October 14, 2024

Ulta Beauty Names Deepak Chopra and Olympic Gymnast Laurie Hernandez to Form Joy Council

Ulta Beauty is reinforcing its mission to inspire joy.

One year after launching The Joy Project, the retailer is introducing a Joy Council led by Deepak Chopra to further its mission to combat negative self-talk and other joy-inhibiting behaviors in its community.

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As part of the initiative, Chopra has been named honorary chair of Ulta’s council and will share practices to promote well-being alongside other council members, including Olympic gold medalist gymnastics Laurie Hernandez, motivational speaker and fitness coach Ally Love, and relationship expert and author Jillian Turecki.

Jillian TureckiJillian Turecki

Jillian Turecki

The member-created content — including a “21 Days of Joy Mantras” series led by Chopra, as well as countless relationship and self-expression tips from Love, Turecki and Hernandez — will be available exclusively through Ulta’s own social media channels and, eventually, a “Joy Hub” on ulta.com.

“Ever since we launched the Joy Project this time last year, we knew it was more than a brand campaign – it was our purpose,” said Michelle Crossan-Matos, Ulta’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We use [the council’s] Superpowers that help our guests integrate joy into their lifestyle because we want joy to be a state of being and not a fleeting feeling.”

Before Ulta launched the Joy Project with attorney, podcast host and author Mel Robbins last September, the company commissioned a study that examined 5,000 adults and teens to find common obstacles to experiencing joy. The study, called “The Joy Study,” found that 73 percent of respondents engaged in negative self-talk, while 70 percent said they did not recognize negative self-talk when they were doing it.

Through video training that Robbins created for the retailer’s 53,000 employees and then encouraged them to share their knowledge with Ulta guests, the retailer sought to combat harmful self-talk and other joy-inhibiting behaviors in its community.

Ulta's new store formatUlta's new store format

With the creation of the Joy Council, Ulta aims to take this mission to a new level.

“The types of tools and resources our council members share are accessible, actionable and relatable practices that have a huge impact on our well-being,” Crossan-Matos said.

Chopra, author of several best-selling books including “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success,” added in a statement: “I am thrilled to be collaborating with Ulta Beauty because The Joy Project is completely aligned with my life’s work. Together, we can reach a critical mass of people for a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthy and joyful world. This is the most pressing need of our time.”

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