Tracey Woodward
From beauty counter girl to CEO with a cosmic shopping list
Having left school at 15 to work in a chemist then later moving on to the Clinique beauty counter in Debenhams in Croydon at 18, to recently stepping down as CEO for Aromatherapy Associates, Tracey Woodward’s career to date has been a story of sheer determination and passion.
Rising above a challenging upbringing and being illiterate till almost 15 years old, Tracey’s approach to life and her career in the beauty and wellness industry is positive, uplifting and playful.
Contributing to the development and success of many brands including Estée Lauder, Donna Karan and Marks & Spencer Beauty, Tracey is one lady who means business. At the age of 26, Tracey was in charge of - what was at the time the largest beauty hall in the world - Travel Retail at Heathrow Terminal 1, later increased Aveda’s sales from 800,000 to 10.8million in less than 4 years and delivered double-digit growth for Urban Retreat in Harrods year-on-year for 9 years.
Turning her hand to a new opportunity alongside her ex-husband, Tracey opened East Dulwich Deli, then later put an East Dulwich Deli cafe in Harrods. She has also worked with the Prince’s Trust, Action for Children, Beanstalk Literacy Charity, Terrence Higgins Trust, CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) and Eve Appeal to name but a few.
Tracey is incredibly inspiring and practical and believes ‘If I can do it, anyone can do it. You’ve just got to have a plan.’
In our podcast Tracey Woodward and Jodi Muter-Hamilton discuss:
Tracey’s prolific career and passion for learning and evolving
The importance of building strong relationships with yourself and others
The art of being vulnerable and asking for help
Mindfulness, empathy and kindness
Tracey’s go-to beauty products
Recently working on the UK’s first clean beauty store, Holland and Barrett in Birmingham
Listen to our podcast above and on
“You have to be able to step in and help people change their lives and give them hope and inspire them. Once you learn how to read and write you increase your social skills. It’s really difficult to have good social skills and not be able to read and write. They do go hand-in-hand. ”
Aromatherapy Associates
“It’s really important to find your youth and hang onto that joy. And whether it’s dancing or cycling or running or reading short novels or watching trashy TV you’ve gotta find an element that anchors you in an element of youth. ”
“Being vulnerable is quite empowering. It releases me from shame. It releases me from negativity. It releases me from what other people think. So, as soon as I remove those weights from my life I’m lighter.”
Items mentioned during our podcast:
Books
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
Don’t Go to The Cosmetics Counter Without Me
Beauty
QMS tinted moisturiser
By Terry Rose Oil
Skin and Tonic
Five Dots Botanics
Boucleme
Content Beauty
Toxic Beauty Documentary
Other
Winser London
Tiny Desk Concerts
Special thanks to Henry Frith for podcast production.
29.05.2020
