We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Monica Riley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Monica , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
I believe that taking risks in business – entering strategic partnerships – can unlock new sales opportunities.
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.
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 and I had talked myself out of it. 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 $38,000 and had over 648 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!
Still glowing from that success and huge milestone, I remembered what my Nana used to say to me: “You’ve got to get to gettin’ or get got!” In those 12 minutes, I increased my sales by 32% and gained 600 new customers!
Dr. Monica , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
WOW! It’s been a minute since we were last together. So much has happened. And, this year – 2026 – Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty is Celebrating A Decade of Excellence!
Get comfortable and join me as we illuminate pathways to Self-Care mastery, together!
Make 2026 Your Year For YOU!
Allow me to reintroduce myself. I Am
Dr. Monica Riley, MD and I am the award-winning founder of Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty, LLC!
My journey into the world of clean, plant-based beauty and luxury fragrance began from a very personal place—a desire for effective, science-backed beauty products that were safe and sustainable for women 40+ with special honor to Melanated Beauty. Some of the most powerful beauty secrets are hiding in plain sight.
Drawing on my 100 year legacy of healing traditions, from the inside-out, and my 30+ expertise in holistic healing therapies, I started formulating my solutions inspired by my Nana, which blossomed into my own award-winning product and fragrance line – Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty, LLC- focused on harnessing nature with clinical efficacy. My ethos is “Self-Care IS Healthcare”™️
Dr. Monica’s Natural Beauty is a holistic, award-winning skincare, body, hair, and fragrance brand founded by me – Emmy Award-winning CEO and integrative medicine doctor, Dr. Monica Riley, MD.
Our company is built on our 100-year legacy of natural, Afro-Indigenous healing traditions passed down through my family. Targeting women over 40, especially melanated women, our brand emphasizes conscious self-care through natural products and aromatherapy.
Shop:https://www.drmonicasnaturalbeauty.com/
We Look Forward to Engaging with You:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/drmonicabickerstaffriley
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Drmonicasbeautyandselfcare
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-monica-riley-708524174?trk=contact-info
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMonicaBickerstaff
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I feel I’ve earned my stellar and trusted reputation in the market by showing up as my authentic self! 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! I have “beat the odds!” Statistics tell us that over 50% of new businesses don’t make it past the two year mark! But God!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I took a leap and almost crashed when my resilience and belief in myself were challenged. In just 12 hours, I 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 delivered 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!
I was about to lose these relationships with all of these cool people who believed in me and my products. My family 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. My resilience was reflected in my honesty and my perseverance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.drmonicasnaturalbeauty.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmonicabickerstaffriley
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmonicasbeautyandselfcare
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-monica-riley-708524174
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/VegasHolistic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrMonicaBickerstaff
- Other: Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/stores/DrMonicasNaturalBeauty/page/BA16510F-F09D-4B49-AF01-C0A348B12762
Spotify: Self-Care Secrets to Longevity:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7DMkGzUsLcqWZCTRE0DueR?si=rUuKHlkhThmIz1OFBkzK3A&utm_medium=organic&fbclid=IwY2xjawPkA_RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR48isPmpQOAM0y3jthHvy82UxXH9Djex8tKPUJCdxDTK0Z3YTSZ-kpi7eA6Sg_aem_fDZPn8T2etfV3abmz5Jatg
Image Credits
Image Credits: Monica D. Riley