Ep. 140, Building Trust While the Internet Watches with Helen Morrison, Frownies CEO, pt 1
How do you lead a 100-year-old family brand when TikTok suddenly turns it into a viral sensation? Helen Morrison of Frownies shares what it takes to navigate legacy, leadership, criticism, and customer trust while growing fast in public.
Episode Summary
In this episode of the Joyosity™ Podcast, Jenn Whitmer talks with Jacqueline Kerr about how workplace change actually happens—inside teams, organizations, and systems.
They explore why people often do not respond to new ideas, not because change is bad or hard, but because those ideas do not match their current priorities, pressures, incentives, or mental filters. Jacqueline shares how leaders can create the enabling conditions for change by starting small, reducing friction, building trust, and demonstrating results instead of forcing buy-in.
This episode is especially helpful for leaders, managers, culture builders, HR professionals, and change agents who want to improve team habits, workplace culture, employee engagement, burnout prevention, leadership communication, and organizational change adoption.
If you have ever wondered, "Why won’t they just do the obvious, better thing?", this conversation will help you understand resistance to change, behavior change at work, and how to build momentum without unnecessary frustration.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 01:19 What shaped Helen Morrison’s leadership journey.
- 04:37 Why working in the family business as a teenager did not feel like her dream path.
- 11:16 How to recognize untapped potential.
- 13:32 What happened when Frownies took off on TikTok and Helen became the face of the brand.
- 15:48 Why responding to criticism with respect became a key part of the company’s identity.
- 17:22 How voice messages and real conversations helped turn online tension into customer trust.
Key takeaway:
Growing a legacy brand in public takes more than smart marketing — it takes human-centered leadership, trust, and the courage to stay authentic under pressure.
Why You Should Listen
- Learn why people resist change less out of stubbornness and more because of competing priorities, pressure, and mental filters
- Hear a practical framework for creating the conditions that make change easier to adopt and sustain
- Get ideas for leading culture change without forcing buy-in or creating unnecessary friction
- Understand how small experiments and early wins can build real momentum across a team
- Pick up better ways to bring skeptical or resistant leaders along without dismissing the past
- Discover how reminders, environment design, and trust often matter more than more information
- Walk away with useful insight for improving team habits, reducing burnout, and leading change more effectively
If you lead a business, a team, or a brand built on trust, this conversation offers a powerful example of what it looks like to grow with integrity. Helen Morrison shares honest insight on leadership, visibility, social media backlash, authentic marketing, customer loyalty, and scaling a family business in the digital age.
Whether you’re navigating brand growth, online criticism, legacy business challenges, or modern leadership, this episode will leave you thinking differently about what it means to stay grounded while growing in public.
Jenn Whitmer talks with Helen Morrison of Frownies about leading a legacy family business through viral growth, building trust on social media, handling online criticism, and staying authentic as the public face of a modern brand. This episode is packed with insight for entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders growing a company in the digital age.
About Helen Morrison
Helen Morrison is the fifth-generation CEO of Frownies, the iconic family-owned, women-led skincare brand founded in 1889. A great-great-granddaughter of founder Margaret Krosen, Helen has helped lead the brand into the modern era, blending legacy, storytelling, and customer connection with a sharp instinct for digital growth.
After joining Frownies full-time in 2020 as Director of Brand Strategy, she became the relatable face of the brand across social media, helping turn a long-trusted beauty secret into a viral modern phenomenon while staying rooted in the personal, high-touch care that built the company in the first place. Today, Helen is known for her honest, approachable voice, her ability to translate heritage into relevance, and her leadership in growing Frownies without losing the heart of what made it matter for generations.
Grab $10 off Frownies here! jennwhitmer.com/frownies
Helen’s Socials:
Instagram: https:instagram.com/helenkmorrison/
TikTok: tiktok.com/@helenkmorrison
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/helen-morrison-09469769
About the Host: Jenn Whitmer
Jenn is an international keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and the founder of Joyosity™, helping leaders create positive, profitable cultures through connection, curiosity, and joy. With a background in communication, conflict resolution, and team dynamics, Jenn helps leaders and organizations navigate complex people challenges, reduce burnout, and build flourishing workplaces.
Her insights have resonated with audiences worldwide, blending real-world leadership expertise, engaging storytelling, and a dash of humor to make the hard stuff easier. Whether on stage, in workshops, or with coaching clients, Jenn equips leaders with the tools they need to solve conflict, cultivate communication, and lead with purpose.
Her book Joyosity and the Joyosity Works Playbooks offer leaders a fresh approach to joy at work that builds real results.
Jenn's Socials:
Instagraminstagram.com/jenn_whitmer
Linkedinlinkedin.com/in/jennwhitmer
Podcast edited by Katey Perkins, Midsouth Story Co
Resources & Links:
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Get Joyosity and the Joyosity Works Playbook
- Joyosity: How to Cultivate Intense Happiness in Work & Life (Even If Things Are What They Are) Joy isn’t extra. Joy is how you thrive.
- This book gives leaders the tools to turn exhaustion into resilience and build cultures where work is a joy, people are whole, and organizations flourish.
- Joyosity Works Playbook: Practical Plays and Strategies for Joy at Work and Beyond is the official companion workbook to Joyosity to help you practice joy every day.
- Find direct links to purchase at your favorite booksellers at https://jennwhitmer.com/books.
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A Party for More:
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