Jaime Kern Lima on Building IT Cosmetics and Pushing Through Rejection

This week on Reclaiming, we sit down with Jamie Kern Lima — entrepreneur, author, and trailblazing founder of IT Cosmetics, the billion-dollar beauty brand built on authenticity and inclusion. In this conversation, Jamie opens up about what she calls “doubting yourself out of your destiny,” and her “season of setbacks." She reflects on how persevering through countless “no’s” taught her the power of resilience, why creating products that reflected real women’s skin tones and needs was non-negotiable, and how listening to her gut — even when others didn’t believe — changed everything.

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Chapters:
00:00 From Waitress to Billionaire: Jamie's Incredible Story
03:47 The Importance of Play and Fun
06:01 Facing Inadequacy and Embracing Vulnerability
09:27 Faith and Perseverance: Jamie's Guiding Principles
10:54 Overcoming Procrastination
16:17 Trusting Intuition and Embracing Destiny
23:10 The Birth of IT Cosmetics: A Leap of Faith
25:08 Navigating Rejection and Self-Doubt
39:23 Mixing Marriage and Business
43:22 A Brutal Meeting at Sephora
47:33 The Final Investor Meeting
53:01 The Big Break on QVC
01:07:27 Finding Self-Worth and Meeting Oprah
01:14:50 Reclaiming Self-Worth and Embracing Light

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About the show:
If you’re interested in unexpected conversations that go uncharted places, are remotely self-aware and like to laugh, then please join me as I continue to find my public voice on Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky. (That’s me.) I will have honest, wide-ranging interviews with all kinds of people – recognizable names, regular folks, experts and friends – about what it means to reclaim what’s been lost or taken in the broadest sense. Every week, I’ll draw from my own unique experiences (like say, surviving a global scandal at 24 years old), and delve into the personal and often messy ways people find their way back to themselves. And because I love a good tangent, we’ll probably also touch on other stuff, too. Listen to Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky premieres early and ad-free at https://wondery.com/shows/reclaiming-....

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