Meet Judy Pham | Personal Development Coach, Beauty Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Judy Pham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Judy, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The concept of my beauty and wellness program was based on a need I felt was missing in beauty. After being in the beauty industry for twenty years, I noticed that no matter how beautiful I made women feel with make-up or facial services, it didn’t increase their self-worth over time. I noticed there was an increase in confidence but women were still apologizing for their looks and pointing out their flaws. I noticed women still did not have compassion for themselves.

I left beauty to become a personal development coach and noticed that the women I was coaching had narratives that affected their daughters. That was when I was inspired to create a program that focused on women, and eventually adolescents to help them develop an identity that allowed them to discover and own their inherent self-worth.

TRUE by Judy beauty and wellness was created to integrate both beauty solutions and (mental) wellness practices to increase self-confidence, self-compassion, and self-worth.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was born in the U.S. to immigrant parents and have felt that I was in one culture but had to abide by another culture. Growing up I was obsessed with beauty since what was portrayed in the media didn’t show any representation of who I was. I didn’t feel beautiful or that I looked like what other “beautiful” girls looked like; therefore, I had a deep interest in makeup artistry and everything related to beauty. I started working behind a makeup counter at 18 years old, moved to New York City, and went to a fashion business school. Initially, I wanted to be a celebrity makeup artist but I found joy in developing the confidence of everyday women. I became the top sales performer as a makeup artist for beauty brands and eventually transitioned into education and training in corporate.

I’ve worked for some of the top beauty brands such as Dior, Hermes, Shiseido, and Cle de Peau Beaute. I have trained hundreds of beauty consultants and have launched successful events but what I found brought me the most joy was when I was able to increase self-worth in my beauty consultants and create events that helped women feel empowered. I have facilitated dozens of sales and leadership development training and at the heart of it is to help each individual know their gift and self-worth.

When I turned 30 years old I produced and hosted a charity event called Brave is Beautiful to raise awareness and money to help young Cambodian women who were victims of sex trafficking. I also had the privilege to travel to Cambodia to conduct a workshop on beauty and wellness. It was then I felt a true calling to work with women beyond makeup and skincare.

Eventually, I left corporate to pursue a Master of Arts in Psychology in Education with a concentration in spirituality, and mind-body practices. In the program, my work was to measure and research confidence, self-compassion, and self-worth. My aim was to incorporate my findings and practices into developing a beauty and wellness coaching program to help women shift the narratives of beauty and no longer feel conformed my society’s unattainable beauty standards.

Some of the lessons I’ve learned is that I had to go through an ego bruise, and then an ego death to be where I am now. This was especially true leaving a reputable place in beauty corporate and starting over completely new. I’ve learned that one must develop a sense of healthy ego before you can let it go. This has been part of the journey as I have discovered my purpose in my new career trajectory in the field of mental wellness.

What I want the world to know is that I TRULY believe that beauty can be a pathway towards the soul’s growth and not the ego. The state of beauty in today’s climate is that of a hedonistic lens and one that is self-centered. True beauty can evoke feelings of awe, wonder, and transcendence that allow individuals to be selfless and help develop us towards individuation – the highest self. My goal is to share practices and experiences that can lead women toward that path of wholeness and self-actualization.

Eventually, I want to focus on adolescent girls ages 12 – 16. I want to work with schools on helping them develop a healthy sense of identity and to develop a strong sense of self-worth to help them build the resilience to overcome the pressures they face from peers and society.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my friend was visiting New York for the week, I would first take her out to brunch at Maison’s Pickle on the Upper West Side. They have the best honey buns and french toast. We would eat our hearts out then take a Citi e-bike and ride bikes around Central Park. I would take her to experience the North Woods and be surrounded by nature and catch up. Later I would also take her to my favorite pizza place called “Freddie and Peppers” and a cookie shop called “Levain.”

Another day I would have us take e-bikes and ride up the Hudson River to the Hudson River restaurant that is on the water. We would have lunch there and later explore the cloisters. There is a museum up there and we would do a walking tour about the Revolutionary War and some of the key places where it took place.

On other days we would walk the Brooklyn Bridge, and then have pizza at Grimaldi’s. After pizza, we will go get ice cream and sit at Brooklyn Park overlooking the city and just people watch.

The rest of the days we would check out West Village for brunch, go to Chinatown and check out the hole-in-the-wall dim sum restaurants and get boba tea. We will then walk over to Soho and do a little shopping.

That is what I call the perfect week. Exploring nature and experiencing all the cuisines in the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I grew up in a dysfunctional family and didn’t have parents who were consistent with my development and growth. My parents did the best that they could as an immigrant couple but the care, consistency, and attentiveness I needed from them wasn’t present because they were busy making a living. My third-grade teacher Mrs. Brophy was pivotal in my growth and self-worth. Growing up as a daughter of immigrants, I felt like I had one foot in one culture and a foot in another. Mrs. Brophy was a tough teacher but you can tell she cared. She helped me see the gifts and talents that I possessed and made them feel uniquely mine. She would write letters to me after I went on to middle school, which showed her investment in my growth. From early on I developed a sense of self-concept and self-assurance that I felt I needed to take on failure and risks. After twenty years I started looking for her and was able to connect with her. Ironically, it was during the same time that I was about to embark on a new journey in my career. It came at a great time because she was there to give me guidance as an adult and it was a very heartwarming moment in my life.

Website: www.truebyjudy.com

Instagram: @truebyjudy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-pham-9a248711/

Twitter: @truebyjudy

Image Credits
The first four photos are stock photos that represent the website and social media branding. They are free to use from Canva.