MOVERS and SHAKERS: April Peck, CEO of the HydroPeptide Collection Our Coverage Sponsored by Cosmopolitan Dental, Official Dentist of Whom You Know
April Peck
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April Peck is a 33-year-old mother of two, fitness and wellness management expert and the CEO of the luxury skin care line, the HydroPeptide Collection. She says her husband and children are the main reason why she feels beautiful both inside and out. She actually has three children: a three-year-old boy, Kaden, Kody is sixteen months old and her third “child” is an energetic six-year-old chocolate lab, Kinley. April says that because she loves them so much, she wakes up really early in the morning, most would consider it the middle of the night, in order to have enough time to play with them in the evening. April sums up Kaden by telling the story about the time they were having a family picnic in the park and Kaden got up and danced over to complete strangers, to call it “dancing” is an understatement, more accurately he was shaking it like nobody’s business! April feels blessed to have a nursery attached to her office so that she can have her little guy, Kody, with her at work and see him all throughout the day. Kody takes after his older brother and also loves to entertain people. He runs around the office giving hugs, smiles and high-fives! He just lives to charm everyone at the office! Speaking of charming, April also feels blessed to have her husband Steve as her best friend and business partner.
Even though April’s family comes first, everyone who knows her knows that she LOVES working out and would do it all day if it paid the bills! She teaches group exercise spinning and kickboxing classes for fun, for her own health and to help as many people as she can fill the room with in achieving their fitness goals, all at the same time! She says she’s a cardio class instructor for those reasons because teaching those classes will not support her husband Steve’s spending habits. It’s no secret that besides the boat and dreams of buying a house on the lake, Steve’s shoe collection outnumbers April’s. As much as she adores her husband, she loves to give him a hard time about that. At the same time, April appreciates Steve for being a great dad and even though they both work, they pride themselves in achieving balance so that their kids always have one or both of their undivided attention, they are helping more people have more “great skin days” with their company’s skin care products and they prioritize having a happy and healthy marriage. So even though April makes fun of Steve by saying she teaches exercise classes to support him, she means it in the most endearing way possible .
April also really loves running marathons and goes on long distance runs every Saturday morning. On a typical Saturday, Steve will make the boys breakfast and play with them while April goes on her morning run with Kinley. April enjoys running so much that she will start her run before 7am so that she’s back in time to for Steve to go play soccer or basketball. It might sound like April’s getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop, having to wake up early and run a bunch of miles but she runs to feel healthy and balanced and comes home to a stack of French toast with her favorite boys. She thinks more people could get as excited as she does about running if they knew they were running home to a French toast breakfast with their fabulous family! The moral of that story is that April is a strong believer in counting one’s blessings. She appreciates Steve being so supportive and coordinating with her so that she can go for her Saturday run and he can play sports and the kids get one-on-one time with both mom and dad!
It might sound like Steve is high-maintenance and that April works herself to the bone being an over-time mom while running her own company and somehow finding time to teach exercise classes. Although Steve might come off as high-maintenance, April is quick to tell people that he is also high-performance! What she means by that is he is the President of their skin care company, HydroPeptide. April is honored that Steve and his mother, Dr. Louise Peck, a Ph.D in nutritional science, created this luxury skin care line after her in 2004. As HydroPeptide’s CEO and co-formulator, April feels she has a never-ending list of things to be grateful for. She never dreamed that at 33 years old she would be so happily married, with two happy and healthy boys and a beautiful puppy, Kinley, and have such an influential role in a company with a focus on both inner and outer beauty. HydroPeptide might sound familiar since the products and facials are available at prestige spas and resorts. HydroPeptide is carried in prestigious locations worldwide, from the Four Seasons Biltmore, Santa Barbara Resort to The Chelsea Day Spa in the United Kingdom. In a nutshell, what separates this skin care collection from other brands is that the products are formulated with 21 different lab-enhanced peptides to fight age, acne and other skin concerns and have been created to be non-irritating to even the most sensitive skin types. In a nutshell, peptides are protein fragments that support the collagen structure, enabling skin to look and act younger. April and Steve really pride themselves on creating multifaceted products based on the latest advancements in nutritional science to fit busy lifestyles and produce faster results. For those who may not know the story of HydroPeptide, as co-formulator, April ties in her passion for a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise. She maintains a working knowledge of exercises that condition the body and applies that to understanding the results skin care ingredients produce in the skin. That is why HydroPeptide’s tagline is “Scientific Beauty Made Simple”!
April hopes that anyone who has taken a moment to get to know her will be inspired to one, take the time to count their blessings if that is not already a familiar practice, and two, use their gifts and talents to bless others. For people who are already doing that, she hopes they will feel motivated to expand on it in some way. Perhaps there is something that can be done to free up more time to put towards a passion, whatever that may be. Or perhaps a route to pursuing a dream in a responsible and practical way can be explored. April hopes to be a source of encouragement for others because she does not consider herself to be much different from anyone else therefore she says she is living proof that it can be done. On a daily basis she lives the life of her dreams as a wife, mother and fitness fanatic and at the same time she is at peace with the practical side of her in that she has a management position that provides a steady income plus exciting opportunities for growth. Furthermore, even though she often says she wishes she could workout for a living, she admits she really can’t complain because she gets to incorporate her fitness and nutrition background into formulating products that make men and women of all ages and skin types look and feel their best. The moral of April’s story is that what makes her feel beautiful inside and out is a combination of things: expressing gratitude for even the simple things in life, serving as an example of overcoming past obstacles and taking every opportunity she can to use the gifts and talents she has been blessed with while encouraging others to do the same in their own lives. We are pleased to present April as our latest Mover and Shaker. Peachy Deegan interviewed April Peck for Whom You Know.
Peachy Deegan: When Peachy was about 3, she destroyed the family aloe plant rubbing it on her skin to make herself look better. What is your first skincare memory?
April Peck: I grew up loving the sun, partly living in California and the other part in Southern Oregon. I was raised on a horse ranch and was always outside and always without sunscreen. My skin and lips would get so dry. You would think from all the sun exposure I ruined my skin but people always commented how good it looked. My secret was Vaseline. I was even lucky enough to not experience the cycle of teenage breakout. Since I can remember, I was applying Vaseline to my face, but never overdoing it.
What should most people know about skincare that they don't know yet?
Most people know that peptides are a key ingredient in anti-aging products but they couldn’t explain to you what they are, so I would start with that. In a nutshell, peptides are protein fragments that support the collagen structure, enabling skin to look and act younger. We really pride themselves on creating multifaceted products based on the latest advancements in nutritional science to fit busy lifestyles and produce faster results.
In a busy skincare market, what sets your brand apart and why?
What separates HydroPeptide’s skin care from other brands is that our products are formulated with 21 different lab-enhanced peptides to fight age, acne and other skin concerns and are non-irritating to even the most sensitive skin types. HydroPeptide has also presented the spa industry with the first peptide massage oil. What is special about our newly launched Anti-Wrinkle Nourishing Massage Oil is that it can be used on the face and body and contains the new Regu-Age peptide to inhibit collagen and elastin breakdown and neutralize free radical damage.
What is the keys to success both as a working mother and as a co-worker with your spouse?
I am very blessed that Steve is so supportive of me. For example, I love long-distance running so on a typical Saturday, Steve will make the boys breakfast and play with them while I go for my run! Because l enjoy running so much and I want to get back in time for Steve to go play soccer or basketball, I will start my run before 7 am! I remember asking Steve on our first date what he thinks about women who work. I always saw myself as a career women and I’m glad I can do both. I think we are successful as parents who work full-time because we prioritize balancing our careers and family life with activities we enjoy.
What other kinds of workouts do you like to do-do you play sports or like to rollerblade?
I LOVE working out and would do it all day if it paid the bills! I teach group exercise lifting, spinning and kickboxing classes! I do it for fun, to stay healthy and to help as many people as I can fill the room with in achieving their fitness goals! The reason why I have to work as HydroPeptide’s CEO is because teaching exercise classes won’t support my husband Steve’s spending habits.
How many pairs of shoes does your husband have and what are his favorite brands?
If you can even believe it, Steve owns more pairs of shoes than I do! His favorites are anything new that Nike comes out with.
What are your favorite quotes and why?
I’ve always loved Mother Teresa’s Anyway Quote. I think it is the way we should all live. I heard it when I was very young and always reflect upon it. No matter the obstacles or roadblocks, we should forgive anyway, be kind anyway, succeed anyway, do good anyway.. It is a great quote.
What or who has had the most influence on your pursuit of excellence?
My whole life I’ve seen people who have made mistakes and I have seen how those choices have negatively affected the potential those people could have had. I am someone who has always had a drive for success and for some reason never rebelled. I’ve learned from other peoples’ bad mistakes. In a way I think I’m lucky to have had the trials and tribulations in my life and around me that has instilled a drive for success. I won’t let myself make bad choices that can stand in my way of my fullest potential.
What are you proudest of and why?
I am proud to be the mom of three children: my three-year-old boy, Kaden, my little guy Kody is sixteen months and I can’t forget our energetic six-year-old chocolate lab, Kinley! Of all my jobs: being the CEO of my own skin care company, a fitness and nutrition expert and being a mom, being a mom is the most challenging, fulfilling and awesome of them all!!!
What would you like to do professionally that you have not yet had the opportunity to do?
I would like to do a lot of things. In high school and college I wanted to be a lawyer and I try to do everything I could to pave the way for that career. A part of me still wants to do that. I would also like to write a motivational book someday. My childhood was filled with roadblocks and obstacles. I could very well be in a totally different place then I am today but I chose a different path for myself. I think everyone has the potential to succeed and can overcome their past. Obstacles definitely exist, but there are no excuses. I hope that by sharing the example of my life, I can inspire others to take action and pursue their dreams while helping others along the way.
What honors and awards have you received in your profession?
I am also the co-formulator of HydroPeptide, so I was pretty thrilled when our SPF 30 Anti-Wrinkle Skin Enhancing UV Protection was chosen for Prevention Magazine’s Defy-Your-Age Beauty Award for “Best Day Cream with SPF”!
What is your favorite place to be in Manhattan?
Central Park. I love being outdoors and I love running. That’s the first place I want to go when I have free time. Hopefully I can convince my husband or a friend to run with me to make it that much more fun.
What is your favorite shop in Manhattan?
I have not arrived yet to having a favorite Manhattan shop. I’m sure other can relate to this but I’m still being introduced to different styles and designers and deciding what’s really me.
What is your favorite drink?
I don’t drink alcohol so you can say I’m a virgin to that but what I do love is fresh squeezed lemonade with pureed strawberries. When I have time, it is one of my favorite drinks to make in the summer time – although it takes longer to make then drink.
What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you at a cocktail party?
What haven’t I done to embarrass myself? I wish I could remember just one. I laugh every time I think about the last event I was at where I was literally being stocked by a not-so-appealing guy right in front of my husband. A friend of mine was talking to him and she mentioned that he wouldn’t take his eyes off me and kept asking her questions about me. Everyone at work likes to tease me about how this guy was following me everywhere in the ballroom and by the end of the night they had to hide me from him.
What is your favorite restaurant in Manhattan?
Cafeteria-we travel to Manhattan often and we always eat there at least once during our trip!
What is your favorite Manhattan book?
The Best Things to Do in New York. That really is the title of the book. Since I only travel there for work, I try to always try at least one new restaurant or do a fun and different touristy thing that I have not done before and this book is full of things even New Yorkers say they never knew about!
Who would you like to be for a day and why?
Natalie Portman! I think she is so beautiful and classy!
If you could have anything in Manhattan named after you what would it be and why?
A skyscraper. I am almost tall enough to be one.
What has been your best Manhattan athletic experience?
An awesome 8 mile run in Central Park just last April! The weather and view of the city was simply gorgeous! Our publicist and I were there for the International Esthetics Cosmetics and Spa Conference and we were pretty good about going running either before or after the trade show.
What is your favorite thing to do in Manhattan that you can do nowhere else?
In all seriousness, probably run in Central Park! It was that exhilarating!
If you could have dinner with any person living or passed, who would it be and why?
Oprah Winfrey because although she is one of those people whose warmth and presence just comes out of the TV and joins you on your living room couch.
What has been your best Manhattan art or music experience?
Seeing the Radio City Christmas show. I love the holidays and there’s nothing like bringing your family to see the Radio City show to get you in a festive mood!
What do you personally do or what have you done to give back to the world?
We are honored to donate a portion of proceeds from our peptide eye cream and lip plumper to Look Good Feel Better and have HydroPeptide’s in-house medical aesthetician conduct LGFB programs for women undergoing chemotherapy.
What do you think is most underrated and overrated here?
My article about the impact one’s diet has on the overall look and health of their skin was just published in Les Nouvelles Esthetiques magazine. I think high protein diets are overrated because not only do they result in only short-term weight loss but they do not provide balanced nutrition and your skin, being the largest organ in your body, will be an outward reflection of that. What’s underrated is the importance of staying out of tanning beds and wearing sun protection 365 days a year! It’s a known fact that people who make just four visits to a tanning booth per year can increase their risk for melanoma by 11 percent, and yet tanning salons remain in business, it’s ridiculous!
Other than Movers and Shakers of course, what is your favorite Whom You Know column and what do you like about it?
Product Alert because you always write about the latest beauty products. I got a Clinique chubby stick in Strawberry the other day because I saw them in Product Alert and it turns out they’re perfect for someone like me who is sporty but must look polished and put together!
Have you drank The Peachy Deegan yet and if not, why not?
Sorry, I have not…YET!
What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?
Ummm, our Vice President nominated me for “World’s Tallest CEO”. These videos are usually distributed internally but since we’re across the country from you I thought I’d share this to give you an idea of what goes on at HydroPeptide’s corporate headquarters near Seattle, WA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnp6PHmueXI
How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?
I would love for them to engage with us on our facebook fan page or twitter. We share the latest beauty and skin care news as well as exclusive offers.
