Self Love Beauty is always on the lookout to hear from empowered boss ladies and I believe we hit the jackpot when we connected with entrepreneur Miranda Woodruff!
Our mission is to empower women one story at a time and our women empowerment interviews are all about sharing stories from amazing women creating change for a better world. In our latest women empowerment interview, Miranda shares her story of how a few years ago she took a leap of faith by quitting her job to pursue her true passions: servitude and makeup!
Read on to learn how Miranda’s work with Younique Cosmetics is allowing her to fulfill her purpose every single day by doing what she loves and empowering sexual trauma survivors.
Can you tell me about your background?
I grew up in Owosso, MI with my parents and two siblings. I was raised in a very tight-knit family. We did a lot together and always stood up for each other. My grandmother was the pastor of our local church, so faith was always a part of my upbringing. I can remember my mother praying with us kids every morning before school and every night before bed. At a young age I was able to recognize what really mattered and who was in control. I think my family are truly the ones who first taught me what love really is and that I could do anything I put my mind to.
I’ve loved makeup from the time I can remember. When I was 3, I used to play around with my mom’s makeup. Eventually, she bought me my own caboodle and I would put all of those tiny Avon lipstick samples in it to give my cousins “makeovers” when we had slumber parties. I always loved the way their faces lit up when they saw themselves in the mirror afterwards. They were happy, which made me happy.
When did you decide makeup would transition from passion to career path?
In November of 2015, I started with my company Younique. I initially started because I really just wanted to save money on makeup (LOL) I had tried starting a beauty blog, but never gave it my full attention. I was also super scared of what other people would think of me, which I think was what held me back for the longest time. I was also miserable at my old job. I remember one day coming home from a shift and I was SO upset. Just in tears. And I said to myself: there has to be more to life than this. Why am I allowing myself to report to a job that upsets me so much when I clearly have a passion for something else? I knew I wouldn’t be happy reporting to work for someone else and being that miserable started to affect other areas of my life.
When you’re not happy, it’s like a snowball effect of negativity that takes hold of you. No amount of money is worth that. So even though it was scary to leave and start something on my own, I knew it was necessary in order for me to grow. Once that clicked in my head, I realized I had an opportunity to change my path; the fear of others’ opinions left me and I decided to just dive in. I knew no one else was going to make it happen for me, so I had to.
How long have you been with your company?
It will be two years this November!
Can you tell me about your company and where the proceeds go?
Younique Cosmetics is a naturally-based makeup company that helps women who have been victims of childhood sexual abuse. In each order placed through my website, the customer can round up to the nearest dollar and that difference is a donation to The Younique Foundation. This foundation allows women to attend the Haven Retreat in Utah to start their healing process for FREE. They are offered counseling and get to truly learn about the importance of self-love, self-worth and not letting the way others have mistreated them define them.
Did you always think you would end up being an entrepreneur?
No. When I was in high school I always thought I’d be either a teacher, news reporter, or an actress. I never considered business, ever!
What piece of advice would you give to people who are afraid to make their passion their career?
Let it go. I know it sounds so simple, but it can be one of the hardest things to do, but you have to! Let go of that fear. That’s the only thing holding you back. We all have fears – fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of opinions, etc. Once you realize that you are in control of your future and that you have a unique talent to offer the world, your fears will be so insignificant in comparison to the bigger picture. Any successful person has failed more than once.
Can you tell me about the role that faith plays in your life?
Faith has been the biggest role in my life. I’m not always the perfect Christian. In fact, I’m far from it. But I can’t shake the feeling that God has chosen me to fulfill a greater purpose. A greater purpose than reporting to my desk job and crying daily. A greater purpose than to allow my fears to make me hide what I have to offer to others. At the end of the day, God has taught me that I have this amazing platform to utilize and that through my experiences, I can connect with others and inspire them. No comfort zone will ever be worth hiding that. It would be selfish for me to not share my life through my business.
To me, it’s more than makeup. Yeah, we chat beauty, but I connect with my customers/followers on a much deeper level than that. They truly have become friends to me. I know each day when I wake up that I’m about to touch another life, even if it’s in a small way. That makes it worth every scary moment. When I get a message from someone telling me I made their day or helped them through a hard time, that is what reminds me that I am on the right path.
What is your definition of self-love?
Being confident in who you are. Trusting that God has called you for greatness, recognize that within yourself and admire his work. After all, he created you and God makes no mistakes! Why would you NOT love yourself?! You’re an amazing creation with purpose. Your purpose is to share your gifts and talents with others to help make them better so that they can go on and do the same for someone else. If we all became more in tune with that, imagine the snow ball effect of positivity that would have on the world! You’re not here for you… You’re here to help someone else.
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