My Humble Beginnings...

I was always a curious child, looking at things from a different perspective, trying to find ways to figure things out from the inside, and not always trusting what was shown to me from the outside. I felt deeply and fiercely protected from intuitively knowing but not knowing what to do. So, going into beauty was not by design but felt right.

I am proud to say 43 years. No, that is not my age. That is how long I have been a licensed cosmetologist. I am surprised how many people don't know I am licensed, and then it goes back to me. Am I making that part of my brand?

Although I do not do hair anymore, that was my humble beginning.  In my junior year in high school, I had to create an opportunity that would allow me to graduate and not be in high school.  No, I would not want to repeat those years.  So, the cosmetologist did not call my name, but it was a choice.  A choice unbeknownst would be the best choice I made as a young girl.  To shorten this 42-year-old storyline, I will say this.  I started in education, moved to the business side, and flip-flopped that many times, and now I do both.

I worked in 5-7 salons for my first three years, trying to figure out how to be successful as an actual hairstylist.

I then switched to working for a distributor as a data entry and salesperson. This gave me the insight I needed to see that I was not the only stylist struggling to learn how to cut, color, and style hair.

This led me to work for Matrix, first in education, then in sales. I shifted to Sebastian sales and then to ABBA sales. 

My life was on the road, and my clock was ticking. I decided to learn about money and became a stockbroker and licensed financial agent. It was short-lived because my soon-to-be-born son was forcing me to bed rest.

Transitioning to a mom was not easy, and I knew I wanted to be a working mom, so I headed back to the salon.  Twenty years later, my confidence, knowledge, and success soared; however, it was not my dream job.

I was hired by the PBA and started producing the ISSE Show, TSA, Hair World, and my love, NAHA.  This was my calling until the entrepreneur bug bit.

Started The Beauty Agents, Naked Audience Productions, and Beauty Inside and Out Radio Show and, with the school association, developed a program that later became a non-profit organization called Beauty Changes Lives for industry scholarships and training.

I met the love of my life at a hair show and now work with him at his salon Intrigue along with my coaching and training company.

In 2019 I launched SOS Salon Coaching and Training, not realizing how valid it was during the pandemic, Launched Brand Me Marketing Agency, SOS Leadership Academy, and converted my long-running radio show into a podcast SOS Small Business Success..

Here we are to today… I had the privilege of working directly with the hairdressers who owned the companies. I learned business, technical, and hair skills under the most amazing mentors ever. I celebrated stylists by transforming NAHA into the Academy Awards of Hair, and I am still going.

I am balancing and redefining success and enjoying life to the fullest.

I have had massive success and unbelievable failure, and I wouldn't change a thing. So, what's next?  I am curious to find out, too!