Naked Beauty with Brooke DeVard

Jayme Cyk on Beauty, Body Image, and The Pursuit of Self-Acceptance

Release Date: December 1, 2025
Guest: Jayme Cyk (Founder, "And Repeat"; Beauty Editor; Writer)
Host: Brooke DeVard

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brooke DeVard welcomes Jayme Cyk for an unflinchingly honest conversation about beauty, body image, and the ongoing journey of self-acceptance. Jayme shares her personal experiences with mental health, eating disorders, and motherhood, and how these have shaped both her career and her approach to wellness and ritual. The episode is grounded in vulnerability, providing important reflections on how the beauty industry intersects with mental health and personal well-being.

Trigger Warning: The episode discusses disordered eating, body image, and weight-related anxieties.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Openness Around Mental Health and Medication

Timestamps: 04:18 – 07:49

• Jayme has been open about her use of antidepressants and ADHD medication since childhood.

• She describes how sharing about mental health online has created a sense of community and reduced stigma.

  "I've always been open about it and nothing really, I think, has ever felt really, like, off limits... I've been exposed to antidepressants since I was 9 years old and have been on one since I was nine." – Jayme (04:45)

• The title of her Substack, "I'm on an Antidepressant," sets the tone for candid discussions around mental health.

2. Early Beauty Influences and Career

Timestamps: 05:41 – 10:36

• Jayme’s mother worked in the beauty industry (Donna Karan Cosmetics), saturating Jayme’s childhood with industry products and insider tips (e.g. the iconic Cashmere Mist deodorant).

• She began early beauty experimentation: “At 11, I was getting highlights in my hair.”

• Jayme’s career pivoted from fashion writing to beauty journalism, eventually landing at Women's Wear Daily and later as Beauty Director at Violet Grey.

  "I thought I was going to always be a writer and write about fashion...WWD had a beauty opportunity...and I never left." – Jayme (08:49)

3. The Connection Between Beauty Routines and Emotional Well-Being

Timestamps: 11:07 – 13:12

• The onset of acne in her teens made Jayme aware of how her emotional state was linked to appearance and sparked her experimentation with makeup and skincare.

• Coverage, concealment, and routine became both coping mechanisms and sources of self-expression.

  "Learning that I could cover something up...was also really difficult because, like, I don't necessarily want to wear this product, but I also don't want my acne to show." – Jayme (11:14)

4. Reconciling Beauty Work with Self-Acceptance

Timestamps: 13:12 – 15:12

• Jayme describes a professional reckoning: recognizing that her role in beauty perpetuated certain standards while she was also striving to accept herself.

  "Everything that I do is going through a funnel of self acceptance right now...I've been trying to accept myself on social media through being honest about my mental health..." – Jayme (13:12)

• Having her son pushed Jayme to re-evaluate what self-acceptance meant and how to harmonize self-improvement and self-acceptance.

5. Pregnancy, Body Image, and Eating Disorders

Timestamps: 15:12 – 21:40

• Jayme is open about her difficult relationship with pregnancy due to her history with disordered eating and body dissatisfaction.

• She discusses anxiety about gaining pregnancy weight—even while actively trying to become pregnant.

• Therapy played a pivotal role in supporting Jayme through both pregnancy and postpartum.

  "When I saw the pregnancy test, I was like, Wait, I'm not ready. I just lost all this weight. I'm not ready to gain it back." – Jayme (16:35)

• Despite quick postpartum weight loss, she continued to struggle with scale preoccupation and mood being tied to weight.

  "I am weighing myself every day, and I know it is not healthy...the scale has become like my accountability partner in the best and the worst way." – Jayme (19:10)

• Jayme’s therapist uses a two-way, empathetic approach, sharing her own lived experience with eating disorders.

6. Body Dysmorphia and The Power of Photography

Timestamps: 21:40 – 23:56

• Taking and seeing full-body photos has been both triggering and empowering for Jayme.

• She is working on accepting herself at any size; sharing honestly on social media is a part of that process.

  "I'm trying to come to an understanding that, like, I can accept myself in the way that I am right now and be okay with that." – Jayme (23:11)

7. Beauty Industry's Responsibility

Timestamps: 23:58 – 27:04

• Jayme calls for more body diversity in casting and more thoughtful, less prescriptive language in beauty marketing—especially in the era of GLP-1 usage for weight loss.

  "The industry has a responsibility to bring out more body types and not make it so singular...the way that we talk to our customer is so important." – Jayme (24:38)

• Jayme and Brooke both discuss evolving feelings about GLP-1 weight loss drugs, noting their complicated medical and cultural impact.

8. Parenting, Generational Messages, & Conversation Around Food

Timestamps: 41:43 – 48:45

• Jayme reflects on being prescribed antidepressants as a child and the messaging she’d want to give her own son if he needed medication.

  "I'm not against it. I ... would want to just make sure that I educate him that this is going to help you." – Jayme (42:24)

• She tackles the impact of subtle parental language around food, such as the demonization of carbs or comments that cultivate shame (“Do you really want that?”).

  "Carbs were the enemy. Eating bread was the enemy...I have this very vague memory of going for maybe, like, a second cookie and having my mom be like, do you really want that?" – Jayme (46:42)

9. Ritual & “And Repeat” — Reclaiming the Supplement Experience

Timestamps: 31:41 – 41:43

• Jayme discusses co-founding "and repeat" to destigmatize pill-taking and create beautiful, functional wellness objects (like pill cases).

• Her journey getting off ADHD medication (Concerta), and the difficulty of both the withdrawal and seeking substitutions.

• Discovery of L-Tyrosine and the resulting supplement, "and focus," formulated to provide real, tangible effects—contrasted with the often opaque effects of other nootropics.

  "I wanted you to feel as if you could focus, but also to feel really good in the process... there's just those two ingredients [L-Tyrosine and Bacopa extract] and then there's mint for the experience." – Jayme (37:34–40:41)

10. Product Recommendations & "Curator" Picks

Timestamps: 47:47 – 54:57

• Skincare:

  • Sophie Pavitt Mandelic Serum, Moisturizer, Cleanser
  • Good Weather Skin mineral sunscreen (noted: may leave a white cast for deep skin)

• Makeup:

  • Farrah Homeidi Concealer and Lip Oil ("expensive but worth it")
  • More affordable lip favorites: Made by Denise Fossey, Edam

• Fragrance:

  • Lore (Lore World): “There’s just so much nostalgia in each of the scents and it just makes me feel great.”

• Haircare:

  • Crown Affair, Rosza (Mara Roszak)
  • Japanese hair brush (brand name with K; will be linked)

• Accessories & Fashion:

  • Dahanshi belts
  • RLT for the “perfect white tee”
  • RealReal for men’s designer blazers

• Notable moment: Jayme buys high-end products she genuinely loves, sometimes with her own money, which is rare in a world of PR packages.

11. Beauty, Mental Health, and Industry Accountability

Timestamps: 54:57 – 56:47

• Jayme believes brands must consider customer mental health—creating joy and affirmation, not promising transformation or self-worth via product.

  "If you're not thinking about someone's mental health when you're creating products, then you're doing something a little bit wrong... Also, let's not try to sell each other on that this will make you better." – Jayme (54:57)

12. Grounding, Rest, and Living in Your Wins

Timestamps: 62:44 – 65:54

• Jayme grounds herself through strength training and strict scheduling of movement; meditation and breathwork aren’t for her.
• TV is a form of relaxation—“I can feel my shoulders just, like, melt.”
• Brooke agrees: “It’s honestly better for us to watch a show… than to be scrolling on our phone all the time.”

13. When She Feels Most Beautiful

Timestamps: 66:01 – 67:02

“At the end of the day after I give my son his bath, and we end up looking in the mirror and...we both look at the mirror and we both smile, and I see that we look alike and I'm like, I feel really beautiful at that point.” — Jayme

A poignant closing that reframes beauty as found in authentic moments of love and connection—not external standards.

Notable Quotes

• “I want everything that I do to go through a funnel of self-acceptance right now.” — Jayme (13:12)
• “I am weighing myself every day, and I know it is not healthy.” — Jayme (19:10)
• “If you're not thinking about someone's mental health when you're creating products, then you're doing something a little bit wrong.” — Jayme (54:57)
• “I think we can be funny and we can have a comedic edge...let’s not try to sell each other on that this will make you better.” — Jayme (54:57)
• “I feel most beautiful ... after I give my son his bath...we both look at the mirror and smile.” — Jayme (66:01)

Key Timestamps for Reference

• Introduction & Trigger Warning: 00:10 – 03:44
• Openness about Mental Health: 04:18 – 07:49
• Early Beauty Influences & Career Start: 07:49 – 10:36
• Connecting Beauty Routine to Mood: 11:07 – 13:12
• Reconciling Beauty Work & Self-Acceptance: 13:12 – 15:12
• Pregnancy & Body Image: 15:12 – 21:40
• Body Dysmorphia & Photos: 21:40 – 23:56
• Industry Responsibility (Body Diversity, Language): 23:58 – 27:04
• GLP-1 Drugs & Weight Loss Culture: 27:04 – 29:59
• Parenting & Medication Conversations: 41:43 – 48:45
• Beauty Products & Curation: 47:47 – 54:57
• Beauty & Mental Health Intersection: 54:57 – 56:47
• Fashion & Ritual: 59:51 – 63:35
• Grounding Rituals & Relaxation Practices: 62:44 – 65:54
• When Do You Feel Most Beautiful?: 66:01 – 67:02

Episode Takeaways

• Real conversations around body image and mental health are essential, especially for women navigating new motherhood, changing bodies, and societal expectations.
• Reflecting honestly on the impact of generational, parental, and cultural messaging can break harmful cycles.
• The beauty industry must be accountable for the language it uses and the images it projects.
• Embracing ritual—whether in self-care, supplementation, or family connection—can be a pathway to self-acceptance and wellbeing.

Connect with Jayme:

• Instagram: @jaycyk
• Substack: “I’m on an Antidepressant”
• and repeat: [Link to products]

For product links and more resources, see episode show notes.