We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jie (Jennie) Gao. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jie (Jennie) below.
Jie (Jennie), first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I distinctly remember the first time I had imposter syndrome. I was at my dream school – Duke University. Everyone back home thought I was brilliant, but I was struggling. My high school in South Carolina did not prepare me for the academic rigor of Duke, and so many of my classmates received much better preparation at nationally ranked high schools and private schools. I thought about dropping out and going back to South Carolina. And frankly, the imposter syndrome never really left – it has follows me through my first job interviews, through consulting, through Harvard Law, through my legal career, and now.
However, I read something a few years back that made me realize that having an imposter syndrome may not be a bad thing. It means that you are undertaking something new, something different, something out of your comfort zone. I didn’t have imposter syndrome in high school because I knew my role, and I didn’t stretch outside of it. It was only when I left that comfort that I started feeling imposter syndrome. I’ve also gone through enough iterations of it to realize that I do come out on the other side, once I settle into my new responsibilities. It doesn’t make the syndrome more comfortable, but it does provide me with motivation.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Versine was initially conceived so expecting and new moms could feel confident, in body and spirit. I was working as a domestic violence prosecutor and pregnant with my second child. The stress dealt a blow to my skin, and I discovered a white space because it was very difficult to find skincare with science-based active ingredients that didn’t include hormone disrupters and other ingredients you should avoid while trying to conceive or pregnant.
After wavering for quite a while, I took a leap of faith and founded Versine. By working together with dermatologists and an OBGYN, we made Versine completely safe for one of the most sensitive times in a woman’s life, while maintaining efficacy. We also made sure to streamline the ingredients, so one bottle of our serum contains a multitude of actives that can replace numerous products. We know (from personal experience) that moms don’t have time to layer numerous products or figure out the correct order to use ingredients.
We soon realized that our actives-forward yet skin-calming products also resonated with those who had skin sensitivities, allergies, and a busy lifestyle.
In terms of new developments in our line – we don’t launch too many new products because it takes so long to get our formulations right. However, after around 20 something different iterations, we finally have a new product. We are completing some final testing, and we can’t wait to introduce it later this year!
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?
Resilience, readiness to ask questions and look stupid, and willingness to keep pressing an issue that’s important to you.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
We are finding it difficult to connect with demographics outside our core customers (women undergoing their fertility journey). Many people wonder if our products can be used outside pregnancy, and it’s hard to demonstrate, without a large marketing budget, that our products are also great for people who have sensitive and reactive skin who still want to use active ingredients to address issues like fine lines and hyperpigmentation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.versineskincare.com
- Instagram: @versineskincare
- Other: Tiktok: @versineskincare
Image Credits
Eugenia Weinstein
