10 Questions with Amy Shecter, CEO of Ever/Body

It means modernizing the medical industry and re-crafting the medical system to increase accessibility. There are so many aspects to the healthcare system that are antiquated and lacking in innovation and technology. Often, the medical system presents healthcare as something that we access when we have a problem, or maybe it’s preventative. Redesigning health means considering the full 360 degrees of someone’s everyday lifestyle. We have to consider all aspects of a person and think about their long-term health. Fifty years ago, I don’t think we were worried about how much water we drank or how much yoga we were doing.

Innovation can’t happen without curiosity. I believe in 360 curiosity and vulnerability as a CEO. Vulnerability makes space for curiosity and innovation, because good ideas come from anybody and everybody. When leadership remains honest and open, it allows for harmony within the team. To balance listening and decision making, while I’m responsible for crafting and managing our vision with our leadership group — I also report to our board. While sometimes it is up to the CEO to craft the vision, it’s important to empower our employees to remain curious and innovative. It’s important to have a culture where people feel heard and have the drive to combine that with solid execution and innovation.

I’ve discovered that it’s crucial to lead with less ego. I’ve learned over time that stepping into a senior position isn’t necessarily your “moment to shine,” which has felt like a natural evolution and professional growth. While I own the tough decisions, the business’s success is owned by the team.

Mistakes are good — if we’re not making mistakes, we’re either not trying hard or pushing the boundaries enough. We recently did a photo shoot where we took identical twins and shot them as one person instead of separating them and using them separately. Even though they’re mirror images of each other, they’re different, and their skin has different needs. We thought it was an exciting statement to say even identical twins needed a personalized, individualized skincare journey. But not everyone agreed with this art direction, and I was prepared to say okay, we made a mistake. But it worked to the point where people on the shoot were saying they had never been so inspired.

In terms of positive feedback, I’ve had a patient come up to me after her service and say she felt more confident on the inside, based on what we could do to her outside appearance. We want to help people look and feel their best and offer consistent, quality service. Achieving that kind of operational excellence isn’t easy; it’s a process that takes strategy, communication, alignment. In terms of important negative feedback, several months ago, when our team was still very small, one of the things we heard was that we were taking on too much. We had to reprioritize, so everyone was doing a little less, but services were better executed. Now we have monthly check-ins to ensure no one is taking on too much.

You have to be both humble and kind. I care about the health and happiness of everyone in my company and truly empathize with them. I must connect with and understand the inner workings of our teams, mainly as we grow, which is a challenge. We’re a company that cares about the different aspects of people’s lives and what brings them to work every day. We always want our employees to feel empowered and heard. Everyone should feel like there is a place for them in the store. It’s essential that people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds feel comfortable in the space.

We have to find leaders in this organization at every step of the way: when I interview our store managers, I always tell them, I’m not interviewing for your skills. I know that if you’ve got to me, you have every skill it takes to get here. I want you to give me an example of how you lead with kindness. What’s an example of a time when you made a difference in someone’s life? When cultivating a team, I want to know about their values more than their accomplishments. Everyone in the company has to lead with kindness for the customers and providers to feel cared for.

I pick out my outfit for the next day and lay my clothes out — if I don’t, I’m late to work, and I don’t feel like I look or feel as good. I meditate either in the morning or at night, even if it’s just for five minutes, to ground myself in the day and focus on one thing. I ask myself: what is there for me to learn today?

My family — my husband and daughter and extended family. My friends are like my family, too. I also love to exercise and get my endorphins going. I run and do yoga. I also love a good blowout. It can make my day.

I was a very competitive equestrian, starting when I was four. I went to nationals in college and came in seventh in the nation!