Authenticity, Motherhood and A First Look at Yummy Tummy with Tika Sumpter

0:02Hey guys, welcome back to Skin Anarchy. We have such an amazing guest with us today. I am such a fan of hers. And a lot of you might recognize her from her wonderful roles in some very, very blockbuster films. And just as, you know, in general as an actor, a producer, and also a podcast creator. And now a newfound entrepreneur in the beauty space and the wellness space. So without further ado, please welcome Tika Sumter. Welcome, Tika. I'm so honored to host you. Oh my gosh, I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for hosting me. Yeah, no, I'm really excited to have the chance to talk to you and learn about the brand.

0:40I'm so excited you have a brand that you're launching and, you know, it looks so fantastic. But I want to start with really your career, you know, like you've worn so many creative hats, right, over the years. And that's so fascinating to me, because that's very hard to do, you know, being able to do that. So looking back, I mean, what were some of the moments and experiences that you think, you know, really defined your creative insight and perspective as obviously like a storyteller, but just somebody who is in this creative space all the time? Oh, man. It's so crazy because in the beginning of my career, you know, I thought I only had, I only could be one thing, right?

1:21Like I'm an actor, you know, I remember, you know, hearing, you know, actors don't do commercials. You know, real actors don't do this. And it was so, it was almost like putting people in a box, right? Because nobody's just one thing, you know? Well, at least I'm not. I'm a Gemini and I'm all over the place. So, and so all my creative forces of just growing up around, you know, people with just, you know, my mom could sing, my sister could, my, my, my brother, you know, was that he's, he would do coding. Like there's so many amazing forces that were always around me growing up. And I'm like, of course, you know, you pull from every which way.

2:07So for me, my, my, I don't only go as far creatively, create creatively as a actress, but also as a creator. I think I'm more of a creator in general, whether it's writing books or, you know, creating Yummy Tummy or you see me on the screen acting. I think I've just, I've just always been that person who was never just interested in only doing one thing. Yeah, no, I think that's like always, I mean, that's the fascinating part I think about, you know, when I look into your career, because I think it's very difficult to bring creativity out in so many different ways, you know what I mean? And I think like, a lot of times people don't really kind of pause to think about how much that, how much that takes out of somebody to be able to do that, you know, so that's, that's really huge.

2:56I mean, it's, it's a lot of work. yeah it's a lot of work I'm sure no I'm sure and I mean you know I ask you that because the over you know I've reviewed so many brands right and like it's always the founders that can do it's not even multitasking it's exactly what we were talking about here where it's like the creativity just like pours out of you in all these ways and you know and those are the people who end up creating brands that you're like oh my god I didn't even know I needed this and I do you know like that kind of thing so yeah I'm the girl who stays up at who's that up at night who's like oh my gosh my brain is on and I have to write it down and so yeah I'm that girl as well yeah no I can I can definitely imagine no I want to talk about because you've played in so many wonderful roles right in your in your acting careers and it's really spanned different genres different audiences and I you know I'm a huge believer in really trying to understand like how people perceive beauty um I think it's different for everybody I'd love to learn you know what do you think really influenced you know especially from the acting career side like what do you think really influenced your view of what true beauty means and like what true confidence means you know when it comes to like the entertainment industry especially you know so my true intro to beauty was within my own household like my mom is still like she can go in a thrift store and let me tell you something you would think she was in Gucci because the way she puts outfits together you're like wait what did you find what and my sisters were always ahead of the curve with like just their look and trends and so I was always looking to them like whoa you guys are first of all not only just cool but you're also beautiful like they were trendsetters within our own community.

4:52Right. And so that was beauty to me. And so when I came into the industry and I saw who were the ingenues or who were picked for whatever parts that were the leading parts, it was like, it never bothered me. Um, it just made me feel like, Oh, I I'm that too. Yeah. It was never, it was never a sense of they shouldn't have it. It was, Oh yeah, no, I'm additive too. I'm also, I also can be that. So my, my, and there's, there's room for it. And so my intro to beauty was something that I saw within my own household and that I held sacred from the beginning. And then when I saw what, you know, the world of entertainment saw as, oh, this is beautiful.

5:40These are the leads. These are, these are who we, you know, think are beautiful, I was like, oh, okay. And so when they also chose me for certain roles, I was like, yeah, because that too is also beautiful, right? And so the entertainment industry never dictated to me what was beautiful. I already knew what was beautiful and what was additive. And then I was like, okay, great. So we can all be beautiful together. So for me, it wasn't one thing like, oh, I saw her on TV and I was like, that's gorgeous. Because Claire comfortable to me with like her hair her skin everything I was like oh my god you know that could be my second mom yeah no that makes a lot of sense actually I'm glad you said that because I think a lot of times I mean I see this a lot with you know being a millennial myself and then now looking at Gen Z it's become so easy to look towards or look outwards right towards other people and then internalize that you know and then be like okay now your perception of beauty gets twisted you know and you don't know where you are anymore and you're where your grounding energy is anymore so that's why I asked you that because it's like you know where like I mean I just want maybe you could offer some insight into that component of it because I would love for people to understand like you know why this is important where it's like you do have to stay grounded in who you are when you look at beauty so you hear it okay yeah so oh oh gosh I wish people knew the beauty and in in entertainment when you see the person right and you think wow they are perfection a lot of work goes into perfection right what that it's not just waking up and being like, oh, amazing today, right?

7:32It's sometimes it's what they eat. It's what they, you know, the things that they can afford might be more than what you can afford. Some of the things, you know, the beauty products that they use to enhance their beauty is different from you. Sometimes the filters, right? Like it's all, it's a bunch of things. And I always say, you know, social media really is the highlight reel a lot of the times because because you're seeing the end result and you're not seeing the process really, you know, sometimes you get to see some people show, like sometimes I'll be like, I just woke up and I look a hot mess, whatever.

8:07But like some of the products that I use, you know, might be something that you don't have access to. So I think when we hold ourselves to these standards of what beauty actually is, it's not really the standard either because there's so much that goes into making that person what they are, what you think they are, right? They can be beautiful, but all the things that contribute to that beauty, you might not be seeing everything. So I hope and I pray that people are, they take a second take to say, wait a second now, let me ground myself in reality. Because what happens in entertainment isn't always reality.

8:49Right, right, exactly. And that's the powerful part about it is that we believe whatever we're seeing on screen is reality. That's what it is. And, you know, what's really interesting to me, and I'd love for you to speak on this because I feel like any woman of color has this immense burden put on her, especially when you're in the limelight, right? When you're on screen and you're in front of the audiences and people look at, you know, you as a person and, you know, they think, okay, well, she needs to represent beauty, you know, for everybody and put the standard out there. I mean, what are your thoughts around that, that, that expectation, I guess, that's placed, you know, it's like this unsight expectation kind of thing, you know?

9:37Yeah, I think there's a lot of expectations. There's an expectation to always look as young as you were when you started. You know, there's always there's an expectation that your skin is always going to be perfect or that everything is going to sit just right. So that, you know, and what I'm grateful for about nowadays is people are allowing other people to not be that. Like they're saying, let your hair down, you know, and people are trying to be more honest about where they are. But yeah, I think for me, honestly, I have come to a place in my life, and I don't know if it comes with age, but I just want to be healthy.

10:21And if I'm healthy, not only am I going to shine from my insides, but my outside, they're just going to glow no matter what. Right. Like if I'm taking care of myself, I have I have set aside the burden of this industry of feeling like I'm going to ever keep up. Because, listen, at a certain age, it's just like, hey, that you're you're no longer that thing that you were. Right. But you become something else. It's almost like the caterpillar who turned into the butterfly. like you are becoming constantly other things, right. That are also beautiful and valuable. And so for me, I don't allow myself to have that burden of, oh my God, I gotta, I gotta show what beauty is for a group of people.

11:05I just gotta show it. I gotta be, I really gotta be me. And I tell my daughter, be the best you that you could be, because I can't, I can't put, when you put that backpack on of bricks, it will literally drown you. And so I have spoken to myself in a way of, I can't keep up. I'm not going to keep up with anybody. All I can do is keep up with me. Right. I love that. I love that. That's so, that's so important and so powerful because I think a lot of times the burden does fall, you know what I mean? On like a specific group of people. And I've seen this happen so many times and I'm for me I've always felt it to be unfair you know because it's like you can't it's like what you said like you have to be able to just say this is who I am you know and so if you look at me and you find yourself in me right and you see a reflection that's beautiful and that's wonderful but then you at the same time you can't expect that person to then mold so that you feel comfortable.

12:12You know what I mean? That kind of thing. Exactly. And I am grateful for, I mean, the amount of people who have said, oh my gosh, I've seen you in this and that and you made me like myself even more or think that I'm beautiful. I am so grateful that I can be that beacon for a lot of people because that's also important. But I also think people see the honesty of who I am. and that too is also important so that they can be honest with themselves right and just be free to be themselves and so yeah I love being a beacon but I also love being just exactly who I am and where I'm supposed to be yeah I hear you I really hear you there I love that um no I want to talk about motherhood you brought up your daughter and you know clearly that's really influenced your work, right?

13:01The journey of motherhood. And, you know, I would love for you to speak on this, you know, in terms of how did becoming a mom really change your relationship with your self-image, your self-care routine, all of those kinds of things. Yeah. I mean, I always say there's a before Ella and then there's an after Ella, right? And before Ella, I was just my, you know, all I had to think about was myself, right? And feeding myself and not thinking about anybody but me. And then there's an after Ella. where it connected. So when I, when I, when I got pregnant, you know, it was, it was a surprise and also it was a beautiful surprise, but I didn't realize I was going about it as if, oh, okay.

13:46Cause you know, everybody was talking about carrying was really hard. And for me, the carrying part was amazing. It was the having her, which was, I had preeclampsia and that was hard. Yeah. So that was really tough for me. And then afterward, you know, I didn't realize, it was almost like a punch in the face, how exhausted you become. And I literally felt like, who the heck am I? And it felt like brown hogs day. And it felt like if I don't get back to work soon, I am going to jump out of the window. That's literally what I felt like. And, and I didn't realize that I didn't give myself time to, at that moment, at that time, at that time when I had my child, I didn't realize like how much grace mothers don't give themselves, especially first time moms.

14:42We just don't, we think we're supposed to jump right back into where we were. And you're just, you literally, your body transitions to a different person, whether it's stuff popping up on your skin, whether it's the texture of your skin, whether it's your exhaustion, whether it's your body literally changed like weight and it's harder to get off, whether it's your breasts, whether it's your nipples cracking, whether it's the baby just like always needing you all the time, which amen, thank you that they do, but you don't realize how much it kind of like takes you under and you don't know who you are.

15:20And I say to people who are having babies or just starting to have babies, please give yourself at least a year or two to just acclimate, just acclimate, because I wish I would have known that, that I could have at least prepared my mind. But it was more like a holy crap. And then it just took time to get back to not who I was, but some essence of, oh, oh, Tika. Yeah. You know what I mean? like love my baby, love my baby would do anything, would walk through fire for my child. And also I would walk through fire for myself. And I had to remember I'm still me. I'm still me plus, plus one. Right.

16:03So, and I think moms, um, we, we just naturally, a lot of the times, a lot of us pour ourselves into our kids and until we realized, wait a second, we're, we left ourselves behind right and so yeah um I just think I wish mothers would give themselves more grace to grow into the newer even better humans that they they become yeah no I really I'm so glad you you said this because I feel like I've definitely had some very close girlfriends of mine I'm not a I'm not a mom and you know myself but I've had some very close friends that literally like after they had their child like the very early phases right like it was like the first few months after even like that year time frame that you're talking about it's like you watch this this human being that you've known for so long you know completely not only change but like everything about them changes you know like obviously a priority shift and like you know you're what you're focused on shifts but then it's like they forget that they're even alive you know there's a them you know it's not just the baby like it's like they take on the personality of whatever that child needs you know and then like as a person looking in as a friend you're just like god I wish you would go take a spa day you know like just take a bath yeah yeah go take a bath have something for yourself right yeah and it's so true we leave ourselves behind so much.

17:41And that's why for me, even with my company, Fort Sumter, you know, obviously it's creative and a product driven company that I found it to, to bring the peace, to bring the joy and to bring real support to women and especially moms through the stories and the things that actually really do work. Like that is my core. That is, that, that is at our core, you know, and we want women to feel seen whether you have a baby or not right but and we want we want the products that truly care for you and not just to market to you absolutely I love that I love that and I think that's what this industry needs more of to be honest with you you know I'll keep it real with with everybody listening and you know any brands out there it's like you know stop making products people don't need like please stop you know like our our shelves are cluttered you know what I mean as is and it's like I feel like that's where I really love um the kind of brand that you're kind of you know you're bringing out and you're standing behind because with yummy tummy it's like there's a real need you know there needs to be something that speaks to moms that speaks to women in general you know and says listen like here's a product or a set of products that you can just grab and then this is going to work for you for these like the things that they're going through without like realizing they're going through it you know like yeah because like you said like no one's pausing like in that period in that time frame of motherhood you don't pause enough and you don't think about like what what can I do for myself you know like how can I help myself during all this so let's talk about that let's talk about yummy tummy what made you really like where was that moment when you realized like I'm going to launch a motherhood based brand Yeah.

19:23So for me, one, when I became a mom and I just saw not only just the need to speak to women in general for stories, but also this is something that I wish I had, you know, during my time. I always say in the wilderness. And, you know, I wanted to take decision making off the minds of mom. Like I wanted to take decision making off the minds of mom in terms of, OK, what can I use not only for me, but for my baby where I don't have to have a bunch of products and set for you and set for me? I can grab this and I can use it for me and I can use it for you. Right. And that is strong enough for mama and gentle enough for baby.

20:06And so that's what I created. And it's, you know, it's a nurture oil, like there's a nurture oil, which it's for, you know, the stretching skin, the scars, the dry patches. I wanted to make sure the ingredients were plant-based and that has grapeseed oil and vitamin E and rosehip oil and avocado oil, but also something that you can use for your child. And it can also be a bonding moment, not only just for, you know, if you need a moment for yourself, but also, Hey, let me grab this for my kid. Let me throw it in my diaper bag. And then the, right. And so, and then the cream is for dryness and tightness and post-pregnancy and skin recovery, but also a deep moisturizer for, you know, for the kid too, right?

20:51You can use it on the legs of the baby, the dry patches, the belly, the breast. And it has things like squalene in it, which mimics skin's natural oils for lasting hydration. And again, grapeseed oil and rosal oil. But then the Nurture Balm, right? It soothes and protects your nipples, but also could be used, hey, I need something for my lips right now because we dry. Or my skin has a rough patch right here, right? It's for cracking, more soreness, more dryness, right? And it has, you know, lanolin and castrate oil and shade butter and sunflower seed and beeswax, something easy you can throw in.

21:29I think for me, I wanted multi-use products for mom and baby and beyond. And if you want to continue to use it afterwards, for postpartum, whatever that looks like, keep using it because it works. I use it every day. My daughter used the oil. She had sunburn recently and she was like, mom, I was like, go grab the oil. And she was like, this stuff actually works. I was like, yeah, I know. Yeah. So I just wanted it to be easier. That's it. Easier for mom and feel her to feel safe to put it on her skin and her baby skin. I love that. And I think, you know, for me like this conversation is just so it runs so deep I think because you know and we don't really hear much about it you know in social media or like you know out there in terms of like what moms go through with the whole idea of like you know when you start getting stretch marks right like no one really talks about this stuff in a way that's like not shameful you know what I mean like oh my gosh I feel like we've put this veil of shame on stretch marks and I'm like what are you doing you know talking about and so like i want to talk about that a little bit with you is this idea of like you know embracing the stretch marks embracing like what's going on and also like understanding you know that these are natural changes like what are your thoughts on all of that

22:51skin is like your biggest barrier of protection for your body but it's like it's it's amazing what it does for you right and the fact that it stretches and you held you know whether you held a baby or not whatever you've gone through it has lasted you it has covered you. It has protected you. And I would hope that this is almost a quick ritual for you to even say, thank you. Thank you, skin. Like I've been waking up every morning just saying, thank you body for working. Right. And I think so many times we dismiss the very thing that protects us every day. Right. And that has kept us strong every day.

23:36And so I think stretch marks and scars and moments of patches. These are like battle scars. These are bad. Your body has worked for you, right? And the way that it can. And I just hope that these products will contribute to helping you heal and helping you take yourself in and nurture you and your baby or just you and realize like, hey, I have something in my life that is there not to fight me, but to embrace me and to love me so that I can go out in the world and be fully me. Right. Yeah. You know, what's crazy is I've seen like, like certain women, you know, when they're always like applying some sort of moisturizer or something, right.

24:28To like aid with like, while they're pregnant, like aid. I love seeing that because I'm like, yes, you're doing something that's going to help you. You know what I mean? in the world. And that's a beautiful thing. I feel like we just, as society, for some reason, we don't really like, you know what I mean? Like talk about this. Like even when you go see an OB or like, you know, just go get routine care. I feel like stuff like this should be discussed, you know, that you should talk about like, okay, you know, you're going to, these are the things that are going to happen to your body, you know, and these are the ingredients that help.

25:02And this is the kind of stuff you should look for. I mean, those conversations even behind closed doors are not being had. And so I think like, you know, when I see a brand like yours, I'm just like, this is like a big, like taking a megaphone almost, you know, and saying like, yeah, this is needed. We need this, you know? And so I love it. Yeah. Yeah. I think, I think you're right about that, where we don't talk about sometimes textures change sometimes, you know, even on my skin, you know, I did a video of like the change of, you know, I was getting like these marks under my chin and I honestly because I don't I'm not I don't believe in putting product out that I don't use or that I don't it doesn't really do anything and so I did this kind of video throughout the months of you know I would get these like blemishes on the bottom of my chin because you know things change and I did a video and they literally dissipated within months of me consistently using this foil that I always use.

26:07And so, cause I was like, let me just be, let me, let me be consistent on this just to see, you know, working and it did. And, and again, like I, it's important for moms to feel safe. So I, I made sure that there's no parabens and paraffins and phthalates or harsh chemicals in it so that, you know, they can feel not only good about themselves, but anybody else in their family to use it. I love that. And, you know, I want to talk a little bit about building the brand because I feel like right now especially, and I see this, I mean, I literally see it every day where, like, there are new brands popping up, whether it's wellness, every day.

26:47And, I mean, don't even get me started on, like, longevity and that whole space because that's wild right now. But, like, I mean, it's an everyday phenomenon, you know? From that perspective, what was, I guess, the most challenging or the most eye-opening part of launching a beauty brand and launching something like this? What was something that stood out to you? Girl, I will never pick up a product again and not say, I can't believe it got here. Girl, first of all, launching a brand and then launching a product is insane. The amount of back end from getting insurance for the product, from packaging, from first of all, making sure the product works, right?

27:39Making sure the ingredients are amazing. But then there's, you know, not only like your Shopify, but like how are people going to know about your product? And then the marketing and then, you know, just all the bits of what exactly is in your product for FDA. Like, does it, you know what I mean? Like, oh, there's just literally so much that goes into the product, even getting on the e-com shelves, right? Like that space and building your website and then like answer. It's just question after question, after question, after question needing to be answered and answered. And you're like, oh my goodness.

28:19I never knew the bits that went into not only create, like creating the product, right? Then, you know, testing the product. And then what is it going to look like? How are you going to ship the product? Who's going to ship the product? Who's going to do it? Like there are so many aspects into getting a product, even pressing buy on Amazon in order to even press that. Like, what did that page look like? Where is it coming from? Is it at the Amazon like place or is it from a 3PL? Like I never knew the amount of work that goes into a simple product. I will. That's why I will ever bash people who actually get it done because I didn't realize the amount of work and labor it takes to, and the amount of people, nobody can do this by themselves.

29:14Not one person, no one. So when people, you know, even when people are like, they built this company, it was literally they, because it was not one person. Right. Like, what do you mean you built this company? Absolutely not, ma 'am. Absolutely not. And just the amount of, I mean, even just like the branding of it, right? The logo, like all of the things, you're just like, oh my gosh, you know? And so, yeah, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work. But it's for me, it's, I don't know if this is my producing hat, because that's kind of what it feels like, like always putting out fires or, okay, here's the answer to this.

30:03You know, it's really gathering every part of the body to bring together one product. You know, it's all the pieces, bringing them together to make sure it's ready for a launch August 25th. So yeah, it's a lot of work, but for me, it's been a lot of fun. It's like another child, basically. Yeah. Yeah. I am birthing another child. No, I mean, no, thank you for being so honest about it, because I think that's where, you know we do we don't hear that honesty about being an entrepreneur and what it takes and like you know it's such a funny time we're living in because every day there's a new brand and I see this on TikTok especially a lot you know I'm on there all the time for market research you know I'm not really much of a social media person but I'm always scrolling you know and I'm like oh god like you know you know these young women and they're like my dream is to have a brand and I'm like you go girl but you need to know like this is that's a big yeah you're gonna suck a hell of a lot you know to get there so yeah like putting together the the colors and stuff are nice but there's way more to I mean and you got to make sure the numbers work and you know it's just it's a lot there are a lot of percentages and all I mean it's it's definitely not something you want to just lightly think about.

31:26I want everybody to follow their dream, but it is a lot that goes into actually making, and then you got to sell the product, right? Like then you have to actually sell, right? Cause you don't, you put money into it and you put your resources into it. So now you got to sell it. So it's, you know, while it's fun and nice to say I built a brand or, you know, I want to do products. You just want to make sure that you're in it for the right reason. And I say the same thing when people want to be actors or whatever they want to become, because I'm like, fame, you can get fame probably faster than you can get an acting job.

32:06So just make sure you know which one you actually want. Yeah. Yeah. That's, I think that's very, very critical what you just said, because, and you know, this actually is a big question I have for you. And, you know, I am very curious about this because I have I think I have a different perspective than a lot of people on this. And this is the idea of celebrity brands. I think there's a lot of individuals and consumers out there that think celebrities don't pour as much into their brand as somebody XYZ, right, living in some random part of the world would. And I don't agree with that because exactly what you just shared with me, right, where it's like you're involved in every part of the process.

32:43Like it's literally like a baby. you're building this thing out so what is your like I mean I want you to speak about that component in terms of maybe it was there extra pressure on you or what you know what was that whole process like for you knowing like you're coming from the space of like you're in the limelight and then when you come out with a brand people are going to obviously criticize it right they're going to criticize you because that's just what people love to do so what is your what are your thoughts on all of that like celebrity brands and how they're perceived again while I say it's fun it's scary as hell you know like it's really scary because you know you've I've been successful in you know certain spaces and you're just like I also want this to work because I also really believe in the product and who it's for and the person I've built this stuff for right um but you know you're going to be criticized no matter what.

33:41And all you can do, again, it goes back to the grounding of where I came from. I don't do it for the people who are going to criticize me. I do it for those who actually need the help and are looking for answers. And so I think it takes, I mean, I don't know. I mean, look, I'm sure some celebrities get in certain equity situations for just their name, right? And they're like, they have people behind them who are going to build it, whatever. But I think a lot of celebrities who do do this, I mean, you have to talk about it, right? Like if you don't believe in it, people are going to see that. And so I never want to take away this idea that a celebrity, just because they do have the resources or somebody comes to them with the resources to say, hey, you want to be part of this doesn't mean that they're not working hard because most people in this industry who are trying to do this, it is it.

34:49They can make money faster in other ways. Right. Like they just could like this is not necessarily the quickest way to the bad. Right. It takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of effort. And yeah, you see them out there with their friends or whatever, pushing it. But to get that product on the shelf or on e-commerce, that is not an easy feat for anybody. And I understand there are different levels to it, because if you do have resources, it helps. But that doesn't mean the process is not the process. You know, the process is still, you still have to go through all the things and then you got to go and talk about it.

35:29So I think I don't necessarily agree that they are not hard workers. Look, I think some people do have, look, I'm going to attach my name to this and this is what it is, which is, hey, more power to you. If that's, you just want to equity stake for them to use your name. But then I think, I think a lot of the people who are pushing, you know, the products that they believe in are working hard because again, I said, I never knew how much work went into the backend of all of this. Right. Right. No, I mean, I can imagine. And also like, I, I love what you said. It's like, you really do have to believe in what you're building.