SPEAKER_02: 0:00

Some people wait for permission. Others walk through the doors God places in front of them. Jaleza Seymour is the definition of a woman who built what she couldn't find, creating space, opportunity, and community for women who were ready for more. As the founder of Salt XO, she didn't just start a brand. She started a movement. One rooted in faith, excellence, and bold obedience. With just$67, Jaleesa started a multi-million dollar brand. And today's conversation is for every woman who knows there's more in her life and is finally ready to walk into it. We let ourselves into our God-given doors. And y'all know when I do have a guest with me, it is someone who is going to encourage you to walk through your God-given doors. The woman, the maverick, the founder, the CEO, the boss that is sitting next to me here today is a lot of things. She's a friend, a real girls girl, according to the girls. She's a mom, a daughter. She is the owner of a multi-million dollar brand, the highest selling female. I don't even want to just say V, you know, all the body care on TikTok, which is not an easy thing to do, and not an easy thing to do as a woman of color. Not an easy thing to do as someone who is not a celebrity. It is something that I just want y'all to really understand the gravity of what you have created and what it is still doing. Not dead, but still doing. Ladies and gentlemen, we're gonna get into all the things, but without further ado, sitting on the couch with me today is Jalisa Seymour of Salt XO.

SPEAKER_01: 2:18

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02: 2:19

Welcome to the couch. That was so sweet. Girl, that was a lengthy intro, I actually. And I left some things out. Okay. And I left some things out. That was honorable. But you do your big one, as the girls would say. Okay. And the beautiful thing about it, and you know, I don't know where all the numbers are correct, but chat, when you do the Googles and the Chat GPTs, the numbers are numbering. Okay. And I knew that because there was a time where I could not scroll two scrolls without seeing somebody talking about this product. So I'm I'm excited to get into how it was created, why you did it. But before we get into all that, I wanted to ask you this. As a woman of color who is now transcended, like your audience is not just people of color, your audience is not just women. How does it feel to have created something that people gravitate towards so heavily?

SPEAKER_01: 3:12

You know what's so crazy? God, it's so good. So I was in the bathroom today at my hotel, and I was looking at the travel size bags that I brought with me, and I'm like, this is my product. Yes. It still blows my mind eight years later. And I said, this came from my brain. It blows my mind because I'm like, there's so many people who love this. Don't, there's not, there's not any attachment to me. Yeah. But the product itself speaks so many volumes. So it blows my mind to know that I created this from something that out of discovery, something that I really needed, that the the girls needed, but I didn't know that they needed. Yeah. Because people wasn't talking about stuff. No. So I'm blown away to this day. Yeah. We still want to talk about my product.

SPEAKER_02: 3:52

Yeah, it blows my mind. It really does. I love that. Let's talk about the creation. I read and heard another podcast that you were on that you started this in college,$67. Right? And you were like, listen, I'm gonna go to the girls that I know are the girls. I'm gonna give them something for free. Let them hold this down, and then all of a sudden the whole campus can't stop talking about it. Tell me a little bit about that process.

SPEAKER_01: 4:15

So I started making sample-sized soaps. And so I said, you know what? I'm gonna make some samples. I started giving them out to my roommates. They liked it. But I said, you know what? I need a little more feedback than that. So I gave it to my neighbor, and then there was this step show. I think the Deltas were having a step show, and I said, you know what? Let me pull up on the girls. Because the girls are gonna be honest. Yes. They don't know me from a can of paint. So what I did was I walked up to them, I gave them this soap, I said, listen, I'm gonna give you this soap for free, but I need you to text me immediately after you use it and let me know how you liked it. Like that was the exchange. Like, you gotta give me an immediate review. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 4:47

Because I'm giving you something for free. Right.

SPEAKER_01: 4:48

You know, and it was expensive to make. Yeah. And so that night, I got a few text messages, right? So I'm like, okay, cool. That weekend, it was over with. Everything changed. Word got around so quickly. This girl is smell selling coochie soap on campus. She has the book bag and walking to Coochie Queen. Yeah. Like she's selling coochie soap on campus. Like, make sure you pull up on her. Yeah. It changed everything because that moment that the girl started using it, that wasn't a thing before. Like, people weren't talking about like feminine hygiene products and stuff like that. So once they started using it, oh, it was over with. Yeah. I love it. All it took was that one interaction and it catapulted my brand on campus. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 5:29

Now the bottle says it is the only V-wash you'll ever need. But people also say you can use it for the pee. Yeah. So when you realize that people were like really getting results, that you were solving a problem, right? How did you decide, okay, I want to scale this, I want to make this into something bigger? Um, because since you've started, you changed packaging at least two or three times. Yeah. At least maybe four times. Yeah. You consistently elevate the brand, right? How do you decide, okay, it's time for me to take myself seriously? Because like I told you, we got a lot of boss babes, salt babes, we got a lot of people who listen to this podcast, men as well, who have ideas, they're creative, but they're stuck in the idea that they need someone else to let them in. They need a cosign, they need, you know, alone, right? You said$67, baby. I'm starting. So how did you get yourself to that mindset?

SPEAKER_01: 6:27

So for me, it wasn't really about like, why do I need to do this? Like, what's gonna, what, what will it take for me to elevate? It wasn't that. The people forced me to elevate because the demand was so high. Yeah. And I know that anything I'm attached to, I want it to be great. Yeah. So every time I'm coming with a new idea, a new marketing plan, new elevated packaging, the higher we go, the higher, like the look of the brand is I want to elevate that to. I don't want to just be like, oh yeah, like a money grab. No, I want my brand to speak volumes. I've always said I want it to build generational legacy with my brand. Yeah. Not just wealth, but real legacy. You know how you go into the bathroom of your mom's room or your grandma and she has a soap. It's trusted. Like I want to create a brand like that. So it's not about like waiting for someone. It's really about trusting my customer and learning from them because they tell me what they want. And I said, you know what? My girls who support me, they deserve elevated packaging. They don't have to spend$40,$50 for this elevated look. No, they can spend$20 with me and like have a great brand, great packaging, like a great brand message, all of the things. And that has all been curated from my time with Soldux So, and that's been like eight years going. Yeah. And we're always elevating, we're always changing it. Like I'm never uh stagnant in anything that I do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 7:39

So you're eight years in. What year did the scales tip, right? Because I think when you start a business, yes, sometimes you have extreme success, but then there's always a point where you go from glory to glory. It's like, oh, we we in a different situation now. So was that social media? Was that TikTok? What when did you see your business go from something that everybody locally, you know, loved, and you know, until you saw them, them M's on M's coming in online. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 8:08

So it actually was multiple seasons of that happening. I mean, it's been happening, but what happened, I think it was like a year ago, Tracy Ellis Ross, she put Salt as her favorite feminine hygiene brand on her Amazon, and it was on her story. I said, Oh, Jesus. It's the five. Yeah, because that's the girls of girls. She's the girl. She is the girly pop. Yes. Of the pops. Yes. I said, not Tracy Ellis Ross. I was floored. My team was like, do you know that you're her favorites on her Amazon list? Wow. I said, Oh y'all, we made it. It's open. Like, lock it up. Let's go. Let's hit the roll. We made it. Um, but also just not even about the famous women that love the brand, but the way that the girls advocate for Soldix So online, you would think that they grew up with me. Yeah. Like they are true, true fans, like supporters of the promotion that you can't pay for. You can't pay for that. The the reviews that I get, we have guys making videos about how they have Soldix O in their bathrooms. Yeah. Just so when their lady comes, they have Soldix O. Those moments right there, I said, oh yeah, we're we've made it at that point. And not to say like we made it, like, okay, well, there's nowhere further to go. But I said, wow, what I'm doing right now, it's in households. That was the whole goal. Yes. To put it in households, people are propping up their phones and talking about Soldux O.

SPEAKER_03: 9:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 9:31

So I said, you know what? This is this is the moment. And as you know, we're living in TikTok days right now. So when people are taking their time to purchase a product, review it, give their feedback, say how it's changed their life. I said, Yeah, this is the moment. Like it's getting it's getting better.

SPEAKER_03: 9:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 9:46

And I'm not, we're not slowing down. And you shouldn't.

SPEAKER_02: 9:48

Yeah. Okay. I want to talk to the entrepreneur who is in year four, right? So let's say half of the time that you've been in business. And things may not be looking exactly like they want them to look. You know, things may be slow. They haven't had their Tracy Ellis Ross moment. They haven't had their TikTok blow up yet. What would you say to them to encourage them to keep going? And what have been some of the things that have encouraged you and maybe difficult times of the business?

SPEAKER_01: 10:17

About two years ago, actually, we had a really slow year. It was so foreign to me because in my mind, I'm thinking, did I do something wrong? Like, what's going on? Is it the recession? Is it inflation? Like, what's going on? And although so many things are going on, I knew that I could still pull it off. So I went to this retreat and I met Mia Ray. I don't know if you know Mia Ray, she owns Glamaholic brand. And we were talking, and she's like, sis, people are gonna spend the money, but you just gotta get back in the lab and start to focus. So I went into hyper focus because our sales weren't as um massive as they were. I remember it was a time where it was like 20,000 people on the website within a minute and it would crash. And so it had slowed down so much, and I'm thinking, what's going on? We didn't change anything, but I wasn't focused, I wasn't locked in. Sometimes you get comfortable, and God says, Okay, cool. I got you. I got something for you. You start to get comfortable because I said, Oh, my my brand is going good, you know. Like, I don't have to go as hard. Are you crazy? I don't gotta go. I don't have kids. I got kids, but I don't have kids. I don't have to go as hard. That is not that's not it. That's not how that goes. It's not. You actually have to go harder. Yeah, you actually have to work more. The higher you go, the more you elevate, the more you have to work. Yeah, that's why still be on that stage twirling and dancing and hip hopping and skipping at 47. I don't know how old she is, but you have to keep going. So that conversation was so pivotal to me because she basically told me, chin up, sis. Yeah, keep working. Lock in. This is what you signed up for.

SPEAKER_02: 11:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 11:58

And I need it that season. I need it to be slow. I needed it to be where I could only pay my team. I mean, I literally could only pay my team. I could only pay my bills. And Soldux was expensive to run. This is not a small operation. Marketing alone. Yeah, my marketing along, and nothing ever changed. I never played around. And I thank God for the wisdom that my grandma gave me because she always told me how to manage and budget and all those things. So I was never like frivolous in spending. But because I was able to like handle business while we were in a very slow season, my team didn't even know. They were like, really? We were in a slow season? Bills still were paid, payroll was made. But the thing is, I was under so much stress and I felt kind of defeated. So I'm like, dang, what is happening? This is not like salt. But the next year, we grew 137%.

SPEAKER_02: 12:48

Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 12:50

Wow. I'm telling you. And that's God's favor. Because that year when we were the slowest, I was giving back. I was pointing to my community, I was doing giveaways, I was paying rent, I was paying light bills. It didn't matter. Like that giving part of me, it didn't stop. And I feel like God honors that. Like He honors that stewardship. Like, what are you gonna do when you're on the fire?

SPEAKER_02: 13:11

Let me tell you, God really, and God also honors when you don't hesitate to say his name. Like every interview, so I'll be doing my research when I'm gonna have this. I'm like, if you've been on the podcast, I've seen it. Because I one, I want to make sure I'm not asking you the same thing as everyone else. Right. But two, I also want to have a feeling for the type of things that make you light up, the type of things that make you laugh. You know, I wanna, I I really do this. So, right, so you know, I I was listening, and in every interview, you talked about God, talked about your family, you are vulnerable. Yeah. And God honors those of us who show up authentically. Like even when times be real, real, real, real hard, and we show up authentically, we tell the truth, He honors that. I've seen that in my own life, and according to what you just shared, you know, you've definitely seen it. And it's so funny because when you talked about, you know, needing to lock in and needing to go back in the lab, I was like, girl, get out of my business. Because I I said that because I feel like for me, and we talked a little bit off camera about this, for me, I'm in a season where I'm doing well, right? And I think I think I have gotten comfortable, right? I've gotten comfortable for a few reasons. One, I'm married to a band who, let me tell you, he don't want me to worry about nothing. And I'm very grateful, right? So that's one. And we're newly married, two and a half years. So I'm I was, I tell my friends all the time, I'm a full-time entrepreneur now, full-time doing my podcast, my social media. And that was not always the case, right? And so people laugh, my friends will laugh because I'm like, I'm a stay-at-home wife, but I ain't got no kids, right? But I don't feel no shame because when everybody else lived at home in their 20s, I was out on my own grinding. Like I worked hard. I was in the music industry before this, and I worked so hard. So now I'm like, it's my time to relax. I'm kicking back. Yeah, but I shouldn't be, and we're gonna get to that in a second. Okay, right? So I'm kicking back. I'm like taking my time, and I'm realizing that, you know, then let me tell the whole story. Then I start the podcast, you know, and very quickly we get picked up by Holy Culture on Sirius XM. That does not happen to people. That is huge. I was eight episodes in when they said, Hey, we think we want to work with you. It took us about a year to get the contract right and make sure everything was what it needed to be, so that I could still post on my own other things that you understand as a business owner. Love the partnership with Holy Culture, right? Then I get to interview Kirk Franklin. I get to interview Kev on Stage, I get to interview Bobby Jones, I get to interview the people, right? And I've realized I've gotten a little bit comfortable. And now that I'm not seeing some of the numbers that I used to see, this is a this, I'm being very vulnerable with you guys right now.

SPEAKER_03: 15:49

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 15:49

Not seeing some of the numbers I want to see all the time, not necessarily, we're coasting, I feel.

SPEAKER_00: 15:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 15:57

And funnily enough, two days ago, my husband was like, all the stuff that you want other people to do, the people you've hired, right? Because I got the people, I got the infrastructure. And I'm like, why is it not working? And he was like, You gotta lead by example. These people already got their millions, they already got their reputation, they already got their resume. You know what I mean? You want more brand deals? How many emails are you sending? Not your manager, not your team, you know, and he got, I mean, he's gonna get me together. That's one thing about the man of God. He's gonna get me together. But what you said really did stick out because I need to get back in the lab. I need to get focused. And um, as you just shared, once you got focused, you know, things kind of turned around. So once they turned around, what did you do to scale that? What did you do to keep that going?

SPEAKER_01: 16:44

Um, I tapped into my gift, creativity. God gave me a gift of creativity. Because you wanna do a commercial. I'm gonna go ahead. Oh, baby. I love it. It is a production. Yes. I pull out real productions. I don't care. If it's on social media, we're gonna have a commercial. Social media is television now, by the way. TV. Yeah. So I'm gonna have a campaign. I mean, we went bonkers last year with campaigns, and it was received so well because everyone was like, Y'all marketing doesn't miss. Like the campaigns are always A1, your marketing scopes are always A1, the ads, the um, like the posts we do on Instagram, A1. Yeah. And so I just I poured a lot of my time into creating um really good marketing campaigns and then really good product rollouts.

SPEAKER_02: 17:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 17:33

The girls love the good old rollout. And I said, you know what, let's like spice it up. Like people, sometimes you'll like launch something and not really put the information behind it as to why it's important. Like, I love to give the girls knowledge, but also give them entertainment. Yes. And they love that. You know, it's a good balance. So I put I put that marketing to work. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 17:51

Okay. So I'm gonna ask you a selfish question. Let's say you had a podcast, right? Okay, and you felt like, okay, we're in a slow season, but I know I have the goods, right? Um, I know I have what it takes. So you've been one of the top podcasts. What would you implement? Simple thing. What would you implement?

SPEAKER_01: 18:09

Well, I would be flooding all platforms with clips, viral clips of things outlandish that your guests say or things that could be very compelling to your audience. I would be running ads on all those clips. I would be clipping everything and then repetitively reposting them. Sometimes you'll post something one time and think, oh, that's enough. Yeah. Girl, if you don't get back and repost that content. Get me together, get me together. That the girls haven't seen it. And even if they did see it, they liked it enough. Yeah, they'll like it again. Yeah. And sometimes people will scroll past something and not really engage with it. But once you post it again, post that content, repost it, and get those clips. I'm pretty sure you've had guests that have said something funny, something really like motivational, inspiring. Clip it. Yeah. You need to be a clip queen. Clip queen.

SPEAKER_02: 18:52

Okay. Guessing. From the coochie queen to the clip queen. Okay. Clip that thing on up. No, that's advice. And the truth of the matter is, I think I do do that. Sometimes I will post something once or maybe twice. And then I'm just like, oh, well, it's already up there. But but I've never, something that someone said to me one time is think about your favorite influencer, your favorite podcaster. Do you ever roll your eyes when they come on your phone? Never. No. And it could be, they could post 52 times a day, and you're never like, oh my gosh. You're excited to see whatever they have to say. And then like, yo, people feel that way about you. Like, you need to get yourself worth in order. Somebody told me.

SPEAKER_04: 19:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 19:26

Because you don't think people feel that way about you. They feel that way about you. And I'm trying to really remind myself that, you know, what I feel when I look into the mirror and what I feel when I'm listening to myself speak, people feel that as well, but they feel it even more. Because I have my own internal insecurities and all. They ain't got that about me. Yeah. They ain't think about my children. Like you are a golden nugget. Yeah, I think. Thank you, girl. I'm trying. No, seriously. You're very confident. You're confident in your product, but you're also confident in who you are. I heard you talk uh on the podcast with Donnie about shout out to Donnie Wiggins. Oh, yeah. I've met her one time very briefly, but everyone always talks about how amazing she is, how much of a girl's girl she is, and I love her podcast. And you were talking about how you had a conversation with your dad, and you did some healing there, and you feel like it has bought out a femininity in you. I have a similar experience. Okay. Tell me about that conversation just a little bit and what you feel like it helped heal that made you be able to be more of yourself.

SPEAKER_01: 20:28

So I experienced that daddy-daughter heartbreak. And so, like my good girl Ayanla always says, daughters marry their fathers. And so sometimes when you're trying to fill a void, you meet your match. You meet exactly what you're trying to run away from. So I said, you know what? Let me just face you. Because so many years I just didn't face them. I didn't ask the hard questions because I didn't care to. I kept telling myself, I don't care.

SPEAKER_03: 20:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 20:51

But it would show up. It would show up in the way I speak to people. It would show up in the way I parent. It would show up in the way I look at myself and my self-worth. So I said, you know what? Let me just face you and ask the hard questions. And I finally got answers. And it healed the little girl in me significantly. Because I was so afraid to ask. Because I felt like what's gonna happen if I ask is like, is he gonna slap me upside my head or is he gonna answer the question? And so um it was a very, very vulnerable time. Yeah. I'm so blessed I got the chance to while he's still alive to do it. But I feel like if I didn't do that, a part of me would have been hardened still.

SPEAKER_03: 21:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 21:24

Like if you met me maybe two years ago and Donna even says this, she was like, You've you completely changed. Like the way you speak, the way you dress, the way you feel, your energy is different because I was always so stoic and very serious. But that was a guard. Yeah. Like I was protecting myself from whatever the heck.

SPEAKER_03: 21:41

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 21:41

But um, now I feel like I don't need to protect myself from anything. Let me let God do that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 21:46

Absolutely. I have a very similar experience. Me and my dad had our Come to Jesus conversation when I was 25. Okay. I went through a breakup and he was all kind of up in arms about how the guy had treated me. And I was like, you know, he ain't the first man to break my heart. That that was you, brother. You know, and we had a very deep talk. He took accountability. He apologized. We were my my dad and I have always been relatively close, like closer than my other siblings, because I went to high school where he worked. So I got to see him every day for those four years. Um and my siblings never got that because we never lived with him. Um him and my mom divorced when I was 11, but he left when I was three. So I just had no real connection there. I feel like until that conversation and since that conversation, it has healed me. I don't think I'd be able to be the wife that I am. Had we not had that conversation, I don't think I'd be able to be the entrepreneur that I am. I don't even think, and I've told him, but you can't get it unless you're a woman. I don't even think he really understands how transformative that conversation and the subsequent ones were. Because as a woman, the emotional turmoil that we go through when we feel like our dads don't care, it is something, it's it's hard. And I and I really do commend every woman who is a daddyless daughter who has found a way to heal herself because her father was neither not able nor available to do so. Um, and like you said, we are very blessed that we've been able to have those conversations with them here on Earthside. Um, one last thing before we get into these products, because listen, I'm trying to get all the good questions in. You are very much a girl's girl.

SPEAKER_00: 23:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 23:18

Right? And you're a girl's girl with some of the girls, like some of the girls who are really doing big things that you would think maybe there would be some competition or some oddness or some cattiness, but y'all love up on each other. Um, how has sisterhood saved you? And has it ever saved Salt XL?

SPEAKER_01: 23:34

Girl, don't give me the cra I don't give me crime on this on this episode. But um, that's crazy, my eyes immediately watered. But um, sisterhood has been instrumental because I went through a really, really tough time personally, and the only thing that saved me outside of God was my friends and my sister, JJ. Um, allowing me to talk about the same thing 500 times. Shout out to my best friend Jasmine. Okay, I talked about it. Shout out to Donnie, shout out to Stormy, shout out to JJ for letting me talk about the same thing a thousand times until I got over it.

SPEAKER_03: 24:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 24:14

Um, because you need friends that will just let you be safe and talk.

SPEAKER_03: 24:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 24:18

That safety is so important to me. It's such a I wish it was a love language, but I always say that's my love language, feeling safe emotionally because my friends have really pulled me out of the darkness. And I I hate to sound so gloomy. No, it's true. But when it's when it's dark, it's dark. And I'm not a person to like vent and you know, talk about anything like publicly, you know what I mean? I take a lot of stuff to the chest.

SPEAKER_02: 24:43

You're a black woman.

SPEAKER_01: 24:44

Yeah, I take it to the chest. And my friends have been so so good to me. Yeah. They've been so helpful to me. Um, and I came out on top, you know? You can't keep a G down for long. But it was a tough time, and my friends, and honestly, I've learned to be honest with my friends because I've always felt like, you know what, I don't want to tell y'all that. I don't want to be a bird. And I I don't want to be a bird, and I don't want to tell you guys this. I don't want to look like, you know, I'm weak. I literally, 30 years old, I decided to tell my business at 30. Yeah. At 30, I can't tell everything to the chest.

SPEAKER_02: 25:17

I like that. I feel I feel like a light comes on at 30.

SPEAKER_01: 25:19

Yeah, I held everything to the chest and I said, you know what? Let me let my friends help me. Because they're good women. They're God fearing. Oh, and my friend Millie, I can't forget Milan. But um, yeah, like they are God-fearing women and they see me like outside of any attachment of anything, like just Jaleesa to the core.

SPEAKER_02: 25:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 25:38

And yeah, my girls have been everything. I love it.

SPEAKER_02: 25:40

It's important to have friends that also don't necessarily need you for anything but you. You know, they don't need you to get them into nothing. They don't need you to help them pay the bill. They don't need those things happen. Yeah. Right. But when that's all your relationships, you tend to feel drained more than you feel inspired. Yes. And I know the sisterhood, um, you know, I shouted out my homegirl Jasmine, um, and my best friend Diamond as well. They let me chat. Chat it up. Chat it up, boy. I could be talking about the same situation 33 times. And I always laugh because when women say they don't need friends, they got their men or they got their husband. I'm like, y'all are crazy. Okay. Because men are not built to hear the same thing over and over again. They want solutions. Okay, so we're gonna do that. You know, my husband annoyed me so bad the other day because I was just talking about how I felt about something with podcasting. And he was like, Well, babe, that's a part of it.

SPEAKER_00: 26:33

I'm like, I know. Right, I don't want to hear that.

SPEAKER_02: 26:35

Like, come on now. But my girls, I'd be like, Yeah, girl, I get it. Because, you know, and it's just so it's something very healing about it. And you still have those friends that when you, you know, you may have talked about it 50 times, and on time 51, they're gonna say, now listen. Oh, they told me that too. I love you. Yeah. Now let's wrap it up. This is becoming unhealthy. Let's wrap this up. Yeah, you're gonna be this is becoming unhealthy. And I just love to have those relationships. And as a woman who started something from the ground, who has had to see it through different seasons, I think having that sisterhood to tell you, girl, you good. Like when you said me and Ray told you, okay, you're gonna be fine. They're gonna spend the money. You need to, they're gonna spend the money. This is what you need to do. Those relationships, even if that's not your best friend, are important because some people would have told you, yeah, girl, well, it's a recession. Yeah. It's it's hard out here, and people don't have it like that. Yeah. Not every year could be a good year. Uh-uh. Telling me the wrong thing. Yeah, and that's another lesson, too. Hang up on you. Yeah. Next. Get advice from the right people, entrepreneurs. Talk to the right person, talk to the successful person. She could tell you that because she's been very successful for a long time. She knows about them drops. They be on TikTok ready to kill her about them drops. Like, okay. She knows slow, high, she knows customer. She understands customer. Yes. She understands customer. You know what I mean? And there's something she could pour into you that I'm sure obviously you didn't share because we didn't spend that much time on it, that someone else just couldn't.

SPEAKER_03: 28:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 28:04

And so the type of friends you have uh are almost just as important as having friends at all. 100%. Yeah, let's get into the products. Because I know we we got we got, I want to respect your time and we got to get out of here. But we got time. Let's get into the products. So, you know, when you first started, you said you were making soaps, right? How did you elevate to body washes, oils, all the what made you say, okay, now it's time for us to elevate? And what is the product that you feel like has been the most transformative?

SPEAKER_01: 28:32

So when I first started making soaps, I made this viral video that I said, you know what? As my business grows, I'm gonna make body lotions and body butters. In seven years, I'm gonna have an assistant, I'm gonna have a warehouse. And that video goes viral every year. Like I told you, I repost that video every year. So repost that content. And the moment where I realized, okay, you know what? Let's expand. I always looked at competitors, I always looked at brands that I want it to look like. And they had a vast product list. I mean, the category was endless. They had body oils, butters. So I didn't want to limit myself. Yeah. Because some people don't like soap bars. Some people want liquid soap, some people want butter. So I said, you know what? Let's expand this thing. Because, like I told you before, the more that we grew, I want it to grow in all aspects. So I'm gonna extend my line. And the product that completely changed Solic So was our Yoni Gel. You know about that Yoni gel with a poppy seeds that changed. And I'm so proud to know that I invented that product because it's been duplicated, replicated.

SPEAKER_02: 29:31

Yeah, well, there was nothing like it before.

SPEAKER_01: 29:33

Yeah, so many times. No, it's not the same ever, but it has been like people have attempted to duplicate it, replicate it, and it's just that honestly, it's like, wow, like I really did create something magnificent because that is such a healing product. Yeah. And so many women have told me how it's transformed, their self-confidence. Yes. Could you imagine a product transforming your self-confidence? Yes. You know what I mean? In the most intimate way, like something that's so private to you, and probably whoever your partner who's who's experiencing you in that way is so intimate. So to know that that product itself is the one, yeah, that's that's the one that completely made me say, yeah, Jaleese, you're on to something. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 30:12

And when you you now have the travel sizes, you had them for about a year and some change now. Yeah, travel sizes out, you got opportunity for people to take these products wherever they are. You spoke earlier about guys having the product in their bathroom waiting for their girl. You know, if there was a combo, two products that you say, listen, okay, I got a lot going on, but these are the two products you gotta have and the scent you gotta have them in. Because you got different scents as well. What what are your holy grails?

SPEAKER_01: 30:40

Okay, can I cheat and do three? You can, you can. All right, so the Yoni Joppy Seeds, the rejuve oil. But the grapefruit Yoni gel has been in my shower for a couple months now. That's what you got, that's what you want. That's my girl. She's sensitive. I gotta try her. Oh, she is, she's not a joke. She's not a joke. She's sensitive. And I created that one when I was pregnant, but I love it because sometimes, like, I may not want the tingly sensation, and sometimes I just want the soothing feel, but that's gonna make me smell really fresh and make me feel really confident. So those three, that rejuve oil, have you ever tried the rejuve oil? I have not tried the rejuve oil.

SPEAKER_02: 31:16

I gotta give I've heard it's dangerous.

SPEAKER_01: 31:19

Those three? It's dangerous, it reduces inflammation, it treats ingrown hairs, it treats bikini bumps. Yeah. So it is a holy grail product for sure, because it does so much. Yeah. But it's not greasy. It's a very lightweight formula. And I don't play about that oil. That oil is in my purse.

unknown: 31:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 31:37

You just never know what's going on in the world. You just never know. You never know.

SPEAKER_02: 31:44

Yes, and we got wipes, we got all sorts of things that you should keep with you, carry with you, making sure that you're fresh. You really do love women. And it shows in your product, it shows in your campaigns, it shows in your in the reviews from the products. You know, creating something like this, and I really want y'all to take this in, right? You could spend your money with whoever you want, any big brand, but ask yourself does the person who created this actually care about me? Like when you go to these stores and you look and you see all these vaginal washes and products, right? Some of these people don't have a vagina.

SPEAKER_00: 32:24

Thank you.

unknown: 32:28

Right.

SPEAKER_02: 32:28

And so it is important. I think one of the biggest reasons that people need to shop saw XO is because it's created by someone who one has a vagina, but also really cares about yours. You know what I mean? And has proven that over time. This is not a flash in the pan thing that worked for a little while. Because we've seen it. We've seen something come out and everybody gotta have it, and then a year later, no one's talking about it. Yeah, right. You've stood the test of time. You've shown us, you know, this is what my product does, and you can trust it. It's here to stay. We're not going anywhere. And so I just want to give you your flowers and encourage my audience, whoever's watching this, listening to this, to know that, you know, you need to be an informed buyer.

SPEAKER_00: 33:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 33:09

You know, it's easy to just go to the store and pick something up. But when you really think about, okay, who created this? Is it someone who understands my body? Is it someone who understands, you know, my hyper hyperpigmentation in black women is different than it is in anyone else. Hello, somebody. Yes. Right? So having someone who understands that and has created something specifically for that, I think is a really, really special. One of the things you said in another interview is that you realize that God had already given us everything we needed to heal ourselves, right? And when I think about that statement, I think, yes, that's true for our V girls, but that's also true spiritually. Oh, yeah. Right? Like it's just a true statement. What are some of the things that you feel like God has given you to heal yourself physically, but also emotionally?

SPEAKER_01: 33:57

You are on a roll. So tired. I cannot take it. Um, because you keep you it's like you keep like um, I don't know. It's like when you ask me a certain question, it evokes this emotion in me.

SPEAKER_00: 34:10

I'm like, I didn't know that was gonna come up. Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 34:13

But um, when I was younger, right, my aunt is a prophet, and she prophesied over me that I would be a healer. I'm like, okay, maybe I should be a nurse. So I'm thinking I'm gonna be a nurse or maybe a teacher. You know, our teachers heal us. So I was gonna be a teacher. I got that was my first job while I was doing salt, but it was, you know, it was in the beginning. So I got an offer to be a third grade teacher. And so I realized, oh, it was to heal women, like heal the body. And I think that when God gave me that gift, I said, you know what? Let me like, let me make him proud. Like, let me show him I can do something with it. Because sometimes we sit on our gifts and think that, okay, well, you know, I'll use it another time. Oh no, it's on to the next person. Yep. So spiritually, I think the gift of healing is what he gave me, but physically, the gift of connection is another thing. I can connect with a frog. Yeah. If you let me. You know, like I can see something. Same. I can, you know, you can do the same thing. I can connect. And I have that gift, and it's because I'm open to it. I'm open to hearing, I'm open to listening. Yeah. Um, I'm open to exploring a person. I'm very curious. Yeah. Um, and I think that that's a gift. Yeah. So those are, I think those are my two things. That's good.

SPEAKER_02: 35:24

That's good. I think you definitely have the gift of connection. And I think it's probably one of the reasons that Soul XO is so successful because people feel that, you know, they feel that when they look at the campaigns. It could be something funny, it could be something sensual, but we can feel the connection. And um, one of the things I pray that you feel really proud of is that you've been able to help people be very open about something that was once very taboo. Yes. Very much a secret. Things like vaginal odor, you know what I mean? Things like perimenopause, I've heard you talk about, you know, things like care of after you have a baby, you know, these are things that I've heard you, that I've heard you talk about. And you've allowed men, even who never get up and talk about, you know, the must down under, you know, to get on the internet and talk about these things. And you should be very proud of that. You know, your aunt prophesied, and here you are, yeah, being a healer. One of the things I heard you say one time as well was that so many people come up to you and say, Thank you so much for creating this product. Thank you so much for doing this, and thank you so much for making this. And um, it's because you've you've given the world something that is indeed healing, that indeed solves a problem. So I hope you feel proud of yourself.

SPEAKER_01: 36:35

I I really do. Yeah. You listen, my throat is like, I'm trying to hold it down so that I try to ask the good questions closing up.

SPEAKER_02: 36:43

I try to ask the good questions. So when we end out the podcast here, we ask a question, and the question is in the grand scheme of things, what do you want your legacy to be?

SPEAKER_01: 36:58

Oh man. Well, business or personally?

SPEAKER_02: 37:02

Both. Let's do both. Okay. So the the legacy of Soul XL and then the legacy of you.

SPEAKER_01: 37:07

I want the legacy of Solid X Soul to be this was a brand that I used one time, and now I've given it to my daughter on her first period. And now she's given it to her daughter on her first period. I mean, to me, that is the most impactful thing that I could ever do because that's such a sacred time. And that's our first introduction to wellness as young ladies. You know, like you get a cycle, and then it's like, okay, well, what do I do to take care of myself and maintain my hygiene? That's when odor comes about and things like that. And I want our legacy to be I trusted SOLDXO enough to give it to my baby and my baby's baby. And we're gonna continue to do it. And my grandma uses it. She's 87 years old. She does not play about that SOLDXO. So I think it's already started with my grandma. You know, we've passed it down to generations at this point, you know? And to for her to see it happen in real time, she's like, Jalisa, I would have never in my wildest dreams. Like, you are my wildest dream, you know, and she's so proud of me, she always lets me know, I cannot believe you did it.

SPEAKER_03: 38:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 38:06

You know, and not I didn't think you could, but you came from me. You know, because we start in our grandmother's world. Yes.

SPEAKER_04: 38:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 38:13

You came from me. I birthed this. So she's always so proud. And my family is extremely supportive, but that's what I would want my legacy to be. I love it. If that answered the question.

SPEAKER_02: 38:21

So that's gonna be the legacy of soul exile. What you want your personal legacy to be.

SPEAKER_01: 38:29

I'm still working on that one. I'm still working on that. My personal legacy, I don't know. Okay. That's fair. Yeah, I don't know. I gotta think about it. Because I'm so engrossed in my business that I haven't even thought about my personal legacy. Really?

SPEAKER_02: 38:45

We gotta think about that. Yeah. Because here's the thing. Well, there's no legacy of Salt XO without you, right? Yeah, so it's like it's kind of connected. But at the same time, and I ain't trying to give you a sermon, but I'm gonna tell you a little bit. There's a danger sometime when we don't separate who we are from what we do. Oh, that's separated.

SPEAKER_01: 39:04

Yeah, I had to change my Instagram name. Okay. No, I'm because I'm your separation. Yeah, before it was like, I am Salt XO. No, I am not. Yeah, right. Jaleesa. Right. And I always tell people, please, it's just Jaleesa.

SPEAKER_03: 39:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 39:15

Um, but okay, so, all right, so what I would like to do with my personal legacy is I want people to know me as the girl who never played about herself. And when I don't play about myself, I don't play about the people that I love. Yeah. And that comes in the way that I love you, I nurture you, I pay attention to you. I want to be the person that they say, you know what, Jaleesa, I could always call Jaleza and she's gonna find a way to make it happen. You know, whether I have the resources to do it or not, I can point you in the right direction. And I think I pride myself on being available in that way to people that, you know, love me and I love them.

SPEAKER_02: 39:47

That's good. That's good. You radiate really good energy. Oh, thank you. Um, confidence, um, but not arrogance, fun, you know. Uh, we had a little stress this morning, but when you came in, when you came in this room, I did not feel any of that at all. Thank God. And I know how difficult that is, right? Because I'll be in those same type of situations. And so don't ever change that. And you are well on your way to cementing the legacies of both Salt XL and your personal life. Uh, tell my audience anything that you want them to know. Tell your salt bays and bros anything that you want them to know uh about you, how to follow you, where to find the product.

SPEAKER_01: 40:25

Okay, so thank you all for tuning in to this wonderful conversation. You had me choked up a little too much. But um you can follow me at salt s a l t dot x-o on Instagram. We are salt x-o on tick tock. Um, my personal brand, I am Jalisa, I am J-H-A-L-E-S A. I'm sure she'll tag it below. I'm gonna tag everything. Um, you can find us at saltoxo.com. We have feminine hygiene, skincare. For the girls who deal with HS hyperpigmentation, we have solutions for you. Acne, we have solutions for you, perimenopause, postmenopausal, all of the things. We have everything for you. So if you shop with us, you will not be disappointed. Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_02: 41:03

I love it. I love it. Thank you so much for being here, okay? Thank you. And guys, that has been another episode of I'll Just Let Myself In. I hope, as always, that this podcast encourages you and pushes you toward action. Listen, we got enough encouragement, enough courses, enough TikToks, you done watched everybody's YouTube. You have enough information. Now it is time for you to implement that information and let yourself into your God-given doors. If you have listened on Holy Culture Radio, Sirius XM Channel 140 at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on a Monday night, we thank you for listening there. If you've watched on their YouTube, we thank you for watching there. And if you are watching on my YouTube, we thank you for watching there. Lish speaks. Listen, I want you guys to make sure that you subscribe and hit that notification bell. Uh, we've looked at our analytics, and it seems like about 60% of the people who watch the podcast regularly are not subscribed. Now, I'm gonna charge that to your head and not your heart. Maybe I'm showing up on your for you page, showing up on Exploring. You don't even realize you ain't subscribed, but you're here every week. So you might as well go ahead and make sure that you're subscribed and that you tap that notification bell so that you don't miss anything. And we will be back, same time, same place next week. I just let myself in. Peace.