The secret behind Mielle Organics? It’s more than just award-winning formulas, viral buzz, and a multi-million dollar acquisition. For the brand’s 10-year anniversary, founder and CEO Monique Rodriguez reveals all the hidden keys to her success in her new book, The Glory in Your Story: Activating a Fearless Faith to Change Your Life, Your Career, and the World.
“I didn’t grow up having the mindset of becoming an entrepreneur. That grew over time,” Rodriguez tells ESSENCE. However, “I knew that it started with shifting my mindset and being able to feed my faith and not my fears.”
In the book, the founder explains how she transformed the pain from the tragic loss of her infant son into a catalyst for her divine purpose. She goes on to express how her testimony has had many obstacles. That included taking calculated risks—such as quitting her make-ends-meet career as a registered nurse and declining an early deal with Walmart. Additionally, there have been priceless signs her work paid off, too. It all boils down to resilience, and, above all, faith.
“I knew that if I operated with that mindset that the doors will continue to open even though doors have been closed in my face,” she shares. “I feel that there’s no successful person on this planet that hasn’t been told ‘no,’” even if from her biggest consumers. Touching on the response from the Black community when businesses scale, she acknowledges the controversy, unfounded rumors, and obstacles she’s had to overcome on her path.
“I think people want to know and be educated on how we can support companies that scale and not make them feel bad for growing their businesses,” she says. Last year, for one, Mielle Organics was acquired by Procter & Gamble. This turned Rodriguez into the first Black female founder with the largest exit in the beauty industry—all while maintaining a position as CEO of the company.
“That’s been a very rewarding accomplishment I’m super, super proud of,” she says, despite the backlash and fear consumers had about reformulation (which has never occurred). Rooted in the best interest of the Black community, our hair and scalp, “we always want to stay up to date with what our consumer needs are and listen to the consumers.”
With the biography developed from journal entries on what she’s learned over the years, from lessons to rewards, each chapter ends with a reflection point for the reader to learn from. For example, “I think that a mistake a lot of entrepreneurs make is they want to see immediate results,” Rodriguez says. “I always tell people ‘don’t compare your chapter one to someone’s chapter 300.’ You don’t know what their journey entailed.”
Now, with Mielle Organics in over 100,000 stores across the world and counting, Rodriguez’s message is simple. “Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith and really feed your faith and know that your vision comes from God,” she says. “I want to be able to help others unlock their possibilities and motivate them to tap into their faith and their dreams so they can reveal the glory that’s inside of them.”
The Glory in Your Story: Activating a Fearless Faith to Change Your Life, Your Career, and the World launches April 15, 2025 and is available for preorder now.
