Latest / Skin Anarchy / Allyson Welch, Founder of THYRST Skincare

Transcript

Allyson Welch, Founder of THYRST Skincare · Skin Anarchy

• 0:01
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• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: Hi guys, welcome back to Skincare Anarchy.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: This is Ekta and I have an amazing guest for you today.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_03: I love her line, and it's just such a cool collection.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_03: So I can't wait to introduce you guys to Alison Welsh, who is the founder for Thirst Beauty.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the show, Alison.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so excited you're here.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: Me too.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'm so excited to be here.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's such an honor to host you.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: I would love to get started with, you know, finding out more about you and your background and um what really led to thirst and um all of the all the good things.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um well uh day one, I was born.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just kidding.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, how far back do you want me to go?
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um let's just start with like conception.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like um the Big Bang Theory happened.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, no, I'm just kidding.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: So I I actually didn't come from a beauty background whatsoever.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I started my career in architecture and design, and I was um extremely, I fell in love with how design and art just is such an amazing part of our lives and how much it um how much it just sort of it changes us, it uh it you know, it changes your mood, it changes like your happiness level.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: It and so I loved I fell in love with design early on and I love anything that's like beautiful pieces of art um and creating things.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I've always been a creative, but I also have like a very analytical side of my brain.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: And um the you know, I was when I was working in in my career, I was really excited about working all the time and working 16-hour days and working weekends, and I loved it until um I no longer loved it and I was really burnt out.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: And um so it was kind of around Christmas time in 2016 that I decided that I just needed to start making an exit strategy as to what I was doing, um, and that I didn't want to work for people anymore.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to work for myself.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I I kind of started thinking, all right, well, if I could do anything, like what would I do?
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: And at the time I had been battling with, you know, sort of, I guess I should back up a couple years before that.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um I had started breaking out in adult acne, which was um super annoying because I never had, you know, acne necessarily.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: I had breakouts, so I never had like acne.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: And um I started, I met this woman um at who worked, she actually worked at the La Mer counter, and um she was telling me that you know your skin is like a piece of furniture, you need to put something on it that lifts, then you need to scrub it, and then you need to reseal it or rehydrate it.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: And if you do that process, your skin will improve.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: And she was she didn't the products she suggested to me weren't even LaMaire.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: She suggested some other clean beauty line to me.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: And at the time, um clean ingredients were not like a really big deal.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's a very interesting analogy though that she made with furniture.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like and I'm I'm a very spiritual person, so um I felt like that was super cosmic for me because I mean, whatever you believe in, I don't want to like, you know, preaching.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: No, I'm the same way.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: I am very, very much.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm like, you know, I felt like for me, I felt like for me it was it was like it was God's, you know, um giving me a sign.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: And um, and you know, at the time I was in sales for architecture and design, but my actual like focus and career job was to sell, I sold like interior architecture products to commercial, like basically office space.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so for her to explain furniture as like that and what you know, this it always stuck with me.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, wow, those so profound.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I started using these products and I thought they were amazing, but I was like, wow, this is such an undermarketed um concept.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And why wouldn't people want to like learn more about like clean ingredients that are like healthy for you and use like actual like you know, plant-based ingredients that are like from the earth that you would want to, you know, use on your body.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: And um so that happened sort of midway through my career.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: And then when I realized I didn't want to work with work for someone anymore, I decided that I had fallen completely in love with skincare because I'd been, you know, trying to solve my adult acne for the last couple years.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm like, I one night, like my girlfriend and I who we actually worked together and we were talking about work, and then we were like, I hate working for someone, this is so awful.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what would we do?
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: We were like literally like a full bottle of wine deep over the phone, like just talking about it.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: It was like, oh my god, like we would totally have a skincare line, and um, because she's really into skincare too, and we were like, oh my gosh, we would totally call it thirst, and we would um you know make it all about like hydration and water, and anyway, the that that all those concepts kind of came together for me, and then I decided in December that that I really didn't want to um work for somebody more and someone anymore, and I wanted to start a business.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, uh lo and behold, I didn't know a single thing about how to start a business.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, what technically constitutes starting a business?
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even know.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think anyone, honestly, Allison, like I'm not trying to interrupt, I don't think anyone is ever taught like what goes into starting a business.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_03: I got an MBA thinking like I'm doing it the right way, I'm gonna learn all about business and I'm gonna go to business school.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_03: I learned nothing.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_03: Like when I started my uh my business, I was like, yeah, I that MBA, I'm I just have it to have it.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like right.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it's it's 100% that.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so yeah, so I you know, I'm like this like elementary, you know, person who had just like been at the peak of their career, and I'm like, I have no idea what I'm about to do.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: I don't even know.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: So um I remember I remember one day my dad was calling me and I was, you know, putting my makeup on to go somewhere that day, and he was asking me what, you know, how how's work going and stuff.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: I said, you know, I think I'm gonna start a skincare line.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: And he was like, um, okay.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I don't think he really took that as like a really serious declaration, but I was like, um, no, I think I'm gonna start a skincare line.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so he's like, well, do you know anything about that?
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: And he started asking me a few questions, and you know, of course, the answer to all of those were no, no, no.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: But the the the thing that I that I decided to do was I I I thought about it and I thought I thought to myself, you know, the only thing that I actually know about what I'm about to like in embark on is how to how to be resourceful.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I just signed up for taking like taking a couple classes at a local community college, and you know, the they had like one on marketing, one on bootstrapping for finances.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there was one on uh what was the other one that I took?
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I took like probably like 10 classes that just basically tells you like what's the difference between an S Corp, a C Corp, a sole proprietor, and like these are all words I had absolutely no concept of what they meant.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, I have no idea.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, and I know I I feel like I've talked to so many uh professional women, such as yourself, and I've always like like I was talking to Jillian um Gorman Round the other day, and I was telling Jill, I'm like, Jill, you need to like literally be a professor for business at Harvard.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_03: Because like seriously, like I feel like in the beauty industry, especially, we have such brilliant women, and like you guys could like teach an entire like like more than just an MBA, right?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_03: Like a PhD in business, like for real.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_03: Because like you, I mean, you go through so much, like as a startup, like you go through so much, and it's not just about so much, right?
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_03: And it's it's not just about the business, it's about the aspect of like the personal um you know, toll that it takes on you and like the financial toll and all these things.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_03: So, I mean, I just I I wanted to just chime in and say that because for everyone listening, I I know we have a lot of listeners that can kind of relate, you know, because they're new entrepreneurs, and it's like it's a hard road when no one is telling you what to do.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: A hundred percent.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's literally like the blind leading the blind over here, like you and you don't even know who to ask questions to, and you're like, who can I trust?
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because we're all confused.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we're all confused, yeah.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: And then and then, like, you know, you when I so I start taking these classes, and then they they they actually assign me to like a a small business advisor through the program, and it's all free because you know, they want to support local and small businesses, and but then you know, you you get this person who's you know has some experience um with uh you know small businesses and has experience with you know giving um lots of different brands advice, but they may not know anything about beauty, they may not know anything about um you know what ex what specific nuances of your industry they need to know about and address.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so while there's some basic concepts to starting a business, it's um there's also a ton of information that is really proprietary um to how do I even say this?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's like proprietary to your brand and your journey and your mission.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: And if you don't uh sorry, one second.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Shut the door.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um if you don't, if you don't um address, address like, you know, certain things that you want to do for your business and your brand, and trying to, you know, juggle between giving getting advice from people that have you know expertise in certain areas, but also trusting your own gut about what you believe is the right way, that is a super annoying and long ride on a TV guitar.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_03: No, I completely agree with you.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: And honestly, I'm not gonna lie to you.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: Like, a big reason why I started this podcast, and you know, everyone listening, we're gonna get to thirst in a minute, you know.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: Like with me.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: But like I just want to say, like, you know, big reason I um I started this podcast was honestly to create this network of women that were just smart and we could all like work together and like ask questions, you know what I mean?
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_03: So that's why like a lot of times when I invite you guys on, I'm like sitting here just like asking you about the business, you know, strategy and like the like the nitty-gritty because I think like it is so scary at first and it is very complicated, and you don't know what these were, none of us do, you know?
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_03: It's like right it's it's just like a complete gray space.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that, you know, that's part of the journey of being an entrepreneur.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, you know, we need to just kind of put that out there.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I love that you're talking about this because there, you know, these are the things that I think a lot of you know new startup uh, you know, companies or new entrepreneurs, like especially you know, people who have other jobs, you know, they don't know any of this stuff and they're looking for it on Google, but it's like who's gonna put it on Google?
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's us who put it on Google, you know.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_03: So right, right, right.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's it's um it's a lot.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's like, I don't know, if people that are listening to this, you know, if you're a person who like me, I could be, I could do like a ton of things, and then I it's like once it's all done, I forget that I did all those things, and then like I have so much to do.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: I have so much ahead.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like, there's so much more I have to be doing.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it's it's complicated because there's first of all, I'm the only like full-time employee, and I don't give myself a salary, like I just put all the money back into the business, which that's not something that everyone should do.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know that there's a right or wrong answer to that.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Some people, um, you know, at this stage, I believe that all like all the money that's been invested in it has been self-funded by me and my own, you know, paychecks that I had from my previous career.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it's, you know, you know, I don't, I don't think that there's a right or wrong answer to that.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: If you can afford to pay yourself a salary, then I for most companies that I've talked to that started businesses, they believe that you should take a salary, even if it's small.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, for me, I'm like, I could take a salary.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: I already put the money that's in the business is what I already paid it.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like it's my money regardless.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: But um, my dad does all my finances because that's the one area that I just feel that is it's best to leave to someone who is in finance.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: And my dad was a CFO for years.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: So luckily I was able to leverage that resource um without having to pay him.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: But he's retired, so I'll tell you, it's like pulling teeth sometimes to get him to like sit down with me and work through certain details.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: But oh, I bet.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_03: No, my parents are going through retirement as well, and it's just like they're so done.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like my mother, I think, has found like true like nirvana or something because she like does not want to respond to anything.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_03: Like, she's just like, I'm I'm at peace.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what do you want?
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: I'm at peace, like mom.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: Like so, I I get it, you know, I get it.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_03: But it just, you know, it's it's funny though, because you know, I want to actually move on to the actual brand because it's such a beautiful brand.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, your the styling of it is absolutely stunningly gorgeous.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_03: I love the I love the simplicity, yet the the the beauty of it.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_03: And I think, you know, for me, like skincare is such a special space because it's made by it's not just products, right?
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_03: It's like the heart of a person going into this company that's being created.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_03: Like, you know, like you just explained, like you're putting yourself into the the things that you're making to put out into this industry, and it that carries, like you know, we're talking about spirituality, that carries an energy and and uh, you know, a love, you know, anything made with love is worth talking about.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_03: And that's why I think you know, it's more than just another skincare brand or another beauty brand or whatever.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's the beauty space is so unique because of that, because the creators are so unique.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_03: So I want I want to go on that route with you and I want to talk about, you know, really like with Thirst, like what were some of the things that really inspired you to like, you know, um with the formulations or with um, you know, just the initial set of products that you wanted to come out with.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um so the the concept initially, um honestly, the the the first inspiration was the lady at the LaMaire counter because that piece of furniture analogy really stuck with me.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: So um, and it did actually improve my acne.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: So that was honestly was so profound and it felt like it was like cosmic that it just it led me to um when I kind of got to this phase of formulations and talking to my chemist about what I was gonna do and what I wanted, um, I gave her a lot of ideas about what I wanted the products to do.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: And so once we kind of um, you know, boiled it down, it was like, all right, well, here first of all, she recommended she's like, don't launch your brand with more than four products.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's literally too much to deal with, it's too much cost, and then you're gonna have way too much inventory that you're gonna have to sell.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: And it's so she recommended that and I, you know, I agreed to it.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: And then once we kind of boiled it down, it was like, all right, so we need something, I wanted to do something that was simplified because I felt like at the time I was doing, you know, before I started formulations, I'm like, all right, I've got like 20 products at night, 20 products in the more, you know, in the morning, and I'm spending an hour every day doing my skincare routine.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: This is insane.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I had like bought a steamer and everything, was like doing it in my studio apartment, just like, you know, while I'm typing in the bathroom, like just steaming my face.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, you know, I just felt like this is this is too much.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I had taken a lot of pride in learning a lot about ingredients and stuff, but I learned way more than I even knew was available to learn while I was coming, you know, coming up with the formulas.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: But overall, I wanted to make something that was much more simplified.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: That was like, hey, I want to take like five products that I love and put them into one.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: So that way, that person who isn't necessarily me and loves to spend all day doing their skincare routine, which by the way, I don't really love doing that.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's just like I it was I'm a very habit-driven person.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like I too though.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like I'm like, I'm gonna lie, I love, you know, I think skincare is just yeah, it's it's it's definitely very personal, you know, it's like whatever you prefer.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, you know, I think that, you know, if I could if I'm I'm also like a very efficient person too.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: So even though I'm like habit driven and I, you know, floss at three o'clock in the morning if I'm up, you know, that late or whatever, like I will, I'm very habit driven, but I also like to be really efficient.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so true to form, I was like, I need to condense a product platform with more ingredients within each product, um, but less product applications.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: Because A, even though it's I want to make a premium wine that is um stocked with a lot of ingredients that are really, really effective and it's gonna be, you know, a little bit pricier per unit.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah it's it's gonna cost the consumer less money because they're gonna have to buy less products.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like well, I love that you have like a travel set.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like I love that you have like an option for people to try your entire line without having to drop like$500.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_03: You know, like I think that's very important.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_03: And especially as a small business, because I know that like a lot of small businesses, like you know, startup skincare brands, they're they're like, well, you have to try our range, and it's like, well, no one knows anything about your range yet.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_03: You know, people have to like give it a go.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_03: And so, you know, everyone listening, FYI, Thirst has a beautiful like starter set, like it's so gorgeous, and the pouch and everything is just it's beautiful.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_03: So, like, yeah, like I just love that you've put that out there so that people can be like, listen, you know what I mean?
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_03: Like, just go try it, like try it.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, and that's that was the thing.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I I I also I'm also obsessive about customer um experience.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: So everything about the packaging has um a very special level of customer experience built into it, at least from from my perspective.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: I I wanted the package to um when you get it in the mail, I wanted it to feel like a present.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: When you open up the like perfectly folded tissue, it's like the the product is laying flat in there and it's um, you know, in this like perfectly perched cylinder.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: When you open the cylinder, the the product is sitting almost like a Barbie, which is the inspiration of the outer packaging.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: So it's sitting in this like perched little, you know, cylinder, paper cylinder box, and all the, you know, the tubes are everything's recyclable, but the tubes are plastic and all the droppers are glass and all the samples are glass.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: And it was just really important to me, um, you know, to have this level of customer experience from start to finish, where you the from the first time you ever hear about who we are or who I am, or you know, the website or whatever, and then all the way to the you know, experience of using the product, all and up until the point where you actually toss the empty container into the recycle bin, needed to have a consistent uh level of customer experience all the way.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: And it wanted it to be sort of um, you know, fluid and consistent throughout the the whole entire way.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: And it and the inspiration for that was actually Apple because I think Apple's customer experience, they do a phenomenal job with that, and your expectations of the product that you're about to buy, and your expectations of how people are gonna talk to you when you walk into the store and how the store is gonna look, and it's how it's gonna smell, and um how it's gonna make you feel when you're in there, and it's like all those factors are things I think about when I'm creating something, and and that was sort of part of the the formulation of the actual brand um itself, because I wanted our my customers to feel like, oh my gosh, like there's something so special about this.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: So I try to build that in as much as I possibly could.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_03: No, I mean, I think you did a fantastic job, and the products are actually beautiful, like you know, inside and out.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that you know, it's very important right now, especially for all of us to have a little bit of.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: Luxury, you know, that we can like look at and be like, this is beautiful, you know, because let's be honest, you know, it's not about vanity and it's not about all these things, it's about making yourself smile, in my opinion.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_03: And that's where like the beauty industry for me, like it holds such a special place.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: And like I love new brands, I love um, you know, companies like yours because you know, you can invest in it knowing that like I love the products, not only because they're working for me, but because it's a little piece of like happiness, you know what I mean?
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_03: Like I look at my vanity and I see it, and it's like it makes me smile, it makes me happy to open the packaging, it makes me happy to open the bottle and use my product and you know what I mean, and have that moment to myself.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_03: Like all of these aspects that come into play are so important.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that, you know, by by talking about things like, for example, like the packaging, what we just did, and talking about the design aspect, you know, just these are important things to address because beauty is it's more than just what's in the bottle.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, obviously we want it to work, and it does, you know, your products work, but at the end of the day, we also want it to have this sensorial experience, right?
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_03: We are a product of our senses, and we can't run from that, you know, we can't run from that.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_03: And I and I just hate the BS where people are like, well, you don't need, you know, like all it's just like, well, you don't need it, but you don't need to demonize anybody for doing things a certain way or not doing it a certain way.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_03: Right, right.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I think, you know, like anyone that knows me, would I'm a tad extra.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: I like things a little bit on the extra side.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm I'm a very glam kind of person.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: I love things that are sparkly or metallic or you know, anything like that.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: And so, and I'm but I also love a ton of white space.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like my I come from a design background.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: My mom is an interior designer.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: We use a ton of white space all the time.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: And so that was sort of like part of why the brand ended up being like a metallic copper with white, you know, and it's very minimal because I like minimal design.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um and uh, but you know, another part of this, the another part of this besides the fact that I wanted the, you know, I wanted the the products to work, I wanted it to be beautiful, I wanted there to be a customer experience, but there's another element of all the um, you know, the brand itself that, well, two two things I want to speak to.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: One is um, I think self-care about like related to using products all across the board, whether that's cleaning products, laundry detergent, um, you know, the food we eat, it's all like all comes down to like your health.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I think health and wellness are so important to me, and they have been for my entire life.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_01: I come from a family that that's a big part of our culture, um, that being um, you know, very health conscious, we have a family acupuncturist, uh, family masseuse.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: Like we literally are super, super into health and wellness and self-care.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, I think my grandfather's 95 years old, he's gonna be 96 next month.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think he's uh, you know, he's partly a big inspiration of all that because he's always kind of taught us to um, you know, what you put in or on your body is so important.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, that was that's a huge part of what the brand is about as well.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then the other last piece that I, you know, was developing when developing the brand was um I really wanted to create something that brought women alike, uh, or even not not so alike together, you know.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to build something that like was really beautiful, had this amazing kind of edgy, um sophisticated look and feel all throughout, even the website, you know, all the branding material is is like that.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um but I also feel like I'm a person that admittedly struggles with anxiety and depression.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, I think those uh those types of issues that you have, and and they're mine are mine are necessarily aren't necessarily caused by something specific, it's just like chemical.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, I just think that like it there's a lot of pressure around uh women specifically to be, you know, fit into this narrative that we have to be a certain way, especially.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I live in LA, so it's like it's very um, you know, ingrained in your brain that you have to act a certain way, be a certain way, look a certain way.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: And if you don't look like that, it's like, well, you know, you're not ugly, you're just poor.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: You just need to go fix yourself.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: You need to just go fix it.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like that's really a terrible narrative that we've all internalized.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: And um, it really makes me sad.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: It makes me sad for myself because I internalize that equally and I work on that every single day.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I feel like, you know, I think there's people that are even worse off than than me that internalize that, and that makes me so sad.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I really feel like part of the brand that I wanted, you know, to be a big piece of this was to sort of bring people together in some capacity that um, you know, exemplifies how being beautiful is doesn't mean that you have to fit into a standard.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's the parameters are limitless.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_03: And absolutely, yeah, absolutely.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_03: No, I love, I love that you're bringing this up, honestly.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I'm sitting here just smiling because I really believe, I really believe in your in your message.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_03: I really get can get behind it.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: I think for me as a person, like I'm not gonna lie, like my mother is like the most like like she I she raised me to like never focus on like my outer appearance.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_03: So it was like it had like a yeah, like she's like the ultra, like she's not like a feminist, like she doesn't declare herself as a feminist, but I'm like, mom, like you're like the epitome of a feminist.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_03: But anyway, like you know, she like literally like she taught me, like, you know, make don't put on makeup, you don't need it, like you know, all this stuff, right?
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_03: But it's like at the end of the day, I grew up in America, I was raised here, you know, in the United States.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_03: And and you see your colleagues and your friends, and you, you know, you grow up exactly experiencing what you just described.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_03: And at the end of the day, as women who have now gone into our careers and we've made lives for ourselves, we want to take pride in the things that we have.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_03: And when I look at beauty products and when I look at like skincare, for me it's skincare, I love skincare, you know, like I've never gotten Botox done, I've never gotten anything done because I love skincare and I research my skincare.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_03: And like, and so when I buy something, it's not about just like the efficacy and the whatever, it's about putting pride into things like that look nice on my counter that I can look at, like going back to my point of like, you know, oh, well, I'm using this serum and I love opening the serum and I love the whole experience of it.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_03: And I've I'm taking pride in doing that little, you know, routine and a little habit every day because it brings me joy.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I promise you, for everyone listening, if you look at yourself in the mirror with even a hint of joy in your heart, you're gonna look so much more beautiful to yourself than any other thing.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, like it really it ties in.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_03: It ties in, like, yeah.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I mean, like it's it's it's like when you, you know, and I think like treating yourself to the things that you really love and it you really enjoy, um that's that's special, you know.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and and whatever that is for you, I think that, you know, or for anyone that's listening, it's like that's that's that's kind of what life is all about, you know.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's like you gotta have to, you you have to have these moments where you can, you know, really first of all, treating yourself is basically reflecting on how and giving a message to yourself that you deserve what you just you know gifted yourself.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: And that's that's a really beautiful thing and and positive feedback to be telling yourself that it's like I deserve this.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so I do think that there's just there's something about um you know finding the joy out of out of something like that.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_01: And and and it and that doesn't necessarily always have to be something that you buy, and that could be like I love having a cupcake at the end of the night.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_01: And when I have a cupcake, this is what I deserve, you know?
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's like you want to eat breakfast at night and eat cupcakes for lunch, you do you.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's like I think you should just do things in moderation, but I do think like like treat yourself that get what you deserve, like truly.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: I I do believe in that, and I think it changes you for the better.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, when you when you don't restrain yourself like from eating the cupcake, from you know, having dessert first.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it we have so much pressure on us from society, and it's just like we have to be able to expand beyond those parameters because it's just it's very limiting and it it only just drives unhappiness in our society.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, we've got honestly, Allison.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_03: Like, honestly, no hate to anybody out there that likes like aesthetic procedures or whatever.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_03: I don't care, you know, you do you, but like at the end of the day, like we have a society where you're literally injecting like a toxin into your muscles to relax them so that you don't look older.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_03: Now, why does that tell you?
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it's like I guess I guess like if like you know, and this is this is a tough, this is a tough one for me because I'm like, if you feel, I mean, what you just said is not wrong, but it's like if you're a person who's like, I am so incre incredibly insecure about my nose.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: I have such a big nose and I feel so insecure about it, and I just want to have it fixed.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: My first response to someone that would say that would be like, girl, get your nose fixed.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: Go get your nose fixed.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's like, get like, I am not gonna, you know, like tell someone that if that's gonna make you feel better.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: But I think that I think that the the truth of the matter is, is like you really just have to examine what it is that you're doing something for.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like, if you want to go get a Brazilian butt lift, I'm not gonna tell you that I'm not, you know, I'm not gonna shame you for it, but it's like what what's the reason why you want to do that?
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want to look like Kim K?
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_01: Or do you like what what's the reasoning behind something?
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: If you're walking around and you're like, I have this insane bump on my nose and I don't want it anymore, and it's it makes me so insecure, or you have this giant mole on or birthmark on your face, totally understand.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: Go do it.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: If it'll make you feel more confident and, you know, like I I say just do it, you know.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, do you like at the end of the day, do you do what makes you happy though?
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_03: Don't do what makes other people around you happy.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_03: Like, that's my biggest concern.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_03: It's like I'm not against anything, I'm not unlike you, like I'm all about you know, empowerment, whether you're a man or a woman.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_03: I think people, human empowerment is absolutely crucial in our world.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_03: And like I'm all about, you know, just like you said, if you want to know this job, absolutely, just make sure you do your homework, you go to a good surgeon, you're an item.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, like those kind of things.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_03: But at the end of the day, what scares me is that the people just push things, you know what I mean?
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_03: They're just like, you have to do this, and you have to, this is the next big thing, blah, blah, blah.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_03: And it's just like, I don't like that aspect.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_03: And that's where I come in, where like, you know what I mean?
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_03: Like, that's where I get very, very uh sensitive and I get very scared because you know, we have we live in a society now where everything is medically available, if you think about it.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_03: And I love that.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_03: But at the same time, there's not enough information.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_03: And that's why I made that comment earlier about, well, I've never gotten Botox, I've only done skincare.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_03: Because to me, as a as a medical, you know, like a medical professional, like I have been taught from day one, always go for the non-invasive option.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_03: When you're dealing with patients, and I think in general in life, go with the non-invasive option.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like try things that might work for you.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_03: Don't don't always go under the blade.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you don't need to always.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_03: Sometimes you just need to like explore and do things.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's where like, you know, I'm really trying to tie this in because that's the importance of skincare products right now.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's the importance of finding things that are topical, that are clean, that are good for you, they come from nature.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_03: Just give it a shot.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm not trying, no pun intended, but you know, it's genuinely.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's just it's better to take care of yourself and to know that you've done everything that's good for you, like, you know, it in the most basic ways than to just follow a celebrity or whoever you're following, blind, you know what I mean?
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, oh, 100%.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's like if if you, you know, if you're like, I'm gonna do this because like I think you just have to ask yourself, what's the reason why you're doing it?
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: If it's because you, you know, if you're having like lipo because you feel like you're overweight, it's like, well, okay, that's a short answer to like not working out and um eating better, you know, and it's just like I just think that, you know, I just think there's some things that are, you know, you just need to question yourself and every person's different.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_01: And the the nuance of whatever it is for you is like, I just encourage people to dig deep on that and and realize that it's like, yeah, also like there's a whole narrative about you know, in our society that's like everybody should be looking younger.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, you don't need to look younger, you need to look good for your age.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_01: That's what that's really what you're saying.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_01: Because when people are like, I don't know what I don't know your age, it's usually because it's like, well, there's so much, so much happening on your face, whether you got a you know, injections or a facelift or whatever, it's like I don't know your age, but I'm like, you seem older, but I don't really know because of all the things that are happening.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm not saying that in a way that's like, oh, you look so spectacular, you know?
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, exactly.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_03: And I and I think that that's such a is such a phenomenal point to bring up because you know, like for for me, like, you know, I know that like I've I've met people that are like, oh, well, you know, I'm gonna they've tried to guess my age and they either guess too old or too young.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_03: It just depends on the day, I guess, you know, and how much sleep I've gotten.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_03: But it's like at the end of the day, I've never for me, it's just like it shouldn't matter to anyone, like it shouldn't matter to me what anyone else perceives me as, as long as when I look in the mirror every day, there's something positive I see, you know, and and at the end of the day, that does not come from external validation.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_03: It will never come from a doctor or your plastic surgeon saying, Oh, you look great, or this is what you need, or your best friend saying that.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_03: It's gonna come from you doing things for yourself that are just truly self-love and self-care.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_03: You know, yeah.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_03: And that and that's why I'm such an advocate for for skincare.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_03: Like, I like I have I you will not believe, Alison, like how much like like just just controversy and just so much like you know, questions I get from my medical colleagues because they're like, Well, why don't you push dermatology more?
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, I am pushing dermatology because by saying, you know what I mean?
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_03: Like what I'm trying to tell my listeners is you have got to give a give give things a chance, you know.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not saying go overboard, but you have to like find a brand that resonates with you and give it a go, you know, like trust people.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_03: And I think when you look at like if you're somebody who really enjoys like you know, luxury and simplicity and design, but like beautiful, like check out Thirst, you know, your your website, it just it says it all, you know.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_03: As soon as you go on to thirstboody.com, you can immediately tell, you know, is this brand gonna resonate with me?
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_03: Is it not?
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_03: And then go from there, you know what I mean?
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_03: It's like you don't have to check off every box, every brand doesn't have to check off every box.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, it's just a matter of giving consumers the options.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_03: That's my point.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_02: I agree.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_02: I totally agree.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, I I don't wanna I don't want to go overboard, but I I do want to mention everybody, you know, I mentioned the website, but your your line is beautiful, Allison.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's just I think you've done such a great job because you have simplified a routine for everybody to really kind of get behind, you know.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_03: There's for everyone listening, there's a serum, there's a moisturizer, there's an oil and an exfoliant in the collection.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_03: And it's just it's such a simple routine.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_03: And the even the website, I love that you have it laid out um under how to use our products, you know, the AM and PM routine.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, everyone listening, definitely go check out the website.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_03: Allison, you're so awesome.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for coming onto the show.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I love yeah, no, this was so awesome, and I and I love talking to you, and I'd love to have you back anytime.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: And again, everyone listening, I'm gonna tag everything in the concept art for this.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_03: And I would love for you guys to check out the brand, leave some feedback, and yeah, definitely if you have any questions for Allison's team, leave them in the comments.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_03: I'll definitely pass them along.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_03: But thank you so much.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_03: It's been lovely speaking with you.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, you too.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_03: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 38:57
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• 39:02
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• 39:04
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• 39:19
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• 39:30
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• 39:34
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• 39:36
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• 39:40
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• 39:50
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• 39:56
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• 40:01
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you.