1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,159 Victoria Jackson: Welcome back to she Pivots and I'm Victoria Jackson. 2 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,959 Emily Tisch Sussman: Welcome back to she Pivots, the podcast where we talk 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,599 Emily Tisch Sussman: with women who dare to pivot out of one career 4 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:24,239 Emily Tisch Sussman: and into something new and explore how their personal lives 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:32,159 Emily Tisch Sussman: impacts these decisions. I'm your host Emily Tish Sussman today. 6 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: I'm so excited to have on Victoria Jackson to talk 7 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:38,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: about her many pivots and plot twists. Victoria is someone 8 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,760 Emily Tisch Sussman: whose life embodies everything we talk about on she Pivots, 9 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: the way our personal stories shape our professional paths, and 10 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: how reinvention isn't a one time decision, it's a way 11 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: of living. She may be best known as the woman 12 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,760 Emily Tisch Sussman: who coined no Makeup makeup, the beauty pioneer who built 13 00:00:55,800 --> 00:01:00,920 Emily Tisch Sussman: a billion dollar empire by championing natural confidence's first beauty 14 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:03,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: long before it was trending, but her story goes far 15 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:08,119 Emily Tisch Sussman: beyond the surface. She launched Victoria Jackson Cosmetics from her 16 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: garage in the nineteen eighties with a singular mission to 17 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,959 Emily Tisch Sussman: help women feel like the best version of themselves. She 18 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:20,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: was scrappy, bold, and entirely self taught, selling her products 19 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:24,319 Emily Tisch Sussman: on infomercials and later on QBC, becoming a household name 20 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:28,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: in the process. But in two thousand and eight, everything 21 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: changed when her daughter Ali was diagnosed with a rare, 22 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:37,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: life threatening disease called neuromya litis optica or NMO. Victoria 23 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:40,240 Emily Tisch Sussman: didn't hesitate. She walked away from the business she had 24 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,240 Emily Tisch Sussman: built and pivoted without question into a world she knew 25 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:49,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: nothing about medicine. She taught herself the language of molecular immunology, 26 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:55,639 Emily Tisch Sussman: founded the Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation, and mobilized nearly eighty 27 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: million dollars for research that helped fund the first ever 28 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:04,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: ET approved treatments for the disease. She became an advocate, 29 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: a fundraiser, a force in a space that she had 30 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:10,280 Emily Tisch Sussman: never expected to enter. But never once did she doubt 31 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:14,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: her decision to put love, purpose, and motherhood first. Now, 32 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:19,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: at seventy years old, Victoria's pivoting again. She's returning to 33 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: where it all began, with a new generation of no 34 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: makeup makeup products, blending skin care and simplicity with the 35 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: same mission that started it all, helping people feel confident 36 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: in their own skin. She's not just reviving a brand, 37 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: She's reimagining beauty for women who like her are still evolving. 38 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:44,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: Victoria's story is raw, resilient, and deeply human. It's all 39 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:50,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: about surviving trauma, building success from scratch, and walking away 40 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: from an all for something even greater. And now, decades later, 41 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: it's about choosing joy and creativity again on her own 42 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:00,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: Termslet's get into. 43 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:11,120 Victoria Jackson: It, Victoria Jackson, and I do so many things. Philanthropist, entrepreneur, mother, 44 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:17,720 Victoria Jackson: makeup creator, really kind of an accentrist and alchemist, you 45 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,040 Victoria Jackson: name it. That's just sort of who I am. 46 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:23,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: Okay, we're rewinding, we're going all the way back. So 47 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: little Victoria, when you were growing up, what did you 48 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:28,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: think you wanted to be when you grew up? 49 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,240 Victoria Jackson: You know, I always say I was born prematurely. I 50 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:34,399 Victoria Jackson: was born in the six and a half month, so 51 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,600 Victoria Jackson: I think. And I was born I think early on 52 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:41,760 Victoria Jackson: I had that little worry gene and worried about everything. 53 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,120 Victoria Jackson: So probably I was just worried about the stability of 54 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,440 Victoria Jackson: my parents. And you know, how did I get into 55 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:52,880 Victoria Jackson: a situation where I never quite knew what was coming next? 56 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,120 Victoria Jackson: So I don't even know that. It was very much 57 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,440 Victoria Jackson: later in life that I started thinking about what I 58 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:03,160 Victoria Jackson: wanted to do and that question bothered me more than anything, 59 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:05,160 Victoria Jackson: not the way you've just asked it, but the way 60 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:07,440 Victoria Jackson: people in my life did at the time, which is 61 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,520 Victoria Jackson: probably for a lot of young people when they say, well, 62 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:10,880 Victoria Jackson: what do you want to do or what do you 63 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,760 Victoria Jackson: and I had no sense. I was always a person 64 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:15,880 Victoria Jackson: that was just trying to figure out who I was, 65 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:19,560 Victoria Jackson: let alone where I was going or you know, what 66 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:23,000 Victoria Jackson: my career might look like. Things seemed to evolve in 67 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,760 Victoria Jackson: a different way for me as I was always struggling 68 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:31,599 Victoria Jackson: and fighting and dealing with much bigger inner demons. You know, 69 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,279 Victoria Jackson: I was always in survival mode. Is one thing that 70 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,680 Victoria Jackson: I realized, having come from a childhood that was, you know, 71 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,919 Victoria Jackson: filled with a lot of uncertainty. And then you know, 72 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:44,680 Victoria Jackson: the episode that happened when we'll call it beyond an 73 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,359 Victoria Jackson: episode of what happened in my life, the incident with 74 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,840 Victoria Jackson: pillowcase rapist when I was seventeen. So I've always really 75 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,800 Victoria Jackson: struggled with trying to figure things out and not knowing 76 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,479 Victoria Jackson: where my place was, not coming from a family that, 77 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:01,039 Victoria Jackson: I said, a lot of instability, there wasn't a lot 78 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,279 Victoria Jackson: of money, just sort of you know, I wasn't great 79 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,679 Victoria Jackson: going to school. I was ditching school all the time. 80 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,400 Victoria Jackson: So yeah, it's just a lot. I was always dealing 81 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:12,480 Victoria Jackson: with a lot internally. 82 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: One of the first moments that forced Victoria to pivot 83 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:19,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: was once she just touched on one of the most 84 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: horrific moments of her life. When she was just seventeen, 85 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,359 Emily Tisch Sussman: she was the victim of a violent attack from a 86 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:29,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: man known as the Pillowcase rapist, and it changed her 87 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:29,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: life forever. 88 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:32,760 Victoria Jackson: You know, I always felt, I don't know if a 89 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:34,719 Victoria Jackson: lot of the people that are listening to this, they 90 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,360 Victoria Jackson: always feel like, you know, there's a sense of foreboding 91 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,560 Victoria Jackson: about maybe something in their life and then it happens. 92 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:43,200 Victoria Jackson: For me, it was always I felt like somebody was 93 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,440 Victoria Jackson: out to get me, and that was always, you know, 94 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:49,359 Victoria Jackson: and I would be teased about it in the family, 95 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:51,800 Victoria Jackson: like Who's going to get you? And to the point 96 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:56,200 Victoria Jackson: where one a night, my brother was, you know, always 97 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,160 Victoria Jackson: making jokes at a step brother. My mom remarried and 98 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:02,840 Victoria Jackson: I had a stepbrother who basically was a good guy, 99 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:05,120 Victoria Jackson: but he would play jokes on me. And so one 100 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,680 Victoria Jackson: night when I was home in my room alone, I 101 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,040 Victoria Jackson: saw behind me, you know, that awful scene in a 102 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,640 Victoria Jackson: horror movie where there's somebody standing behind you that I 103 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,760 Victoria Jackson: was looking in a mirror and someone was behind me 104 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,160 Victoria Jackson: and had on a ski mask and looked like a 105 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,920 Victoria Jackson: dish towel hanging over something and was all covered up 106 00:06:22,920 --> 00:06:25,719 Victoria Jackson: with gloves and lots of clothes. And I thought it 107 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,040 Victoria Jackson: was my brother playing a joke, saying don't move, and 108 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,919 Victoria Jackson: it turned out it was not my brother. And you know, 109 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,200 Victoria Jackson: I don't really need to go into all the details 110 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,520 Victoria Jackson: of it, because I do talk about it in my book. 111 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:41,440 Victoria Jackson: We all worry, now what, but enough that I thought 112 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:45,200 Victoria Jackson: my whole family was, you know, had been killed and 113 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:48,400 Victoria Jackson: I was the last victim. And so that's all I 114 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:54,000 Victoria Jackson: kept thinking about. And really from that experience, which manifested 115 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:58,520 Victoria Jackson: in severe claustrophobia for me, and you know, he had 116 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:03,240 Victoria Jackson: a knife and I stabbed and brutally raped, and it 117 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:07,600 Victoria Jackson: was I learned about something called which I talk about 118 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:11,280 Victoria Jackson: in my book called zooming out. But for at the time, 119 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:15,840 Victoria Jackson: it was really disassociating from what was happening to my body, 120 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,239 Victoria Jackson: kind of you know, sort of floating above looking down 121 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:22,560 Victoria Jackson: and really being very cognizant of there was a reason 122 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,520 Victoria Jackson: that I was here. This wasn't going to be how 123 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:30,400 Victoria Jackson: I went out and was very clear that when I 124 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:34,240 Victoria Jackson: had a moment to scream and break free, that's what 125 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:39,120 Victoria Jackson: I did. And that was obviously another pivot point, for sure, 126 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:43,240 Victoria Jackson: you know, a brutal pivot, but a pivot to there's 127 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,400 Victoria Jackson: a reason I'm here, I've been spared, there's a reason 128 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:49,520 Victoria Jackson: I'm here, and what is that reason? 129 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:53,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: And from there you wrote that you never went back 130 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:54,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: home after that. 131 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,760 Victoria Jackson: Yeah, I never went back in my room. I was seventeen, 132 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:00,280 Victoria Jackson: I didn't graduate high school. I was in my final year, 133 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:05,920 Victoria Jackson: of my final months actually of graduating in the twelfth grade. Yeah, 134 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,920 Victoria Jackson: I just could never go back in the room. And 135 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,679 Victoria Jackson: then at eighteen, when I turned eighteen, I got married 136 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:13,960 Victoria Jackson: because you know, I had to be eighteen and just 137 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:17,480 Victoria Jackson: didn't want to be alone, basically, was it. So you know, 138 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,280 Victoria Jackson: I married sort of like almost like a high school 139 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:24,280 Victoria Jackson: friend and to not be by myself, and I was 140 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:26,760 Victoria Jackson: you know, I think we lasted about nine months, and 141 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,800 Victoria Jackson: because you know, his last name was Jackson, and I 142 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,640 Victoria Jackson: wanted to just sort of like, I think it raised 143 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,760 Victoria Jackson: so much of the past. And I'd had different names 144 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:39,520 Victoria Jackson: because I was born one name and then my stepfather 145 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:42,000 Victoria Jackson: adopted me and I had a different name. And then 146 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:45,520 Victoria Jackson: you know, I just thought, as in this pivot, I'm 147 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:49,360 Victoria Jackson: going to now be Victoria Jackson, and I decided to 148 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,280 Victoria Jackson: go to beauty school, which is because I am more 149 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:56,079 Victoria Jackson: of a creative and learn about doing makeup and hair 150 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,800 Victoria Jackson: and went to Marinello's School of Beauty. I was able 151 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,199 Victoria Jackson: to get a scholarship and did that. My marriage didn't 152 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,640 Victoria Jackson: survive that, but it really wasn't a marriage marriage. It 153 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,480 Victoria Jackson: was a friendship. And I think we've both figured out 154 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:12,400 Victoria Jackson: it was best to go our separate ways. 155 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,920 Emily Tisch Sussman: After everything that happened, Victoria leaned into beauty school, carving 156 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:20,839 Emily Tisch Sussman: out a new life for herself. She hustled, made connections, 157 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: and eventually, after spotting a gap in the market, she 158 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: decided to start her own makeup company out of her garage. 159 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:31,560 Victoria Jackson: I mean, while I was, you know, when I decided 160 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:34,080 Victoria Jackson: I wanted to be a makeup artist, and to be 161 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,079 Victoria Jackson: a makeup artist, a Hollywood makeup artist, you have to 162 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:39,560 Victoria Jackson: start building a portfolio. And at the time I started 163 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,600 Victoria Jackson: doing that by working. I'd look through which no longer exists, 164 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,760 Victoria Jackson: the phone book, and I would look to see different photographers. 165 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:51,920 Victoria Jackson: I'd look on magazines credits, you know, for photographers, I'd 166 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:53,640 Victoria Jackson: go see them and I had to ask if I 167 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,320 Victoria Jackson: could work for free to start building my portfolio. And 168 00:09:57,679 --> 00:10:00,440 Victoria Jackson: I noticed as I was doing that, and that was 169 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:04,679 Victoria Jackson: after graduating from a beauty school sixteen hundred hours later, 170 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,280 Victoria Jackson: that makeup was really what I was excited about. I would, 171 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,280 Victoria Jackson: during the day work for in the makeup counters, you know, 172 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:15,200 Victoria Jackson: clinique or different department stores. I'd work in the makeup 173 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,280 Victoria Jackson: counters and be familiar with different brands and makeup, and 174 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,640 Victoria Jackson: I didn't find anything. As I was now working and 175 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:25,800 Victoria Jackson: testing and building my portfolio with photographers, a makeup that 176 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:30,240 Victoria Jackson: was more of a neutral base foundation. And so I 177 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,240 Victoria Jackson: decided that everything was like two pink and orange. This 178 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:36,440 Victoria Jackson: is going back aways before there was you know the 179 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,920 Victoria Jackson: companies now that have eight hundred shades of foundations. So 180 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:44,559 Victoria Jackson: I started to create in my garage my own makeup 181 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,640 Victoria Jackson: by mixing and matching different things so to create what 182 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:50,880 Victoria Jackson: was more of what I called at the time, it 183 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:54,760 Victoria Jackson: was Victoria Jackson Beauty Basics. That was my first line. 184 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,760 Victoria Jackson: And while I was doing that, I started I thought 185 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:01,200 Victoria Jackson: I would see if I could teach makeup class, and 186 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,679 Victoria Jackson: I was doing that at ACLA in an extension course, 187 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:08,040 Victoria Jackson: and I started to perfect and see what people were 188 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:11,360 Victoria Jackson: responding to with my makeup. But it was all really 189 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:13,360 Victoria Jackson: started in my garage. 190 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: So you really started it out of necessity looking for 191 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:17,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: the products that It wasn't like you were approaching this 192 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:19,760 Emily Tisch Sussman: as saying I'm going to be an entrepreneur, let me 193 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,920 Emily Tisch Sussman: find the product. It was really the tool that you 194 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:24,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: needed to make your business work. 195 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,280 Victoria Jackson: I always believe like if you build it, they will come. 196 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:31,040 Victoria Jackson: But yeah, I wasn't thinking I had no idea. Everything 197 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:35,200 Victoria Jackson: very organically came from that where I was in my 198 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:39,960 Victoria Jackson: class and a student in my UCLA class also said 199 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,960 Victoria Jackson: that she basically worked with a group of guys that 200 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:46,040 Victoria Jackson: were selling products on television, and I said, I had 201 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:49,080 Victoria Jackson: a great idea of how to sell cosmetics and TV, 202 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:51,440 Victoria Jackson: although I wasn't really sure that I had a great 203 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:53,679 Victoria Jackson: idea for how to do that. But I thought I 204 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,480 Victoria Jackson: would take what I'd been doing in my classes. I'd 205 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:00,040 Victoria Jackson: put together these color coordinated kits, and I took a 206 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,200 Victoria Jackson: lot of what I was teaching, which are now you 207 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,840 Victoria Jackson: see on TikTok all the time as these tutorials. I 208 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:09,719 Victoria Jackson: was doing a three hour class and lessons on you know, 209 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:11,840 Victoria Jackson: a ten over a ten week course of how to 210 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:14,520 Victoria Jackson: do your makeup. So I started to extract a lot 211 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:16,520 Victoria Jackson: of that and thought, how could I take all of 212 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,800 Victoria Jackson: what I do and bring it down to where, you know, 213 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:21,760 Victoria Jackson: I could sell this on television. 214 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:27,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: And here we are with Victoria, and. 215 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:30,439 Victoria Jackson: I'm going to take you through a complete makeover or 216 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:32,560 Victoria Jackson: I make someone up from the start to finish, and 217 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,559 Victoria Jackson: show you all the right techniques for a general makeup application. 218 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,760 Victoria Jackson: And now joining me is Victoria Jackson. Hi, Cathleen, So 219 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:40,680 Victoria Jackson: what are we going to do today? 220 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:41,439 Emily Tisch Sussman: What are we going to learn? 221 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:45,360 Victoria Jackson: And I got on the set and I did a 222 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,160 Victoria Jackson: million dollars a week in sales. From that point on, 223 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,000 Victoria Jackson: I did thirteen years of inpromercials, ten years of QVC. 224 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:55,479 Victoria Jackson: Where by the way, I just went back on QVC 225 00:12:56,040 --> 00:13:01,280 Victoria Jackson: twenty five years later last week and it was amazing. So, yeah, 226 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:02,840 Victoria Jackson: I've talked about full circle. 227 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: Yeah I got yeah, Well when did you Maybe it 228 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: was now, But at this point, when did you know 229 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: that you'd made it in the cosmetics industry or even 230 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:13,920 Emily Tisch Sussman: just like made it professionally. 231 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,760 Victoria Jackson: I don't know that I ever thought about. It's so strange, 232 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,120 Victoria Jackson: but the making it. When you deal with low self 233 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,640 Victoria Jackson: esteem and insecurity, you're always sort of like did I 234 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:26,640 Victoria Jackson: make it? And I always saw I was just saying 235 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:28,599 Victoria Jackson: the next thing. You know, when you do things like 236 00:13:28,679 --> 00:13:31,120 Victoria Jackson: QBC at the time, you know, I'm I'm very hard 237 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:35,320 Victoria Jackson: on myself, so I'm a perfectionist, so I never quite 238 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:38,360 Victoria Jackson: Only now I think as I'm this year about to 239 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,560 Victoria Jackson: turn seventy, and I thought, you know what, this year 240 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:44,360 Victoria Jackson: I'm starting to take you know what, I'm looking at 241 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:48,200 Victoria Jackson: my resume and I'm ticking over a lot of boxes off, going, oh, 242 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:51,160 Victoria Jackson: you've done a lot, so I think it's just catching 243 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,000 Victoria Jackson: up now to all that I've done. 244 00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:57,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: By all accounts, Victoria had found success in her career. 245 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: She was doing millions in sales. I was bringing in 246 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,559 Emily Tisch Sussman: over twenty two thousand new customers a week in the 247 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:08,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: nineteen eighties. No less. When we come back, Victoria's life 248 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: takes an unexpected turn as we explore the more personal 249 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:25,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: side of her story. Stay tuned. Before the break, Victoria 250 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,760 Emily Tisch Sussman: was setting records and breaking glass ceilings at QBC, But 251 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: while she was growing Victoria Jackson Cosmetics, her personal life 252 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:33,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: grew as well. 253 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,960 Victoria Jackson: I was married for my first marriage, which was very 254 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:43,360 Victoria Jackson: short with the gentleman named last name Jackson. I remarried 255 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,160 Victoria Jackson: years later to you know, the love of my life, 256 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:49,080 Victoria Jackson: the first love of my life. I now have a 257 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,640 Victoria Jackson: new love of my life. I'm very lucky. And I 258 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:56,000 Victoria Jackson: was married and I had a son who is now 259 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,200 Victoria Jackson: forty years old. And you know, as our I was 260 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:02,840 Victoria Jackson: going up kind of in the world of infomercials. You know, 261 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:06,000 Victoria Jackson: we drifted a little bit apart, and again we split, 262 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:09,360 Victoria Jackson: you know, amicably, and have a beautiful son now as 263 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:13,160 Victoria Jackson: I say that we have together. And during that separation 264 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:17,280 Victoria Jackson: and as we were finalizing our divorce, I met my 265 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:22,280 Victoria Jackson: current husband, Bill Guthi of Gutty Ranker, and we have 266 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,120 Victoria Jackson: two children. So I have three beautiful children. And it 267 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:30,960 Victoria Jackson: was really during my time married with Bill, as we 268 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,880 Victoria Jackson: have a son and a daughter, that I was going 269 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:36,960 Victoria Jackson: along in my makeup world. And all things have been 270 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:40,320 Victoria Jackson: going well. And you know, I think Victoria Jackson enjoyed 271 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:44,359 Victoria Jackson: sales up to a billion dollars, thirteen years of infomercials, 272 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,160 Victoria Jackson: ten years of QVC. I created about six hundred beauty products, 273 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:53,440 Victoria Jackson: and just overnight my daughter said she had an eyeball headache, 274 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,880 Victoria Jackson: and so began this kind of nightmare of she was 275 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:02,440 Victoria Jackson: diagnosed with this rare auto immune disease called NMO used 276 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,400 Victoria Jackson: to be known as Devik's disease. And they told me, 277 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,480 Victoria Jackson: and by the way, it's not so rare, that she 278 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:12,160 Victoria Jackson: had four years to live. And then I basically said, 279 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:17,160 Victoria Jackson: I'm closing the door on makeup, and I'm opening the 280 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:21,200 Victoria Jackson: door on everything medicine. And you know, I never went 281 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:23,440 Victoria Jackson: to college, as I said, I didn't graduate high school. 282 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:24,840 Victoria Jackson: So now I was really going to have how do 283 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:28,720 Victoria Jackson: I learn to cure this autoimmune disease when I've been 284 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,640 Victoria Jackson: making like foundation and lib gloss for the last fifteen years. 285 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:39,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: Her daughter's diagnosis changed everything. Neuromyolite as optica or NMO, 286 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:43,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: is an autoimmune disease where your immune system, which usually 287 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:47,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: protects you, mistakenly attacks parts of your nervous system, usually 288 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,480 Emily Tisch Sussman: your optic nerves and the spinal cord. So without his 289 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:55,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: second thought, Victoria dropped everything to find a cure, not 290 00:16:55,400 --> 00:17:00,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: once looking back, people react to these moments differently. I 291 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:03,440 Emily Tisch Sussman: think it probably just depends on you know, your life 292 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:06,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: experience and kind of your disposition. But for some people 293 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:09,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: they jump immediately into action. For some people they need 294 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:13,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: to have a down period, they need to evaluate. When 295 00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:17,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: she got this diagnosis, can you talk us through, I 296 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:20,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: mean obviously devastating, but you know, what were your feelings, 297 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:22,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: what were your thoughts then, and what did you pull 298 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,439 Emily Tisch Sussman: from in your past to help you get on a 299 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: on an active track of figuring out trying to find 300 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:29,240 Emily Tisch Sussman: the diagnosis. 301 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:32,399 Victoria Jackson: Well, I knew that I had to work let's call it, 302 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:36,800 Victoria Jackson: at the speed of life, and so certainly I fell apart, 303 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:39,560 Victoria Jackson: you know, and I curled up in a ball, and 304 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,439 Victoria Jackson: you know, was like, couldn't move off my bathroom floor 305 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:47,560 Victoria Jackson: for a while. But it's the thing that separates, you know, 306 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,919 Victoria Jackson: people from like you can stay in that position or 307 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,199 Victoria Jackson: you can allow yourself that and then you get up 308 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:56,359 Victoria Jackson: and you start making a plan. I was so focused, 309 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,320 Victoria Jackson: you know, I literally have to remember, like I was 310 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:02,360 Victoria Jackson: picturing the hour glass of the sands of time running out, 311 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,560 Victoria Jackson: and I was on this like had to get something done. 312 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:10,240 Victoria Jackson: So sure it was upsetting, but I became so singularly 313 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:15,479 Victoria Jackson: focused because I knew without me driving that narrative and 314 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:18,720 Victoria Jackson: being the person who's doing it and the quote unquote 315 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,520 Victoria Jackson: mom on the mission, as they called me, there was 316 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,879 Victoria Jackson: no other choice. So I just knew that I was 317 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:25,960 Victoria Jackson: going to have to put together a group of really 318 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:31,119 Victoria Jackson: smart people, doctors, researchers, scientists, anybody that knew anything about this, 319 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:35,480 Victoria Jackson: and start I just started thinking through in business, what 320 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,199 Victoria Jackson: would you do to solve something. You'd start bringing in 321 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,760 Victoria Jackson: the people, You start building on the foundation, you start 322 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,640 Victoria Jackson: getting great minds together, you start about collaboration. All the 323 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,399 Victoria Jackson: fundamentals that I built in my beauty business, I just 324 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:52,440 Victoria Jackson: started to apply that here. So I started to seek 325 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,000 Victoria Jackson: out the experts and build this team. And I was 326 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:58,639 Victoria Jackson: just going to be as I've always been, just my 327 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:04,040 Victoria Jackson: authentic self telling the story. Because infomercials were telling a 328 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,720 Victoria Jackson: story for thirty minutes. I'm going to tell the story 329 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:09,160 Victoria Jackson: of my daughter where I am, what I'm trying to do, 330 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:14,120 Victoria Jackson: and I'm going to pay. I've spent eighty million dollars 331 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,119 Victoria Jackson: of my own money. But people are going to work 332 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,120 Victoria Jackson: the way I need them to work, which is they 333 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,880 Victoria Jackson: need to collaborate, share information. And I'm going to change 334 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,399 Victoria Jackson: the way in which medical research is done. So I 335 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,280 Victoria Jackson: set a big bar for myself and a big agenda. 336 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:31,320 Victoria Jackson: But I knew this was serious and I was going 337 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:33,480 Victoria Jackson: to save her life and the life of all the 338 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,919 Victoria Jackson: people that have this condition. I will say, in the 339 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:41,160 Victoria Jackson: midst of all of that I was diagnosed with cancer. So, 340 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,600 Victoria Jackson: but I always see things as a movie and I 341 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,240 Victoria Jackson: was sort of like, this can't be the part in 342 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:50,080 Victoria Jackson: the movie where the mom dies trying to save the daughter, 343 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,760 Victoria Jackson: you know, And so I was able to get through that. 344 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:58,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: It's unbelievable what you've done. Can you walk us through 345 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,639 Emily Tisch Sussman: a little bit of that, like how did you know 346 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,399 Emily Tisch Sussman: what barriers needed to be fixed? And it sounds like 347 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: you had some idea about how to solve them by 348 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: funding them and forcing them to work in a collaborative way, 349 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: But how did you even know that that was a problem? 350 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:14,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: And then how did you force it forward? You did 351 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:15,480 Emily Tisch Sussman: it very quickly. 352 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,680 Victoria Jackson: Yeah, I've done it very very quickly, because it became 353 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:20,960 Victoria Jackson: apparent to me early on and people let me know. 354 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:22,879 Victoria Jackson: And I have to give a lot of credit to 355 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:26,320 Victoria Jackson: the head of my scientific team, who is the head 356 00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:31,119 Victoria Jackson: of molecular Medicine at an Infectious Disease at UCLA, doctor 357 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:34,520 Victoria Jackson: Michael Gaman, And it became clear to me. I was like, well, 358 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,040 Victoria Jackson: tell me what are the challenges of getting cures and 359 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,560 Victoria Jackson: getting things made? And the biggest one was collaboration, people 360 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:45,000 Victoria Jackson: not wanting to work together. And so immediately became clear 361 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:46,480 Victoria Jackson: to me, what I was going to need to do 362 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,919 Victoria Jackson: was sort of create new rules of the road for 363 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:51,720 Victoria Jackson: how I was going to if I was going to 364 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:53,880 Victoria Jackson: give money, how people were going to have to work 365 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,960 Victoria Jackson: together and share. And then I brought together a group 366 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:00,440 Victoria Jackson: of people where I said, help me build this, build 367 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,520 Victoria Jackson: it together. You tell me what you need and I'll 368 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:05,239 Victoria Jackson: go and get it. You know, you tell me if 369 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,800 Victoria Jackson: you need a certain specialist or research in a certain area. 370 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,840 Victoria Jackson: And I mean, I'm so simplifying what has been over 371 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:19,560 Victoria Jackson: seventeen years of problem solving, bringing people together, hundreds of 372 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:26,000 Victoria Jackson: people's together, forty plus countries together, over fifty short films 373 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:30,280 Victoria Jackson: that I've made, creating apps, building my own blood bank 374 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:34,760 Victoria Jackson: that has over one hundred thousand specimens, where I started 375 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:40,160 Victoria Jackson: with nothing because who knew that to you know, have research, 376 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:44,000 Victoria Jackson: they needed the material to work on. So I had 377 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:47,479 Victoria Jackson: to kind of go back in my old way of thinking. 378 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,960 Victoria Jackson: This is how creative you start thinking. I needed blood 379 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:53,919 Victoria Jackson: from people in the world that had this, and I 380 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:58,480 Victoria Jackson: was like, instance, it's mostly women that have autoimmune diseases. 381 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,080 Victoria Jackson: I was like, I'll give you blush if you give 382 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,879 Victoria Jackson: me some blood. Right, Like, I'm going back into my 383 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:08,200 Victoria Jackson: old makeup role. I'm thinking again that creative, which sounds 384 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,399 Victoria Jackson: kind of insane now, But I started with one nurse 385 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,680 Victoria Jackson: going across the country. She'd have extra blush in her bag, 386 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:20,320 Victoria Jackson: getting specimens, and that's how I started creating a blood bank. 387 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:23,640 Victoria Jackson: So anything that I saw was an obstacle. I tried 388 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:24,800 Victoria Jackson: to figure out the solution. 389 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:30,359 Emily Tisch Sussman: Wow, that is really extraordinary. How quickly did you feel 390 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: like you were making progress? Was it immediate or was 391 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:36,159 Emily Tisch Sussman: it very frustrating? No, it was very frustrating because to me, 392 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:38,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: progress was going to only look like, you know, again 393 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:42,639 Emily Tisch Sussman: a high bar of a cure or a therapy. So 394 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:44,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: it's taken me a while to be able to sit here, 395 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: Emily and say to you, and now I have four therapies. 396 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:53,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: But in real time, people said, nobody gets a drug made, 397 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: even one maid this quickly. They say, you have to 398 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:58,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: cross what they call, which is a not a great name, 399 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: the Valley of death, where a lot of ideas, research, 400 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,359 Emily Tisch Sussman: science just kind of goes into this chasm of like 401 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: nothing happens. And I crossed the Valley of death with 402 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:13,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: building bridges between a lot of people that had I 403 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:20,159 Emily Tisch Sussman: think a great sense of humanity, perseverance, amazing brain trusts 404 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:22,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: to help me build that bridge. You can't just have 405 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:27,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: the researchers, clinicians and scientists without the patients. And I 406 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:30,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: think you would see the pharmaceutical companies and it's why 407 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:33,280 Emily Tisch Sussman: I have four drugs made. They were engaged. I mean, 408 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: of course it's about money, but it's also about the 409 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: humanity of helping people. And that's what I had to 410 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:43,280 Emily Tisch Sussman: do was try to build that bridge and show both 411 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: sides we need to work together and here's how we 412 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:51,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: can do that. Remarkably, Victoria did it. She brought the 413 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:54,439 Emily Tisch Sussman: right people together to create an FDA approof treatment that 414 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:58,239 Emily Tisch Sussman: her daughter is still on now seventeen years later. Not 415 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:01,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: only did she help other NEMO patients to fight the odds, 416 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,399 Emily Tisch Sussman: she created a new model for bringing everyone together in 417 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,840 Emily Tisch Sussman: the room, hundreds of researchers and clinicians from thirty two countries, 418 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:14,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: plus pharmaceutical execs and tech teams at Google. She did 419 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: it all within a high school or college degree. But 420 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:35,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: Victoria isn't done yet. After the break, Victoria makes another pivot. 421 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:41,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: After spending years in the medical industry, Victoria was ready 422 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,439 Emily Tisch Sussman: to take on another challenge. At this time, something a 423 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:46,919 Emily Tisch Sussman: little more fun than familiar. 424 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:51,200 Victoria Jackson: And what I missed most. You know, in medicine, everything's 425 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:56,439 Victoria Jackson: black white gray through that. Really sixteen seventeen years I 426 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,479 Victoria Jackson: was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame by 427 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:04,480 Victoria Jackson: Glorious da which was unbelievable. I received an amazing acknowledgment 428 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:07,640 Victoria Jackson: from the Pope the Vatican. I was at the Vatican 429 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:11,200 Victoria Jackson: like for my work around the world. I mean, amazing 430 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,840 Victoria Jackson: things happened that if somebody would have told me as 431 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,960 Victoria Jackson: a high school dropout and not knowing what I was 432 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,119 Victoria Jackson: going to do have happened in my life, I would 433 00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:22,800 Victoria Jackson: never have believed it. But medicine is black white gray. 434 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,960 Victoria Jackson: I've always sort of missed the color of getting back 435 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:32,280 Victoria Jackson: in making my cosmetics, and I still own my trademark 436 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,520 Victoria Jackson: no Makeup Makeup, and I decided, you know what, I'm 437 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:37,919 Victoria Jackson: not going to come back with a product until again. 438 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:42,119 Victoria Jackson: I feel like I have like the world's best foundation 439 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,480 Victoria Jackson: and I've been working over the last few years to 440 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:47,240 Victoria Jackson: create that. And when we actually came up with it, 441 00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:49,600 Victoria Jackson: I was like, Okay, you know what, I'm ready to 442 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,800 Victoria Jackson: go back out there again with no makeup. Makeup. 443 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:54,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: A lot of people think. 444 00:25:53,920 --> 00:25:57,360 Victoria Jackson: Makeup has changed so much over the years do to work. 445 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: With the cold great law reflection. 446 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,440 Victoria Jackson: To me, beauty has always been the same. 447 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:04,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: Here is one of the most successful business women in 448 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:05,359 Emily Tisch Sussman: all America. 449 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:06,800 Victoria Jackson: Her name was Victoria Jackson. 450 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,760 Emily Tisch Sussman: Victoria Jacks Victoria Jackson is a phenomenon in the world 451 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:10,119 Emily Tisch Sussman: of beauty. 452 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:13,160 Victoria Jackson: My whole philosophy is really based on a no makeup, makeup, 453 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,119 Victoria Jackson: no makeup, makeup, no makeup makeup, no makeup make up, 454 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,280 Victoria Jackson: introducing no makeup makeup. 455 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:22,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: So how do you think about dividing your time. You're 456 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:28,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: relaunching makeup, You're doing no makeup makeup? Why now? Why 457 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:29,000 Emily Tisch Sussman: make up again? 458 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:31,800 Victoria Jackson: Oh? I mean for me? Like I said, I wasn't 459 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:33,840 Victoria Jackson: coming back until I made what I felt was the 460 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:37,800 Victoria Jackson: most extraordinary product. And I'm you know, I love being 461 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:40,399 Victoria Jackson: in a lab and I love creating product. I just 462 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:42,520 Victoria Jackson: knew that it was. It's just something that I wanted 463 00:26:42,560 --> 00:26:45,080 Victoria Jackson: to do, and I trademarked no makeup makeup early on. 464 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,600 Victoria Jackson: It's still my philosophy. I feel strongly about it. As 465 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,439 Victoria Jackson: I said, I'm turning seventy and I'm still talking about 466 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,880 Victoria Jackson: no makeup makeup. I just went back on QVC where 467 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:56,919 Victoria Jackson: I was looking at old footage of me when I 468 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:00,000 Victoria Jackson: was there in my little mini skirt like thirty five 469 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:02,280 Victoria Jackson: years ago or whatever it was, and I just went 470 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:06,320 Victoria Jackson: back and I had three fifteen minute segments and I 471 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,919 Victoria Jackson: was fortunate. I sold out and I did over a 472 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,240 Victoria Jackson: million dollars in sale. Thank you everybody. But more than that, 473 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:17,119 Victoria Jackson: it's a great product and I was really excited about it, 474 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,359 Victoria Jackson: just like I was when I did my infomercials. Like 475 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,760 Victoria Jackson: it's easy for me. I'm not just selling and pitching. 476 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:25,040 Victoria Jackson: It's more I know that I've got something great and 477 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,399 Victoria Jackson: I made it, and I'm really excited about it, and 478 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:29,960 Victoria Jackson: I want women to try it and always say, if 479 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:31,200 Victoria Jackson: you don't like it, send it back. 480 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:32,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: That's just me. 481 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:35,440 Victoria Jackson: So this is just a continuation of it, and it's 482 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:38,840 Victoria Jackson: it's fun and I'm enjoying doing it. 483 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:44,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: How is building the company coming back in entering again different? 484 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:46,040 Emily Tisch Sussman: I'm sure different in a million ways, But how is 485 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:47,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: it different this time around? Oh? 486 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,920 Victoria Jackson: I mean, it feels like I was asleep for seventeen years. 487 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:52,399 Victoria Jackson: I woke up and now I'm in the world of 488 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:57,320 Victoria Jackson: TikTok and there are no infomercials anymore. It's like wake up, Victoria, 489 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:01,720 Victoria Jackson: but there's no infomercials. Anymore. It's it's TikTok, and it's Instagram, 490 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:06,400 Victoria Jackson: and it's influencers and creators and tutorials. But I did 491 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:09,000 Victoria Jackson: all of that, so it's it's taking it now and 492 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:13,679 Victoria Jackson: as they say, making everything my messaging more snackable. But 493 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:16,159 Victoria Jackson: I was talking about a lot of the things that 494 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,879 Victoria Jackson: I was doing then I'm doing now. It's just in 495 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:23,680 Victoria Jackson: a new way. And there's things that I'll I listen 496 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:25,960 Victoria Jackson: to my team and they're going, Okay, you need to 497 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,160 Victoria Jackson: go in the bathroom and you need to like show 498 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,840 Victoria Jackson: people before and after. And I was, you know, like 499 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:33,240 Victoria Jackson: in only this time, you don't have thirty minutes to 500 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:37,360 Victoria Jackson: do it. You've got you know, thirty seconds. So it's 501 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:41,360 Victoria Jackson: been a learning I sound like a you know, old lady, like, 502 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:43,800 Victoria Jackson: what is this new era we're in? But it's kind 503 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:45,840 Victoria Jackson: of been like that for me. But you know what, 504 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,800 Victoria Jackson: I pioneered the infomercial world, and I'm sure I can 505 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:52,400 Victoria Jackson: navigate this and a lot of people, you know, interestingly, 506 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:55,120 Victoria Jackson: to a lot of people have been talking about no 507 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:58,600 Victoria Jackson: makeup makeup for a long time, not realizing that I 508 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,560 Victoria Jackson: originally am the one that kind of started that movement 509 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,280 Victoria Jackson: early on in trademarket so it's been nice. A lot 510 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:06,720 Victoria Jackson: of people now are going, wait a minute, I've heard 511 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:09,120 Victoria Jackson: it from so and so, but you're the one who 512 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:13,040 Victoria Jackson: did that, so it's kind of nice to do that. 513 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: And thinking about your metric for success, what are your 514 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:20,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: dreams for your relaunch of the makeup Like, is your 515 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:22,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: metric of success different this time around? 516 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,840 Victoria Jackson: I think ultimately will be since I kind of walked 517 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:31,840 Victoria Jackson: away from that, will be to sell this company when 518 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:33,960 Victoria Jackson: the time is right. That will be a metric. Like 519 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,040 Victoria Jackson: it'll sort of be like it was something that I 520 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:38,800 Victoria Jackson: was wanting to do then and they all will have 521 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,240 Victoria Jackson: recreated something that I can do now. So I think 522 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:46,040 Victoria Jackson: that will be a metric for me. But again, going 523 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,800 Victoria Jackson: back to already, I'm feeling pretty amazed because I can 524 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:52,240 Victoria Jackson: see how people are responding to it, and that's really 525 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:55,600 Victoria Jackson: there's no better metric than that than people just loving 526 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:57,120 Victoria Jackson: something that you've created. 527 00:29:57,640 --> 00:29:59,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: Yeah, you know, I have a lot of conversations with 528 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: listeners where especially after they've had young kids, once they 529 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: have sort of medium aged kids and maybe they had 530 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:08,240 Emily Tisch Sussman: taken a step back from the workforce at that time 531 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:10,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: and then they think, oh, well, you know, I'm too 532 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:13,400 Emily Tisch Sussman: old to start something new. Ah, what would I start now? 533 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:16,920 Emily Tisch Sussman: I can't start again now. But you are starting a 534 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:19,880 Emily Tisch Sussman: new company at almost seventy So what is your message 535 00:30:19,880 --> 00:30:20,720 Emily Tisch Sussman: to them? 536 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:23,959 Victoria Jackson: Oh? Just do it, just you know, don't even like 537 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,360 Victoria Jackson: seriously like I think it's harder the thought of not 538 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:30,480 Victoria Jackson: doing something. You're already failing. If you don't do it, 539 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:34,320 Victoria Jackson: you've already failed. So why not see if you can succeed? 540 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,360 Victoria Jackson: Because not doing it, to me is already a failure. 541 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,520 Victoria Jackson: So it's really like, you put yourself out there, you know, 542 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:44,200 Victoria Jackson: and do it if it's real for you, if you 543 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:46,880 Victoria Jackson: believe it. Don't do it just to do it. Do 544 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,560 Victoria Jackson: it because there's something in you that you want to 545 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:52,719 Victoria Jackson: do it and you feel passionate around that to me, 546 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:57,280 Victoria Jackson: is always makes it authentic and people can feel your authenticity, 547 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:58,160 Victoria Jackson: your excitement. 548 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: So I asked this question of all of my guests. 549 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:04,160 Emily Tisch Sussman: What is something that at one point you saw as 550 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:06,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: really a negative or a low point, and now you 551 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,960 Emily Tisch Sussman: see it as having really launched you into the path 552 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:11,400 Emily Tisch Sussman: that you are on now or the success that you 553 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:12,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: found now. 554 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:16,720 Victoria Jackson: I mean, I'd say so many, so many things, things 555 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:21,280 Victoria Jackson: like obviously my daughter's illness was clearly the lowest point, 556 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:25,040 Victoria Jackson: but I see out of that, and I certainly wouldn't 557 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,840 Victoria Jackson: wish that or say oh, but ultimately it was the 558 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:30,800 Victoria Jackson: best thing that happened. No, it wasn't the best thing 559 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,400 Victoria Jackson: that happened. But I see what I was able to 560 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,320 Victoria Jackson: make of it, and how I was able to you know, 561 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:40,280 Victoria Jackson: help thousands, hundreds of thousands of people and getting drugs made. 562 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:44,440 Victoria Jackson: That's pretty extraordinary. So something that was so low and 563 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:47,440 Victoria Jackson: I felt like I didn't even know where to begin, 564 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:51,120 Victoria Jackson: where to begin, and to see what it's turned into 565 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:55,840 Victoria Jackson: that's been extraordinary. And the same thing with the makeup, 566 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:59,440 Victoria Jackson: that you start from this tiny little seed. And you know, 567 00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:03,000 Victoria Jackson: I always remember this, Jay Shetty had said it, and 568 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,440 Victoria Jackson: I remember it. You can water the seeds or the weeds, 569 00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:10,800 Victoria Jackson: you know, And I always try to water the seeds 570 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:14,280 Victoria Jackson: and try to get rid of those weeds. And I've 571 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:19,480 Victoria Jackson: seen all those seeds now really grow into something pretty extraordinary, 572 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:21,480 Victoria Jackson: and I'm very, very proud of that. 573 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:23,280 Emily Tisch Sussman: Do you think you'll pivot again? 574 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,640 Victoria Jackson: Absolutely, I think I'll be pivoting, you know, I think 575 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,040 Victoria Jackson: I'll be like pivoting in my grave. I mean, i'd 576 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:31,760 Victoria Jackson: just be like, I think that's just who I am. 577 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:35,280 Victoria Jackson: But I pivot. But It's not like I pivot and 578 00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:38,120 Victoria Jackson: then the other thing is shit. I just bring something 579 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:41,600 Victoria Jackson: new into my life and I keep them all going. 580 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:45,000 Victoria Jackson: They're all on burners, and you know, the heat is 581 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:47,080 Victoria Jackson: turned up a little more on one than the other. 582 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:50,600 Victoria Jackson: But I keep them all going. They're all cooking. So 583 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:53,480 Victoria Jackson: I think sometimes people can think pivot, like you know, 584 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:55,600 Victoria Jackson: you turn, and then are you turning your back on 585 00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:59,320 Victoria Jackson: something or closing a door. I really try not to 586 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,880 Victoria Jackson: always do that to sort of now, Like I say, 587 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,520 Victoria Jackson: they're all on a burner, they're all cooking, and I 588 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:07,400 Victoria Jackson: know it's part of those ms, which one am I 589 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:10,240 Victoria Jackson: in and what am I giving a little bit more 590 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:15,080 Victoria Jackson: love or attention to today? But they all coexist in 591 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:17,120 Victoria Jackson: the world of Victoria Jackson. 592 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:20,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: Well, thank you so much, Thank. 593 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:21,560 Victoria Jackson: You so much. I appreciate it. 594 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:27,080 Emily Tisch Sussman: Victoria still has all her burners going, from publishing her 595 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:30,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: latest book, We All Worry Now What, to growing her 596 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:35,480 Emily Tisch Sussman: company no makeup Makeup, to running her bookstore, Godmother Books. 597 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:39,560 Emily Tisch Sussman: She doesn't slow down. You can keep up with Victoria 598 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:43,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: and her many pivots on Instagram at official Victoria Jackson 599 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:48,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: Talk to you next week. Thanks for listening to this 600 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:51,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: episode of She pivots. I hope you enjoyed it, and 601 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:54,120 Emily Tisch Sussman: if you did, leave us a rating and tell your 602 00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:57,920 Emily Tisch Sussman: friends about us. To learn more about our guests, follow 603 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,680 Emily Tisch Sussman: us on Instagram at she pivots the Podcast, or sign 604 00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:04,520 Emily Tisch Sussman: up for our newsletter where you can get exclusive behind 605 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:08,320 Emily Tisch Sussman: the scenes content on our website at she pivots thepodcast 606 00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:15,719 Emily Tisch Sussman: dot com. This episode was produced and edited by Emily Davelosk, 607 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:19,800 Emily Tisch Sussman: with sound editing and mixing from Nina Pollock, Audio production 608 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:23,640 Emily Tisch Sussman: and social media by Hannah Cousins, research by Christine Dickinson, 609 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,360 Emily Tisch Sussman: and logistics and planning by Emma Stopic and Kendall Krupkin. 610 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,200 Emily Tisch Sussman: She pivots is proud to be a part of the 611 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:35,600 Emily Tisch Sussman: iHeart Podcast Network. I endorse g pivots