Welcome to Leveling Up with Lindsay, the podcast
where we dive into leadership, small business,
and everything in between. I'm Lindsay, your
host and the proud owner of White Pony Boutique,
a space created to empower women, build confidence,
and foster meaningful connections. Whether you're
an entrepreneur, a mom, a friend, or someone
just looking for a little inspiration, this is
your space to feel seen, supported, and inspired.
Join me as we share stories, strategies, and
a little bit of life's chaos while while navigating
what it truly means to level up in starting a
business, relationship, and personal growth.
So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let's
level up together. In this powerful episode of
Leveling Up with Lindsay, I sit down with the
extraordinary Melissa Pepping, international
speaker, entrepreneur, author, founder of Ray
Cosmetics, and a true pioneer of clean beauty
and empowering living. And when I say that the
list goes on, it does. I have chills. Thank you.
From challenging generational beliefs to launching
a movement rooted in truth. Melissa shares the
behind the scenes of creating a toxic free lifestyle,
her evolution in the beauty industry and why
confidence begins at the intersection of refinement
intention. and truth. So welcome. That's a beautiful...
Can I use that? Yes, you deserve every part of
that. Thank you. I fully receive that. Thank
you. All right. We're going to dive into the
journey behind your cosmetic brand and why the
world needed a new standard in beauty. What it
means to stand against the grain when everything
says play small. The mindset shifts that led
to global influence and how you can cultivate
your own. How Melissa built a brand that feels
more like a mission. and why truth, beauty, and
purpose belong in the same conversation. If you
ever questioned the status quo, longed for more
authenticity, or wanted to redefine your own
version of beautiful, you'll feel deeply seen
in this conversation. It is such an honor to
be here. I want to start with that. Well, it
is an honor to have you sitting here with me.
Well everyone, this is Melissa Pepping and I
would love more than anything for you to give
a background of who is Melissa. Who are you?
I am the girl next door. Like you give this huge
intro, this amazing, magnificent intro, but at
the end of the day, Lindsay, I am the girl next
door. Like you could come over, we'll sit on
the back porch, we'll have a cup of tea, have
a cup of coffee, have a glass of wine, have a
glass of champagne, you know, whatever it is.
That at my heart is me. And in every single thing
that I do, it's rooted in that connection. I
could be an influencer, right? And I could have
all these cool things, go do these videos, and
everyone will want the cool things because I'll
say how cool they are. But I'm not an influencer.
I'm a woman of influence. And I want to really,
every conversation that I leave, to leave an
impression of increase, that the person in front
of me feels empowered, that they feel educated,
that they feel aware, that they feel enlightened.
And that's entirely different. Like you've bought
things right before where you've seen the quick
TikTok, you've seen the video, like, oh my gosh,
that's so cool. I want to buy it. And you buy
it. Okay. I recently did that with like this
laser thing. I like, I could not run to the cart
fast enough. Like I need that add to cart, buy
it. And you know, I got it and it sat there for
a very long time and I never used it. I was influenced.
And we all have those things. You buy it, you
get it. You were excited. It arrived. It came
down off the ether. It wasn't exciting anymore.
And it sat in the cabinet for like a year. But
if I take that same device now and I was going
to go educate on it, I would talk to you about
how the elastosin in your skin breaks down with
age, how collagen degradation, like those intrinsic
aging factors, extrinsic aging factors, how to
use this, how to build it into part of your routine,
how to taking this time for yourself, creating
these little capsules of like, you know, just
goddess hours where you can just do this for
you. Now that's entirely different. You're going
to stock the postal delivery for it to come.
You're going to get it. You're going to rip it
out of the package. You're going to make a whole
experience out of it because that's the difference
between influence and being a woman of influence.
So that's me. So on a personal level, when you
say experience, and I think of Melissa Pepping,
I think that's where we relate in detail and
in so many things. So we're gonna touch base
on that a little bit further later on. But I
would love for you to kind of give a little bit
of background on your professional career. And
what has led to Vray Cosmetics right now? Well,
I mean, should we start with the fact that I
used to wear mascara to kindergarten? I didn't
know that about you. It didn't go so well. I've
always had a fascination with beauty and makeup.
Fashion, beauty, that's ingrained in me, just
like it is you. It's a part of you. You can't
get rid of that. But for me, and I know this
is the same for you, I look at it so different.
Like it's not just, I want to put makeup on because
I want to look beautiful. This is get cute from
me. When I feel good, that's an entirely different
thing. And when I look good, I feel good. When
I feel good, I'm nicer. I'm a better human being
and everything just works so much better. But
it really comes down to like how I feel about
me. And you know, we work out in physical fitness
to take care of our physique. Why do we do that?
Because we want to feel good. We want to look
good and we want to feel strong. And, you know,
we take care of our health at a cellular level
because we want to have the energy. We want to
have the vitality. For me, this is no different.
Like I love doing my hair. I love intentionally
choosing an outfit based on, you know, what vibe
do I want to have today? How do I want to feel
doing my makeup, creating a look that's going
to honor all of that and just bring it full circle
and For me, it's always been the connection with
women. I grew up, women did not support women
in my family. They just didn't. There was a lot
of jealousy. There was a lot of... manipulation,
a lot of narcissistic abuse. And it just, women
did not support one another. That's not the environment
that I grew up in. It always hurt at a deep level.
I had a really close relationship with my grandmother.
I have a really close relationship to this day
with one of my aunts. I have a really beautiful
relationship with one of my cousins. But it was
this feeling of, when those things were happening
in the moment, how deeply it cut me. But I just
thought it was normal. And so when I started
to really, I've always been one that really just
feels about a situation, right? Just that immediate
sacral hit. How does this make me feel? What
am I feeling in this moment? What am I feeling
in this? And I kind of process it. And those
things just never felt right. And I remember
just at a very young age questioning, like, is
this how it's supposed to be? Is this how women
are supposed to treat each other? Like, that's
not it. How can that be it? felt so strongly.
That's not what we're here to do. And that started
at a very young age. And so when I started doing
makeup for women and launched my first cosmetics
company in 2015, I really had the opportunity
to work with so many women one -on -one. And
one of the most beautiful things that I would
see happen was this connection. I wanted to see
her feel beautiful. And she in that moment wanted
the connection to truly feel like someone wanted
her to feel beautiful. It wasn't about looking
beautiful. It was about what are we feeling in
this moment? And the light bulb went off and
I just took off like wildfire with me. There
was no way I could never have my life not have
that experience in it. And so as I have literally
traveled the world, sat in front of tens of thousands
of women, putting makeup on thousands of them
myself personally, My favorite moment is when
a woman will admit her deepest vulnerability
to me and say, I don't know what I'm doing with
this. Like, I don't know how to apply this. And
it's like, societally, we're just supposed to
know. And some women don't. And so when they
can admit that vulnerability to me, I'm like,
oh, we are going to have the most magnificent
time right now. We are going to be best friends.
Yes. And then when I actually do her makeup and
I spin her around in that chair, she picks up
the mirror and sees herself for the first time.
And she looks at me with tears in her eyes and
she just says, I don't remember the last time
I felt beautiful. Like that for me is why I love
doing what I do. That is what makes this so different.
And that right there is behind every single thing
that I create. That experience that I just explained
comes from really this longing to have that connection
through my entire life. And I think that this
is a beautiful way to create that. When we've
had conversations in the past, that actually
is top of mind when I think of what we've talked
about or what you will flip and question me on.
Two things is one conversation that is brought
up is like going against the grain. When everyone
in the world says to play small, makes you think
that you should be smaller than you need to be,
if that makes sense. So going against the grain
in a world that says stay quiet, be small, you
have been one to empower to stand tall, stand
confident, feel beautiful. And even with my own,
I think of the conversations that we've had and
you're like, Lindsay, but why? And I'm like,
you're right. Absolutely. I'm on a journey of
beauty. And I wanted to create a space with white
peony where people come and feel like the weight
of the world leaves at the door. And I think
that is how we're very connected in our mission,
because we want people to feel bigger, to hone
in on your strings, to look at your values, to
look at how you can leave feeling so beautiful,
but that it comes from within a lot of times.
You always say that as well, but then why not
put that lipstick on and feel great? I mean,
for gosh sakes, Melissa coordinated her beautiful
outfit for our background. And I thought, okay,
noted. I'm going to level up in that regard as
well. But I just love the confidence you bring
in. You don't have to be like everybody else.
If you want to wear the lipstick, if you want
to do this, do it and be darn proud. You know,
one of my favorite sayings is, you know, when
you're looking at an outfit to wear, like I'm
going to go to this wedding, like the iconic
staple is the LBD, the little black dress. I've
always thought, well, if I wear a little black
dress, I'm going to be just a grain of sand on
the beach because everyone's going to be wearing.
the little black dress, right? So, you know,
what are those ways that I can bring my style
into it? How do I want to feel? I don't want
to blend in, but it's not that I want to stand
out either. You know, people talk about, gosh,
Melissa, you know, you're really just getting
after it and you're disrupting the industry.
And that's amazing. I don't want to disrupt the
industry. That's not the vibe for me. There are
people that are completely happy using the products
that they're using. I'm not here to change their
mind. I don't need to disrupt the industry. There's
a buyer for every product. There's a place for
everything. What I'm doing is, and it's not even
that it's challenging anything, but it is setting
a new standard. And I actually can officially
say it's not that it's setting a new standard.
I have set a new standard. It's so exciting for
me to have done that. I'm still trying to wrap
my head around that. Why settle? You're just
going to be another grain of sand on the beach.
Why settle? And why dim your light? If I dim
my light, how the hell is anyone going to find
me? That's actually what I was just going to
pick at. I'm like, would you say, and you kind
of talked about this stemming from when you were
a little girl, but truly at what point did you
look at yourself and say like, how young were
you when you're like, I don't want to wear the
little black dress? I actually remember, I must've
been probably seven or eight years old and my
grandparents were having a fight and the argument
got pretty loud. I went in the basement. And
there was a box of dress up clothing, right?
And there was a pair of shoes in this box that
were the most gorgeous glitter shoes I've ever
seen in my entire life. And they're from the
fifties. And I'm like, absolutely these had to
have belonged to Marilyn Monroe. And there was
only one, but like, this is the story I just
told myself and it allowed me to just escape.
And I remember distinctly that day holding that
shoe thinking, listening to my grandparents fighting.
There is no way. that God would have put anybody
on earth to live this life. There has to be more
than this because what is the point? What is
the point to live like this? What is the point?
And I will never forget that day. I will never
forget that moment. I can recall it like it was
yesterday. It's just so crisp in my mind. I do
own a pair of shoes like that now. They are Jimmy
Choo's. First time I bought them, it was the
first thing that I saw them and it's what it
reminds me of. me of and I'm like, I'm going
to flip the narrative on this entire story. And
when I wear those shoes, I just feel so empowered.
Okay. So when I think of, you know, myself and
my executive career walking into like, Oh, you
look fancy or leaving there with my work attire
to go to a family event or a community event
in a small town. I went from athletic Lindsay
with all the phases. Everyone goes through the
gap, wide jeans and t -shirts to athletic where
I wouldn't wear dresses for a while, to only
dress this for a little while, you know, and
through all the phases. When I talk about my
style and what that is, it's usually business
casual. It's either all or nothing, first of
all, but business casual. I either look like
I'm homeless or I'm going to the Emmys. There's
no in between. No, it's not good. There were
times where I felt like I had to kind of dim
my light a little bit, like as far as, you know,
appearance wise, and it was kind of uncomfortable.
or when you come into room and you're so excited
and you come up with all these ideas and dreams
and stories and you feel like you have to like
tone your voice down a little bit. When I think
of Melissa Pepping in our conversations, that's
where I say you truly believe in everyone bringing
their light to the table and coming, you know,
with their confidence. But Lindsay, in those
moments, I feel the same way. I love that. I
walk into a room and someone's like, wow, you
look really fancy. I feel that at a deep level.
And I'm like, I get self -conscious. I get self
-aware. Like, should I not be wearing this? And
I have learned to immediately in those moments,
I take a twirl. Oh, thanks. The twirl. I love
the twirl. I bought it today. Thanks. Do a twirl.
Take a curtsy. Like, brush your shoulder. Like,
yeah, I nailed it. I know. And I have had so
many conversations with women and individuals
in our story even that are like, oh, I can't
wear that. But ask the question, why? Exactly.
unpack that. Why? Tell me why you can't wear
that. And like, so whenever someone's in front
of me and they're like, I can't do that. Why?
Why couldn't you do that? And it's so often somebody
can't give me the reason. And I'm like, Yeah,
you have to unpack that. There's some untangling
there to do. And so like walking into a room
too, because my energy will fill the room if
I let it. And there's days where I'm like, I
don't want my energy to fill this room. Like
this is mine. I'm really protective over who
has access to my energy. Like really protective.
And there's times where people have said to me,
people who have intentionally violated my energy,
where they've said to me like, what's wrong?
You're not your typical self. Like you don't
get access to that version of me anymore. And
I can authentically own that statement. Like,
it has really changed. This past year, I've been
on one of the most powerful personal evolution
journeys of my life. And so I did recently say
that in a conversation where someone's like,
well, you're not your typical self. I'm like,
I am. you don't get access to that anymore. That's
powerful. Super powerful. Sometimes you have
to dig in to figure out like A, your, well, boundaries.
But what I was getting at is you have to figure
out who you are, what you love, what you bring
to the table. And then I kind of love where you're
going with that with the boundaries. Well, it's
knowing, like read the room, right? Yep. Like
if I would walk in here and I wasn't going to
be sitting down and doing this with you today.
Like if I was walking in and I was just a shopper,
I shouldn't say just. no one ever is just. So
I'm walking in and I am shopping today and that's
the mode I'm in. Number one, I have no reason
for my energy to fill the room, okay? Because
any time I let my energy escape me to fill the
room, what happens to me? I'm depleted. I'm going
to have to go find my power source. Like there
is that truth to it too. And if you don't, if
you don't know how to regulate, you will be exhausted
all the time and have no idea why you're just
tired. You feel drained. You're in a funk and
not realize that you had an emotional wave that
you were supposed to be riding. So in human design,
I'm a sacral authority. So I feel everything
with my emotions. Everything's going to be a
sacral hit. It's either going to be. And it's
instant for me. And where I get in trouble is
when I bring all of my energy to the moments
because I feel that I have this responsibility
to just, you know what? I'm just going to be
myself and I'm just going to show up and I'm
going to show them like, that's not the vibe.
That is going into an uh -uh moment, spending
all of my energy and then it's gone and it's
depleted because what would have been the result
if I'm going into a room where it was an uh -uh
for me, like I knew I didn't want to be there.
These are not my people. This is not my vibe.
I'm here out of obligation or whatever it might
be. But I walk in like, I'm just going to hold
my head high. And this is where that toxic positivity
comes in. Someone give me a soapbox. This is
where the toxic positivity comes in. How do you
feel after situations like that? Lindsay, honestly?
Yeah. Drained? Yeah, it is draining. Hangover?
Kind of. Like you are so emotionally, there's
nothing left of you. You don't even know up from
down. And then you try to go be creative for
white peony because you need to be. You go try
to create content. How's that work? You know,
one thing, where do you go for your refuel source?
Let me back up to this just for a second on this
toxic positivity piece. So when someone's like,
you know, just go in and be you and just show
them who's boss, that's because I just went to
a holiday. Yeah, that I didn't want to be as
perfect example that most women right now are
going to go. Oh, yes. Yep. I have been there.
Okay. So everyone's leaning in now. So it's that
holiday with family you didn't want to go to
or the wedding or whatever it might've been,
but you went because you thought you had to go.
Yes. So you, you know, you rally with your girlfriends
and they're just like, where are the best thing
you can find? Where that revenge dress look amazing
show up looking just, and you bring all of it
and just have a good time and just smile and
make them jealous. Did they get jealous? Did
they even care? No, because that's not, that's
not your people. So it doesn't matter how you're
going to show up. It's not going to change, but
you just exhausted all of your energy thinking
it's going to change something. It didn't change
anything. And then most people don't know where
to plug back into. So what I tell people that
I work with, cause I do all, I also do personal
coaching. So what I tell people that I work with
and inside my coaching program, if it is not
your place and it is somewhere where there are
times you just have to show up. But you can hold
your beauty and your power in reserve. And that
is the most powerful thing you can do in that
moment. That is where you take your power back.
I'm not a monkey. I'm not going to perform for
someone. Like I don't have to show up and perform.
I want to show up and know that I could if I
wanted to, but I'm not. going to. because I just
want to hold this power in reserve. So like keep
it in my bank, right? Protect yourself. Protect
myself. And so when I show up in places like
this today, I could walk in. I know I'm here
for a purpose. I know I'm here for a reason.
We're going to connect. It's going to be an amazing
day. I could walk in and let my energy flood
this place. And what's going to happen is I'm
going to go home and on the back end of this,
I'm going to have more energy than what I came
here with because this is my power source. This
is my power bank. Doing these kind of things.
I feel so passionate that once women truly understand
that difference and make that little shift in
their life, number one, they're going to start
to rediscover who they are. We never forget who
we are. It's about rediscovering who you are.
They're going to reconnect to who they are. That
is how you get your power back. And it's a little
bit of a journey. Rediscovering who you are is
definitely a seasons of life. but I couldn't
agree with you more. A lot of times we get so
caught up in the busy world in your everyday
to do, but guess what? It really does take that
mindful reflection sitting in your thoughts,
sitting in your feelings after you leave a situation.
It's not going to be perfect every time, but
to protect yourself and set those boundaries
for yourself is pretty incredible. But the more
you do that, the more confidence builds and the
more you really look at yourself I am worthy.
I'm going to wear the red lipstick. I'm going
to walk in with these shoes that kill the room.
Whatever that looks like to you, or even on a
much smaller scale, protecting and just evolving
into something so beautiful. We need to look
at growth as evolution over a lifetime. Yes.
And it's one foot in gratitude, one foot in faith.
I don't regret anything that I've done. I've
learned so much from every experience. And you
know, I love the saying what's tea for you is
testimony for me. I don't regret anything that
I've done. Like have I made some mistakes? Yes.
Have I looked incredibly stupid? Yeah, I have.
You know, I'm quite embarrassed of some of the
things that I've done and I've said, but at the
end of the day, I'm human and you cannot show
me one person that does not hold that. So one
foot in gratitude, I'm grateful for that experience
that showed me that I could do better. I'm grateful
for that experience that shook me. I'm grateful
for that experience that made me aware that I
can be a better person because how many people
just continue to do the embarrassing dumb thing.
They don't learn from it and grow from it. So
growth is evolution over a lifetime, one foot
in gratitude, one foot in faith. But yeah, just
I don't regret anything because why? I love that.
Okay, I think now I would love to talk a little
bit about your brand, the Vray Cosmetics, because
with the conversations, the details that you
have put, the passion, the love for who you are,
what you bring to the table, what you're talking
about as far as like standing tall and confident,
protecting yourself, every little piece of from
what I've known of Melissa Pepping and your whole
journey have come down to this. Yeah. I feel
like this I feel like it was a what is it in
an orchestra like the crescendo? Oh, yeah. Yeah,
like it leads up to this magnificent piece. You
know, when I first, I launched my first line
in 2015. In 2016, it caught the eye of a multi
-billion dollar brand and they approached me
on entertaining the idea of an acquisition. And
so in 2017, along with Young Living Essential
Oils, we launched Savvy Minerals. And so my first
brand was Sweet Savvy and it's a brand I can
look back at and be completely embarrassed of.
I didn't know what I was doing, but I was having
the time of my life and that was, that's all.
it was about was about fun. But I was also in
a situation where I had really little control
over how far I could push the envelope on ingredients
or really getting creative with things because
I was working at an artisan level. So was really
limited on as to what I could do. When I stepped
into the acquisition with Young Living and all
of a sudden it opened up this access to research
and development teams and chemists and global
ingredients. It was so amazing, but I had all
these ideas that were ready to push the envelope
even farther. But at the heart of it, it wasn't
my brand anymore. I was there as a contracted
advisor. I was there as a key part of the development,
but ultimately it wasn't my brand anymore. So
I didn't have a say over that level of direction.
And so that contract actually ended up sunsetting.
So we exited it early. It was a beautiful separation.
I couldn't have asked for anything better. Mutual
respect in the entire situation was just so beautiful.
But what I'm discovering is this time around.
I don't carry this on a bank note, Lindsay. I
am entirely self -funded. I don't have investors.
I don't have anybody dictating what I can do,
what I can't do. So I've been able to take these
ideas of over the past 15 years of what should
makeup be and Why should it perform for us? Like
if this makeup is gonna be rent free on my face
all day long It better be doing something. Yeah
Looking at how can I use efficacious ingredients
and I had all of these ideas and now I get to
run with it as far as I possibly can see it going
and so when I create a product so really what
makes Vray so different is that Before I create
a product the amount of thought that goes into
it because I'm thinking about How is she going
to use it? How do I? desire for you to feel when
you put this on because makeup has so many stigmas
to it that it can be too much. We can look too
much. It can look too made up. You know, women
will do their makeup and they think I didn't
do that right because thanks to the Kardashians
and their 76 simple steps to contour, like somewhere
along the lines, everything just got so complicated.
And I watched that really chip away at women's
confidence thinking I don't know how to do my
makeup like that. And then enter Instagram filters
and it's like, what is even real anymore? And
so I would watch all of these things evolve.
When I'm looking at creating a product, I think
about all of that. What do I want it to be doing
for your skin? What are the efficacious? the
ingredients that I want in this. How should it
be performing? How should it be wearing? Listening
to the thousands of conversations that I've had
with women over the years that powder looks too
dry, liquid looks too liquid. It settles into
my fine lines. I get the creases in my eyelids.
This color isn't right. I can't find the right
tones. And so when I create a product, those
are the things that I'm thinking of. All of those
conversations literally replay on rapid repeat
through my mind. And then I think about what
should a proper routine be? Because the truth
is not enough women take enough time for themselves.
And so getting ready in the morning becomes this
afterthought. And then we're rushing. rushing
to put the makeup on, rushing to pick out an
outfit, rushing to do our hair. And we don't
like how we look and we don't then like how we
feel. And then it really affects everything through
the rest of the day. And when you start your
day in a chaotic state, the rest of the day is
a chaotic state. Guilty. Yes. And so it's really
about creating these goddess moments. Like I
have specifically carved out goddess days and
I have CEO days. My CEO days, I am hustling.
I am driven. I am focused. This is what I'm working
on today. And it's just a get. stuff, get shit
done day. Like it's just getting done. Just plow
through and get it done. I do make sure because
I'm not logistical and I don't like the logistical
things. So I do make sure that every morning
is filled with some sort of content creation
or some sort of creativity or some sort of just
gets me in this amazing mode. And then I can
go into numbers and data and spreadsheets and
projections and you know, all the things. And
then I have my days. And those are days where
I'm not going to be hustling. I'm not going to
be doing product research. I'm not going to be
working on a product development. It's not going
to be quick. I can get this piece of work done.
I can get these emails answered. It truly is
a goddess day for me. And sometimes I can't fit
the whole day in. So it's like a goddess hour.
But every single day, I have a little pocket
of time in the morning of getting ready. that
that's my goddess time. I love hearing your intention
behind your time management. I don't call it
my goddess day, but maybe that's what I'm going
to go or my goddess moment. It's just, it makes
it so different. And when you can step into that.
So how many women are like, I don't like the
way my spouse treats me. I don't like the way
my friends treat me. I don't like the way my
coworkers treat me. I always ask this question
back. Well, how do you treat you? Yeah. Valid.
Because how you treat you shows everyone else
how to treat you. So if you're not treating yourself
like a goddess, how the hell would anybody else
know to treat you like a goddess? So that's one
of the most powerful questions. If you don't
like how other people are treating you, stop
and ask, well, wait a minute, how am I treating
me? I love on the weekends, I'll have a glass
of champagne. And I have a Tiffany's flute. And
that's what I drink it out of. And my husband
sees this. Do you think my husband's ever going
to bring me a Prosecco in a plastic cup? More
than likely no. No. I use it as an example because
it's like, no one's going to forget that example.
If you are going to rush through dinner, standing
up, inhaling your food, would your husband ever
treat you like a goddess, plate your food, put
it down for you, have a deep, amazing conversation
over dinner with you versus the two of you and
you connect? So you set the example, you set
the tone. Whenever I'm creating a product, I
am literally thinking about those things. What
is going to make her feel like a goddess? What's
going to make her feel like a goddess is how
this component is going to feel in her hand.
What's going to make her feel like a goddess
is the moment her order arrives at her door and
she sees how gorgeous it is when she unpacks
it. Because this is straight out of Gucci, Louis
Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent. When can ordering
designer be a tax deduction? It's when you're
doing it. Honestly. Or makeup for that matter.
I know. So I'm ordering from these designers
because I want to see how is it going to look
when it shows up? And whether you are buying
a, I think the cheapest thing at Dior you can
get is like $50. So you buy their $50 My Cellar
water. It shows up the same. as if you just bought
a $20 ,000 bag. It doesn't matter. Every single
woman is celebrated the same. So whether you
buy a mascara or you buy the, I'm all in, give
me everything collection, it arrives looking
the same. And every woman is celebrated the same
because it's how is she going to feel? And it's
about creating that experience. And so, When
I'm looking at the component, when I'm looking
at the brushes, I'm testing out all these different
fibers for the brushes. And think about, Lindsay,
the mascara that you love, how that component
feels because it's weighted. So it just feels
heavier and it feels good in your hand. So you
feel gorgeous when you're putting it on. I'm
developing a skincare line for the brand. And
it's usually about two years of this production
phase. But looking at the components right now,
there's nothing like setting down. a glass component
on a marble surface and that sound that it makes.
And so those are all the things that are going
through my mind when I'm creating a product.
So it has to feel beautiful just holding it and
having it on her vanity. Because if that doesn't
matter, if she's not proud to take it out of
her bag, if she's not proud to put it on in the
morning and feel that way, it's going to go to
the back of the cabinet and you're not going
to use it. And then the next piece I bring in
is the application. So how is this going to feel
on your skin? And then what ingredients am I
putting into it that are so refined and so rare
and exotic? Like I'm doing a lot of stuff right
now with apple stem cells. Did you know that
one kilo of apple stem cell powder goes for $4
,500? That is the going rate. I have a Apple
stem cell powder dealer. Oh, wow. You buy it
a kilo at a time. I look at that and he told
me, he's like, Melissa, sit down when I tell
you the price. And I'm like, okay, so how much
stuff can we make out of that? And he's like,
well, the great news is, is it's so efficacious.
You just need a little bit at a marketing level.
I'm like, no, we're not going for marketing levels.
We are going for actual efficacious levels here.
I don't want to sell someone a foundation or
a product and say, well, there's Apple stem cells
in it. And it's not doing any... thing, because
it's in at a marketing level, I'm putting it
in at a function level, at a claim level, because
you're going to see the difference on your skin.
And then you're going to feel good about what
you're putting on. And so it just becomes this
whole entire holistic picture, right? From the
moment that it shows up, to the moment that you're
holding it in your hand, that you're using it,
to you're applying it on your face, when you're
washing it off at night, the amount of women
that message me and say, I have the hardest time
washing my face at the end of the day because
my makeup looks better at the end of the day
than it did when I first put it on and I don't
want to take it off. I'm like, well, at some
point you're going to have to. And that's something.
That's incredible. It does. It feels really good.
When I think of your journey, your entire journey
with, I don't know, even from working with your
previous line. And bringing that into now, you
have put so much detail into every single part
of it. And when I think of you and this process,
I think of details, I think of experience. Like
you really hone in on everything. Well, you know
how some people like gifting is their love language?
Yes. Experience is my love language. I have never
said that, but I think we can relate. But I think
about Melissa and with this Vray Cosmetics and
listening to your story, my goodness, there's
no one else that pours details and their heart
into the details and experience. That's something
that I think you and I can absolutely connect.
You bring such an experience with every single
level. Every layer. Because it matters so much.
Like Lindsay, people ask me, what's the one thing
you lose sleep over at night? Ingredients. Yeah.
Ingredients. Like I literally, I will... awake
thinking this is an ingredient we've been told
for years to avoid and it's bad, but it was done
out of a marketing angle and how are people going
to react and how do I explain the truth to them
and how do I help them understand this? How do
I build education around this? How do I make
sure she feels confident using this? Like I spend
thousands of hours just researching ingredients
and it's so fascinating everything that I discover.
And then it also comes with, you know, like with
the Apple stem cells because it is expensive
to add it to the product. You know, how do I
have the confidence? conversation with her to
let her know like wear your makeup every day
because you can and it's not just for a special
occasion and your skin deserves this and you
deserve this and Like those are the things that
keep me up at night. It's not the stress of the
business. That's all just there Like that's going
to be there anyway. And as you know, that's not
the easy part. Right. That's not the easy part.
The easy part for me is connecting with my clients,
connecting with my community and creating products.
Like that's the easy part for me. So that's the
part that I want to connect to the most. And
like the business is there and the business,
you know, it's going to do what it's going to
do. I want to put the main thing first. So the
third word that comes to mind and what you kind
of had said before is standard. You have not
only set the standard, but you've created it.
But when I speak of that and the details and
the experience and then the standard. I think
of Melissa in the mirror I'm looking into saying
all of these other details to me and not only
just to me, but I think of you being that little
voice speaking to either little Lindsay or my
daughters. And I think that in the messages that
you keep saying, I want my daughter to listen
to this. I want to say this to my daughter. You
know, it was really awesome to meet your daughter
and it was really amazing to hear. you know,
like working side by side and what that kind
of has evolved into. Tell me a little bit about
your motherhood and your journey with all of
this. You know, coming out of such generational
dysfunction. being able to say it's going to
end with me, there was a moment, I think it was
a couple of months ago, and I had said to Paige,
I'm like, what do you think is going to be the
thing you're going to need therapy over because
of how I was as a mom? And she looks at me, she's
like, are you serious right now? I'm like, yeah,
like what's the one thing that you think you'd
have to go to therapy over? She's like, nothing.
I'm like, Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. I
did it. I did it. It ended with us. It ended
with us. Like I was so excited. She's like, mom,
you gotta calm it down. You know, listen, that's
incredible. It was, it was such a good feeling
of just knowing like I could do it. Like I always
wanted to do it different and I could do it different
and you know, just creating these deep connections.
When Paige made the decision because she was
going to college and she was going to be an educator
and when We talked about how her first year of
college was going and she kind of opened up about
a few things and I could tell that the conversation
was leading towards she might not want to continue,
but that she felt like she had to. I didn't want
to have the conversation of saying, you know,
it's okay to quit, come work for me. She has
to have agency of mind. And I do that with all
of my kids. You have to have agency of mind and
you have to be empowered to make these decisions.
And I don't want to influence it either way because
number one, I don't want to be responsible for
it. But number two, they need to have this place
of ownership. Yes. And they have to go through
their journey. Yeah. And it's so good when they're
still in the nest that they're making these decisions,
you know. you. I had sent to her, I remember
very clearly saying, if you discontinue college
after one year, which I quit after two weeks,
like I'm a college dropout. Actually, I don't
know if I've said that on here, but yeah, I also
went to college going for something completely
left field and actually came home for many different
reasons within the year. Yeah. So it works. We're
proof of concept. That works. And there are plenty
of people who are proof of concept that the four
year works, the eight year works, the 10 year
works. So I told her, I said, you're not a failure.
But what you learned out of this first year,
can you even put a price on that? You can't.
So there's value in that year. And so I really
wanted her to make her own decision. And she
was working for me after school anyway, and on
the weekends when she would come home. And I
started letting her experiment with different
areas within the business. And she is so beautifully
creative, like the way that her mind works. She's
an artist. She's very talented. She loves photography.
So she does the photography for all the product
photos. And she does a fantastic job. It's so
good. All I told her was, I remember the first
day I sat her down to see, you know, like, okay,
little bird, let's see you fly. What can you
do? I didn't tell her what I was up to. I didn't
tell her what I was doing, but I knew because
she had always, you know, I'm a little artist.
I'm like, I need some pictures for the website.
Can you take this product? I'm looking for something
between a cross of Tom Ford, Chanel and Manolo
Blahnik. Go have at it. And I walked away from
her, came back and was... blown away. I'm like,
winner, winner. Here we go. And so that's really
the role that she plays. She does all of the
order fulfillment. She does the logistics for
the shop. And then she does all of the photography
and all of the creative pieces. And then my boys,
I went a little too far with the agency of mind
thing. So that kind of backfired. It turns out
during school, and it's so interesting because
right now there's the whole debate of do you
allow phones in public schools? My boys are on
Facebook Marketplace basically all day buying
snowmobiles and dirt bikes and motorcycles and
they have commandeered our detached garage. It
is now a small engine shop. and they are fixing
these things and tuning them and flipping them
and turning them over and my husband says of
all the things they could be doing and you're
gonna like pull them back out of this I'm like
It's getting out of hand. Like it's getting out
of hand. He's like, really? Should we go look
at your closet? I'm like, okay. Okay. Okay. We'll
stop there. All right. I get it. That's incredible.
With everything that you put into your business,
your journey, having everything with family and
your own children, what is the one takeaway with
leadership, with lessons, with truly walking
in your business, your career? your passion with
such rooted values and heart. What's one lesson
you want them to take away? To know themselves.
to know themselves. You know, we get so caught
up in how does this look for them? How should
I be doing this? Show me someone else's proof
of concept. I want to be my own damn proof of
concept. I want to see, you know, I live in a
town of 68 people. When my husband, well, at
that time, I don't think we were married yet,
but I knew we were going to be getting married.
We were engaged. I knew we would be moving to
Spring Hill. I looked up the census for Spring
Hill. Like, what's all the details about this
town? And I grew up in Avon, so it's not like
I was moving a million miles away, but it was
just interesting to me. And at that time, so
this would have been back in like 2000, 2001,
2002, the average income per person per year.
as according to the U .S. government census,
was $12 ,643 per person per year in Spring Hill.
And the first thing I thought is I'm going to
change the census. I'll never forget that after
I had launched Savvy, I had just done a massive
book deal. It was my first multi seven -figure
year. The census report came in the mail. And
I'm like, it is time. This is my moment. This
is amazing. And so I filled out the census. I
don't think I've ever filled out a government
census so fast in my entire life. Like I was
so excited, checking all the boxes. It was feeling
amazing. And I sent it in and I kind of forgot
about it. Right. And I get a phone call from
a census agent. And they're like, we just need
to go over your census report because it looks
like you made an error. So we were asking for
monthly income earnings and you, I think, put
in your joint annual earnings. I'm like, oh my
gosh, I am so embarrassed. I am so sorry. What
did I put? And he told me the number. I'm like,
no, that's right. Nope. We're right. He's like,
what? That's right. Carry on. It just felt so
good and now I go back and I look at what that
census number is and like the ding that one person
can put in it. But how many people would have
told me? You're moving out to the middle of nowhere.
There's not a lot of opportunity. Who's going
to drive out there to buy a product, go to a
class? You don't know anything about e -commerce.
You're not a chemist. You can't create these
products. What if I would have listened to all
of that? So sometimes you just have to know yourself,
be your own proof of concept. I can't live from
not knowing. I can't live from that place of
not knowing. I can only live from a place of
experience. If I don't have the experience of
something, I can only tell you how I feel from
a place of fear. What if this doesn't work? What
if this doesn't happen? What if this doesn't
come together? But if I can actually talk from
a place of experience, then I know it either
worked or it didn't work. So what do I have to
do? Because sometimes it might work. Sometimes
it might not. But either way, I'm all in. So
that means I'm going to figure it out until I
win at this. And so I teach my kids, I love human
design. And so I teach my kids, they all know
their human design profile. It's really about
understanding who you are, understanding how
you were designed at a core deep cellular level.
You know, what are the things that matter to
you and my oldest son. So he's 18 now. We kind
of take turns doing dishes with all the kids.
So it's me and one of the other kids on a different
night. It was just me and him. We're playing
in the water doing dishes. And I said, Tyler,
you know, one of the concerns that I have is
that you are an emotional authority with absolutely
zero fear gates in your spleen. And so my concern
at this point is the girl that you meet someday,
I'm really going to need to be involved in this
because you're going to act from a place of emotion
and you have zero fear. He's like, Mom, just
come on now. And I'm like, serious about these
conversations. He's like, Mom, They just always
constantly, but then there's those times where
we have those conversations where something will
hit him so deep and I'm like, but Tyler, think
about it. Like in that moment, was that a hit
for you or was that an uh -uh? And did you act
on it anyway? And so being able to teach them
how to know. themselves is so important. And
each of them has something so different that
makes them click. You know, my youngest is an
emotional authority. And you know, so helping
him understand how things just hit him different.
One of them is they just have these massive emotional
waves. And sometimes you're on cloud nine and
sometimes you're not. It doesn't mean that you're
depressed. It doesn't mean that you're in a funk.
It just means that you're in a place of like
feeling into something right now. So That first
and foremost, I mean, you can read all the personal
development books. You can go to all of the motivational
podcasts. You can do all the stuff, but it's
going to be a quick hit. It'll just be the dopamine
hit because it will feel good in the moment.
But once you actually understand and know you
without trying to be anyone else, none of that
can land. It can't actually land. And when you
know yourself, it can land different. That's
the one thing for me is to know yourself. I really
love that. That was so powerful and something
that I think even as a mom to take away being
mindful of. I have a few questions, wrap up questions
that I would love for the listeners to like think
for themselves with this. And if there's another
question you want to add to this, just to have
those listening just resonate with that and be
mindful with their own journey, their own story.
But for the women listening who is just starting
to question what she's been told, what truth
would you want her to hold on to today? Oh, that
one just gave me chills. Women try to put on
this armor of confidence. They tangle what confidence
actually is. And so they go into a situation
like, I'm just confident. I'm going to be confident.
But what that is interpreting to them is that
I can do this. Like I am confident I can do this.
I am confident I will achieve this. I am confident
I will succeed. And that's not confidence. That's
arrogance. Confidence is knowing. Either way,
I'm going to be okay. Like I will figure this
out. Either way, I will be okay. And when I see
women make that one small shift, I watch their
entire world change. Honestly. Okay. Not another
thing. What's one thing she can do this week
to begin reclaiming her confidence and redefining
beauty for herself? Goddess moments. Absolutely.
That's my time of getting ready. And I know that
some people might be thinking, well, I have really
small kids, so that's just not going to happen.
But it can happen. You can ask your spouse or
your partner if you have that opportunity to
say, I need 20 minutes. And I have done the get
ready with me videos where it's start to finish
hair, makeup, 15 minutes, and I'm not rushing
it. I'm quite enjoying the process. So if you
say to your spouse or your partner, I need 20
minutes right now. I just need that. Can you
please give that to me? What partner is going
to look at you and say, no. Exactly. And if they
do, we may have to think about some things. Let's
have a conversation about what we need and what
makes me feel alive and thrive. Now, my kids
are at an age, you know, 16, 18 and 20, where
they see me getting ready and they don't interrupt.
Yeah, they just let me be like they know that's
my time. So I have a little time and maybe I
need to flip the switch to the morning, but there,
you know, to decompress. Oh, I have goddess times
at night too. My skincare routine at night is
longer than my get ready routine. You know, that's
funny you say this because I always looked up
to my grandmother who would legitimately spend
in the morning and at night these 30 minute periods,
putting herself together so specific and then
putting pin curls in her hair. I always looked
up to her for this. And as I got, you know, busy
with my to do's with work, with being a mom,
I actually, I really looked up to her for those
moments and I was like, how can I have that for
myself? It started so far with my decompress
moments at night. There are a lot of times now
I'll go sit in a bubble bath. And at first my
husband and my kids came looking for me. Are
you okay? Like what? I'm still in the bath. There's
nothing better than a locked bathroom door because
no one's coming in there after you. And I just
need, it's my moment. I do actually sometimes
even work on my phone, but I just need to decompress.
And it is my way if I, and when I have my own
hot. You might not find me for longer than that.
It gets to be long moments. Lindsay, we need
to do a whole episode on how I made $100 ,000
for my bathtub. Yes. Little do you know. Let
me show you how to do that. Yes. It's funny.
They'll check on me. Mom, or Tenley. because
she's the little one, my daughter, who will knock
on the door and say, you know, like the hands
that come under the door when they're little
and you're like, well, she's the one who can't
be away from me for very long. And so she's like,
mom, last night and she's getting older and they
know, they know now that is my time where I just
don't ask questions. But Lindsay, they know because
you treat yourself this way. You taught them.
Because you take these moments for yourself.
That's the way you treat yourself. Now they know
how to treat you. And Tenley even text me last
night instead of interrupting like yelling through
doors. She said, Mom, because she's an ice cream
lover. I'm not as much, but she's an ice cream
lover. So that's her love language. She made
herself ice cream. And for her, she said, mom,
can I bring you a little bowl of ice cream? Oh
my gosh, that is the sweetest thing ever. That's
her love language. It was so cute. But Lindsay,
let me ask you, how many moms would be in that
moment? And they're like, I can't do this. This
isn't going to work. My kids need me. I can't
take these moments for myself. It took a while.
It takes a while. And you go through a journey
and we talk about the seasons in being a mom.
and setting the boundaries. It took a while and
I'm still working on all of that. I think everybody
always is. It's a journey. However... Yes, it
is a little moment. And I used to be after my
executive career, I'd stay up until like 12,
you know, everyone go to bed, finally, even my
husband love him dearly. But it would be like
to 11 midnight, one o 'clock because finally
everyone's sleeping. And I almost couldn't go
to bed because I needed that moment. And it wasn't
about like putting makeup on or anything. It
was sitting there, literally sitting there decompressing,
thinking about my feels for the day, thinking
about what I was going to do for tomorrow. But
that was my time and that got a little healthy.
So you do have to prioritize you and you do have
to set the boundaries. And it's something you
can work on. It doesn't have to be perfect. Start
small. The evening routine is so beautiful for
me. I went from winding down with a glass of
wine to make myself a cup of tea. And I go in
and I do my whole skincare routine, my get ready
for bed. It's just become a thing. And I look
forward to that time. I love that. the big grand
question because I know there's going to be people
listening. You speak so well. You speak so well
from the heart. I want everyone listening to
where they can find you, where they can connect
with you, where they can explore your new, brave
cosmetics. My life is an open book. I'm living
it and I want people to experience it. And I
don't just do it for the gram. I speak from the
heart. So follow me on Instagram. That's where
I'm most active. And you can find me at Melissa
Pepping on Instagram and to follow along. with
Beauty by Vray. Just look for Beauty by Vray
on Instagram as well. I went to your website
and it is so beautiful. I just redid it. I wanted
it to be a submersive educational landing page.
It is incredible. I noticed on there too, you
offer master classes. I do. So do you want to
talk about how I joined that? So I just did a
series of complimentary master classes. The first
one was on foundation and then contour and bronzer.
And the third one was on eyes. And so addressing
hooded eyes and how application changes. And
you know, the master classes are just over one
hour. I go over everything. I don't rush this
through. I encourage the ladies who showed up
to bring their makeup with them so we can do
our makeup in real time. So when we did it live,
I was able to see on the community cameras application
technique and how I could work through. It was
so fun because I take breaks. I'm like, okay,
I want to see you apply this. Okay, yes, you
got it. Okay, that one go down a little bit more.
Like it was just nice. to see in real time and
to be able to help them. And so you can catch
the replays of those if you just go to VrayCosmetics
.com, click on connect from the menu. From there,
you'll find application and technique. And that's
where the master classes are housed. How fun.
I love that. All right, well thank you, Melissa,
for being here with me. Thank you for being the
kind woman who leads with courage, creates with
conviction, and invites the rest of us to do
the absolute same. To those listening, if this
episode stirred something in you, I hope you'll
take it a little nudge. You're allowed to question,
to grow and to walk in your truth. We'll link
everything. And honestly, what I would hope for
all of you is to absolutely explore Melissa Pepping's
webpage and everything at The Cosmetics. We're
actually going to hold Ray and a few products
I can't wait to test soon here at White Pony
Boutique. I love, I'm going to just throw a little
snippet in there. I love the mask. I love the
mascara so much. But yeah, you can follow along
and I hope you love everything about the product
and Melissa like I do. Thank you. Thank you for
listening. If you found this information helpful,
please share it with a friend. If you're looking
for more information on the topics we covered,
please head to the show notes below. And if you
wouldn't mind leaving a five -star rating in
review, this would help this mission and our
journey to get started. Let's make today and
every day an opportunity to level up. Until next
time, keep dreaming, keep striving, and keep
making a difference.