Winning Together: Dr Monica Riley Of Dr Monica’s Natural Beauty On How Strategic Partnerships Can U
  • Chad Silverstein
  • June 17, 2025
  • 10:02 pm
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Winning Together: Dr Monica Riley Of Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty On How Strategic Partnerships Can Unlock New Sales Opportunities

An Interview With Chad Silverstein

Jump Into The Ring — Don’t Shy Away From Your Destiny — I realize that not everyone is a risk taker. But, you don’t know if you don’t try. Take that leap and figure out everything on the way down! When you rise up, you’ll have your confidence and your purpose in alignment. Confidence attracts partners. Confidence is critical in building wealth.

Strategic partnerships have the potential to unlock growth and create new opportunities in ways that businesses can’t achieve alone. To explore this important topic, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Monica Riley, NMD, MSJ.

Dr. Monica Riley, NMD, MSJ, affectionately known as Dr. Monica, is a Doctor of Integrative Medicine with over 30 years of expertise in the Holistic Health Sciences. Dr. Monica is the Founder of Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty, LLC; the award-winning sustainable body care, skin and haircare collection featuring clean fragrances that inspire women 40+ — with careful care to communities of color — to Self-Love through Self-Care. This active Vassar College Alum and 2-time Emmy Award-winning documentary producer and journalist continues to inspire communities to action through her activism against human trafficking and cyberbullying. A sought-after public speaker and podcast guest, Dr. Monica believes that “Self-Care IS Healthcare”™.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

My story begins in my Nana’s kitchen, at the age of 4, where she taught me how to make lavender essential oil and blend herbs for healing. The genesis of my entrepreneurial venture traces back to the heartwarming confines of her kitchen — a sanctuary where aromatic elixirs were brewed, and comforting scents wafted through the air. Witnessing Nana craft healing remedies, ingrained in me a belief that echoed through generations: “No woman should sacrifice her vim, vigor, or vitality; no matter what stage of life she’s in.” This ethos fueled the birth of my company — Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty, LLC- which I founded in 2016. My narrative is steeped within my Afro-Indigenous legacy — echoing longevity, and healing traditions. My roots, deeply entwined in family wisdom spanning a century, are the cornerstone of my enterprise. I learned lessons on self-care, and resilience while munching on homemade biscuits with strawberry jam.

I founded Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty to inspire women, with special care to melanated beauty, to prioritize their self-care. Our products motivate daily self-care for optimal wellness and mood. Seventy-three percent of women 35+ are living with a chronic physical or mental health condition. We consistently neglect our daily self-care to care for our families, our businesses, and our communities. “Selfcare REALLY IS Health-Care.”

My maternal Nana taught me everything I respect about fragrance and the importance of scent. Fragrance controls over 70% of our emotions, evokes memories, and inspires self-confidence. Of the senses, smell alone has a direct line to our limbic system — the part of our mind that deals with emotions, cognitive maturity, and memory. As women, we can decide who we want to be, how we want to be, and BE, unapologetically, awesome every day! But, it must be a choice. And, we must feel worthy of that choice. As a doctor of integrative medicine, with 25+ years of expertise in aromatherapy, herbology and Traditional Chinese Medicine, I’m pivoting with a purpose to empower women to believe in themselves and unapologetically walk with confidence by lovin’ the skin they’re in! Confidence is Cute! My sustainable, handcrafted bodycare and fine fragrance oils are 100% all-natural, no synthetic ingredients whatsoever, and are curated to transform and uplift mental mastery.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began working with partnerships or collaborations?

I LOVE this question. I have a treasure chest of interesting stories. My life is a Lifetime movie! I am selecting a recent collab — August 2024. I was the featured guest on The Funky Dineva LIVE show on YouTube. Funky Dineva is an award-winning celebrity blogger and content creator on YouTube with over a half million following. In June 2024, he started offering his prime-time platform to small business owners for 12-minute segments to share their businesses. I’m a fan and watch his show nightly. When I saw the first promo about this opportunity, I totally told myself that I needed to pitch my biz THAT night! Well, life started “lifin” and before I knew it, June had passed. I almost didn’t follow my intuition. I finally got my gusto to pitch when I heard that the segment price was going to go up! I got my confidence together and delivered my pitch to his agent. Two weeks later, I was accepted and scheduled for August 22, 2024! The numbers aligned and I was excited to prep my script and prepare my collection for on-air presentation! On August 22, 2024 — my brand was elevated to a level even I didn’t expect! Literally, within those precious 12 minutes, and within 12 hours — I earned over $30,000 and had over 630 orders to fill! One of the viewers commented: “I love Dr. Monica’s energy! Her products look amazing and she is definitely QVC ready” I was definitely WINNING and then I crashed with the reality of it all.

You are a successful leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

For me, leadership transcends the mere creation of followers; it entails nurturing a legion of empowered leaders. Creating a legacy is a sustainable act of longevity. And, as a successful leader, I am always learning. My leadership ethos pivots around a heart-centered approach, devoid of ego — empowering others to embrace their confidence unreservedly. I believe in women uplifting one another. This is my leadership philosophy. My character traits that are most instrumental to my success are my faith, flexibility and fortitude.

My partnerships with BeautyTap Official Inc., Fab Over 40 and International Association of Top Professionals have required me to stand “naked” before a mirror of self-reflection. For me to receive the best from my partners, I must always put my best face forward. I uplift women through affirmations, I inspire women with my story and I elevate women with a healthy dose of faith. This is where my faith and my fortitude are required. I am authentic and I am transparent with my life story. I feel that other women appreciate this about me.

My collaboration with BeautyTap Official Inc. was a slow simmer to a satisfying partnership. I was approached with an offer to showcase my best-selling product — Facelift in a Bottle. And, I almost said no when I found out that my product would be delivered to and evaluated by 100 professionals in the skin business. WOW! I sat on the contract for about a month. My brand manager was so patient with me and she showed me so much grace. I had confidence in my product, but I didn’t know if I could withstand the criticism. It felt personal. While I was simmering on the back burner, I kept hearing my Nana saying, “You’ve got to commence to gettin’ or get GOT!” I was raised to serve others. I believe in what my Facelift in a Bottle delivers; incredible skin, women’s self-confidence and self-love. So, I had to get over myself. I opened myself up to the criticism of strangers who held their own biases about women, women of color and women of color in the “Beauty Space.” I tell my students all the time to “show up with their glow up! When you enter a room, act like you embody the strength of all your ancestors!” I achieved a 4.5/5 rating. And, prospered through all of the “constructive criticism.”

I, literally, pitched myself to the Fab Over 40 committee. I saw their ad on Instagram — seriously! I should be under scrolling supervision after 10 pm! I was accepted into a competition amongst a sea of 40,000 amazing and accomplished women. What the heck did I get myself into? Now, this partnership was my opportunity to raise money for The National Cancer Foundation, but I had to constantly come up with creative ways to pitch myself to my audience of friends and family. It was a long 12 weeks! There were times where I felt like was bothering them and just really a pest. But, my tribe hung in there with me. In the end, I was a Top 5 Finalist, and I raised over $3500 for women’s cancer research. My family and friends believed in me and uplifted me all the way to my finish line. I am humbled by their commitment to me reaching my goals. I am so grateful for them.

IAOTP — The International Association of Top Professionals approached me. You never know who is watching you across your social media platforms. Their selection committee observed me across my social platforms and through live presentations on my YouTube channel. Always put your best face forward. The committee pitched a yearlong PR partnership to me complete with live press/media attention, an international platform and an opportunity to share my holistic practice for healing grief and trauma in underserved populations. In 2024, IAOTP named me Top Holistic & Self-Care Leader of the Year! This partnership has opened up all kinds of collaborations with professionals from all kinds of industries. Seriously, I have been offered Board positions, clients, customers, designers, podcast guest spots and advice from new friends.

Let’s now jump to the focus of our interview. What does a “strategic partnership” mean to you, and why do you think it’s such an essential part of sales growth today?

A “strategic partnership” is any collaboration that puts money in my account and business notoriety and recognition before the public. My strategic partnerships must allow me to service my community. For me, a “strategic partnership” must align with my faith and my values. The recipe is simple — sprinkle faith and values with a heavy dose of community service. I do not enter any partnership that does not align with my community endeavors or my purpose.

How do you go about identifying potential partners that align with your business goals? Are there specific qualities or traits you look for in a partnership?

I pray first and they manifest. Seriously, I rely on my intuition, God (and market savvy) to identify my potential partners. They present themselves to me. And the alignment must “feel” right. I am an energy person. If your energy doesn’t align with mine, you are not the partner for me. A better fit is around the way. There are 5 traits that I look for in a partnership — 1. Commitment to the demographic that I am serving. 2. Honesty and Grace 3. Faith and Flexibility 4. Belief that every human is worthy of being called beautiful and 5. Successful partnerships with other corporations or individuals that can elevate me to the next level with money in hand.

What steps do you take to build trust and ensure that a partnership will be mutually beneficial for both sides?

My work and my reputation speak for themselves. I have amassed over 30 years of higher education, leadership and community service behind my name and as my legacy. I do not have to make up steps or skip steps to build trust. When I show up, I show up as my authentic self. I am kind and I am considerate. I believe that those character traits shine through naturally. After I meet with a potential partner, and if that meeting does not progress as I envision or if I feel unsettled, I do not move forward with that partnership. Grace is critical when forming partnership relationships. Even if something doesn’t go as planned, I always follow up with a “Thank You” note. You must show thanks to everyone you encounter. That is just human decency. That is how I was raised. I am blessed to be entering my 10th year of owning a successful brand! Statistics show us that over 50% of new businesses don’t make it past the two year mark! But God!

Can you share a specific example of a strategic partnership you were involved in? How did it come about, and what impact did it have on your business?

When I started my business in 2016, I knew that I wanted to see my collection in a MACYS; somewhere! I dreamed about seeing my products on the shelves of MACYS even before I knew what my products were. My fascination with MACYS began when I was about 8 years old. I am from New York, and I was obsessed with Paddington Bear. During the Christmas Holiday Season, MACYS is decked out! They are a literal manifestation of “deck the halls.” MACYS — Herald Square — New York City is the Grand Dame. Every Christmas, my Mommie would take me and my Paddington bear to see The Nutcracker on Broadway and to shop at FAO Schwartz. But first, we would have lunch at MACYS. I was mesmerized with MACYS windows. Each one told a story of wonderment, and I was all in. Me and Paddington Bear were privy to some of many firsts at MACYS.

I was reading a Forbes Inc. article when I noticed an advertisement for “The Workshop at MACYS.” This was around May 2019. And, once again, I was scrolling the web after 10 pm! I read the requirements for the application and I perused the FAQ’s. Everything was in alignment. So, I prayed over it and started the arduous application. Everything worth anything takes a lot of work. It took me about 4 hours to comprehensively complete the application. But, I just knew that I was going to see Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty in MACYS. This was going to be a dream come true and I needed to focus and follow-through.

On June 6, 2016, I got the response that I dreamed of! “Dear Dr. Monica, we are pleased to announce that YOU are our new “It & NOW” Brand Partner at The Workshop at MACYS.” I was assigned to the MACYS at Fashion Show Mall on The Las Vegas STRIP — HUGE!!! I’m getting emotional with this memory. The staff at MACYS was INCREDIBLE to work with. They embraced me as if I was their team member from day one. I loved the people, I loved the way they intuitively displayed my items and for 2 months I loved how they made me feel as if they were just as committed to my success as I was. I came in with all kinds of ideas! I wanted a Press/Media Grand Opening Extravaganza, I wanted weekly national promotion with me as the face of my brand and I wanted to host 2 FREE self-care classes for the community. They answered YES to all my desires. My partnership with MACYS was extended to include a Pop-Up Shop “tour” to 4 cities — New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta and San Francisco. I will forever be grateful to the partners that poured into me. I learned so much, on the business side of marketing and financial budgeting and operations. The impact that this partnership had on my business was incredible! My collection “sold out” and I got to retain my customer database. These 2 elements elevated my business and my finances to the next level of scaling my company.

What role does communication play in maintaining a strong, long-lasting partnership? Are there particular practices or tools you use to keep everyone aligned and engaged?

Communication is integral to the success of any partnership. You must communicate. And, I mean, get off the device pick up the phone and call your partners to check-in once a week. Send them letters to let them know what you’re up to and to assure them that their investment in YOU is their realization. Set up Zoom coffee chats twice a month. Also, you must research your partners before the very first meeting. Know who you’re going into business with. Find out about their background. When you sit at the table with them — the first time — they should know that you know that they like chocolate ice cream and prefer cats over dogs! Yes, you must be this calculated and specific in building your partnerships. You want them to be lasting and lucrative. That is the goal. You want your partners to believe in you and serve as your representative when you’re not in the room.

Based on your experience, can you share “5 Steps to Create Strategic Partnerships That Drive Sales Growth”?

1. Jump Into The Ring — Don’t Shy Away From Your Destiny — I realize that not everyone is a risk taker. But, you don’t know if you don’t try. Take that leap and figure out everything on the way down! When you rise up, you’ll have your confidence and your purpose in alignment. Confidence attracts partners. Confidence is critical in building wealth.

2. Wear Your Brand On Your Sleeve — Once you start a business, you become your brand. Therefore, you must walk your talk and carry yourself like the expert and successful ambassador you are. Confidence in your brand attracts loyal customers.

3. Make Sure You Are Positioned to Deliver Your Assets — Your word is your bond. My Dad taught me this lesson. You will not succeed in anything if you don’t honor your word. If you can’t deliver “it,” don’t promise “it.”

4. Don’t Shy Away From Telling Your Partner(s) What You Need/What You Expect From Them — The hardest lesson for me to learn was to how to ask for what I need. As a startup, you will always need money. You will always need experts to guide you along your journey. If you have money blockages, which most of us do, get into a mindset shift immediately! I am celebrating my 10th year as Founder of Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty and I still struggle with this. Allow yourself some grace and don’t give up on yourself or your dream.

5. Beef Up Your Operations — Product Delivery Metric Must Be On Point — You never know when you will meet your BIG BREAK!!! You definitely want to be prepared! LOL

What advice would you give to smaller companies or startups that may not have the resources or networks of larger businesses but want to start building strategic partnerships?

Start building strategic partnerships with your friends and family first. Share your business metric with those who will support you. I recommend “bootstrapping” your business at the onset. Also, if you are affiliated with a sorority, fraternity, or college network — share your dream with these professionals. They will become your investors, your business ambassadors and your experts. Your next step is to research accelerator programs, business incubators and professional business networking groups that support your purpose. This step is critical to scaling your business and learning your craft. You need to become the “expert” in every facet of your company from business operations to money management to public speaker. Ask questions — don’t be shy.

How do you handle challenges or conflicts that may arise in a partnership to ensure that the relationship stays strong and productive?

If a challenge or conflict arises in my partnership, I pray over it first. I am sensitive by nature. So, I have to sit with myself to feel out if I am over-reacting or if I really have a beef with my partner. Then, I usually express myself through a very enlightened and respectful letter to the individual. I’ve been told that my words are my swords. Stay positioned and ahead of your argument. Whatever the case, first evaluate yourself and then have a calm interaction with your partner. You don’t want to come from an energy of blame or cruelty. You must be calm and collected. Remember, if this partnership is worth keeping, you must be of the mindset to play chess and not checkers.

Can you share a surprising or unexpected lesson you learned from a past partnership?

The Lesson — Be Prepared! I mentioned earlier that I soared high and then crashed quickly after my first guest appearance on a high profile show on YouTube. Yes, I crossed an amazing threshold of earning $38,000 in just 12 hours — gained 638+ new customers and new orders — BUT, I was NOT prepared. Let me be honest here. I almost lost my mind. I almost ruined my relationships with my new customers. We live in a world where everyone expects everything in 2 days! LOL In my reality, because I handcraft every item that I sell, my timeline is more like 5–7 business days. I didn’t have the stock inventory to fulfill 6 orders let alone 638+ orders. I remember, sitting in the middle of my living room floor, with empty bottles, gold organza bags and gold tissue paper surrounding me — I was alone and I broke down. How the HECK was I going to do this thing!? What had I gotten myself into? Was I going to have to fold and return all this money? Ummm…NO! But first, I had to pray, wipe my face, put my big girl heels on and execute a PLAN!

The mission I chose to accept was to execute the orders within a 10-day fulfilment plan and begin new relationships with all of these cool people who believed in me and my products that one night on August 22, 2024. My family and my life partner were my cornerstones. They fed me, they nurtured me and they believed in me. I sat down and penned an honest email to my new customer family. This email began: “You are worth the very best…. I’m asking for your grace and understanding. I value you. I am not going to let you down.” Thirty days later, I posted my final four packages! Within 30 business days, I had fulfilled all 638+ orders. From that launch, I had only two returns! Today, all of those wonderful and beautiful people are still loyal customers.

What trends or changes are you seeing in how businesses approach strategic partnerships, and how do you think this will evolve in the coming years?

The major trend that I am seeing is an unhealthy dependence on AI. This maybe an unpopular opinion, but it is the reality and it’s costing new founders money and credibility. Let me approach this from a third person perspective so I don’t sound preachy. If you rely on AI to create an unrealistic likeness of yourself or to craft words that don’t come from your heart, then you are presenting yourself falsely. Speak your speech. Show up in the image that matches your picture. Honor your integrity and proceed with approaching a partner. Don’t blindside your potential strategic partners. If you show up looking like and sounding like someone other than who you purported yourself to be — they won’t entertain you. Leave the AI and the ChatGPT at home!

In your opinion, how do strategic partnerships impact not just sales, but a company’s reputation, relationships, and long-term growth?

Strategic partnerships impact sales from a personal founder — customer relationship. Remember that each one of your customers is a strategic partner. If you don’t deliver your brand, they will forfeit and go somewhere else. You are your brand; all-ways! Your company’s reputation is in your hands. Foster your long-term growth by showing up authentically. Be transparent with your partners, honor their birthdays and their anniversaries, invest in them as they have invested in you. These steps will nurture longevity.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would inspire more companies to embrace collaboration and partnerships, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

“You must love what you do and do what you love!” I inspire now! I believe in nurturing and developing the next generation of business founders. When I see young talent, I host a masterclass and a pitch competition. I bring in every expert and financial investor I know and nurture a new conscious and considerate CEO. This masterclass is usually 2 days, includes snacks and caters to a young Melanated and LGBTQ2 generation of entrepreneurs. Beauty is and always will be inclusive. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder — Period!

How can our readers further follow you online? Please reach out to me! I would love to hear from you:

This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us. Thank you for having me. 😊

About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience as a Founder and CEO. While attending Ohio State University, he launched his first company, Choice Recovery, Inc., a nationally recognized healthcare collection agency — twice ranked the #1 workplace in Ohio. In 2013, he founded [re]start, helping thousands of people find meaningful career opportunities. After selling both companies, Chad shifted his focus to his true passion — leadership. Today, he coaches founders and CEOs at Built to Lead, advises Authority Magazine’s Thought Leader Incubator.

Winning Together: Dr Monica Riley Of Dr Monica’s Natural Beauty On How Strategic Partnerships Can U was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.