lived in native public housing and I would visit him every other weekend or so. 'cause we still lived in St. Cath. I lived in St. Catherines with my mom. And I thought of it, I was like. As a little kid I could, I, that's, this wasn't even that on my radar. That would even be possible for me to own a business that's working with an organization like Sephora.
And something then really special happened that night. We had we, promoted that we would be at that Sephora, we were putting blush on customers in this little anishinabe girl comes in she's Ojibwe like me with her family and she's excited and talking about her TikTok account and, i'm driving home that night and it was, it the, I've said representation matters for years, but I, this is one of those situations where I actually felt it and was like, oh my goodness, this is what this all means. And I'm driving home and I had the realization that this little girl and her little brother are.
For them, it would never be, maybe in a million years, they can't picture themselves doing something like this. 'cause they just met someone who looks like them, who owns a business that's working with Sephora. So that was just such a powerful experience. And yeah, going, when I think back to my childhood it's, and when I think of raising my own kids, I love that they can see that the really, the opportunities are endless for them.
I think it's so fascinating, and I'm so excited to be part of this generation where indigenous women and men are just being celebrated and given space and the impact social media's had on that, to be telling stories and it's just, it feels so good to be able to see it happening, and it's thank goodness.
What's the impact on you on how this shift is happening right now?
Yeah, it's really exciting. I got have in the early days and still part of so many incredible groups with indigenous women that are in business, which is, and it's across North America. And I really think it's just such a, it's such a beautiful place to be and be a part of and see how we're impacting each other.
This is your circle for us, right? Like we, it's this feeling that you're being celebrated. And I know I, and I think it's special 'cause it's cultural, but if you're a part of any group where you feel like these are the people that are actually there cheering you on and you really feel that authentic support, there's nothing like that.
And we all know, and we all have our groups and maybe some of us more than others, I know a lot of entrepreneurs are do things solo and. That's really hard. So I love that there is a network of people that you can call upon and watching each other just be here. Like you just said, I watched a friend who's, she's sitting in a round table yesterday with President Biden and the.
Prime Minister Justin au and I'm sorry, I don't know the Prime Minister of Mexico's name, but it was a trade event and it's just yeah. And they, she said they announced that there will always be going forward at that round table, indigenous women's voices included. And I'm like, that's yeah. That's yeah, of course that should be the way it is.
Have let everyone have a voice for sure. But it's just so wonderful to see friends and people that are in these circles do that. And then. Knowing that these next generations are coming up too and getting like I, because of the speaking, I get to meet so many young people and just hearing their ideas.
I love, it's my favorite thing in the world when, because I knew those, even when I talk about being Pollyanna, those days where you're just so excited about the idea and the thing you wanna start and getting to meet the young people that have those so special.
Yeah. I have a hard time not being emotional when you.
Can see in the moment the impact that you're having. You're like, 'cause usually it's a hindsight that you hear about it later, but when you get that special moment, you're like, oh my gosh. Like this is it in the moment right now, I'm so present that this is, it's a, you really feel that it's, you are a vehicle and you are not the cause of the matter for me anyway.
How is that how it shows up for you? You're like, oh, I'm just here to move, make space.
Yeah. There's been a couple times where. Someone has gotten really emotional speaking to me, and it is still very like I'm, but now I've learned to be like, I'm like, no, let them have their, this is very special for them and I am feeling honored that they feel this way.
It's really truly an honor that you've impacted somebody that much. And that's where I think, like even on like just the everyday scale, think of the ability we have as human beings have. And I've. Said this before, like just smiling at someone in the grocery store like that is impact.
And you can have impact big and small all day long. All year long. And it, and we all have that ability and it's, I think it's about being that example that it's possible to do that on any scale, for sure.
So what was the catalyst that you're like, you know what, I have this crazy idea, I'm gonna start a beauty brand.
I got this. Let's go.
Yeah. The, so my entry into the space. Was the whole story. It stems from sobriety first. Then two months later, I have this dream about native little girls covered in lip gloss. I woke up that night and it was like clear as day that. This is the next thing I have to start working on and didn't really tell anybody for about it for a little while.
But then, shared it with my husband and my family and I think this is the funniest part. I think, 'cause I was newly sober, everyone was just. Let her just do what she's doing. She's not drinking anymore. Because now I'm like, this would be crazy. I was selling seafood like my whole career had been in the food industry.
Who in the right mind thinks they can start a lip gloss company? Or a lipstick company. Like what? So when I think about it now, I'm like, my family was just like she is. Maintaining her sobriety and she's working on stuff, so let's let her just do it. Yeah. And even my son I remember I got invited in Canada to a Canadian Women in Business Roundtable discussion with the Prime Minister, and it was probably about two or three years into the brand.
And my son is I guess this is a real business, isn't it mom? If you're being invited somewhere by the Prime Minister. Yeah.
And I wanna go back to the dream because I think this is really interesting. Is, are dreams something that have been significant to you before? Was this never, so what was the, what was it about that dream that you said, oh my gosh, like this isn't a dream, this is this is a prediction.
So thinking, I think I knew I needed to change professionally, like over those few months. Ob obviously my, I'm in a space right now. I'm newly, where it's like all these things, healing's happening, all these realizations is, maybe this isn't the job for me. Maybe like I, I need something that's less stressful, like the entrepreneurship's less stressful, but, it. So there was all of this newness and like change happening in brewing. And then at the same time, I'm literally in 2015, the dream was January, 2015. And over that period of time, after having the dream and in the dream, the only thing that I remember is these native little girls covered in lip gloss and they're giggling in joy and laughter and then I'm learning about my grandmother's experience at residential school, which as a 38-year-old woman at the time, I had no idea about. And so learning this whole terminology, generational trauma, it's why I'm an alcoholic. It's why so many of my people have addiction issues in my family. It's it was like this aha moment of oh my goodness, this is the reason why.
Like for my whole entire life struggled with accepting my identity as an indigenous person because of shame and then shame makes you sick. And obviously drinking was my sort of the method of how I was dealing with living just in that space of shame for so long. And. Now realizing I'm like, this is not our fault.
This is not my family's fault. 'cause I used to think, what the heck is wrong with my family? They're so dysfunctional. Like I couldn't understand it all. Then I read the TRC report, which is called the Truth and Reconciliation. It was this final report between the Canadian government and survivors of residential school.
I was reading through that in January, 'cause that's when the final report came out and I would read this. At night and just be in awe that I feel, I felt so I guess blinded and misled because it's systematically there's government prime ministers. This is their plan to eradicate indigenous people in their culture and what a, when, you take someone's culture away from them. It's like you're robbing people of who they're supposed to be. And we know what kind of trauma that creates and what it trauma it has created and still exists to this day. So I think the, all of that happening and then this idea of a brand, and I was learn and I was a big fan of Tom's shoes and it was like.
Just starting to understand what a social enterprise meant and possibly could mean or be and thinking, okay, I can create this lip gloss, use a portion of the profits to create a scholarship fund in honor of my grandmother. And these were just all the early ideas. And over 2015 and 2016, my husband's I am like, don't you remember I don't think I watched TV literally for these two years. 'cause I read a hundred books in a two year period and they were on business entrepreneurship, like biography stories and then this also indigenous history. About what's happened in this country in North America, and then globally realizing that, oh, okay, colonization has really messed up indigenous communities around the world.
Learning all of these things and just taking all of that information and trying to figure out a way that, okay, okay, this is awful. This is horrible. I am changing. I feel this change happening to me because of this truth. And so imagine I could share my story, which in a million years I never thought I'd publicly talk about being an alcoholic, but I share it now on purpose for that one person that could possibly change because of hearing someone else ha has got well and then realizing.
My community, my people, indigenous people. We need examples. We need role models. In one of the early first collections of our lip gloss was called the Warrior Women Liquid Lipstick. And we had named all of those after indigenous women that we still have the Warrior Collection now of indigenous women that were doing incredible things.
'cause I kept thinking it was all like, what was helping me? And then how could I help my community?
There's so much in what you just shared. Did I answer your question? That was, it was great. And there's more questions, right? Like when it's a great answer, you're like, oh, hold on, I wanna ask more about that.
I also wanna point out for anyone who's glossing over that, listening to that section that. You to start this business. You gave up alcohol, you gave up tv, you read a hundred books. You dove so deeply into these things that were calling to you that. I think sometimes we get nervous when we want to start a business or we're doing the business and we're fighting with this concept of work-life balance, which is a phrase I personally hate.
'cause having the freedom to go all in. And I did a presentation yesterday for my first workshop for the year, for the group, and. I had a picture on that said lean into, you're crazy. Like lean in dive. If you are obsessed about something, dive in. There's so much power in going all in on something.
And I think today we get so nervous about I'll just try it out, or I'll just stay over here or I'll dabble and. I wanna tell everyone no, you're missing out on the magic when you dabble. Go all in. I want people to be like she's going through a phase. We'll see what happens.
I think
there's this statement that's going around. I think it's mul and not to call it millennials, but millennials are, somebody started it. It's I don't know. And I won't swear, but it says F around. Try it out. F around. I'm like, no. You're not just effing around here, like this is serious.
Like you need to go all in and. And when you're obsessed with it, that's, and it, and people have said, why do you think cheekbone is so successful? And I honestly have become obsessed with this. And that's why it's successful.
And it's, I think it's also successful because it hits on so many of the things that matter to you, right?
Like part of that sustainability component is. Does your business fill your soul? Are you fully self-expressed in creating this business? And I'm sure there are parts of you that need nourishment outside of the work with the business, but the fact that it hits on sustainability, on caring about your community, on caring about future generations, on doing something good and letting people be proud, letting yourself be proud, I hear so much of the Venn diagram that's you getting to check boxes and working on this business. And I think that's so critical of, it's not oh, it's all, it helps me in here. It's no. It covers all this stuff that I care about. And, that's part of the leaning in and getting obsessed.
But it makes it more, it makes it easier to go through all the hard moments because. It just, it's a part of you at this point. It's not something that you show up and do and leave at five o'clock as if that's ever possible.
Yeah, and I did a lot of study in the early years of my recovery on like the attic brain and how.
I read a book called The Power of Habit by Dr. Charles Dewig, and I really began to see that, okay, my brain was created with the ability to create these new pathways and I firmly believe, like cheekbone has helped me heal and stay. Healed, right? That is what is how, because instead of me, this alcohol, the path now became, oh my feel good.
My purpose now is driven in this new pathway with cheekbone beauty. So yeah the two o only exist without each other really. Like they can never live in conjunction and it just wouldn't work. And I'm, I give myself grace at the same time because. I am obsessed, which means I be I'm now a workaholic, not an alcoholic.
And I'm just being honest about that. And, I don't know if that will ever go away. And maybe it won't because of this type of brain I have. And, but I've accepted me for who I am at this moment and in my life. I've given. A lot of thought and time into scheduling and when I have to be with my family, being really present with them, not when I have to.
I do want, that sounded really bad when I want to be with them and spend time with them, that's what I'm doing. And, but it's certainly it is become an a, a session addiction.
Yeah.
And when I'm saying work, I'm talking about if I spend on the weekend reading a book, yes. To me, that's, I fall, that falls into my work life.
'cause I'm purposefully doing it to learn. To, IM better myself or find ways to better the business. And so it doesn't necessarily, it's like you're at the computer hustling that way. Like it's a different, it's understanding that these are all related to life and work and it's all intertwined.
And I think the separation is what confuses us,
a and the fact that there has to be this forest separation. Even if we go back a hundred years, people lived and worked in the same place and you worked until there wasn't any sun anymore. Yeah. Until the daylight was gone. Then you just went
to sleep.
Yeah. No one was like, oh. Farmer John Workaholic, and you're like, no, that's that wasn't there.
And it, and there's seasons, which I love too. Yes. Let's look to history. I love thinking that, and understanding that's such a critical piece to, to us as human beings is that, it was seasonal, right?
So in the summer, in those months where there's more daylight, there was obviously more work happening right now in, in the winter. 'cause there is, I'm I go to bed earlier in the winter 'cause it's just dark and you're cold.
I like bulking things because one, you, it's more efficient. But I like being able to create those like sprint.
And yeah. All right, we're gonna sprint, then we're gonna relax, then we're gonna sprint, then we're gonna relax. And for me, that's a flow that works. And so I love the idea of thinking about looking at it from a quarterly or seasonally perspective of what is that flow that you need as a leader and then your business needs 'cause.
A hundred percent or a thousand percent all the time. We know doesn't work and nobody wants that. But I, I think just to give, if I can give people freedom this year to figure out what that pace looks like for them and for them. And Yeah, and just own it, right? Yeah. You've told your family I love this.
I love you. Yeah. I even tell my team sometimes. I'm like, I love you and I might forget to say hi. I might just go directly into work questions and we can, and just remind me to be a human and ask how you are. I'll probably say it after we finish the work questions, but. I think owning who we are and being like, this is it.
We'll figure it out. There's power in that and definitely freedom, I think.
Yeah, for sure.
There are so many entrepreneurs that I've spoken to that have had some sort of. Woo. Or spiritual experience in their entrepreneurial journey. And I think it's really interesting that you're started with a dream.
Have you also spoken with other entrepreneurs where like something happened, like there was, they saw a sign, like weird things showed up. Have you seen these golden threads where it seems like it's bigger than we are? As you've continued your journey and with other entrepreneurs that you. Are friends with.
So I, the best example I have is I just read the Shoe Dog for the second time over my holidays and I've read it again. I just feel it. I don't know if you ever feel that, like you're like, I know I need to read this. 'cause there's reasons and it was so helpful because you see like the traumatic like.
Ebbs and flows of Phil Knight building Nike, right? And, but at the end he goes through this whole like section of. His, the beginning of his life and the brand and how it all intertwined. And yeah, I just thought it was really cool to hear that from someone else's perspective. So he clearly paid attention to all of those signs.
I don't know. I think I look at things maybe too logically sometimes, but I certainly in my personal life, me and my spiritual side is very important to me. But it's funny how it's I'm never like, oh, this is, can, yeah. I just, I don't know if I, I haven't done that yet.
Yeah, no, just curious because I'm so excited about how this all started by a dream.
I think that's super fun.
And it, yeah, it's it was almost like. I try to say everyone, 'cause I'm like, it's funny you say that, and people are like, oh, she's indigenous. It must have been a vision. And I'm like, no. This was like I was laying in bed middle of the night popping outta bed dream. And all I remember is just these little three little girls covered in lip.
Lip gloss. And I don't know how, I knew it was lip gloss, but they were just giggling. And when I think of now, I'm like, okay, it's the joy. That's for me. I wanna bring joy back to my community in some way. And we look at cheekbone constantly as just. Let's make it a soft place for everybody to land.
Social media is painful. It can be really excruciating. People aren't always the nicest, but still we're, our whole goal and mission here not only about empowering our communities, but we make this a core of who we are, is those values of love and just exuding that at all costs regardless of how we're being treated.
And sometimes it's really bad, but we're like, no, we're just. Like those care bears. In my mind I'm like, we are just forcing love out there.
I love that you're referencing the Care Bear Stare. I have referenced it so many times on this podcast and people are like, I don't know what you're talking about.
I'm like, how did you miss this? It's such an empowering thing. Yeah.
It's those are great, but I was like, I never knew later in life how important watching the care bearers would be to me later to visualize what it's like to just keep sending that out regardless of what's being tossed your way.
Yeah. I also had the realization on last fall, honestly, when somebody asked me like, who were, who inspired me as a girl, and I realized they're all fictional characters. It was like Nancy Drew the Babysitters Club Gem and the Holograms. I'm like, oh, weird, but okay, thanks Sadie's cartoons.
Like it worked.
Yeah. My mom used to think I was singing about me. 'cause my name is Jenn and I would say Jenn is my name. No one else is the same Jenn. But I was saying Gem because of Gem. And my mom used to think I was singing about, I'm like not singing about myself. But even if I was now, who cares?
Oh yeah I'm changing it forever now.
It's now the Jenn song forever. When you think of the words powerful, and ladies, when you hear them separately, what do they mean to you and when they're combined or next to each other, does the definition or meaning change for you?
Yeah, I, the word power it's funny 'cause it's changed for me over time.
'cause I believe we all have power no matter what your socioeconomic status is in life. I think there's so much power that human beings have. And then I think for me then like great power comes from thinking of creation and the creator and just, when you get to travel in different places of the world or just looking at creation, to me is.
Such a powerful experience because I'm always in awe of it, like the perfection of the design and everything that we have at our fingertips as human beings. Like what a gift. And and then when I think of people, I'm like we were created and this power has been given to us as well. And then I think if we're adding women to that, I think of all those groups and spaces that I've been invited into, panels that I've been on, and I, sometimes when you meditate afterwards and you're thinking about.
When I'm thinking about that experience with these people, I'm like, wow. What power? Just to be with these kinds of women that are doing incredible things around all different sectors, industries, and yeah, there's just been meant so many times where I stop and I. You just wanna recognize and show gratitude for how incredible that is.
I've been invited to so many things and it is really powerful to see it come alive.
We ask everybody on the show where you put yourself on the powerful lady scale. If zero is your average everyday human and 10 is the most powerful lady you can imagine. Where would you put yourself today and where would you put yourself?
On average,
I am just a regular woman and I am really happy to accept that. So I'm definitely like just at the zero scale, I feel but I feel like that is, that's enough, right? I think I just want people to understand we're all just enough and have that ability maybe some days when really high points happen in entrepreneurship.
It is a little jolt of a buzz. You know what I mean? And those days are probably when it's like the 10 and then you're like, yep, now I'm just a regular person. Again, back to zero. So there's I don't know, when Sephora called after years is and said, you're going in our store or you're going on our online.
And then the moment. And when JC Penney finally in, in 13 loon and we sealed that deal, those are really those powerful moments. And the times when you stop and you're like, okay I'm just a regular person. But look what we did just over these last few years. And how far we've taken it.
And then. And I just, yeah, I think just, I don't think it has to be this big grant thing, and I think I just, that's really important to me that everybody understands that you can be powerful at that zero.
Yeah. And I love the idea of, oper, we're ze, we're at a zero, and yet we get these experiences.
To see what a 10 is.
Yeah.
And I think part of why I started Powerful Ladies as an organization is I want other women to experience a 10 moment. Yeah. And to because when you feel that it shifts how you come back down to that zero level because you're like, oh, wait, like it, it's like.
I imagine it, this is such a stretch of a, of an association, but when you get to see the earth from space, you can't see it the same way you did before. And I think that's what happens when women get to experience that a 10 moment of a. You. It shifts how you see the zero and experience it and how you operate in that space because it gives you a new element of possibility, like the aperture opens differently.
And I think to your point, you realize that power that we all have the access to tap into. Because it's not, we're not dabbling, right? We're not. We're not playing. And so why not access that power that we all have access to once in a while? Because at your point like, look what we can create, look how much fun we can have.
Look at the impact that can happen and it's just regular old us. Yeah.
I love that you said that. And I think that being the moment people actually get to. Get that, that what could actually happen after. It's that understanding. It's okay to be that here at the regular day, but those moments can help you get to next levels.
I think it's interesting and I, when you, when I remember reading a long time ago why they put public housing around. Other socioeconomic levels in neighborhoods, and it's for that very reason, right? So as much as you, you can see that there's a way out there, it's a possibility because you're living and you're working and going to school with people from all different groups.
And I think it's that same idea. To your point of giving
people hope. There's so much like power in that, right? And people are talking about, someone said recently what if all the politicians did mushrooms? Would the world change? And I'm like, okay. Or we can just focus on making everyday people experience, these 10 moments or 'cause they happen in all different stages, right?
These milestones that shift who we are. And so it's who are the people who haven't had the 10
and then the 10 moments. 'cause you literally have me thinking of the last six years and like the first time, like an article was written about the brand. I went to a 10, and then now that doesn't happen anymore when an article's written, right?
Because I'm just like, but the next things right? The bigger. So yeah, it definitely helps wanting to feel and see those moments again.
When I think sometimes as we're going through the, our life journey or the entrepreneurial journey, you, I've heard this statement of you can't fall back down a stair that you've confirmed and had a foundation in.
So as you're building your business, like you get that, that one article, okay, I can't go below not having an article anymore. And then you keep, it's like it gives you new foundations to, to be experiencing the world from. And I think that's such an interesting. Psychological concept of if we just keep playing the game of laying a new, strong, a new foundation for ourselves.
Everyone freaks out when they start a new business. What if I live on the streets? And you're like, for most humans there are a hundred steps before you're gonna be homeless. Yeah. Yeah. So even if you fall down five of those steps, there's still 95 to go before we get to, I'm living in my car.
So I think these things help us add more steps to our worst case scenario. If nothing else.
Yeah, no, it was so true. So true.
I love that when you look at everything that you've accomplished and what you're creating for 2023. What are you most excited about and what's keeping you up at night and using your brain for creating more goodness.
So I'm really pumped about our expansion into the us Like we, the Canadian market is only so big. And so for a consumer goods brand to, to have access to the, that size of market is massive. And so I'm really excited about next year. And. We're still working on so much innovation and innovation projects that, and how long they take.
So I'm like, will we see results next year? It's like you're in that hopeful stage. We want to, but we don't know. But I'm hopeful that we'll be able to finally make something with one of the innovations that we've been working on, which is really exciting and. Yeah. And just the growth phase that we'll be in next year is very scary, but also very exciting at the same time.
Yeah. So I'm up right now. The, it's all the product issues we're having that were keeping me up, but this week was, we got some good news yesterday and today, so it's good. I'm like, ah, feeling a bit better.
That leads me to another question we ask everyone, which is. What do you need? How can we help you?
This is a powerful global community with a lot of really smart people in it, with lots of cool connections. What do you need? What do you want? How can powerful ladies help you?
Yeah. Oh wow. This is amazing. I think, talking about our brand, if you hear our story, connect with our community on social.
Sign up for our newsletters through the email. Try our products. Tell us what you really think. Just, I think becoming a part of our community would be so helpful. And if you can't do that, I always say just share something that you found interesting about our brand with someone, because that it's all about having more people here and learn about the brand.
Yeah. It has been amazing to meet you and connect with you. I am so excited about what you're up to. I see lots of opportunities for us to hang out and collaborate and panels in the future. But just thank you for taking the time.
I know how busy you are and it means a lot to me that you're sharing your story with this community and inspiring the people that you do. We see you and thank you for all the work you're doing. It's making such a big impact.
Amazing. Thanks for having me.
And before we let you go, where can everyone find you, follow you, and support you?
So we're at Cheekbone Beauty on Instagram. We're Cheekbone Beauty on Facebook at Cheekbone Beauty on Twitter and TikTok. And we're beauty.com. And you can find us. It's sephora.ca.
I love it. Thank you so much and I can't wait to see what you create this year. Thank you.
All the links to connect with Jenn Harper and Cheekbone Beauty are in our show notes@thepowerfulladies.com. If you haven't yet, please subscribe, rate and review this podcast. It is so critical in the competitive market. If you love this, doing that will help us find other listeners like you. Come join us on Instagram at Powerful Ladies, and if you're looking to connect directly with me, visit kara duffy.com or at Kara under Duffy on Instagram.
I'll be back next week with a brand new episode. Until then, I hope you're taking on being powerful in your life. Go be awesome and up to something you love.
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Website: cheekbonebeauty.com
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Email: jenn@cheekbonebeauty.com
Created and hosted by Kara Duffy
Audio Engineering & Editing by Jordan Duffy
Production by Amanda Kass
Graphic design by Anna Olinova
Music by Joakim Karud
