Ep. 79 - Why Not? Inner Child Healing, Self-Forgiveness, and the Vision Behind Aeva Beauty with Francisca François

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

What happens when a dark-skinned girl from Haiti, raised in South Florida, decides to trust her "why not" and build the beauty brand she never saw on shelves? In this episode, Dr. Kristian Edwards sits down with Francisca François, founder of Aeva Beauty — a makeup brand born out of colorism, acne-prone skin, and a refusal to be an afterthought. Francisca opens up about leaving Florida the day after high school graduation, building a brand from scratch in California, and the deep inner work it took to get there. From forgiving herself to connecting with her inner child, this conversation is a love letter to every woman who's ever been told her dream wasn't realistic — and did it anyway. Rich, vulnerable, and full of actionable wisdom.

CALLOUT QUOTES

From Francisca Francois:

• "Dark skin is always first. Because oftentimes it's reversed — inclusive for everyone else and then we're on the back end of the stick."
• "This isn't a conference call. This is a call with me and my vision and God. Of course they won't understand it — it wasn't given to them."
• "Life is hard. Choose your hard. I'd rather choose a harder path where I've tried than not try and never know."
• "I forgave all these people — why was I still struggling? It's because I hadn't forgiven myself for being human."
• "You are worth it. You're always worth it."
• From Dr. Kristian Edwards:
• "Being compassionate towards myself is the only thing that gives you the space to be compassionate towards anyone else."
• "Your instinct is always right. The issue is a lot of our instincts get clouded because we're receiving mess and judgment and insecurities and fear from other people."

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Dark skin first — and still inclusive. Francisca built Aeva Beauty to center dark-skinned women without excluding anyone else, modeling the very inclusivity she wished had existed for her growing up.
   

2. Connecting with your inner child is a wellness practice. Going hiking, building Legos, reading for fun, getting ice cream just because — these aren't small things. They're how you stay whole as an adult.
   

3. Write it down. Pray about it. Dream it out loud. Francisca credits the trio of journaling, prayer, and manifestation as the foundation of everything she's built. The vision has to live somewhere before it becomes real.
   

4. Inner work starts with facing yourself completely. That means laying down the childhood, the trauma, the good and the bad — and then forgiving yourself, not just everyone else.
   

5. The vision was given to you, not them. When people don't understand your dream, it's not because it's impossible. It's because it wasn't given to them. Protect your vision accordingly.
   

6. Self-compassion unlocks compassion for others. The way you talk to yourself when you make mistakes sets the tone for how you show up for everyone around you.
   

7. Affordable luxury shouldn't require compromising on ingredients. Francisca built Aeva Beauty to fill the gap between drugstore formulas with harsh ingredients and luxury products with cleaner ones — cruelty-free, non-toxic, and accessible.
   
   

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Francisca's definition of freedom: spontaneity, free will, and reconnecting with her inner child through hiking, Legos, embroidery, and just getting ice cream because she can
  

• The colorism she experienced growing up dark-skinned in South Florida — and how that pain became the foundation for Aeva Beauty
  

• Discovering in high school that even with hundreds of eyeshadow shades on the shelf, nothing looked right on her skin — and deciding she must be the solution
  

• The Golden Hour Highlighter: Aeva Beauty's very first product, created because Francisca couldn't find a highlighter that looked good on dark skin — and it went viral on Twitter
  

• Leaving Florida the day after high school graduation with a childhood dream, a best friend as her first model, and a "why not" that no one around her shared
  

• Being born in Haiti, raised in Caribbean culture, and intentionally breaking the prescribed path of college, medical degree, marriage — in that order
  

• How depression crept in from constantly being told her ideas weren't realistic, and the small voice that kept saying "there's something more out there for you"
  

• The inner work breakdown: forgiving others, then realizing she hadn't forgiven herself — and what finally shifted
  

• Francisca's self-accountability questions: Would you date yourself? Would you hire yourself? If you saw yourself from the outside, would you like what you see?

• Dr. Kristian Edwards's tip for staying reflective on the go: texting yourself in the moment so the thought isn't lost
  

• The meditation moment and both women's shared experience of needing a guide to get still
  

• Dr. Kristian Edwards's vulnerability: she almost cancelled this recording, then remembered she always feels better after these conversations