Meet Dr. Monica Ricks | Pharmacist & Skincare Enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Monica Ricks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Monica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
While in college I had the dream of becoming a cosmetic chemist and developing scents and products for Bath and Body Works. I decided to pursue a career as a pharmacist instead and earned a doctorate of pharmacy in 2013. I thought the dream had died until life threw me an unexpected curveball. In 2019, I went through a pretty tough divorce and needed to find an outlet to channel my energy. My mother gave me the idea and we originally came up with a business model selling foot soaks in about 3-4 different scents. Eventually, I expanded the products to include body butters, beard balms, kids’ items and more in about 30 different fragrances, I like to think that the blessing in my divorce was that it allowed me to revisit my dreams and gave me an opportunity to start a business doing what I have always loved.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am currently working as a full time pharmacist assisting local health departments secure funding for disaster preparedness. I earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry in 2009 from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC (EAGLE PRIDE!). In 2013 I earned a Doctorate of Pharmacy from Campbell University. My path professionally was not easy but definitely worth all of the hard work I had to put in. Not only was the coursework difficult I also had to navigate being the one of the few if not only minority women in my position. I embrace my hardships and I am thankful for my experiences because it allows me to have a unique perspective when treating patients and making clinical decisions.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
All of my real friends know- I am the queen of finding places to eat! I am a foodie at heart and I love hopping in the car with a bunch of my friends and finding a hidden gem in our city. I am a big fan of shopping locally and supporting small businesses so I frequent pop up shops, local boutiques, juice bars, and coffee shops. My friends often tell me I can make a friend anywhere and I can find the fun in anything. I also enjoy taking my children to explore different foods and often take them out to food trucks that are locally owned. I really aim to make sure my children have a well rounded view of the world so I try to get them out and experience different things as much as possible, Whether this means taking them to a local museum or allowing them to taste food from a different culture- I enjoy seeing them learn and experience new things.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First- My mom!! There would be no eSCENTuals Collection without her pushing me during one of the hardest times of my life. I owe her so much for how she’s always kept me grounded, never let me fail, and has always been my biggest cheerleader. She has always pushed me to see more and want more from every aspect of my life. I have always said that when I achieve my biggest goal of seeing my product in a major retailer- her and my dad will never have to worry about anything! Secondly- my children! They have been right beside me every step of the way. Countless trips to the post office in between visits to the park, riding along for customer deliveries, being my little “scent testers”- they are my reasons to keep going, I draw a lot of strength from their little hugs and the smiles on their faces.

Website: https://escentualscollection.square.site/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ESCENTually