Aspire with Emma Grede - Success Requires Letting Go of People’s Expectations of You (Jackie Aina)

Episode Date: June 2, 2026

Jackie Aina has been building in public for 17 years. She didn't just grow an audience, she helped define what it meant to be a Black woman with a voice in the beauty industry. But influence was never the end goal. After nearly two decades as one of YouTube's most recognized creators, Jackie took $250,000 of her own money and started a fragrance brand. Not a makeup line — a fragrance brand. Her childhood dream. The first thing she ever did that nobody asked for. In this conversation, Jackie sits down with Emma to talk about what it really takes to go from influencer to founder and why the two have almost nothing in common. Jackie shares: Why six million followers doesn't mean six million in revenue — and what creators get wrong about turning an audience into a business How she self-funded Forvr Mood with $250K, sold out six months of inventory in four hours, and nearly had a breakdown closing the laptop The vendor relationship that looked like a smart start and took over a year to untangle What she had to unlearn about being "the strong one" — and why doing everything is actually a disservice to everyone around you Why she deliberately didn't build a makeup brand, and what it meant to finally do something just for herself What's something you've outgrown — even if other people still expect that version of you? Drop it in the comments. And subscribe to Aspire with Emma Grede so you don't miss what's next. We'd love to hear what you think. Please take this survey to help us make the show better for you: emmagrede.com/survey To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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It's about choosing things that actually support how you want to feel. Go to symbiotica.com slash aspire to get 20% off plus free shipping. That's C-Y-M-B-I-O-T-I-K-A. com slash Aspire for 20% off plus free shipping. Jackie, welcome to Aspire. Thank you for having me. I am so, so excited to get into this chat today because if I know anything about you

is that you don't hold back, my love. I don't, girl. You don't. I sure don't. Well, don't hear. That's not why we have you here. I'm like, dang, am I in trouble ever? Absolutely not.

Quite the opposite. All I need you to do is just tell the truth and you're going to make all my dreams come true today. It's how I can do. I love it. Jackie, you have been in the content creator business for 17 years. I really want to know what's changed most about Jackie over the years. The things that they don't tell you about becoming successful is that you know how people oftentimes say like, oh, you've changed. I don't find that insulting anymore because I've actually realize in my personal experience that when you build something great, it's actually the

people around do that change. They don't want to admit it, though, the way that they perceive you completely changes. So I've had to, in a way, remove personal Jackie from what I do as a business. Like, personal Jackie is locked away and tucked and harbored and shelter. That's for like my man, my family, my loved ones. But sometimes, girl, even family, like, things change. Like, people change. You have to keep your personhood intact for yourself, but I've learned that like the stuff that I experience is not personal. And the less I take things personal, the better I am at like mentally and emotionally handling this job. And I'm proud of that because I didn't think I could do it, girl. I really don't think I could do it.

I'm changing my question number two already because I, first of all, I didn't expect you to say that. Really? But if someone who's built their career, you know, primarily and in the beginning, on being an influencer. Like, you know, your whole thing is that you're authentically you, that we're getting to know you. So how have you managed to lock a part of you away? I come from actually, like, a really good advantage because when I started my channel,

my first ever social media was YouTube. Well, when I started doing this as a career, it was YouTube. But I was teaching people how to do makeup. And I was only talking about makeup. So if you really think about it, you're watching my videos. You only see me from the collar up. you have no idea who I'm messing around with after hours. You have no idea what the rest of me looks like.

You have no idea where I live. You have no idea where I sleep. You don't know what my house looks like. So it was very easy to keep just that side of me. Like it was always strictly beauty and I kept it that way for a long time. So it was very easy as I started to realize like, oh, this social media stuff is like, we're really becoming like the new celebrities. I really, I didn't really sign up for that.

But you had that awareness. You felt like we're becoming. the new celebrities. Yeah, very early on. I would say probably like year five. Interesting. And it was like a little bizarre for me because I was like, I don't know if I love that, but okay, like, sure. Well, I feel like there's just so much debate around where influencers belong and where they don't belong. Where do you stand? And is there anywhere that you don't want to see an influencer? Well, technically, no, because before you're an influencer, you're still a profession. Like I was a professional makeup artist. So you're for damn sure not going to tell me I can't

work behind the scenes too. I happen to have followers, but I'm still a working professional. And there's so many people like, technically someone could say you're an influencer, not by trade, but like by way of what you do, by posting and sharing what you do. Like you do influence people. You do ads on your content. So like you're technically doing that too, but you're still a brand founder and entrepreneur first. So I think it's a bit odd to say influencers don't belong. It's certain spaces because it's like, well, if you have a profession but you happen to be an influencer, then how can you technically, it would be like telling a plastic surgeon that they don't belong in the operating room if they're also, if they also have two million followers.

It's like, I mean, listen. How does that? I don't know. I think you're right. No, I think everybody's kind of an influencer in a way. You don't buy it. No. I mean, you don't want to have a conversation.

This has been my job of 17 years. It's like, you don't want to debate this with me, honey. It has been your job for the longest time. Yeah. Obviously, algorithms change, right? And your relevance has really remained. And so how have you managed to stay relevant for 17 years? So to go back to your original question is I'm not just the content.

Like, I teach people valuable skills. I really centered, for a long time, I really centered, like, education. So like product education, how to, like, people were really coming to my channel on my platform to learn something. When we would talk about stuff like colorism or getting a launch and having it look ashy and showing that on camera and then being like, why could you not think of higher, like as a multi-billion dollar or whatever conglomerate or brand, how would you send me a PR mailer and not think this is not even remotely her color?

That became part of your niche. Like you would call people out if they were doing things that seemed where there was a lack of thought that that would be your thing. You'd be straight on them. Yeah, kind of because like, I mean, we should state the obvious, you know? Like, I don't know. You see, it's a little awkward. At what point did you realize that it was beyond content that you actually had a real business? Honestly, this kind of gags people, but like five. Really? Really? Because I think the perception was so different, right? I feel like a couple of years in, you were like such a go-to and such a name, but like five years before you were taking it seriously or you had the money. And you had the money.

need to just like make that your thing? I think it was like, okay, I should probably get like a manager. I should probably get like an agent. Like I should probably have representation. And also I think year five, it was like, what am I even doing with this? Like, girl, is this a hobby? You have these $100 worth of cameras and lighting. What are you actually doing with this?

Like, if you can't quit your day job, this is still fun. But like, I think you should decide one or other, like, we got to do something with this. Because otherwise it's like a waste of time. What was the moment for you when you decided, all right, it's time to quit and it's time to make this my full-time job as a content creator? Probably when I was living in Kuwait. So when I was living in Kuwait, I was making, well, at that time, I was bawling girl. Like, I was making. What about you're talking about? What are you talking about? This is actually so sad. Like, I don't even want to say the dollar amount.

You better say the dollar amount. Don't be coming on a spy or not talking about the money. It was a lot of money for me. It was also, it was also tax-free, though. So it was a cute little moment, you know, like, we're talking, like, you know, a couple of hundred grand. Not even that much. Not even that much. Okay. That was bawling to me. Wow.

Yeah, that was ball. That was like really good. So when I was living in Kuwait and I was making like tax free money, I was like, I'm going to figure out this YouTube thing. I need to figure out. Like, I need to, like, this is fun, but I really need to hanker down. And also, I was still doing professional makeup, by the way. So I was still a working freelance makeup artist. And I was also doing makeup in Kuwait as well.

But I was like, I need to invest in my creative path. Like, I really need to put my best foot forward. I feel like I'm not going to be able to sleep at night if I don't at least try to pursue this on a serious level. Not just for fun, not just as a hobby. So it was that year. Yeah, it was like 2012. And then I decided that I was going to put a bunch of money aside.

And in order to like make my family happy because half my family is Nigerian. And they're like super very academically driven. So in my head, I thought, okay, in order for this to be like legitimized and like not embarrassing, like, I have to have some type of credentials. I have to have to have something. So I was like, I'm going to go to cosmetology school and I'm going to just, that's going to be like my legit. It's going to feel like I'm legitimized in a way, right? So that's what I did. I was in Kuwait.

I had this job. It was a contract. So it was like one year. And then when my contract ended, I came back. And I had saved like 15K. Yep. And it went straight into my education. And I went to Vidal Sassoon in Santa Monica.

and I became a licensed cousin's hotges. I love that you mention your heritage and your background because I think maybe being the eldest of seven to a part of your black and Nigerian family, how do you think that prepared you to actually run a business? I feel like now that I'm like pushing 40, Emma, like I'm turning 40 next year. This is crazy.

Well, I'm gag, though. I'm not all those people. I'm not going to say, don't look it, babe. No, listen, I'm excited. Like, I already know it's going to be like Jackie 4.0. This is like my ninth life. So 40s is really about to be popping. But I genuinely feel like I'm at an age where I have a better understanding of what my familial position, how it both bettered me and also in some ways.

Like I'm like, wow, like I shouldn't have taken on that much when I was so young. So I'm like more self-aware of that now. And I think part of that comes probably like getting older. You're just like, wow, like, that was kind of messed up. Like it made me who I am. But like, damn, like, why did I have to go through it? about that. You know, it's kind of crazy.

Say more. What do you mean? Just like the whole concept of like adultifying young black girls. But I don't think when I was younger, I was able to recognize that. No way. I think it was just like, oh, you know, like that's just. And then also like black women, like, we really carry strong, especially when you're younger as like a compliment.

When you're young, everybody wants to be like more mature for their age. Everybody wants to look older, be older, give them more responsibility. It's like such a flex, but not looking like I'm like, I miss out on a lot. Like it makes me like kind of. sad. I think I'm truthfully able to be a better leader now because I'm now recognizing

actually I should not do everything. Like I have no business doing everything. I'm doing a disservice to everybody around me if I try to take on too much all the time. Yeah. So I don't want to do everything. I don't want to be looked at as somebody who's invincible and can take it all and handle it all. No, I can't. Like, I'm able to like say that's not my portion.

That's too much for me. Or you know what? Like, and this is very the antithesis of Jackie 15 years ago. Jackie 15 years ago was like, I'm going to do this and I'm going to do everything. And I'm just like, actually, I don't want to do everything. And I'm like, cool. Like, I'm cool with that.

Jackie, give me the highlight real, right? So it's like you go to Kuwait, you come back. Give me the quick version of your trajectory. So my graph line really looks more like, I'm going like that. You're like, it's a dip. It's backwards. But that's even useful for people to understand.

No, I'm just going to. telling you, this is... From the outside, it feels like this. Yes. But I guess when you're in it, that was anything but. Emma, I'm telling you, I've had like nine lives. Like, people are really like, you're only 30s, eight. They're like, how the hell did you accomplish all that? And I'm like, yes, like, I was in the trenches. Like, you were in the trenches. Because I've read some stuff about you and I was like,

no way. First of all, you were married young, right? I was married young. You were married young. Twenty, two, twenty-two. Just stupid. Married and unmarried. Quickly. We're just going to go, pumpo. Thank God. Okay. Moving on. That was when I started my YouTube channel, though.

Well, you know, it led to something. Yeah. That was my starting a music channel. Literally. So I think a part of that, like at the time, what was really unique for me is because I was like so unhappy at that time, I was searching for a creative outlet. And so YouTube gave me that. The sad thing is, is like that was at that time the only people that were nice to me,

were people that were online. Literal strangers. It was like, I was that down bad. And wait a minute, at what point were you in the reserves? Because I feel like, didn't you spend like eight years? You were married and a makeup artist in the reserves out here, disappointing the Nigerian family because you just want a doctor. I mean, there was a lot going on.

So take me back to what YouTube was like in 2009, because I don't think that you can even compare. No, it's completely different now. It's a different world. It's completely different out. The makeup world was really niche. It was, you were just kind of like, at the whim of like whatever was viral.

Like it was kind of a thing. But then 2008 was when the girlies started like doing makeup. And so I was like, oh, what's this? Like the girlies started like putting it on. Like, oh, this is a community. Because I was the oddball in my family. Nobody was a glam girl at all. Like it was strange.

Like it was very strange. But, you know, because I was the oldest and I knew that my parents needed me, it was like, not too much boo. Like, don't let me wear this lipstick. Let me do what I'm doing. Exactly. So I was kind of like the creative one. And coming on YouTube, I was like, wow, I didn't know people love makeup as much as me. So I really, really took to it. But I didn't see a lot of darker skin women. So what I was basically doing is I was taking looks that I would see like white women doing or like Asian women were doing with like lighter complexions. And I was like interpreting it on my skin tone. Go to it. And so my friend would tell me, why don't you film that kind of stuff? And I'd be like, like, girl, bye. I'm not, like, I was just not interested in being on camera whatsoever. But then eventually, like, considering how sad I was, like, offline, I just was like,

you know what, I really got much else better to do. So why not? Why not? Yeah, so I just started exactly like that. But the community, like, I actually missed that about social media. The community aspect was so much more pure. And I think there's something to be said about doing something where you have no idea you're about to make money outfit very different motivating factors. Totally. So I really like vived with people because there was

no incentive. I really love the community building aspect of that. That has always been the focal point of why I enjoy this job. And also why you're so good at it. Because I think that shows, right? It's like you actually build a real community. And people often ask me like, what is the test? How do you know if you build in a community? It's when they're talking without you. And I think that you have this group of people that were just like obsessed and infatuated with you and what you were doing. And they went off and had their own conversations and like we had conversations together. And to me that's like the real spirit of community building. You were sparking conversations and then they were happening outside of your platform.

You were informing a kind of like a generation and a whole group of women into thinking about things and having conversations that maybe they weren't happening. At what point did you actually start making real money? You're six. Yeah. Okay. Here's something to think about. Most people have one or two big reoccurring payments that just leave their account every month and do nothing else for them.

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Find reality gaze wherever you get your podcasts. How has it changed to actually build an audience? Like, what's the difference between when you were doing things in 2009 to like now in 2026? So to an extent, I think I probably experienced this joining TikTok because, you know, on TikTok, they don't care who your mama is, who your daddy, is. They don't care if you're a NEPO baby. They don't care if you have 14 million followers on YouTube. You better earn your spot here and we want to hear your voice and we want to know why,

like why are we following you? Every platform's very different. Like they have a very different point of view and they have a very, I think they require a different type of voice depending on what platform you're on, if that makes sense. And you can, how do you ascertain that? How do you figure that out? You honestly just have to like fumble. You have to flop. You have to post things that don't work. You have to post things that do work. I'll tear all this shit up. And And start from scratch, like, I don't care. I literally do not care. I love this.

All right, so tell me what this looks like. When there is, like, a new platform. So it's like, talk to me about TikTok. You are just going to literally test and learn and tear it up if it doesn't work. Why not? Nobody is above learning something new. Nobody is above 30 views. Okay.

If only 30 people, talk to them 30 people, boo. 30 people is better than nothing. Sorry, like, I just feel like anything can be a community. Two comments. Hey, girl, how are you today? I, when people, like, message me and they're like, how did you, this is like one of my favorite things to talk about, by the way. But, like, we were like, how do you grown eyes? How are you grown on?

And then I just go on their page. And I'm like, all right, well, 1,500 people watch your video. You only had 10 comments. You didn't respond to none of them? Girl. Or, sir. You couldn't talk to 10 people. What are you going to do with 5,000?

Please, try getting a video with 10,000 comments. How are you going to handle that? No, you need to talk to. boots on the ground, talk to people. Like, if you just genuinely enjoy talking to people, you're not really going to care if it's 200,000 views or 13,000 views. So here we are. You have this unbelievable career.

You do a lot of really impressive grand deals and partnerships. You grow the platform. You really get to, like, this unbelievable presence on YouTube and as an influencer. And you decide that that's not enough. you. It's never enough. It's never enough. But I think it's really interesting because you really want to kind of take this visibility that you've grown and turn it into value, I'm imagining. I feel like there was a point in my career where I really felt as a consultant like I was making money for everybody else but myself. I was taking a consultancy check and everyone was making

millions of dollars out of my ideas and I was like, wow, I need ownership. Was there a similar a turning point for you, like when you decided to set up your brand, like, at what point did were you just like, I've got to do this. I don't have a choice. Yeah, it's so crazy because what you just described, I've never heard anyone else talk about it like that, because that's how I felt too. And I don't fault it because I do think it's good. Like, in my instance, it would be like collaborations, which in a way is kind of consulting with the brand, right? Because you're creating a product, but except my names on it. I'm like the talent associated with it. Yeah, you're like, oh, I sold that much. Interesting. Love that for.

for me. And it's very gratifying, but it's also like, wow, that makes me feel good. And it also, I think, speaks to what I'm capable of. Now, unpopular opinion, I don't necessarily think this means everybody needs to be an entrepreneur. I don't believe that, especially if you don't feel led to starting a brand of your own.

However, I was always a fragrance girl. And when we started Forever Mood, I actually thought you're probably going to laugh at me, Emma, but I actually thought it was going to be like a passion project. Like I thought it was going to. I didn't center fragrance in my content. Right.

And there was something else at the time I was working on that would have been more aligned with what people would have expected of me. And it was like right before COVID, like me and my husband, Dennis, we were just like meeting with manufacturers and having very like bottom level blaze conversations about Forever Moon. It didn't even have a name at this time. This was like 2018. But genuinely, I thought it was going to give, like, hobby. I thought it was going to give, like, passion projects, fun. Really?

Nothing about this is fun. Like, I love it, but it's my girl. I was so, I was genuinely so naive, so naive. And I also thought this is going to be, like, practice for the other thing that I was working on at the time. But at that point, and I want to kind of go back almost before we go forward, because you had, done a lot of big brand partnerships. And I want to really understand how are those, how are those brand deals structured? Like, were you making enough money out of those? Or were you really just getting paid a one-off fee and then, like, having to walk away from those

things? Some of them were royalty structured. So some of them were both, actually. They'd be, like, a flat fee and or royalty. But the biggest ones that I've done were like Two-Face and Estasi Beverly Hills. So they were structured slightly differently. But, yeah, most times they're like a sum and then you go off and do your thing. Because what I'm trying to understand is, were you making enough out of those that you could have almost continued to do that? And what was the impetus to really start something yourself? Just creative control, like not feeling like I'm always giving a part of me to someone else.

And I think, you know what? I think also just looking at the state of the business background that I've experienced myself, like working in the military, working corporate jobs, working in retail. I'm like, well, you know, if I don't like how bosses treat their employees and how they, you know, other companies that get criticized, structure their companies, and there's something that I feel like I can better, like I can do that with my own. Totally. You know? What do you think creators need to really understand about the difference between the two things, about collaborating with somebody else's brand versus starting something yourself? Well, this is the lesson I have to constantly remind myself.

When you collaborate with a brand like two-faced that's backed by an Estee Lauder, they have a built-in marketing machine behind them. All you have to do is say, I like this and they snap their fingers, it's global. It's everywhere. When you start your brand, yes, I have my voice. I have influence. I have people who are going to support me authentically and organically. But you genuinely start from scratch because it's like, I don't have two-face money. I don't have I have money, but it's definitely not anywhere near the capabilities of these legacy brands that have been around for decades.

And a following alone doesn't build a business. I try to say this all the time. Like, it doesn't matter. No. It doesn't matter if you have hundreds of millions of followers, tens of millions of followers, a million followers, 100,000 followers. It's like it's product and a business. Exactly. And like does the product fill a void?

does the product revolve around you? What happens if you get X out of the business? What happens if you get canceled? What happens? You know, like, what? Yeah. I don't think people think that far ahead. What did you have to unlearn in the transition

from influencer to business owner? Probably this, what we just said, about the marketing thing. When I'm talking about a new product launch, today I could be talking about Mabelene. Next week, I could be talking about Patrick Ta. But if I'm always talking about Forever Mood, sometimes people are going to be sick of it.

So I can't be the number one marketing person in a way. I have to be really strategic and I have to be really smart with how much I talk about my brand as a founder because otherwise people will get like fatigued. Yes. Well, because nobody follows you to hear your business updates. Exactly. Right? And I think that that's why influences as a platform are kind of an imperfect system because we follow,

I don't know, the rock to follow the rock, right? Yeah. Not to hear about Taramana or whatever it is. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? And so it's almost like this imperfect system. And in a way, you have to look at your grid and be like, okay, then I'll talk about it there and there and there. And for a brand, you need to be always on.

A brand needs every day. A brand needs, you know, constant contact with its audience. It is a bit of an imperfect start, but it's a start, nevertheless. It is. But you know what? I'm so glad you said imperfect start because when I start something, the average consumer who's aware of me and knows that I have a lot of and knows that I'm successful is going to expect kind of like the Amazon rollout.

Yeah. And it's like, but I'm still like even I literally had to explain to someone, hey, we are still a small business technically, legally. Like we are still small business. In every way. But it's like they don't, they don't think because it's me and because I have a lot of followers, they see the business, like they see me and the business interchangeable. They think six million followers is like six million in revenue.

I don't know what, like kind of trust with people. So when you start something, if you're somebody that is like new to the industry, not a content creator, doesn't have a lot of followers, you know, you get a little bit more like, okay, they're a new brand. They're still working out the kinks. But girl, if you have six million followers, you better figure it out. You better figure it out yesterday. I want to hear none of that. Well, because there's also, you have people watching it. So let's talk about the start because forever mood you decided to start and you weren't thinking about it as like this big business. How did you fund it? Did you have to go out? and raise capital? Did you self-fund? What did that look like? Because I feel like I read something somewhere in my research that was kind of along the lines of it was kind of difficult for you to raise because there had been like complexities with maybe things that you'd said in the past or done in the past or brands that you'd worked with in the past that made it even more difficult for you as a black woman to go out and raise the capital to start this brand. Now I don't actually, like I can't prove that,

but sometimes I do feel like, hmm, are you punishing me? Did I drag one of your brands? That's fine. I ain't going to stop, though. No, I'm just kidding. But no, we are fully self-funded up until now, still fully.

We have not chosen to be self-funded, or you felt like it was just impossible to raise capital? We've had conversations, but like nothing has really materialized just yet. I'm sure one day it'll probably happen, but we fully took a good chunk of money to start it. And it's so, it's crazy because, one, it was way more expensive to launch the brand than we initially anticipated. And then because, I don't know if I'm supposed to say this.

Don't say, if you ever go comfortable saying it. It was like a quarter of a million. Yeah, that's it. I mean, it's a lot of money. It's a lot more than I thought. It's a lot more than I thought. It's not a lot of money. But I think it's really important for people to understand because it was your money.

But also it was like, my neck on the line. This is what I'm saying. It's your money. It's your reputation. And it's not like you have like a lot of quarter of a million to just put into things willy-nilly. So it would have meant an enormous amount to you. So this was like, 1,000% money that you had basically made that you were then

investing in yourself. Okay. Collectively too. Like it wasn't, I don't think that some was like the first week. You know what I mean? Like collectively like within the first year probably. Yes. But because it drips.

That's how it goes. Yeah. I know, I know. But also we had to completely restructure because when we started the business, Emma, like what we thought was supposed to be or was going to be like six months of inventory basically sold out in four hours.

Which is a good problem, but a problem nevertheless. Frightening. Yeah, frightening. I looked at Dennis and I was like, close the laptop. I was like, please. I literally felt like I was going hysterical because I was just like, there's no way. But you must have at the same time being like so, so happy.

be. I was scared. You were scared. So tell me, what did the business look like in the beginning? Like, what did you do? It's you and it's Dennis. And talk to me about the product and how you started. We got introduced to like a, I guess we said like an incubator, like a manufacturing company.

So they already had been creating candles for themselves. They had their own brand. And then they were doing it for other companies. And they were like, yeah, we'll just like, do it for you, white label. So we're like, okay, great. Like I can pick all the fragrances. I can customize. And they were like, yes, absolutely.

we already have the team in place, like everything's already in place, whatever we do. So it was a good arrangement until it wasn't. And I will say it was a great start. Okay. What wasn't good about it? Because I feel like this is the trap

that people walk into, right? It's like somebody knows something you don't know. Yeah. And they can provide something that you desperately need and you're like, great, let's go. But what did that look like when it went wrong? When it went wrong, very apparent that there was a severe lack of transparency about things they should not have been

not being transparent about costs. A lot of things. Like it would be like, oh, we're capable of doing this. And then they were very much not. So we ended up like, it's like a divorce because you like go into business directly with them and you're like married and your finances are intertwined and your day-to-day lives are intertwined and you were like friendly with their employees. And then when we decided like, okay, I think it's time for us to just amicably try to work our way to something that has a bit more structure in place. Oh my God. It's not just like a month of going your separate ways. It took us like well over a year. To untangle yourself. Yes. And then we had a warehouse with them that we went into business with with a five-year lease?

Oh, oh, what do you wish you'd have done differently? Not that. Not sign that contractor. We did not need that building. But isn't it so, it's so hard in the beginning because you're trying to find a trusted partner. I mean, look, what I've done in the past and I've had good suppliers and vendors and bad supplier and vendors, and I would say almost every business that I've had that's

been successful has started with a vendor partnership, a software. Applying partnership that has just stood the test of time. And it's so interesting because I remember it like it was yesterday with Good American. And still to this day, we are almost nine, ten years down the line. I am still making, I'd say 20% of our assortment with the factory that we started with because they were an amazing vendor and amazing supplier. But you don't always know what questions to ask. You don't always know how to vet that person. You don't always know the personality. that are involved. So I guess you guys just fell foul to inexperienced. Like, what do you talk about to? Yeah, well, yes. And also, like, most of my background was working with, like, beauty and cosmetics.

So asking my fellow founder friends, they would, you know, they didn't have as much knowledge to pass along in terms of working with fragrance, candles, specifically, vendors and that aspect. So we just kind of had to, like, take a bet. But, you know, I got to, I got to take my own advantage. advice, like, I was never going to launch if we didn't make that mistake. And so, listen, it got you out. It got you in the market. Yeah. It was a start. You had an amazing, you had an amazing start. One thing that I've learned building businesses is that having a great product is only part of it. The operational side, site optimization, data, the work that keeps everything running. It's its own job. And most founders aren't experts at it. That's where things can really

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like we find our own footing first before we like just get thrusted. Because Sephora actually, Sephora was like knocking on my door years before we started working on Forever Mood. Because they heard I was working on other things and they were like, we just want to know what Jackie's working on. They were like excited and eager to work with me, which I really like because they really do put their money where their mouth is. Their commitment to really putting the 15% in the 15% pledge starts even before the products.

exists. Like they don't play. They do not play. No, it's the support and it's the infrastructure. It's the mentorship. It's the guidance. It's the, you know, the seminars and the meetings and the get-togethers and the advice. It's like they really walk the walk and talk the talk. They for sure do. And I'll give them full credit for that. And I know not everybody has the same experience, but I think in the grand scheme of retailers that really put their money where their mouth is and support founders, they really, really do it. Yeah. What is getting on those shelves actually require for you guys and what changed operationally after you were in

Sephora? Ordering way more product. So that was like a big adjustment because it was like, well yeah, like we get high volume orders on our DTC website, but like it's different when you're in a retailer, way different. And then also, you know, Sephora, they want you on kind of like on a calendar. So and they're like two years out sometimes and it's like, whoa, girl, we're trying to recover from the last six months, boo. Can I catch up? Like, it's, it's a, you're a baby business. You're a baby business.

You're a baby business. And they're ready to go. Yeah. One thing I love about Sephora, though, is they love, you know, they love it in the kitchen moment. So they love sitting down being like, we just want to know what you're working on. Like, we just want to know what's on the pipeline. So that's really exciting.

And that has allowed me to think a lot more forward in terms of launches and stuff. And to be way more proactive. It definitely felt like it lit a fire under us because, We had to quickly learn how to adjust to work around the retail calendar, retail. Has it been lucrative in what you imagined it would be? I went into it, not expecting it to be that, no. And in fact, I did not want that to be the majority of our business. And to this day, it's still not.

Say more about that. Why not? Because I need ownership, boo. Like, I need to, like, I need to know that people are coming for us. So the byproduct of going to a Sephora is, like, you love us and it happens to be a Sephora. But I want the customer who's pulling up and buying, because if it's out of stock on Sephora, if your product's not that great, you're not going to be excited enough to go straight to the website and order it. But when I like something, if it's sold on Alta,

if it sold on Nurtium, I'm finding that product. Of course you're finding that product. I also think it's a really good note for anyone that's building a brand that a single retailer destination brand is not a brand because then you're at the mercy of that retailer, right? And has nothing to do with just Sephora. It's the same if you're just Nordstrom or just alter or just anything. It's like you have to have a diversified offering. And I think that we could name countless brands that have all their eggs in one basket, meaning that they are entirely beholden to one retailer. And guess who runs those brands? The retailer. And you have no leverage. Not the owner, not the founder. And so that is just a recipe for disaster.

Yeah. Talk to me about what you think of recipe. for a successful creator brand, given what you know and where you are? I think personal detachment is really important. So the answer to this will probably very depend on who you ask. But, you know, some people love being front and center and the face of and the name of. And I don't think that's a bad thing.

But I do think that comes to challenges, because then you quite literally are the brand. But I and Dennis, my co-founder, really wanted the community to be the brand. What's your aim? Like, what are you trying to build? What would you wish for this brand? I don't need a billion dollar valuation.

I don't care. Like, my standards are lower, Emma. Like, honestly, I don't, I don't care about that. I don't. Yes, I think that more founders shouldn't care about that. I don't really care about that. I think it's wild where we are right now, because most businesses don't get billion dollar valuations.

Most businesses are not unicorns. But that doesn't mean you can't make a really good living, employ people, have a nice life, make money off of them. Like the two things can be true. You can have a business that's not worth a billion dollars and it still be a great business. A great business that you can pass on for generations.

I want to continue to build a company and a brand that really fosters a healthy work environment that centers community, that also centers luxury that's still attainable and like aspirational. because that was also the thing that like really motivated us to start forever mood is I felt like everything was either too kitschy or like

way too out of reach and there was nothing in between. I really wanted fragrance to be like a little less stuffy. Like fragrance, you know, like back in the day when we buy fragrance, we would go to the mall and you'd have this like strange man with pants that were too damn tight putting a little fring on a little blotter and being like, smell this and it's like, girl buy, like I'm just trying to go to Zara. Can you please get out of my vates? You know what I mean?

Like it's not fun. there's nothing like, I don't even know what, what are you selling me? And I wanted to create a completely different experience for the average fragrance consumer. And I feel like we've done that really well. And I want to continue to do that. Because as much as you can say you love perfume, most consumers, and I don't say this to be insulting, I'm saying this like factually, like have no clue what it means if I say something is yelang yelang for, like they don't know what that sounds like. They know what smells good. Yeah. That's why. the name of the brain is forever mood

because every single thing we launch really centers like how does it make you feel? Is there any part of you that cares about the money? Like forget the billion dollar brand thing. Like how focused on building a real business that is worth something or brings you money, are you? I love money. That's the best part. But it's definitely not, I don't think that's the motivating factor in general.

I think if you're motivated by money, you'll just do anything. Like, you won't have no standards. You'll just do anything for a check. Is it important? Hell yeah. Especially as a woman. Like, some people were like, oh, my God, you're so. Poverty is traumatizing.

I ain't going back. So I'm going to put every single thing in place to make sure that if I'm not, especially if I'm not enjoying this, because this job is hard, kind of make money. Yeah. Like, I'm going to, I like money. I don't feel bad about saying that. I mean, I'll be a billion. I mean, oh gosh, every day, I feel like, especially with content creators, you know, like,

you're supposed to be relatable. You're supposed to be humble. And those are great things, but that's not the only part of me, you know? I know, suddenly saying, I don't think it's just for content creators. I think it's more specifically for women. You know what's so crazy? Like, you're made to feel really bad when you're poor because you made poor decisions. You aren't leveling up in life.

You probably didn't have the ideal education. You also can't pay rent. You're constantly crissed. And I didn't grow up in a household where I was raised around a lot of financial literacy. That's why I loved your episode, Melody Hobson.

Oh, because I live for, like, teach them young. Like, yes, girl. Like, I really respect that. That was the exact opposite of my upbringing. But you're made to feel terrible when you come from a certain, especially in this country,

when you come from a certain socioeconomic status, it's all you, you just haven't worked hard enough, you haven't done this. and then you make money, I'm still supposed to feel bad, girl, buy, please. No, I've already, I told you,

I came from the trenches, I'm not going back. But it's like a mental thing in a way because it's like, it's your fault if you're poor, but then if you make something of yourself, you're a terrible person, absolutely not. Absolutely not. What do you think when it comes to kind of like

financial and legal lessons, what has been critical to protecting your longevity? Because again, you've been in the business for a long time. Do you think there were things that you learned or things that happened that have kept you safe and have kept you like where you are in a good position? I have to say, shout out to my man, girl, because his background in investment banking and his background in finance in general has truly opened my eyes to so much.

I remember there was a time where I was going to give away a really big. equity share of the business in exchange for working with someone who at the time, because I didn't understand what that really meant. Like a staff member, you mean? Kind of, yeah, basically. And it was huge.

It was like 40%. Oh. And what they were requesting... What were you thinking? Why would you have done that? I thought it was like, oh, well, if I work with them, is that not... Dennis was like, hell, no.

And then I was like, okay, well, what would be more sensible, like 20%. And then he was like, okay, what's 20% of $400 million? Do you think that's worth what this person is doing for you currently? And I was like, oh, no, not really. And I was like, oh, that's really like, it really came. And you know what?

He also didn't make me feel embarrassed for like not knowing stuff like that. Because I didn't know, like, I genuine, this was before we started, by the way, this was like before the brand existed. but I didn't really understand what equity meant in the long run. I didn't understand. I think I didn't have a big understanding of like what they were asking for. Like they were trying to sink their teeth into me. And he was just like, no, it doesn't work that way.

And now these conversations, instead of them being like, should we talk about 20% equity? It's more like 0.5? That sounds fair. I'm like, oh, okay, yeah, all right. Maybe we're hiring a consultant and like, they make some of these consultants, they make a lot of money. They make a lot of money. Hundreds of thousands, but let's talk maybe what an equity share could look like, you know?

So that is the invaluable stuff that I've been able to learn over the years. Thankfully, just being able to do this with someone who knows better and understands, like, what these parts, like, what does this stuff actually mean? and what are you giving up? You know, like, what is this person really asking for? Do you have a team around you? Because I'm assuming more in the influencer days, you would have had a manager and an agent and a publicist.

Like, what does that look like now? And what has the shift been from the content created days to you being a founder? It's really scary. There's a lot of teams. There's a lot of teams within teams. There's a bunch of different mini teams around me. And, like, as of recently, I've had to learn that, okay,

a lot of these teams are not. communicating with each other and we got to be all on the same page. It was really an adjustment for a while because there is so much support. But at the same time, it's a lot of working parts that sometimes are not always moving together. So I feel like the past two years, I've been learning how to like, okay, let's make sure that the machine is like all, like everybody's writing in the car together. Yeah. And who runs your business today? My business as in me, myself. Both actually. Who runs like when it's you yourself and when it's forever mood? I mean, it's essentially me and the teams that work around me.

So me, like I have editors. I have a producer. I have a, like I said, editing team. They're all working around me and they're all working in support of me. Right. Basically. And then in the business, are you the CEO of the business? No, hell no.

Dennis is pretty much like operations manager. Got it. CEO. And it'll be. probably like that for the foreseeable future. Yeah. Am I wrong in thinking that there was a pullback around your social media presence at some point? Yeah.

This came up earlier, right? Yes, girl, this was necessary. This was, I was going through a midlife crisis. So it was like 2020, it was the year we started for every mood. Yeah. And obviously the world was shut down. Nobody was leaving their houses. Nobody was going anywhere.

The world was in like a state of crisis. So, and then also like nobody was wearing makeup. So it just felt out of place doing YouTube tutorials at this time because it just felt like a little weird. It felt a little inappropriate, you know? But then I still had my audience being like, no, this is escapism. Like you should still keep uploading.

But it just didn't, it didn't really feel appropriate. And then that was when I realized, oh, I've actually like never taken a break from YouTube ever. And that's not necessarily. normal. Like at that point, because this is 2026, at that point I had been on YouTube for over a decade. Wow. And I never... And you've never taken a break. No, because... What is never taking a break look like? You're uploading how much, how frequently? No more than two weeks. Wow. So here's what happened. I took a year off from YouTube, but then

I'm a creative person, so I still wanted to do something. But I was like, okay, well, I love all these like cleaning tutorials and I love home decor but I've never really like because people people on YouTube do not like a pivot they do not like a rebrand they don't like when you do girl go put that damn lipstick back on like I don't care what vacuum cleaner you using I didn't ask so I never really felt like I had the freedom to do something different but then I was like oh okay well you know like what if I started a separate Instagram account where I can do everything non-makeup related and that's what I did and this is this is lavishish. This is lavishly.

Lavishly, yes. Lavishly, Jack. So in 2020, I was like, you know what? While I'm not doing YouTube, let's just do something different. And it was also, I think it was also more cathartic than I realized at the time because I wanted to start doing more luxury content. And I went into it knowing, okay, this is going to rub some people the wrong way. And that's okay. You don't have to be for everybody.

But I think at that point, I had already acknowledged, like, I don't really want to be for everybody. Like, it's okay. you know, and also, like I said before, like, I had always been the makeup girl. So I kind of feel like, well, you weren't married to relatable with Jackie anyway because I always just talked about makeup. Totally.

So this feels, I feel like I'm allowed to kind of go out there. Yeah, you're allowed to evolve. You're allowed to change. Yeah, I do feel like I was allowed to do it. And I think starting that separate Instagram account was like, okay, let's keep my core audience intact. And for everybody else who wants to dabble in something different, You got something new over here.

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betterh-elp.com slash aspire. Talk to me about, I think it's such an interesting time in history, actually that you started forever mood because it was like post George Floyd this unimaginable thing had happened and the ripple effects of what that meant in our country from a political and economic point of view but more in culture and specifically in business and black business was kind of unimaginable and I've spoken to so many brands I see I see it in many many things that I'm involved with and invested in, that they had this, like, unbelievable kind of start trajectory or uplift in their business that fell off in an unbelievable way. Did you experience any of that? First of all, nothing could have prepared me for the uprise of support

like that. Like, I had never seen anything like that. But I'm going to be honest with you, Emma, as quiet as it's kept, most people don't really credit the way that they should. I genuinely feel like, and you know, people can disagree, but I genuinely feel like the makeup community was kind of like years ahead on that specifically. I agree with you. I agree with you. You mean like black creators support in black on brands? Like prioritizing?

It's not a debate. I think there's actually data support in it. Good. The kind of lifestyle wellness, beauty makeup. community as a whole was way quicker than anybody years before. And people before Fenty, like some people

say that Fenty, I'm like, no, but we were at grounds that were like it was actually like everything that led up to Fentz, that's why Fenty did so good. I remember one time it was me. It was another creator, Alyssa Ashley. Another creator, Alyssa Forever, if I remember correctly, we started this thing called the Bomb

Challenge, Black-owned makeup brands. And we literally had to explain to people like, hey, like black-owned makeup brands are not just for black people. We saw that conversation in like 2016, 2017. It was that early. I think it was like 2016.

Before 2020, before. So actually like 2020 was just kind of like catapulting. It was actually kind of like gratifying to see because it was the first time I've seen non-black people really say I'm prioritizing spending, you know, from a black founder. And it was just like, oh my God, like that became our norm in a way. So. But it came and it went, right?

I think it's some, for some reason, I don't know what it was about. 2020 that it peaked like that and then dropped down so bad. And it was just like, we were doing so good. We were doing so good. And to answer your question, we experienced definitely not as severely as a lot of other brands. But yeah, of course, naturally like, yeah, we definitely got. And we also remember we launched in 2020. So we had that meteoric rise. And then all of the stuff that had been happening socially, politically in 2020 had drove people to want to like reactionarily support brands. But that's like, I don't want that to be the only reason. Like, I don't want you to just be giving me a pity. You know, like, like, I want you to like the product.

Do you like the product? Do you like the product? So how are you thinking about building and steward in this brand towards what and, and how in the future? Definitely being a global fragrance brand, continuing to disrupt the niche fragrance space, because that's what we are. We are a niche brand.

Great space to be in. It is. You can launch weird stuff. You can know a tomato candle. And people like, yeah. Listen, like, there's a community for everybody. Oh, for everybody.

For everybody. And also, I think that your space has become really competitive, but what it's shown is that there's so much room for, and when I say alternative, I mean, like, the non- big box, big brand fragrances, right?

Like outside of a Calvin, an Adolce and a Chanel and a Dior. Like people want their more individualistic in the way that they come to, you know, wanting to show their, you know, personalities. And I feel like you have a brand that's in a space that is growing like so quickly. There's so much appetite for it. So you really can build whatever type of business you want. I feel like we're in the like, if you know you know era.

Right. Okay. Do you want to be in the if you know you know era? Well, I mean like what I mean is like, oh, like if they were a scent, people are very into like this is like my signature. It's gate cab. It's like it's not a brand that's on every shelf. So people are kind of like into that vibe right now, especially especially in the frictional fragrance girls at our core. Sometimes we were a little snobbish about our signatures, what we love. And it's really fascinating to see that because the opposite of that is like, oh,

buying the fragrance that's like wildly popular. But if anything, I feel like now, people are like, no, like I want it to be a secret. We're definitely not a secret. But you get what I'm saying. Is it going to plan? Is this what you imagined when you were back in your influencer days or even when you like decided, right, I'm done with this influence in? I'm taking a break. Is this what you imagined when you said, I'm going to start a business?

I never thought that this one would be the one to take off like this. at all. But that was when, again, that was another, like, big milestone for, like, younger Jackie, who's always had to, like, put everyone else first, who's always had to, like, do what my parents told me to do or do the respectable thing, like, go to college. Because also, I don't think you mentioned this, but, like, I was supposed to go to school and be a pharmacist. I dropped out of college at year two. I think I just assumed because... Yes, girl, that was my 50th life. I think I imagined. I was supposed to go to Mexico. I was supposed to be a pharmacist.

Your parents weren't dreaming of YouTube for you. Child, they were dreaming of that white coat, boo. No. You were like, no, that's not what I'm doing. No, absolutely not. But starting forever mood was the first time I really did something that I just wanted to do. It wasn't expected to me. It wasn't necessarily something that people were asking for.

They were asking for something completely different. Yeah. They were expecting. No, you were supposed to just have a makeup brand. I was supposed to have a makeup line, of course. Totally. And I was like, no, I'm actually going to do this. Just kidding.

I'm going in another direction. I'm going to do this. And even if it feels like, I still want to do it. I just want to try it. I just want to say that like I need, I will sleep at night knowing that I did my childhood dream. Because my literal childhood dream was having a perfume brand. How do you think about, and listen, you're extremely young, but how do you think about, I'm not young, I'm not young, girl.

If you're not young, I'm not young. We're young. I wonder what kind of legacy looks like for you. Beyond the business, the product and the platforms, like how do you want to be known in the grand scheme of things? In the fragrance world, which is largely still ran by Whiteman, I want to see more black voices

because black people are obsessed with scent. We interact. We're obsessed. Don't be the person. on ourselves on a kid everywhere socially

don't be the person that shows up to wear without deodorant black people are going to flame you yeah we're like

obsessed with scent we're obsessed with cleanliness like all of it and I want my legacy to continue to stamp like the black

voice black point of view on fragrance doesn't mean only for black people obviously but it's like this is what

it's your point of view it's like my storytelling yes you know what I mean, like, I didn't see a lot of that in the fragrance space in general. So I'm a huge fan, by the way. I'm going to shout out Chris Collins because his brand is like, oh my God. Gorge. It's beautiful. And he really makes sense for not just black men, but like it's,

it literally is like from a black person's nose. Like, beautiful. The storytelling, Harlem Cattle Company, Harlem Perfews Company. Like, can you think of a more blacker, like part of the U.S. than Harlem? Like, I'm like, I'm a lot of the U.S. than Harlem. Like, I just, I love the storytelling and the point of view. But make it for everybody. But like, this is what aligns with me. It's about distinction. It's about having a point of view and doing something that feels like it comes from a pace that is not there.

It's not being thought about in the same way. And so that gives you huge distinction. Yeah. So what do you still aspire to? Definitely having a global brand. I don't see me wanting to work forever. I think that eventually when Forever mood gets to like a certain milestone personally for me, I would be okay with letting it go.

I'm definitely not one of those people that's like, work until you die. Like, no, girl. Is that me? I'm like work until you die. You are a workaholic. I can never imagine that I will not have a job. I mean, I'll be doing something, I'm sure. But like eventually I don't.

I want it to be for fun. Yeah. If that even is a thing. I want it to be fun. Do you have a number? Is there like a place? the space a number. 1,000%

Give me the number. I can't because they're... Give me the number! Come on. Just the glimmer. Like, tell me where you're... Where is your head at? Where would you be satisfied?

You'd be like, that's satisfied. I can't say it on camera. I'm going to make you tell me after. I'm too African for this question. I'll tell you. Girls, bad... Girl, like, I can't say it on camera. I can't say it on camera.

Can I just tell you why? Even if you don't say it on camera. I have a number. Why I want you to start saying it. When I had my first company in my 20s, in my head, I said, if I could sell this thing for 20 million, I would die. I'd be so happy. And it came true.

Wow. By the way, the company was not worth it. Secondly, of all, I don't even know why 20 million. Like, I don't, like, I don't know. I don't know why that was the number. Sometimes, you know, when you say these things. Okay, fair. You create a plan for these things, then you work towards these things, and then they happen.

So I'll get the number out of you off the camera. Okay, fair. Okay, we're going to move to Rapid Fire. Oh, I love a Rapid Fire, yes. The worst at Rapid Fire. I say every day. I just, I didn't realize you're dyslexic. My husband's dyslexic.

Really? This is crazy because I feel like that's really an entrepreneur superpower. Apparently it's just been recognized by LinkedIn. Dyslexic thinking is now officially a skill. I think it's a skill. I think it's a skill. All right. What is the first thing you do in the morning?

I do not go on social media and I put on a sermon. So either Pastor Stephen Ferdick or Sarah Jakes Roberts. One of the two. Yeah, me too. She's a magical bar. She's incredible. Like a magical woman. She really is.

Watch this space, babe. Okay, what's the last thing you do at night? I eat popcorn. Do you? I do. I need to stop, actually. And people are like, microwave popcorn has carcinogens.

No, first of all, my correct popcorn is... I don't like stovetop. No. I don't care if it's short in my lifespan. Oh, wait a minute. You don't like stove. No. But you like just out of a package, just the ready pop...

I don't care if it's GMOs. I don't care. No, sometimes, listen, I eat a lot of bacon. I think that you got one bad thing. No, because it's like you said the GMOs. It's like, it's a carcinic. Sorry. I'm not giving up bacon.

I like bag, popcorn, microwave, meat down. One thing. That's one thing. That's one thing. One's got to go. Blush, musk. or lip liner. I have good lashes

so mascara by. But not lashes though. I can still wear my lashes yes. You still get your lashes

she still got a full face. Strategy, okay? What's the last beauty product you used to the very last drop? It's actually expired so I had to throw it away.

No, it was a concealer. Concealer. It was starting to burn. I was like, oh girl. Conceal. It's like,

time to go. I don't want to drag them. You know what though? If it was, if it was tingling, it's probably made with like not as many preservatives, so that's probably what it was. Oh.

Yeah, it was a concealer. And I shouldn't have been using it anyway. It was empty. It was that milk concealer. It's a good concealer. It's a good concealer. It was good concealer. What's an unpopular skincare opinion that you have?

Ooh, this is hard because it's like person to person. So I prefer mineral sunscreen. I prefer the ashy one. It's really bad, Emma. I can't. I know. But hear me out, though. Zinc oxide, if you have oily combination or acne-prone,

skin is incredible for your skin. Whenever I wear a chemical sunscreen, I always break out. Really? Every time. You're going to walk around with that like ashy face? I have to. Well, you know what? It's great underneath makeup. So that's how I get away with it. Okay, fine. So then you just start to makeup on over it. But I'd rather have an ash film over my face that I can wash off at the end of the day than have dark marks because it works better. Okay. What is a book that changed your life? Well, what makes you think I read Emma? No, I'm just kidding.

I really actually like Anastasia Sorri's memoir. Oh, you do? I really did, yeah. I have it upstairs, and I will read it now because you said. Yeah, she's gone through some grit. Like, damn, like, I... She's a superwoman. Yeah, she's insane, like in the best way possible.

I love her. But it was a really good book. Okay. I really enjoyed seeing her from the bottom story. Oh, yeah. It certainly was... on the bottom. I had, yeah, like, I had no idea she was, like, leaving a, like, she escaped a communist

country. Like, it was a realty in that book. I mean, now that's a journey. Yeah. It's been on a journey. Yeah. Amazing, my darling. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Love every second. Thank you. If you're loving this podcast, be sure to click follow on your favorite listening platform. While you're there, give us a review and a five-star rating and share an episode you loved with a friend who would be so grateful. Aspire with Em Agreed is presented by Odyssey.

I'm your host, Emma Greed. Executive producer Ashley McShan, Derek Brown and me. Our executive producers from Odyssey, Leah Reese Dennis, Asha Saluja, Lauren Lagrosso, producer KKSublime, Stephen Key is our senior producer, sound design and engineering by Bill Shorts. Angela Paluso is our Booker, Original Music by Charles Black, video production by Evan Cox, Kurt Courtney, Andrew Steele, and Carlos Delgado, social media by Olivia Holman, Catherine Bale. Special thanks to Brittany Smith, Sydney Ford,

my teams at the lead company and WME. Mora Curran, Josephina Francis, Hillary Schuff, Eric Donnelly, Kate Hutchinson Rose, Tim Mekyll, Sean Cherry and Lauren Vieira. If you have questions for me, you could DM me at Aspire with Emma Greed. Greed is spelled G-R-E-D-E, that's AspI-R-P-I-R-E with Emma Greed. or you can submit a question to me on my website emagreed.me.