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00:001940s, South Side of Chicago, a young barber, Jack Anderson, makes a name for himself as the
00:09stylist for legendary black entertainers. Jack would formulate his own products to achieve some
00:14of his iconic styles. With a little help from his son, Ted, Cream of Nature was born. Jack's
00:20legacy has been growing for nearly half a century as a top leader in the black hair category.
00:27And they haven't looked back.
00:30Hello! Hey guys, how are you? Wow, it is so good to be here at Essence Fest, okay, with Cream of Nature
00:48sharing with you guys our unstoppable campaign. So before I introduce you to the amazing Chandra
00:54Coleman, I just want to say how excited I am and grateful for the opportunity to become the chief
00:59brand officer of Cream of Nature. A brand that I've known, I mean we've all known, it's such a legacy
01:04brand. It's been around since I was a kid and even since before I was a kid, before I was even thought
01:09of. So to become the chief brand officer and be a part of what that means for the next generation of
01:16authentic representation that we can see in this world is a true honor. You know, I've been working
01:22pretty much as a chief brand officer at a Kiki Palmer brand all my life. So to be acknowledged for
01:27that from Cream of Nature, it means so much. You know, in my book, Master of Me, I speak a lot about
01:34reframing how we think about entrepreneurship. A lot of people think being an entrepreneur just
01:39means you, you know, you're rich and you start a couple businesses, but you don't have to be a
01:43billionaire to be an entrepreneur. You just got to be somebody that's willing to get the job done.
01:46Okay, I don't care if it's Uber, I don't care if it's hair on the side, nails, lashes, whatever you got to
01:52do to get the job done and build towards your dream. That's what this is about, Big Boss Moves.
01:57So in speaking of that, it's the perfect opportunity to introduce you to Chandra Coleman,
02:02the SVP of Marketing for Cream of Nature, who I'm so glad to work with and to be speaking with up
02:09here today. Good morning, everybody. I am so excited to be here today and here at Essence Festival,
02:16Culture really is a pleasure. As mentioned, my name is Chandra Coleman, and I've had the great pleasure
02:21of leading the Cream of Nature brand for the last couple of years. I've also been in beauty for
02:26two decades building marketing and strategic plans. As you guys saw in the intro video, Cream of Nature
02:33has been around since 1976. So that is 50 years, and so it really is a part of culture, and it is a
02:41legacy brand, which means that we have been around, we understand the needs of textured hair, and we are
02:47known in the community to be there for all of your needs. So we signed Kiki back in October, and we
02:54have had such a pleasure working together already. She is really instrumental in driving our brand
03:01stories, our innovation, and really being central in making sure that we are bringing things to life
03:07that all of you want. I think, you know, you are unstoppable in so many ways. You are, I'm going to miss you.
03:14You wear so many hats. Let's see if I can say them all. You're an actress, a singer, a producer, a podcast host,
03:22an author. I miss something. Thank you so much. An overall entertainer and entrepreneur. So we are blessed to have
03:30her on the brand, and you truly are unstoppable. Oh my gosh, I feel the same exact way for you.
03:36And you know, in order to be unstoppable, you got to have an unstoppable team, and that's what we've
03:40got over here at Cream of Nature. So let's get into this conversation and talk with you guys.
03:45Okay. So am I going first or you're going first, girl? I'm going first, but I'm not going first.
03:49Oh! Okay. Got my questions together. All right. So in your role as Chief Brand Officer at Cream of Nature,
03:56how do you hope to inspire and empower young women on their personal hair journeys?
04:02Well, first of all, I think it's just supplying them with the needs for the flexibility that we
04:06need with our hair. As we know, whether we're doing straight, curly, wavy braids, we want to be able to
04:12have the products that support that. I think that's what we're talking about so much when it comes to
04:16unstoppable hair. Feeling good about your hair means you feel unstoppable, but in order to do that,
04:20you got to have the right products. And so there's so much flexibility within our line,
04:25from perfect edges to the styling mousse foam to the leave-in conditioner. I mean,
04:29all of it works for any type of style that you have. And obviously our new wipes that
04:33they don't know nothing about yet. But, you know, there's so much there to help them decide what
04:39they want to do in any given time. You know what I mean? And so I think that's one of the first steps
04:43showing and making sure that we show how the product can be used. I love that. Yes. Oh, let me get to
04:48you. You're up next. Now, can you share how you embrace the responsibility of being a woman of color
04:54leading hair and beauty business? So this one's interesting. I mean, it's a personal journey for
05:00me. When I first started in this business, I really wanted to be in beauty because it's fast
05:05paced. It's exciting. You know, trends are ever changing. But being the leader of a beauty brand
05:12has evolved for me after I had two children and I have two daughters. And I remember just going
05:18through their own self-journey of love and self-love right around when they were in kindergarten.
05:24I remember they would come home and their non-black friends would have comments to say about their
05:30beauty or lack thereof and everything about them. And it really reminded me just how narrow
05:37people's views are of beauty. And I wanted to be on the forefront of really making sure that I
05:44changed that narrative. Uh, you know, I want my child to look at herself and know that she is
05:49beautiful. She is powerful. She can do whatever she wants to do. And, um, I think all children need
05:55to see positive examples of themselves. So for me, it evolved. Um, and so now my, my main focus is
06:02making sure that I expand on that definition of beauty. I love what you said. And I think that's the
06:09other thing with the cream and nature products is that they're not hiding the hair. They're not
06:12transforming it. They're supporting it for what it is. That's what I love with my son.
06:16Whether he got braids in today, we definitely had to use all the perfect edges. Cause I had to squeeze
06:21all, you know, that hair in the back don't never grow till they get about four years old. So we'd be
06:25squeezing it up in there, you know, but he uses the shine mist when he has his fro. And it really just,
06:31it, to me, it supports who he is and all the different flavors that he can be. Totally. And I think one last
06:37thing I'll say is as a leader, you know, I have a voice at the table. So it's up to me to communicate
06:43like what we want and what our needs are. And I was very intentional in, in choosing you as our chief
06:50brand officer, because I didn't want just the face of the brand. I wanted someone that really
06:54understands their hair, how to express themselves through their, through their hair and their
07:00personality and bring it to life. And, um, really someone, and I've said it a lot of times,
07:04but you are unstoppable. And I think the most amazing thing about you is that you are authentically
07:09who you are every day. And I think that's exactly what the ethos of the brand is, is making sure
07:15that you feel like your authentic self and you feel beautiful. That's right. Thank you so much
07:20for seeing that in me. Truly. I told you it meant so much when you guys gave me this opportunity,
07:24I'm learning so much and I really can't wait to continue to grow with you guys because that's
07:28the thing. The relationship has just begun. We've only been, I don't even think a full year.
07:32It's only been like seven, eight months, seven, eight months. So wait till y'all we get into this
07:35second, third, fourth year. We're going to be even more into overdrive. So, so thank you so much.
07:41All right. You doing me now? Yeah. Okay. Okay. So how has your relationship with your natural hair,
07:47your natural hair evolved over the years in your personal and professional life?
07:52Well, you know, professionally, I'll be honest, and I'm sure so many of you can relate out there for us
07:55as black people. I mean, you know, it's the concept of assimilation has been something that's so
08:00deeply rooted in the workspace where wearing our hair is doggone near been seen as a crime. So now
08:06we have things like the crown act that actually support our ability to go in there with our hair
08:11as it is. Um, so my relationship has changed because of those realizations, you know, when I
08:16was younger, again, I love wigs, weaves, everything. It's all great, but it's different when the intention
08:21is I have to do this in order to belong. And I'm doing this because it's easy and it's what I want to do.
08:27And so that's been the transition. When I was younger, I felt like, okay,
08:32this is defining me in a way that's starting to weigh heavy. And so then I cut my hair off. I went
08:37completely bald, um, you know, and I was like letting my hair grow back. I was playing with color.
08:42I was getting, I was falling back in love with my hair the way that I did as a kid in Chicago,
08:46in my grandma's bathroom, you know, honestly with cream of nature, you know, blowing it out,
08:51blowing it dry straight, getting into it, you know, doing braids, doing all these different things.
08:55And then I started to realize what my relationship with my hair was turning into was actually a
08:59representation of my, my self-love and my self-acceptance. And that's what I needed to
09:04get back to, to be able to then have this, have the fun that I had previously or try different
09:08things. Um, and so that's the spirit that I feel with my hair now is that whatever I do do,
09:13it's not a necessity. It's coming from a place of joy, not from a place of survival. It's coming
09:18from a place of expression, not because I need to prove or show something, but because,
09:23Hey, I want to express who I am differently. It's coming from a place of autonomy. And I think
09:28that's important. That's power.
09:32Now you've been unstoppable throughout your career. What advice would you give the other
09:38big bosses out there for perseverance in the beauty business and in business in general,
09:43I'll say.
09:44So I think when you think about like what needs to be important for business, it's not that
09:48different from life lessons. So I've learned a few, but I would say it applies to, to life in
09:53general. I think the first is, um, being adaptable, having humility and, um, being willing
10:00to grow, you know, as a leader, you don't know all the answers. You don't know everything. And, um,
10:06but you need to have great self-awareness and know where your strengths lie, where your
10:10opportunities lie, and then make sure you surround yourself with people that compliment you.
10:15Um, and that's true in life in general. I think the second thing I would say is that
10:20it's important to balance how much you listen and how much you talk. Um, as a marketer, a
10:26good idea can come literally from anywhere. So I think it's important. It's really important
10:31that you are clear what's happening around you. You're listening to people. Um, and I would
10:36say that's the second lesson.
10:37Yeah. The last one is, um, being, allowing yourself to be uncomfortable in situations
10:44and to really lean into it. Some of the jobs I was least excited to take were the ones that
10:51I learned the most from. So I think it's getting outside of your comfort zone, um, pushing yourself
10:56and being willing to grow.
10:59Yeah. I remember what you were talking to me about too, just in going to school and the
11:02different experience from coming from an HBCU to a PWI and learning how to do, okay, how
11:08is this how, you know, those experiences that are kind of culture shocks for us actually help
11:12us to arrive at who it is we're supposed to be. You know, we got to be willing to lean
11:16into those difficult situations, those challenges and come out on the other side. That's something
11:21I've experienced as well in my career. You know, I've always had to shape shift, um, but I've
11:25always found myself in the middle, you know, and being comfortable with who you are.
11:29Yeah. Um, you know, just accept who you are, lean into it and love on yourself.
11:34Definitely leaning into what makes you, you, because I mean, I'm telling you now it's like
11:38people know, yeah, I'm just Kiki. But for many years, a lot of people like now Kiki, what
11:42you doing now? Now Kiki, what is that? And now people know that Kiki is just me and Kiki.
11:46And one thing my mom has always told me that I think is true for anybody is don't let other
11:52people tell you who you are. You tell them who you are. That's right. And before you know
11:57it, they'll be singing that tune. That's how quick it is to shift. You know, you just keep
12:02doing you, you know? Okay. I got another one for you. So you have seen great professional and
12:09personal success in your life. What do you think has made you unstoppable and what does being
12:14unstoppable mean to you? Oh, well, unstoppable. This is the first campaign that I've done with
12:19cream of nature as a chief brand officer. And it was so exciting. I remember when we were on the call,
12:23we're discussing it and coming up with this idea and it felt just so fierce because how we represent
12:29and how we show up in the world is what makes us feel unstoppable. It's not just this vanity idea,
12:34but it's what we put into how we want to represent that takes things to the next level that allow you
12:39to click those heels and walk into that room and serve both business and looks. And I think for me,
12:45it's again, it's just leaning into myself in those moments where I'm not sure and leading with that
12:50confidence from the way that I look and, you know, from my head to my toes. It's real and you know,
12:54come on true Jackson VP. Um, but it comes also from who we surround ourselves with. You know,
13:01my mom has always been a big encourager of me. I remember when I was a little girl, I used to,
13:05again, have feelings and thoughts about my hair and my mom would always encourage her. Kiki,
13:09your hair is beautiful. Your curls are beautiful. And I'll never forget when we did Nope and I was
13:13working with Jordan Peele and we're on the phone and he's like, well, what do we need to do for,
13:17for, for her hair? What does Emerald's hair need to be like? And I was like, I don't know. And so he's
13:22like, goes on my Instagram page and he's like, that's Emerald. We need this black American
13:28iconography on screen in a way that we have never seen it before. And I could not believe it. I
13:34looked over to my mom and she said, didn't I tell you you were beautiful? You know what I mean? And
13:40it's those people that constantly remind you who you are. We go through so many things in this world.
13:45And again, so many people have different concepts of what's beauty, but beauty is in the eye of the
13:49beholder. It's what you choose to think is important. What you choose to believe is value.
13:54So don't give the value outside of yourself, put the value into yourself. And so for me,
13:59having that support system, growing up with my family, always making sure that I was centering
14:04myself, that also is a big part of what makes me feel unstoppable. You don't want anybody around
14:09you telling you that you need to be somebody you're not. Couldn't agree more. So we're going to switch
14:15it up a little bit. Um, so we reached out on our social channels and asked them, you know,
14:20what do you want to ask us? What do you want to ask Kiki more importantly? And so I've got something
14:25you've been recently exploring new styles. What advice would you give to someone who is reluctant
14:31to switch up their hairstyle?
14:33Hair is not a contract, girl. Cut the cord and do something fun and different. I mean, life is about
14:39the many eras of you. I see myself as a doll. Okay. Like I see myself, you know, this is Kiki as a
14:45doctor. This is Kiki as a lawyer. This is Kiki, you know, this is Kiki now in her ginger era and
14:49she's living for it. You know what I mean? It's just about expression and having fun. I think we get
14:54so caught up in our roles and who we need to be in life. And that's why having flexibility in your
14:59look is so important because it, it, it tells you to change it up. It says, well, this gives me a
15:04different vibe. This gives me a different energy. This lets me explore, especially when you go through so
15:08many changes, you know, I've become a mother, you know, I'm in my thirties now. It's like, there's
15:13so many different things that I want to express so much freedom that I want to explore. And so I
15:17think when it comes to your hair, yes, change is difficult. Change can be hard, but change is
15:22necessary. You know, if nothing changes, nothing changes. You don't want no boring life. That's like
15:27watching a movie where the scene's just like, it ain't no, it don't go from no comedy to no drama.
15:32It's just straight up plain. You don't want that.
15:34Okay. I think you got the next one.
15:38I'm you. Yeah, I'm ready. So what is your favorite essential hair product to use in your
15:43receipt? And this is hard because you change your hair. So it's like, what is the one that
15:47you need for everything?
15:48Well, I change my hair a lot, as you mentioned. Um, but that's just like asking me to pick
15:52my favorite child. Um, I would say, uh, the thing I always have in my purse is the anti-humidity
16:00mist. And for this heat, it is coming in handy. Yeah. Uh, a close second would be perfect edges.
16:08Yeah. Um, because like keeping these edges laid is a necessity. So I think between the
16:13two, those are my favorites. I do love the perfect edges. I feel like that's a, that's
16:18a standard. I'm not going to say that because you already said it. Um, the shiny mist. I
16:21also like when I have just a ponytail in, you know what I'm saying? I just want to keep it
16:25smooth and also the foaming mousse. You can't sleep on that foaming mousse, especially when
16:30you don't want to do a lot of heat, but you still want your hair to be malleable. That
16:33foaming mousse comes into hand and you could just slick everything back, wrap a scarf on
16:37it. And it's as if you blow dried your hair. You know what I'm saying? I do. I do. So
16:41I love that one. Um, what products do you recommend for braids or protective styles for
16:46the summer?
16:46So I think both of those, both of the products I just said actually work well with braids.
16:51Um, but I would also say that it's important to keep scalp oil just to make sure that you're
16:56keeping your, your hair moisturized, uh, from the skin deep. Um, so I would say making sure
17:03that your scalp is, is really healthy. I think another is before you even put your hair in
17:08braids, making sure that you take care of your natural hair. Um, so I would say making sure
17:12that you're using our shampoo and conditioner. Those are things that are going to make it really
17:17soft, um, as you're putting in protective braids.
17:20And I'll even say like, like when you don't, your braids start getting a little bit old
17:23and everything, you're trying to take care of your hair stuff. Like when you get past
17:26that, like three weeks or so, start spraying that leaving conditioner on that scalp and
17:30on that hair and then put the foaming mousse over and then wrap it up. It'll be like you
17:34got a whole new braid. You know what I'm saying? Because that foaming mousse will seal all that
17:38frizz that's coming out of there. And then the conditioner will keep your hair moisturized. So
17:42I like to, I'd be giving myself in the middle, like up do's, you know, once, you know,
17:46before it gets old, wrap that stuff up in the morning. It's like, you got fresh braids.
17:50Yeah. That's a good tip, y'all. Um, okay. What's a hair hack or tip that's been passed down to you
17:58and that you'll be passing down to your family?
18:01Rituals. You know, and I think that's a big part of the legacy of what cream of nature is
18:05rituals. What do I mean by that? Well, at night I brush my hair, I part it, I put in my oil,
18:11you know what I'm saying? I braid it down to the ends. I make sure that they're good, like maybe
18:15once or twice a month if I need to trim them a little bit. You know what I'm saying? I talk to
18:20my hair, you know, when I'm doing my routine, you know, when I'm washing and shampooing my hair and I
18:24put my conditioner in, then I put my little heated cap on and I wait. Like, you know, we always talk
18:30about hair growth and all this kind of stuff, but as much as it's important with the product, it's
18:35important with the routine. It's important with the ritual and the time and the care that we put into our
18:39hair. It's like a plant, right? You don't want to just pour water and say, see ya, holler at your
18:43girl. You're going to pour water and say, oh, look at that, we got to move your position so you're
18:47closer to the sun today. Oh, we're going to do, that's the relationship that I have with my hair.
18:51And ever since I had that relationship with my hair, my hair is growing and growing and even with
18:56the color, a lot of people are afraid of color. If you treat your hair good and you love it, you
18:59hydrate it. I'm talking about the moisture and curl cream. I'm talking about the
19:04leave and conditioner. I'm talking about the oil just before your bed. Make it your thing. Get it
19:09up in there, wrap it down. I mean, it does wonder. So I'm big on ritual, ritualizing your
19:16relationship with your hair. So you must have read the social team's next question or the
19:22people on social because the next question was, your new color looks amazing. Thank you.
19:29And what do you do now to maintain the health of your hair? So I'm not going to sit in here
19:33and lie to you. Obviously, we all know color does sometimes change the texture of the hair.
19:37It's a natural part of it. It's not something that you're going to get away from, but that
19:41doesn't mean that it has to damage the hair. Now I might give you what we call back in the
19:46day when they think you got to relax it, but it's like your hair is trained. Y'all remember
19:50that? It might give you some of that trained hair, but that's as bad as it has to get as
19:54long as you keep those ends trimmed and you keep your hair hydrated. The hydration is the
20:00biggest thing. You know what I'm saying? Like we don't even really need to overly wash our
20:04hair like that. I'm talking about a co-wash in the middle of the month. And then at the
20:08end of the month, give yourself a full wash, shampoo and conditioner, and then start it
20:13over that next following week. You don't want to strip those oils because that's what makes
20:17our hair too fragile, especially when you have color on it. And so that's my big thing.
20:22You know, I don't overdo it. And like I said, I give my hair breaks, put them braids in and
20:26pop a wig on so your hair can relax. Take it out and do some twists. You know what I mean?
20:30Don't be afraid to be flexible for the integrity of the hair. We have options for a reason,
20:36not to hide, but to uphold.
20:39All right. I think we're ready for the intro.
20:42Okay. Oh, wait a minute. Is that the last thing? Oh my gosh. Well, wait a minute. Before
20:47I go, I have to show you guys our unstoppable hair campaign because I don't know if you got
20:51a chance to see it, but what we've been telling you about and what this means is just then the
20:56confidence of knowing when you feel good about your hair and how it allows you to own every
21:01room that you're in. When we were talking about this over the phone, you know, we have our phone
21:05sessions of what's going to be great. What is going to represent this new era of cream of nature of
21:09not just the woman with beautiful hair, but the woman that has the strength behind the hair,
21:13the business chick. This is what we came up with. So I want you guys to take a look at it before we
21:18head on out of here. And thank you so much for listening to this conversation with us.
21:21Thank you guys. So awesome. Seriously. Strengthen your hair and protect from heat damage
21:28with cream of nature, leave-in conditioner.
21:36Cream of nature, unstoppable hair. Oh my goodness. So good. So good. Again, I thank you guys so much
21:46Essence Fest. We've had a blast. We're going to still be sticking around and doing stuff, but thank you
21:50again for this conversation. You want to say anything, Chandra? I just want to say thank you
21:54to everyone and thank you to you because you are amazing. And don't forget to stop by our booth.
21:59Thank you guys. Oh my gosh. Yes. Thank you.
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