Meet Cece Meadows

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cece Meadows. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Cece, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from my ancestors—plain and simple. I carry the strength of the women who came before me, who survived colonization, displacement, violence, and generations of being silenced and forgotten. As an Indigenous and Xicana woman, I’ve inherited both trauma and tenacity. The road hasn’t been easy. I’ve had to fight through poverty, racism, postpartum depression, and the deep weight of intergenerational pain that lives in our bodies and our stories. But I’ve also inherited beauty, spirit, love, and resistance.

Starting my beauty brand, Prados Beauty wasn’t just about makeup—it was about reclaiming something that was always ours: our power, our creativity, our right to be seen. I get up every day not just for myself, but for my children, for my community, and for the little girl I used to be who needed someone to tell her she was worthy. That’s where my fire comes from. It’s ancestral. It’s spiritual. It’s rooted in love—for my people, for our future, and for every Native and Brown girl still trying to find her voice.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m the founder and CEO of Prados Beauty, the first Xicana and Indigenous-owned beauty brand to be carried in a major retailer—now available in 609 JCPenney stores nationwide and featured at the Smithsonian Institution. But more than that, I’m a proud Yoeme (Yaqui) woman, a mother, a wife to a U.S. Army officer, and a relentless advocate for my people.

Prados Beauty started in my nursery—literally—during one of the hardest times in my life. I was battling postpartum depression and searching for purpose. What came out of that moment of deep pain and reflection was a dream to create something beautiful for my community. I didn’t just want to make makeup—I wanted to create a platform for Indigenous excellence, representation, and healing.

What makes Prados special isn’t just our award-winning formulas—it’s the heart behind it. Every product we launch uplifts Native culture, and many of our collections are collaborations with Native artists like Steven Paul Judd, Rah Azul, and Lauren Good Day, bringing their work and stories into national retail spaces for the first time. Our brand is about representation, empowerment, and giving back—we regularly support initiatives that directly benefit Indigenous communities.

Right now, we’re expanding in exciting ways. We’re preparing for major new product launches, and I’m working on a powerful collaboration with a huge brand that celebrates generational loyalty, culture, and community. I’m also spending time on Capitol Hill advocating for small business owners and Indigenous artists, fighting for access to capital and visibility in systems that weren’t built for us.

I want folks to know that Prados Beauty is more than a brand—it’s a movement. We’re rooted in love, resilience, and the belief that Indigenous people deserve to be seen, celebrated, and successful in every space, including beauty. I’m here to make sure we take up that space—with power, with pride, and with purpose.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, the three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are: resilience, resourcefulness, and cultural rootedness.

Resilience has been everything. As an Indigenous and Xicana woman navigating industries and systems that weren’t made for people like me, I’ve had to push through rejection, setbacks, and moments of deep self-doubt. Resilience isn’t about being unbreakable—it’s about choosing to get back up again, even when you’re tired, even when the odds are stacked against you.

Resourcefulness kept me moving when I didn’t have access to funding, networks, or the kind of support many entrepreneurs take for granted. I taught myself what I needed to know, asked questions, found mentors, and made things work with what I had. That scrappiness became one of my greatest strengths.

Cultural rootedness is my compass. Prados Beauty isn’t just a business—it’s a love letter to my people. Staying connected to my identity, my ancestors, and my community has given me clarity, purpose, and strength when things got hard. That cultural grounding is what keeps the brand authentic and impactful.

For those just starting out: don’t wait to feel ready. Start messy, start scared, but start. Learn to trust yourself. Learn how to be your own biggest advocate. And most importantly, stay connected to your “why”—that deep reason you’re doing what you’re doing. Because that’s what will carry you when everything else feels uncertain.

And surround yourself with people who reflect your values, who lift you up, and who won’t let you shrink to fit into spaces you were meant to transform.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

If I knew I only had a decade left, I would spend it living with deep intention, pouring everything I have into my family, my community, and my purpose.

I would make sure my children know exactly who they are, where they come from, and just how powerful they are as Indigenous and Brown youth in this world. I’d travel with them, sit in ceremony, tell them our stories, and make sure they feel loved, grounded, and limitless.

I’d keep building Prados Beauty—not just as a brand, but as a legacy. I’d spend every moment ensuring it continues to open doors for Indigenous artists, creators, and entrepreneurs. I’d expand our impact, support more Native-owned businesses, and create pathways for the next generation of leaders to rise.

I’d speak louder, fight harder, and love deeper. I’d spend more time in my homelands, listening to elders, laughing with my people, and staying rooted in the culture that raised me.

And honestly? I’d slow down too. I’d watch more sunsets, dance more in my kitchen, eat good food with good people, and let joy be just as much a part of the revolution as the hustle has been.

If I only had ten years left, I’d make sure every day reflected what I stand for: love, legacy, resistance, and beauty—on my terms.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pradosbeauty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pradosbeauty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pradosbeauty
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@pradosbeauty

Image Credits

Debbie Black Hawk
Leo Sanchez
Prados Beauty