In a deeply moving episode of The Human Beauty Movement Podcast, host Jennifer Norman sits down with Jenn Harper, founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty, for a conversation that transcends beauty products and business strategy. Their discussion becomes an exploration of healing, identity, generational resilience, and the transformative power of representation.
The episode, “How She Did It: Infusing Indigenous Culture Into Cheekbone Beauty,” offers listeners more than entrepreneurial inspiration. It reveals how one woman’s journey toward reclaiming her Indigenous identity evolved into a movement centered on sustainability, visibility, and collective healing.
A Journey Rooted in Healing and Identity
For many Indigenous communities across North America, the legacy of colonization and the residential school system continues to reverberate through generations. Jenn Harper speaks candidly about growing up disconnected from parts of her Indigenous identity and navigating the intergenerational trauma that shaped her family and community.
Her story is marked by vulnerability and honesty. Harper openly discusses struggles with alcoholism — a reality that disproportionately impacts many Indigenous families due to generations of systemic trauma and cultural erasure. Rather than hiding these painful chapters, she shares them with remarkable authenticity, allowing listeners to see the human being behind the brand.
That openness is part of what makes this conversation so powerful. Harper’s success is not presented as a polished fairy tale. It is framed as an ongoing journey of healing, self-acceptance, and purpose.
For readers interested in learning more about Indigenous intergenerational trauma and healing, organizations like the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada provide important historical context and educational resources.
The Vision That Sparked Cheekbone Beauty
The origin story behind Cheekbone Beauty feels almost spiritual in nature.
Jenn Harper describes having a vivid dream featuring Indigenous girls covered in colorful lip gloss, laughing and radiating joy. That dream became the catalyst for what would eventually become one of the most recognizable Indigenous-owned beauty brands in North America.
At the time, Harper was working in the food service industry and had no traditional pathway into cosmetics. But what she did have was a calling: to create a beauty brand where Indigenous youth could finally see themselves reflected.
That mission remains central to Cheekbone Beauty’s mission today. The company isn’t simply selling makeup. It is challenging narrow beauty standards while creating space for Indigenous voices, stories, and perspectives within an industry that has historically excluded them.
Under Harper’s leadership, the brand has expanded dramatically, eventually landing on shelves at major retailers including Sephora and JCPenney Beauty. Yet even amid rapid growth, Harper remains focused on ensuring the company’s success directly benefits Indigenous communities.
Sustainability Through an Indigenous Lens
One of the most compelling aspects of the conversation is Harper’s perspective on sustainability.
In recent years, sustainability has become a buzzword within the beauty industry. But Jenn Harper challenges listeners to think more deeply about what sustainability actually means — and who has been practicing it all along.
She points out that Indigenous peoples have served as caretakers of the earth for generations, long before sustainability became a corporate marketing strategy. Indigenous teachings often emphasize reciprocity with nature, stewardship of resources, and living in balance with the environment.
Organizations like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Indigenous Environmental Network have similarly highlighted how Indigenous ecological knowledge plays a vital role in addressing climate and environmental challenges globally.
Harper’s approach to business reflects these values. Rather than embracing hyper-consumerism or relentless expansion at any cost, she advocates for intentional growth, ethical sourcing, and regenerative practices.
This philosophy sharply contrasts with the performative sustainability narratives often seen in corporate branding. During the interview, Harper critiques the tendency of some companies to fabricate nature-inspired origin stories purely to capitalize on consumer trends.
Her perspective offers a refreshing reminder that authenticity cannot be manufactured.
Beauty, Representation, and Mental Health
The episode takes an even more emotional turn when Harper discusses the loss of her brother to suicide in 2016.
That devastating experience became a defining catalyst for her commitment to mental health advocacy and Indigenous representation. She realized how urgently Indigenous communities needed to see themselves reflected positively in media, leadership, and beauty culture.
Representation, Harper explains, is not superficial. It can be lifesaving.
One especially moving story she shares involves an Indigenous family seeing a Cheekbone Beauty billboard at Sephora. The emotional reaction from the children underscored just how profound visibility can be for communities that have historically been erased or marginalized.
This theme deeply resonates with Jennifer Norman, who reflects on her own experiences growing up Korean American. Norman candidly discusses moments of cultural shame she once felt and contrasts them with the pride many Asian Americans experienced as Korean culture gained broader global recognition through music, beauty, film, and television.
That shared vulnerability between host and guest becomes one of the episode’s emotional anchors. Together, they illustrate how reclaiming identity can become an act of empowerment — and how representation can help people feel seen, valued, and beautiful in ways that transcend appearance.
Conscious Capitalism and Purpose-Driven Business
Another standout theme throughout the episode is conscious capitalism.
Jenn Harper demonstrates that businesses can become vehicles for healing, advocacy, and systemic change rather than merely engines of profit. Her leadership style reflects a broader shift happening within purpose-driven entrepreneurship, where success is increasingly measured not only by revenue but by social impact and community wellbeing.
Cheekbone Beauty actively supports Indigenous education initiatives and scholarship programs while amplifying Indigenous artists and creators. Harper’s work aligns with growing conversations around stakeholder capitalism and ethical business leadership championed by organizations like B Lab Global, the nonprofit behind Certified B Corporations.
Rather than scaling at all costs, Harper emphasizes mindful entrepreneurship — building a company that remains aligned with its original mission even as it grows.
In many ways, her leadership represents a blueprint for the future of beauty: one rooted in humanity, accountability, and cultural respect.
Why This Conversation Matters Right Now
At its core, this episode of The Human Beauty Movement Podcast asks listeners to reconsider what beauty truly means.
Is beauty merely aesthetic? Or can it also be found in resilience, honesty, healing, and cultural pride?
Jenn Harper’s story powerfully argues for the latter.
Her work reminds us that beauty brands can do more than sell aspiration. They can create belonging. They can amplify underrepresented voices. They can challenge harmful systems while inspiring the next generation to feel proud of who they are.
For entrepreneurs, the conversation offers lessons in purpose-driven leadership and authentic brand building. For consumers, it serves as an invitation to think more consciously about where we spend our money and which stories we choose to support.
And for anyone navigating questions of identity, healing, or self-worth, the episode offers something perhaps even more valuable: hope.
Learn More
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Listen to the full episode on The Human Beauty Movement Podcast
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Connect with Jenn Harper on LinkedIn
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Learn more about The Human Beauty Movement
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Read about Indigenous healing initiatives through the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
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Explore sustainability and Indigenous environmental leadership at the Indigenous Environmental Network
In a world that often rewards surface-level perfection, Jenn Harper’s story stands as a reminder that the most powerful beauty emerges from truth, purpose, and the courage to honor who we really are.
