Ulta Beauty trains sales associates to help them (and customers) ditch negative self-talk

When advising on a new lip color or brow gel, sales associates at Ulta Beauty regularly hear customers speak harshly about their own appearance. To understand how negative self-talk can get in the way of experiencing wellbeing and joy, the retailer launched The Joy Study, asking YouGov Panel to survey 5,000 US teens and adults aged 13 and up. 

The study found that 91% of respondents identify negative self-talk as a key obstacle to joy, and — alarmingly — 67% are unaware when they engage in the habit. The number is even higher for Gen Z, 74% of whom don't notice when putting themselves down. And only one in three of those surveyed reported feeling joy in their daily lives.

Aiming to help boost everyone's state of mind, Ulta Beauty worked with author and podcast host Mel Robbins to initiate a comprehensive program dubbed The Joy Project. Robbins developed a Toolkit for Joy: a set of mini-courses equipping Ulta's 53,000 associates with strategies to help them counteract their own inner critics. Subsequently, Ulta will encourage staff members to integrate those learnings when they notice customers disparaging their looks.