Hope Dworaczyk Smith
Founder & CEO, MUTHA™Hope Dworaczyk Smith is the illustrious Founder and CEO of luxury skincare brand MUTHA™. Aside from being an innovator in the beauty industry and an entrepreneur, Hope is a respected philanthropist, esthetician, former model, and author. She is also the proud mother of four beautiful children and the wife of American businessman and Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, Robert F. Smith.
From Kitchen Experiment to Must-Have Product: How Hope Smith Created MUTHA™
Creating MUTHA™ and its line of products has been a labor of love in every sense of the word. When first-time mother Hope Smith was pregnant in 2015, she looked for anything, especially natural and plant-based products, that would help with her impending stretch marks. Nothing on the market, whether it be a drug store or high-end product, fit the bill. She knew she would have to create something herself.
After researching ingredients, Hope turned her kitchen into an experimental laboratory, committed to creating a product that would be beneficial to the skin.
From that kitchen, the first body butter for MUTHA™ was born. Friends took notice, asking for more and more samples. They could not get enough. To keep up with demand, she moved into a lab where she continued to tweak the formula.
She did so for two years until she felt comfortable replacing every body oil and cream on her vanity with her new products.
In no time, that kitchen project turned into a luxury skincare brand MUTHA™. All in all, over 400+ formulas were tested to perfect the MUTHA™ Body Butter. The brand launched in the fall of 2019 with two products: MUTHA™ Body Butter and MUTHA™ Body Oil. While MUTHA™ has launched several other products since then, Hope’s philosophy for her products has remained the same:
"When I make a product, I want all of the expensive, best-for-you things up top. I don’t want to put water first or anything that’s not actually great for the skin."
More to Love
About Hope Smith
Entrepreneur Hope Smith is not simply conquering the luxury skincare industry with her ingenious MUTHA™ products. As a former international model from Port Lavaca, Texas, Hope has a passion for photography, high-end fashion, and art. She also had a career in television, first as a host and producer on Inside Fashion (Canada) and later as a contestant on “Celebrity Apprentice.” She is also a certified doula, licensed esthetician, and budding author of the book “Your Body Is Magic,” which tackles just about every aspect of the pregnancy journey.
As a mother of four children, Hope is also active with organizations that help the most vulnerable, such as disadvantaged women and children.
Some of these organizations include Together We Rise, The Conscious Kid, Unlikely Heroes, and International Medical Corps. MUTHA™ also makes donations to some of these nonprofits, with 5% of the company’s total proceeds going to the International Medical Corps and 100% of the proceeds from MUTHA™ F* Racism Candle going to The Conscious Kid.
In recognition of Hope’s business and philanthropic endeavors, Hope was listed among WWD Beauty's Emerging Brand Founders and Forbes Inspiring Female Founders in the Beauty Industry. Hope and her husband, Robert F. Smith, were also honored with the International Medical Corps’s Humanitarian Award.
Learn more about Hope by connecting with her on Twitter or subscribing to Hope’s YouTube channel.
Hope Smith:The Original
BAD MUTHA
Hope Smith once said, “Be a BAD MUTHA. Know one. Raise one. Be one. Support one.” And, that’s exactly what she is doing. Through the BAD MUTHA campaign, she is empowering women to love their children in their own, beautiful way and be unapologetic about it.
Learn more about what makes Hope a BAD MUTHA and her journey through motherhood.
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EXPERIENCED THE WRATH OF MOM-SHAMING? WHAT'S YOUR STORY.
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My first two pregnancies were pretty easy. After the second pregnancy I found out I couldn’t carry again. I was shamed online for being greedy and wanting to use a surrogate when I already had two children. It was also assumed I wanted a surrogate because I was lazy and didn’t want to gain weight. How horrific is it to send such hurtful messages to a woman grieving the pregnancy she wouldn’t get to have? My husband and I made embryos from my egg and his sperm and still went ahead with our plans.
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IF ANY LINE OF WORK NEEDS INSPO, IT'S MOTHERHOOD. WHAT TYPE OF MOTHERS INSPIRE YOU?
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Women who decide they will make a better life for their children and communities as well as women who improve their minds and focus on being the best versions of themselves.
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SOMETIMES WE'RE ALL BAD MUTHAS. WHEN DID YOU GO AGAINST TRADITIONAL ADVICE?
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I started off being a “BAD MUTHA” by ignoring traditional advice and having two homebirths. Since then, I’ve broken lots of rules and always done what was best for my child or family.
"I WAS SHAMED ONLINE FOR BEING GREEDY AND WANTING TO USE A SURROGATE WHEN I ALREADY HAD TWO CHILDREN.
IT WAS ALSO ASSUMED I WANTED A SURROGATE BECAUSE I WAS LAZY AND DIDN’T WANT TO GAIN WEIGHT.
HOW HORRIFIC IS IT TO SEND SUCH HURTFUL MESSAGES TO A WOMAN GRIEVING THE PREGNANCY SHE WOULDN’T GET TO HAVE?"
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BETTER WORLDS START WITH BETTER MOMS. HOW CAN THE MOTHERHOOD COMMUNITY IMPROVE?
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Be a BAD MUTHA. Know one. Raise one. Be one. Support one.
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WE ALL NEED A CHAMPION. WHO IN YOUR LIFE CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTS YOUR FULL SPECTRUM OF PARENTING CHOICES?
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The women in my family and the community of mothers around me are very supportive. Building your community is so important.
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WHO IN YOUR LIFE DO YOU SUPPORT WITHOUT JUDGEMENT?
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Mothers around me because ultimately, they are doing what’s best for their families and children.
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REWIND. HAS YOUR MOTHER EVER SHARED A MOMENT ABOUT HER BEING A BAD MUTHA?
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There are many. Everyone told my mother to put me on a childhood drug for ADHD so I would sit still in school. She didn’t entertain it and now doctors are very controversial on the effects of the part of the brain that controls motivation. Good thing she didn’t, as I may not have accomplished half of what I have, which still isn’t enough. But you know what? If she had chose to, that’s also her choice and the positives may have outweighed the negatives. I truly believe only a mother ultimately knows what’s best. I still have a problem sitting in the office now and am the worst in meetings. My best ideas come when I’m moving.
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FAST FORWARD. WHAT PARENTING INSIGHT WILL YOU SHARE WITH YOUR CHILD IF/WHEN THEY BECOME A PARENT?
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Trust your instincts. Parent the way you want to parent. Listen to parenting audiobooks or read to gain knowledge from experts when you have the time. Figure out what your values and traditions are and hold to them. Evolve as necessary.
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HOW DO YOU LIKE TO MUTHA YOURSELF AND ENSURE YOU STILL HAVE SOME 'ME' TIME?
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When my kids go to sleep, I love to take a long shower, then soak in the bath with a face mask on and take my time with a long drawn out skincare routine. My routine always ends with MUTHA Body Butter, which I call my “Body Sleep Mask."
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ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SHARE ABOUT MOTHERHOOD?
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Motherhood comes in all kinds of forms. It doesn’t take having a child of your own. You could have mothered your niece, your friend, a step child or your own mother. It’s an energy and essence you put out that helps to take care of the world. The mother can take the place of many, but no-one can take the place of the mother.