Ulta Beauty has tapped lawyer, podcast host and writer Mel Robbins to launch The Joy Project.

After listening to feedback from associates who repeatedly witness guests struggle with negative self-talk, Ulta was inspired to know how the inner critic could possibly be affecting people’s ability to experience joy and overall well-being, the corporate said.

Cue The Joy Study, commissioned by Ulta, which examined a sample of how 5,000 adults and youths experience joy and the common barriers to experiencing it on a each day basis. 

It found that 73 percent of those surveyed experience negative self-talk, 70 percent experiencing it don’t recognize negative self-talk once they’re actively doing it, and 91 percent discover negative self-talk as a primary obstacle of their ability to experience joy. 

Gen Z is the least equipped to beat their negative self-talk, in keeping with the study. 65 percent reported feeling they lack the tools, relationships, or resources to get well from challenges and maintain joy, in comparison with 54 percent of the overall population.

Armed with this research, Robbins crafted a bespoke associate training curriculum to positively transform the best way Ulta Beauty’s 53,000 associates take into consideration themselves and ultimately empower guests to do the identical.

“It’s stunning that the research shows that negative self-talk is the largest obstacle to experiencing joy, yet the vast majority of us don’t even realize how much we engage in it. I’m proud to work with Ulta
Beauty and The Joy Project to handle this head on,” said Robbins. “There are such a lot of brands publicly discussing mental health, but few are activating in such a tangible and meaningful way. I’m honored to work with Ulta Beauty, creating custom trainings that can empower those associates to silence that inner critic and coach guests to do the identical, all with a mission to encourage a national conversation to spread more joy.”

Dubbed “A Toolkit for Joy,” the video-based series of mini courses taught by Robbins will provide all 53,000 associates the strategies and tools needed to discover their inner critic, interrupt the negative patterns, and encourage themselves and others in the method. Associates are then encouraged to share those self same practices with guests.

Based on Robbins, who previously undertook an identical project with Starbucks’ associates, the three-step process is designed to assist people to catch the inner critic, to interrupt it after which to encode a unique way of talking to yourself.

“The truth is, there’s a joy deficit in our country, which if left untreated, will only proceed to carry people back from living the lives they’ve all the time wanted,” said Michelle Crossan Matos, chief marketing officer at Ulta Beauty. “By taking an inside-out approach, in helping our associates unlock their very own barriers to joy, and using our platforms to positively influence the communities we serve, we all know we will ignite a movement that can help people in all places live more authentic and joyful lives.”