Tonya Lewis Lee, who took the stage with WWD executive editor Tara Donaldson to share their respective brand journeys, it’s clear there is much work to be done.
For McGhee Kirkland, creating adaptogenic products that would resonate with her target demographic meant fine-tuning details that often go overlooked — from the taste of her anxiety-relieving supplements, to giving her products approachable names — Unbothered Elixir, Big Up Body Glaze, and so on — to the Megan Thee Stallion-inspired double entendres splashed across the brand’s packaging.
“Even as a Harvard-educated businessman, as a father, as a former athlete, [my father] still did not have the wellness tools and resources, or even just the language to say ‘something is wrong,'” she said. “The more research we did on stress and how it affects Black bodies, the more I realized — why isn’t wellness marketed toward us more?”
This support comes in many forms, among them resolving the lack of medical research and clinical trials focusing on darker skin tones. “Having our voices not only at the table, but actually directing how these conversations are had — it changes the game,” she said.