INTERVIEW : JOSIE MARAN
Photo via Lianna Tarantin
IN CONVERSATION
WITH JOSIE MARAN
Founder of Josie Maran
NAME: Josie Maran
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus Sun / Gemini Moon / Pisces Rising
WHERE ARE YOU FROM: Northern California
WHAT IS ONE JOSIE MARAN PRODUCT YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT?
100% Pure Organic Argan Oil as it is truly a multi-purpose beauty oil. If I am traveling and only have a carry-on, the 100% pure Argan oil in solid form, the Argan Stick
NUMBER ONE BEAUTY SECRET?
WHICH PRODUCT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
Photo via Lianna Tarantin
TELL US ABOUT JOSIE MARAN … THE WOMAN AND THE BRAND. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START JOSIE MARAN?
"I grew up in the Bay area where everyone was always trying to find more natural and healthier ways to live life. My parents raised me so sustainably oriented: always looking to recycle and not waste anything. My mother is a creative and always wants to find the beauty in different areas of life and my dad was one of the first green builders in construction, so I always grew up wanting to take care of the earth, find the beauty in everything, and use the earth to fuel my body.
I was the face of Maybelline for 10 years and while I was in the modeling chair I would always ask the makeup artist, ‘is there anything natural and healthy that they could utilize on my skin?’ They would always say, ‘it’s challenging to make products that are good enough for a makeup artist and clean.’ As a rebel, I took that as a personal challenge.
So I decided I was going to launch my own high-end, luxury, clean product line—one of the first of its kind. I was traveling for work in the South of France where I met this beautiful French woman and I was just in awe of how beautiful she was, she looked about 40 years old—I later found out she was 70. I asked her what her secret was and she said Argan Oil in the most beautiful French accent. I made it my mission to find it. It turned out that Argan Oil found in Morocco is 100% pure, organic, and by purchasing it this way it also empowers the women in Morocco that make it. My skin was so unhappy with all the products I was utilizing at the time and when I switched those products out for Argan Oil it changed my life. I could not believe how my skin responded to Argan Oil and all of the benefits this product had for my life. I had to share it with the world. So that is truly who I am and what the Josie Maran brand stands for: sharing the beauty the earth provides and inspires us, through efficacious beauty products that are clean and great for your body."
Photo by Olivia Hamilton for Benshen.co
On discovering her power…
"I've always been really interested in learning about the Laws of the Universe. Money in particular is a very interesting energy and operates under certain laws like a formula, which I have studied a lot.
At a young age, I became very curious about this and started playing with it, studying it, learning about it, and in turn, making a lot of money and learning the game and energetics of money.
When I was 12, I saw this Maybelline commercial with Christy Turlington walking down the street. It had nothing to do with her being a model or fashion or beauty or anything, I just saw it and thought she was having so much fun walking down the street and looked so happy and it looked so fun to be in this cute dress. So I crossed my fingers every night since I was 12 years old and wished and prayed to be the Maybelline girl. I really focused on it. And then when I was 18, I became a Maybelline girl. It was then, I was like, oh shit, I am powerful. That was the first major learning around my manifestation power. And I realized if I believed in myself, if I focused on something, I could create anything I wanted.
And then later on as I started actually studying it, I saw the connection with money and self-worth. The more I started to understand that, the more I understood about my limiting beliefs. I realized my self-worth will literally equal how much worth I can create in the world. And that was the equation, the game to play."
Photo by Olivia Hamilton for Benshen.co
On her current vision…
"I've known this through my empowerment work and personal development work: you can't fly a plane unless you know where you're going…So [building a vision] is just the most powerful thing anyone can do, I think, in the world. It really has been profound every month, and the discipline that it creates in your life. And honestly, there's a kind of addiction to the discipline and addiction to building the amazing, magical world I can create by just being really dedicated to the practice in creating a vision. It's fun to see this muscle get stronger and stronger, you know, with manifesting, just enjoying your life, and enjoying yourself. It's a culmination of exponential love, self-love, power, and fun. It's so creative.
[I've been thinking] about how to go deeper into my femininity, intuition, and that receptive mode and be a badass business woman, especially as I’ve gotten pretty good at money. I figured it out, but I wanted to go even deeper. I've taken so many risks that I want to really make sure that I'm figuring out exactly how I'm going to get there. This month, my focus has been building the vision around deeply trusting myself and [continuing to] find my way of being a badass business woman.
And you've got to put yourself on the hook, you know. You can get good at [prosperity], but then you can just settle into that. And think, oh I can just settle here. But I keep wanting to level up and I think of the idea of putting myself on the hook, which creates a lot of pressure to find the next growing edge. Like, how are you going to deal with this edge? You've got to create a vision around it, get really clear on limiting beliefs around it, figure out the gap between here and there. [It's about] using all the cool tools that we know: journaling, meditating, visioning, and enjoying."
On Radiant Body teachings…
"Now, I sell my products on QVC, so it's like Live Josie. The reason I'm so passionate about going on and selling is that's it about spreading, empowering, uplifting—love. And we're teaching about good-for-you ingredients to put all over your body. I even launched just last month a beautiful oil mist called Prosperity Mist. So even on QVC I get to teach about prosperity and the radiant body while I'm selling it."
On her formula for prosperity…
“I journal every day. I did The Artist's Way when I was 19 or 20 and it profoundly changed my life. I do morning pages every day, religiously. That's so, so good. I have created everything I've ever wanted in my life. And I have an amazing life, like next level. Amazing. And it's not even a brag…it’s what's possible.
And in the last probably two years now I listen every day to 10 to 20 minutes of Abraham Hicks. It really shoots me into the portal of joy and allows for all the goodness to happen in my life and all the dreams and all the prosperity. That paired with journaling, paired with Kundalini meditation and creating a vision every month.
I live for supporting people in their empowerment, especially around money. It's really simple. We all have [limiting beliefs] and I want to take down the confusion and mystical pieces around money and give people tools to just simply go for it, turn it around, and play the game. Because abundance is really fucking fun. It's fun and gratifying and satisfying and so wonderful.”
Photo by Olivia Hamilton for Benshen.co
On the self-worth bank account…
"I make sure every single day I write down the blessings in my life. It's not just gratitude but also, why do I love myself? Why am I worthy? What is worthy about me every single day? It's become my self-worth bank account. It's so powerful and you have to fill up every day because maybe your bank account starts empty. Unless you're filling that up, you have nothing to pull from. You have to fill it up because you need to receive before you give. Everywhere we're taught, ‘you gotta give to get’, but that means you also have to fill it up. It means you have to learn how to receive, which is a whole muscle in and of itself. You cannot take that for granted because it's not just going to come in. You will not receive unless you consciously practice receiving and allowing it to really get in there. And now my bank account is huge. So I have a lot to give and I have a lot to then receive— it's this virtuous cycle that you have to be committed to and conscious of and proactive about.
Most of [our limiting beliefs] come down to self-worth and self-confidence. I have a beautiful process where I start with: Where am I now? Where do I wanna go? What do I need to change to get there? And what's my very next step? These four questions can set you up for creating, seeing the limiting belief and turning it around right there. It's important to decide what the next step is and create an affirmation that you can repeat every day to change that limiting belief and get into where you want to go.
I remember when I got off that money workshop [I taught for Benshen Course], my mom was there and she was so proud. She hadn't really seen me coaching to guide people through money this way. And she was like, ‘well are they gonna do it?’ And that's something I'm still working on, is having the faith in sharing these ideas. They're powerful, and then trusting that people actually want it bad enough.”
On the power in pleasure…
“I have a very natural tendency to enjoy life. Like I'm a big enjoyer—l always have. I've always loved to work too. I had lemonade stands when I was a little girl, and I'd be out there, smiling. And I love to make money and the money has a purpose—to do more good in the world and make more people smile. And then learning from Abraham Hicks just how powerful joy and gratitude and enjoying your life can be. I already had that gift of enjoying it and really took it to the next level—to allow more goodness was like, oh, you just gave me permission to really enjoy my life.”