"Our children are our message to the world and if I could change the life of just one person and that be my own daughter, then I am very capable of promoting change and inspiring others."

"The common denominator for many beauty brands is to empower its consumer, to make he or she feel confident in their appearance."

"In overcoming the greatest trials of my life, it was my perspective that had to change in order for me to heal and help those around me."

"People need to be motivated, encouraged, and supported. Not shamed."

"Encouraging someone, hearing their story, supporting them are all acts of love that they may need to keep going and if we can all just LOVE, I think we are on the right path for a brighter and better future."

"It’s just better to focus on the things that are working for you—the things that you know you can do for sure—and do away with things that you can’t change."

"You have to have a delicate balance of knowing when to be sugar and when to be shit, a little. I’m still learning how to balance both of them; and [that’s] the tough part about being a CEO."

"when the whole world and all of your friends might tell you that the easiest thing is to turn around and go back, you should do the exact opposite. You should keep going forward, because in that walk and in that journey of staying, you do become powerful, and you become stronger. And you will fall, and you will hurt yourself, and you will cry. But as long as you get back up and keep going, that is where you’ll be made."

"My goal is to make sure I get every voice at the table."

"At one point, it was all fun and games. I thought, 'I'll start a makeup brand, and I'm just going to have fun. But later, after going through breast cancer, things got real."

""It’s important as leaders of brands to identify whose needs aren't being met. It doesn't matter how 'small' that need may seem to you. It's a true need, even if only one of them sells off of the shelf.”"

"“Everyone's voice is important. You need to talk to every culture you possibly can, just so that you can be aware of anything.”"

"I think together we can create change."

"I tell people all the time that I'm living in my afterlife."

"But there's nothing like creating a business yourself. When things go wrong, there's no one to blame; when things go right, you just smile, do what you do and continue to give back."

"Be prepared to get roughed up a little, but if you can stand it, you can do great things and change the world."

"I just hope to continue to spread the mission of being sweet and sweeting the lives of others."

"When you miss death, you value life in a way that would be really difficult for someone who's never been through that to understand."

"All of us contribute to that beauty of the world, and there is no one standard for beauty."

"As with any great story, it is a long one, but it truly began with the question."

"My husband and I have both been serial entrepreneurs in the past and although we have both seen success in the corporate world."

"I was always a social drinker however, with many spirts."

"I am a pancreatic cancer survivor, I would have to limit my consumption. *Many spirits can spike my blood sugar and my body just does not respond well to it."

"I attribute my success to my mindset."

"My mindset has been the one determining factor in many challenging times in my life."

"I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 15 years ago"

"I decided that I would not give in to the mindset that my life was over, even though pancreatic cancer was is a cancer that has no cure."

"I was a single mother to an eight year old daughter, and she needed me."

"I was advised that I would need a Whipple procedure surgery, I had faith that I would be okay."

"I decided then, that I would wake up from the surgery and that I would survive for my daughter."

"When we launched in 2018, I became the first African American woman to own and lead a tequila brand."

"Anything I’ve gone after, I’ve gotten."

"It’s because of that positive mindset."

"I have an intense faith in myself and what I can do."

"You can do anything."

"A lot of times, when I tell my story, I tear up because it brings a lot of those memories back."

"I hope in my speaking and being a part of the pancreatic cancer network that I’m giving hope and awareness to those who feel that they don’t have that."

"I remember driving to work on Halloween, and my teeth began chattering uncontrollably."

"My coworker called an ambulance for me and, when I arrived at the hospital, I had a 106 degree fever."

"I left the hospital with three tubes in my stomach and unable to walk."

"I was on several medications."

"I needed to allow my body time to heal, and I needed to relearn my body."

"I never knew that there was a possibility that I was going to get pancreatic cancer."

"No one in my family has ever had it, but maybe there are some genetic markers.”"

"I lead TIAA’s core retirement business, overseeing the development and distribution of strategies and services for institutional clients."

"In plan participants, reaching over 15,000 plan sponsors and millions of their employees."