Meet Jordan Watkins: Beautycounter Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan Watkins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, what inspires you?
I am inspired by women everywhere. Personally, I am inspired by my late grandmother Ernestine Jordan. Even after her passing I am constantly amazed by her love, strength, and ability to understand those around her. Her devotion towards others added value to their lives, enabled them to use their voice and ensured them that they mattered. As a young woman my grandmother lost her father at the age of two, started working at the age of six and lost her mother at the age of fourteen. Met with the responsibility to care for her five siblings my grandmother dropped out of school after the eleventh grade. She became a dedicated and permanent caregiver at an early age. Life taught her that when there is nothing tangible left to give, offer hope, offer friendship, offer peace and love. Her daily offerings nurtured those who were broken, carried those who had fallen and found those who were lost.

She was a symbol of vulnerability at its finest. Her willingness to share her heart, her home and her humility encouraged those around her to share their unimaginable desires and dreams and therein gaining a forever friend. A friend that is so full of life, inspiration, and happiness that amid her presence your cup become full of joy. In the words of Oprah, “Vulnerability is being willing to express the truth no matter what, the truth of who you are, the essence at your core and what you’re feeling at any given moment. It is being able to open up your soul and let it flow so that other people can see their soul in yours.” Furthermore, I am inspired by the influence my grandmother possessed, through sharing her experiences and creating a space for others to feel appreciated, her peers found comfort in relating to her stories of truth. It was her grace, her poise, and her elegance that made her admirable, In the words of Maya Angelo “I work to be overflowing with joy that when you see me coming you should be proud. You should be proud because I am a woman so full, overflowing with enough to share with everyone I come across. I own my fullness without ego and arrogance but with a sense of gratitude to be born at a time where I can fill myself up.”

Additionally, I am inspired by a woman who embraces the beauty of other women, lends a helping hand, and speaks life over those who have forgotten the sound of their own voices. Every encounter has become an opportunity to speak to those who have been ignored, respect those who have been disrespected and honor those who have not been honored. The best way to add value is by serving others, seeking always to do some good somewhere, and assisting others in becoming the person they were always meant to be. Within my partnership with beautycounter I have been honored with the privilege of advocating and educating women everywhere. By tapping into our own truths, we begin to develop an inseparable love for ourselves and seamlessly we can begin to empower, inspire, motivate, encourage, honor, love and respect one another. By empowering women and men everywhere to choose themselves first I have dedicated myself to a movement of liberating others. In the words of Marianne Williamson, “As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence liberates others.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
On July 14th 2019 I partnered with beautycounter because I desired to contribute my voice to a movement of bettering the health of women and men everywhere. Throughout my undergraduate experience of adding unnecessary stress to my daily routine I started to realize that I was neglecting myself. Beautycounter not only presented me with the opportunity to lift others up but to lift myself up as well as I began to purposely choose me each and every day. I was admittedly attracted to beautycounter for multiple reasons. Beautycounter is the leading brand in cleaner beauty because we set the cleanest standards in beauty, we stand up for sustainability, we advocate for a cleaner future, and support nonprofits that align with our mission. Within beautycounter we have banned over 1800+ harmful and toxic chemicals from our formulation thus providing consumers with the confidence of knowing that they don’t have to compromise their health for beauty products such as soaps, deodorants, lotions etc. Additionally, decades of studies indicate that serious health issues are on a rise and are due in some part to our ongoing exposure to toxic chemicals. These chemicals are proven to be a contributor to asthma, cancer, infertility and hormonal disbalances just to name a few.

I am most proud of our social mission towards advocacy for #betterbeauty and a better future. When you know better you can do better and learning about all the opportunities for improvement I am constantly motivated to educate others. Through the attainment of knowledge such as knowing that The U.S has not passed a major federal law governing the cosmetic industry since 1938, we are proud to be the leading company advocating for more health protective legislation across North America.

Since 2013, we have worked with lawmakers of all political parties to ensure the safety of product ingredients, stand up for consumer access to transparent labeling, and advocate for a future in which the beauty industry does not harm the planet. Additionally, Individual states have led the way in passing cosmetic reform legislation, and we have played critical roles in protecting children, workers, and the public in states like Oregon, Hawaii, and California. Since our expansion into Canada in 2016, we have engaged with Members of Parliament (MPs) to advocate for reform of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), including our first lobby day in Ottawa in 2019. On December 4, 2019, Beautycounter made history when Founder and CEO Gregg Renfrew testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Health. These are just a few advocacy contributions beautycounter has made.

Since starting my beautycounter business I have been a guest speaker for B (collective) representing all Genz’s within beautycounter, I have been a co-host for Intern queens to discuss skin care and beauty and how to tackle a side hustle, I have been a guest on College by her The podcast to discuss the importance of self care and transitioning to College, I have partnered with mental health advocates to discuss the direct impact self care has on your mental health, I have been a Contributing author in The HBCU Experience book, in addition to advocating and sharing clean beauty with women and men in the Tuscaloosa/Birmigham and surrounding areas as well as leading a team of motivated women in starting their own beautycounter business.

It can be so easy to neglect yourself in the midst of every day activities but it is so important to be reminded that you are worth love, tenderness, attention and care. When you actively practice loving yourself it makes it so much easier to love and accept others thus doing yourself a huge favor by starting to believe that nothing is too good for you and whatever you want to start or do you are capable of accomplishing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This year I am living by the motto of enjoying the little things, the spontaneous things and laughing whenever possible therefore our week would mostly consist of thrift shopping at Plato’s and The American Thrift store ,more shopping at the Mall, The Summit and anywhere else we run across, visiting the spa and getting a facial, watching movies, YouTube videos and Tik Toks, eating ice cream, visiting a museum or something artistry ( a flower shop ), eating, more eating, splurging on self care, and maybe even a road trip to somewhere random. 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?
I would like to shoutout all the beautiful women and men who are apart of the counter excellence team within beautycounter. Without their constant push towards excellence, commitment and support my business would not be what it is today.

Website: www.beautycounter.com/jordanwatkins

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jorwatkinss/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-watkins-346875130/

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

Image Credits
@prettypleasebeautyco