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Just Go: Faith, Redirection & Building What’s Meant for You
111 Plays2 days ago
Alie didn’t stumble into esthetics — she was redirected into it again and again.
From rummaging through her mom’s makeup as a child, to being told she couldn’t make a career out of beauty, to pivoting into marketing only to feel completely unfulfilled; every detour brought her back to the treatment room.
In this episode, we talk about faith, surrender, people-pleasing, boundaries, burnout, and what it really takes to open a solo spa in today’s industry. Alie shares the emotional transition of leaving a long-term salon home and the deep trust that carried her forward.
We dive into:
- Authentic marketing vs. chasing trends
- Building a space that feels like you
- Boundaries as a solo esthetician
- Burnout, menstrual cycle awareness & energy protection
- Korean + Hungarian skincare fusion
- And why sometimes the only strategy is: GO
This episode is for the esthetician who feels called to more and needs permission to stop tiptoeing and trust the path unfolding in front of her.
Let’s rise with Alessandra!
Find Alie @spaalessandra_ www.spaalessandra.com
Join the movement and your new community! The Beyond Esthetics Members Community is NOW LIVE! https://www.sweetcheeksuniversity.com/offers/wVJieXGL/checkout Founding Members link *this link will show as full after the first 15 members have joined. The regular link is below.
https://www.sweetcheeksuniversity.com/offers/mHLywgCX Members link
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Tiffanie: @sweetcheeksuniversity
Jess: @jessguidesesthies
Email us at hello@thebeyondesthetics.com
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Transcript
Grounding and Relaxation Introduction
00:01:20
Speaker
Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the beyond aesthetics podcast. We've got such a fantastic episode for you today. and we were just chatting and decided that we're going to start with a grounding exercise, and we're actually going to share it with you. This is something that we typically do with our guests or by ourselves or with our mastermind group before we get into a conversation. And we decided this morning to just go ahead and record this right into the episode and let you guys join in on this. So what we're going is close our eyes and take a deep breath.
00:02:08
Speaker
Feel your feet on the floor
00:02:13
Speaker
continue your deep breathing, really focusing on the breath and bringing your awareness back into your body.
00:02:30
Speaker
There's a comfort and a presence that comes with allowing pauses for your breathing.
00:02:43
Speaker
Check in with your shoulders and if you're holding any tension, release your tension in your shoulders.
00:02:56
Speaker
If there's any tension in your jaw, release any tension in your jaw.
00:03:07
Speaker
Bring into your awareness anything that you are hearing.
00:03:18
Speaker
Continue taking deep breaths and feeling your feet on the floor.
00:03:27
Speaker
Grounded and safe.
00:03:40
Speaker
Feel your heart beating.
00:03:50
Speaker
and bring your awareness fully into the present moment. Anything else that's going on in your life outside of this conversation, gonna set that aside. We're gonna be fully in the present moment.
00:04:06
Speaker
Nothing matters more than right here, right now.
00:04:13
Speaker
Take another deep breath.
00:04:23
Speaker
And when you're ready, open your eyes.
Allie's Personal Mantra and Career Journey
00:04:34
Speaker
And we're going to start also with just a little bit of a different question from our guest today. And I'll have Tiffany do a formal introduction after this question.
00:04:46
Speaker
Allie, I really, hi girl. i I really want you to share with our listener ah the prayer that you just shared with us your your prayer slash mantra that was really beautiful and powerful.
00:05:02
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. So um I start my day. I'm here every day at the spa, six days a week, and I have to start my day with this prayer. Otherwise, i would feel so drained. And the day just feels so much more fulfilling when I do this. So I was saying this before I hopped on the call. um Just God, lead my energy today. Lead my whole being. Lead my heart. Lead my voice. Just allow me to flow through the day. Protect my energy. And if anything drains it, give it right back to me. Just fulfill my energy all day long. and protect me. Protect my space. Protect the three of us throughout this conversation. and Just let today be so positive and life-changing. And thank you, God. Always. Thank you, God. Oh, you're so beautiful inside and out. And it's fun to be present with you. It's so fun meeting people from social media, you know, like it's so cool to be having this conversation with you. ah Tiff, I'll let you take over and do our formal intro.
00:06:05
Speaker
We'll formally introduce you now, Allie. So Allie shares the emotional transition of leaving a long-term salon home, the challenges and life changes that followed, and the deep trust that carried her forward, from rummaging through her mom's makeup as a child, to being told that she couldn't make a career out of beauty, to pivoting into marketing only to feel completely unfulfilled,
00:06:26
Speaker
Every detour brought her back to the treatment room. In today's episode, we talk about faith, surrender, people pleasing, boundaries, burnout, and what it really takes to open a solo spot in today's industry. Allie shares with us the emotional transition of leaving. Oh, yes. Okay.
00:06:45
Speaker
So today we dive into authentic marketing versus chasing trends, building a space that feels like you. boundaries as a solo esthetician, burnout, menstrual cycle awareness and energy protection, Korean and Hungarian skincare fusion, and why sometimes the only strategy is go. This episode is for the esthetician who feels called to more and needs permission to stop tiptoeing and trust the path unfolding in front of her.
00:07:15
Speaker
Welcome to the be Beyond Aesthetics Podcast, Allie. We're so grateful that you're here. I am so grateful that I'm here. I'm still like, this does not feel real. So the whole, everything in the last seven months of my life has just been like, so surreal to me. So this is just like,
00:07:31
Speaker
Oh my God. i can't even believe that this is happening. I'm so excited. i've been listening to you guys for years. So I'm just so grateful to be here. ah we're so grateful to have you as
Allie's Spa Business and Client Perception
00:07:42
Speaker
well. Can you just share your full name, your location, your business name? We didn't really get a bio from Allie. We kind of dropped the ball on that. So do you want to give us just a little bit of those details?
00:07:55
Speaker
Yeah. So my name is Alessandra Reno. Um, technically my name is Alessandra good enough. Now I'm married. Um, but I just need to change my last name because as I just said, it's been the most hectic seven months of my life. So I have not gotten to that yet, but, um, I got married in August. I got married August 9th and I opened my spa spa Alessandra August 22nd. So it was very quick.
00:08:18
Speaker
Um, it was the craziest, most fulfilling time of my life. Um, And it just taught me that everything happens for a reason. Obviously we'll talk all about that today, but I'm located in Buffalo, New York, specifically a suburb of Buffalo called West Seneca. um I grew up here. um I grew up in West Seneca. I went to West Seneca West. It's a very small town. I always say Buffalo is small. um West Seneca is microscopic. Everybody knows everybody. And I really wanted to open here because we don't really have much here. We have like two restaurants and like one Medi spa that's like bordering Orchard Park, which is another more like wealthy suburb, I guess you could call it. um but yeah, i opened with the vision of combining Hungarian skincare with Eminence Organics with Korean skincare, because again, West Seneca really doesn't have that. um It doesn't have like a luxe
00:09:09
Speaker
um skincare studio that like kind of combines all the worlds of like med spa and skincare studio and solo aesthetician, but still having that like really big lux spa feel. Um, so those are the kinds of experiences that I bring to my client through, Hungarian and Korean facials.
00:09:28
Speaker
Oh, that's amazing. Well, congratulations on the wedding. Thank you. long were you guys together before we got married? So we were together five years. We were two we started dating in January of 2020. Wow. Yeah. Great timing. If you can go through that with someone, line you're good. it was crazy. it was such a crazy time. I remember... We started like, you know, talking, we had our first date in January, 2020. And then he asked me to be his girlfriend on Valentine's day. So we always do something special for Valentine's day. And then a month later, the whole world shut down. So yeah, we spent a lot of time together. We watched all sorts of TV shows together. That's like our favorite thing to do. We watched the Sopranos. That's like my favorite show. Yeah.
00:10:15
Speaker
What else did we watch? Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad. We did a lot of TV watching because he works in finance and he works a desk job. So he was still working, but I was off. So I didn't have much to do.
00:10:27
Speaker
um And I would just play with makeup all day and play with skincare all day and make content. That's when I really got into social media content um and you know content creation. Um, and then I would go over the, we'd have dinner and watch, ah watch a couple episodes of a TV show. And that was, that was our life for the first, uh, six months of the relationship. So and that's a really cool. What's his name?
00:10:51
Speaker
Angelo. Angelo. yeah How fun. We're so happy for you. That's so cool. And thank you for sharing all of that with us. Uh, so we love to start,
00:11:03
Speaker
With some fun rapid fire questions, we love to ground in like just the fun things. Who are you as a human? What are some of your favorite things? And then we'll go ahead and dive into your story. So what is one word that your husband would use to describe you?
00:11:17
Speaker
oh my gosh. um Probably. well I remember when we met. Sorry. I feel like everything has a story, but they're just for it. for it So, and we'll talk about this as we go through, but before I decided to go to esthetician school, I was going to go to school for accounting. And I remember when I met my now husband and again, he works in finance and he's like, you are way too bubbly to be an accountant. So I would probably say bubbly mom or he also calls me animated. He calls me a cartoon character all the time. So yeah. My reactions are very like, like I'll be like scrolling up like, oh oh my God. And he's like, what, what, what? And I'm like, nothing. Look at this cute dog or whatever. So he always, he's like, you're so animated. Like, oh, that's probably, I would say bubbly or animated. Oh my gosh. That's so cute. What about your clients? What would they what's one word that your clients would use?
00:12:08
Speaker
Probably enthusiastic. um I have gotten a lot of new clients recently, which again, we'll go into today of like how I kind of attracted and got those new clients in. But I would say that's the number one thing, especially with new clients is, wow, you're so enthusiastic about this. Like I can't wait to come back. And my OG current clients that have been with me forever probably just say passion. Like I wouldn't go anywhere else because you're just so passionate about what you do.
00:12:34
Speaker
you know what i love about that is that enthusiasm and passion are the most contagious energy that's actually something that we learned from bolder directly from our ceo with eminence who yeah you've probably met him i would assume yeah so he from that i mean that's why people are so attracted to him and then most of us reps can be the same way in our presentations and so i love to share that with people and estheticians listening to this like you need to hear that There is a ah
00:13:05
Speaker
an energy that your clients will feel from you. Like they're going to want to book with you. They're going to want to buy if you are passionate and enthusiastic. It doesn't mean you have to be like over the top about anything. You know, I think everybody expresses those energies a little bit differently, but that actually is key. I believe to a lot of people's success and and probably loyalty. Would you agree? oh my God. Absolutely. I was going to say if you're nonchalant or you think that this job is like entails being nonchalant,
00:13:34
Speaker
No, no, no. You have to like, people read you. Like if, like, I love the skin. i I love all my skincare. I love all my clients. I love what I do so much. And it shows and people want, like, why would you go get a facial with somebody that clearly like, doesn't like what they're doing?
00:13:52
Speaker
Like, yeah so yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Or they, or they like, don't know how to lean into it. Yeah. You know what mean? Or like be okay with being excited and passionate and sharing that with people.
00:14:03
Speaker
Completely. Yeah. It's definitely something I've like grown into over the years. I've always been pretty like bubbly and enthusiastic and I've always been passionate about skincare, but it's just kind of like putting the two and two together and like building the confidence around it is something that's taken time, but yeah, definitely something that keeps clients coming back. Yeah. I would imagine. Okay. What's your favorite treatment to perform right now?
00:14:27
Speaker
Oh my gosh, probably the Arctic Berry MA20, just the second step. um But with my Hungarian Korean fusion philosophy, obviously with Eminence, I'm like a big blueberry detox with like a cooling mask after like love spicy than icy. So Korean, Hungarian skincare together is like perfect for this because you can do like a blueberry detox or Arctic berry MA 20, or what's another hot one, like lime stimulating. And then you do a cooling Korean sheet mask after with ice globes. And it is like heaven on earth. It's like my favorite treatment. And then it just like hydrates the skin after a peel. It's that's definitely my favorite. That's awesome. I love to hear that. love it. and know foy noted What is one skincare myth that needs to go
00:15:20
Speaker
Oh man. Oh my God. There's so many. That's why I'm laughing. Pick one. You can pick two. I know. I'm probably like, this is this is kind of controversial, but I don't care. Cause I'm going to talk about it. Like I, again, I live in Buffalo and it's freezing cold here. Everybody's barrier is like gone. And I feel like one of the biggest skincare myths that i see a lot is like cleansing in the morning.
00:15:46
Speaker
And I personally, I personally don't, I, a lot of my clients don't and it saves their skin, like literally just do something, do cold water or a cold compress. Cause then it kind of like wakes up your senses. It wakes you up, it wakes up your skin. Um, but then you're not going in with like a foaming stripping cleanser, um, or just, it's just too much for people's skin sometimes. And and I know that's kind of like some estheticians are like, you know, they want their clients to be cleansing in the morning. And it's definitely, definitely a client to client, like, kind of pivoting thing, but I find with most of my clients, everybody is so dry and dehydrated and I'm just like cold water or cold compress toner s SPF out the door, like minimal. And that's probably the next one is morning routines.
00:16:31
Speaker
I like to keep it so minimal, like literally cold water toner s SPF. And then nighttime you can do the whole shebang because Then I feel like you look forward to it more. You're not like, I have to wake up and do this whole 20 step skincare routine and then do it again at nighttime. Like, no, it's, you can just do something minimal in the morning and then like really give your skin a treat at nighttime. Those are probably my skincare myths, but I'm sure there's a million that'll pop up after the conversation today. Right. No, I actually really like that. And, um, you know, what I always come back to after so many years in the industry is that skincare not black or white.
00:17:09
Speaker
And you know, for newer estheticians getting into the industry, they can definitely tend to think that there's like laws, you know, it's black and white, there's laws and there just isn't. And with time, as we all know, you will change your philosophies and you continue learning. And then you also have to take your climate into consideration <unk> and the skin types that you're working with and things vary from client to client. And so i think um i i actually really love that you shared that because I do think it's really important and really empowering actually for other estheticians to kind of form their own opinions and learn as they go and let go of of a lot of those things that we can learn in school or hear other places.
Challenging Skincare Myths
00:17:54
Speaker
And so to me, that's like a big permission slip that you've just offered for people. And you're certainly not the only one that talks about that. I've seen a lot of that on social media recently because it is colder outside and a lot of estheticians coming out and saying, i don't prefer that you wash your face in the morning. Let's just try this instead. And so, you know, you're far from being the only one. And I actually completely agree because we're also in a cold, dry, you know, desert slash mountain area. And so it's very much the same way here. So Thank you for sharing that. It is really empowering for people to hear. What product are you currently obsessed with?
00:18:31
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Well, can I name two? because i was going to say you can pick three if you really want to go for it. So I would say my number one product right now is the PDRN cream from my Korean line. So essentially I use a Korean distributor and i'm going to shout them out. They're called Pure Realm because they're very much run like a small business. Like I know everybody that's like behind the scenes. She writes me like the CEO writes like little handwritten notes every time she sends um package and Um, so they carry a bunch of different Korean lines and I don't know how to pronounce the line, but it starts with an a, um, but my clients, if they're listening, we'll know, um, and pure rum will know the PDRN intensive cream. Oh my God. So it uses PDRN, which is salmon DNA. Um, the science behind it is that it's 95% close to human DNA. So, um, it's really good for skin regeneration, collagen building inflammation. It's like, I call, I call it like a Jack of all trades ingredient.
00:19:28
Speaker
Then the cream also has panthenol, which is so hydrating, so especially being in a Buffalo winter and azoline, which is really great for redness. Cause I deal with a lot of just like underlying redness in my skin. And a lot of like, I used to pick at like kind of any kind of acne I used to have when I was younger. So I have a lot of redness from that. And it's really helped calm down my redness. So,
00:19:48
Speaker
I would say that's probably my number one. Um, I would say my i i want to pick an eminence product for my second, but there's so many that I love right now. I'm looking at my product shelf. I'm like, what products am I loving right now? Well, I love the new copper tripeptide serum. I love, love, love it. I feel like that is going to go hand in hand with the PDRN cream because it's so anti-redness. Yes. Um, I would probably say that or the biphase mist that like, um,
00:20:16
Speaker
That sells out here. Those three, I mean, the copper tripeptide I just got in yesterday, but the PDRN cream and the bi-face mist like sell out because toner is toner. I love toner, but it's toner.
00:20:29
Speaker
But when Eminence came out with that bi-face mist, I was using it, loved it, ran out of it. And I was like, shit, i kind of need some more of this. Like, yeah i feel like it creates that blue light shield over your skin. So like, you know, I call myself a balanced esthetician. Like, you know, I really focus on holistic skincare, but also like life is all about balance. And like, I want to scroll in bed, um you know, like, I know it's like a bad habit, but...
00:20:54
Speaker
Whatever. um And I feel like when I use the bi-phase mist, it makes me feel a little bit better. yeah Okay. So the bi-phase mist is I, so I could be completely wrong about this, but I think that there's only two or three other products like it on the market.
00:21:12
Speaker
Yeah. I haven't found anything like it. So let's, let's talk to our listener about it so that they know what we're talking about. Um, so tell us what the bi-phase mist is in your own words. Like how do you guys describe that?
00:21:27
Speaker
So I consider it, well, it's an oil water mist. So you can kind of see there's a layer of oil and a layer of water. So you have to mix it up and it's got the benefits of birch water, which is really nice and anti-inflammatory. And then it's got the oil. Jess, remind me what oil is in it. I'm on it. I can't remember. Yeah. So that is mostly sunflower.
00:21:45
Speaker
Sunflower. So it's really. the Sunflower and jojoba, I believe. Yeah. So I really like it again for like everybody in Buffalo because everybody's dry and dehydrated. So it restores the water and the oil in your skin.
00:21:56
Speaker
um And then it has like a blue light shield technology. So it essentially protects your skin from blue light damage. So computers, screens, phones, anything like that. And that's why i love the tinted SPF too. That's my all time favorite product from Eminence is the tinted s SPF. yeah um for that same reason. So yeah, I sell it to my client as a finishing mist, as a makeup mist, as a toner, even sometimes I know it's not like completely marketed like that, but it does really hydrate the skin. So I do like to sell it as a toner as well. Absolutely. And I think what is so different is that it is a finishing mist, like technically not that you can't use it, you know, just like you said, but I've never been introduced to something like that before. And so I find that to be really unique that it's actually, i would describe that as a hydrating shield that ah protects the skin from environmental stressors and blue light and is also a, yeah yeah, it's also a mood booster. So there is a very specific aromatherapy blend that will boost your mood and lower your cortisol levels. And so it is something that we can use like all throughout the day. And the reason why i so I do think it's different. So I think estheticians who maybe don't know what we're talking about, you can go to Ali's page, Tiff's page, um and it's called the, is it? Yeah. The Ashwagandha. The Ashwagandha. The Ashwagandha Biphase Mist.
00:23:17
Speaker
Um, but so as I've been out working with my spa partners recently, they keep bringing up the mist. And so I love that you brought it up this morning because they're still obsessed with it actually. And they love it also because it's giving it like that beautiful glow to the skin that we're also obsessed with right now too. And so it's something that you can use all throughout the day for the protection, the hydration, anti-redness, and to continue that glow. It's such a cool product. So anyone listening who's like, wow, that sounds so interesting. Go to Ali's page, go to Tiff's page, and you can get some more information about that really cool, really, really cool product. Yeah, absolutely. Ali, what is your word for 2026?
00:24:00
Speaker
Go, go do it, go rest, go live your life, go live your dream. Just go, just go. I mean, there's no other, no other words. Just go.
00:24:11
Speaker
ah You're so special. I love that so much. What does success feel like, not look like, what does success feel like to you?
00:24:23
Speaker
Coming home and feeling so fulfilled, feeling like I didn't even like clock, I don't know, clock in, I guess, like I'm trying trying to find the words for this, but I am just so grateful that I get to come home and I'm like, I had the best day. And, you know, obviously we have our days, but I would say 99% of the time I'm like, today was the best day ever. I met a new client. I got to see an old client. I got new skincare products. Like success just feels like coming home and not feeling completely drained or like I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. Yeah.
00:24:56
Speaker
Don't you guys feel like so that's actually what I love about our industry. And I think that's what Beyond Aesthetics is really all about is just I don't know, really nourishing estheticians to live that life, because I think that's really important that you do have a career that you love and you get to go to work. and come home. And even if you are a little bit tired, you're like, damn, that was awesome. You know? And like, you're not like, there's no Monday or like Sunday scaries. We're not dreading going to work. And like you said, things come up, you know, and it's not that there aren't stressors in life and business sometimes, but I think that with aesthetics, it is, it's just so nice. It's just such like a nice career to
00:25:40
Speaker
I don't know, help women with their skin and hold this space for women. Like, and that's really what it's all about is like holding this space for women and empowering them and helping them and serving them, which also in turn, like they feel empowered and it increases their self-love and giving back to them. It's just beautiful. really is. It's like the most fulfilling.
00:26:06
Speaker
i just, I love it. I'm so grateful for my career. Like again, that I can just, I come home and yeah, I hear other people talk about like, oh yeah, like you said, Sunday scaries or whatever. And I'm just like,
00:26:18
Speaker
i love I can't complain. I have no complaints. I love my job. Even being a business owner, I'm like, this is just, it feels so natural to me. I think that's what I was going to say too, is like, it just feels natural to me. Like I was just talking to my husband about this the other day, because I'm here, like I said, six days a week.
00:26:33
Speaker
And I'm here usually eight to 10 hours a day, but it doesn't feel like draining. I don't know. It just feels very natural to me. Like even when I'm not with a client, like I just love being in my space. So it just, like I said, comes very natural and it just feels really fulfilling at the end of the day.
00:26:51
Speaker
we love it. I love it. What is one thing that new estheticians can get wrong? Kind of like what you said earlier, like cookie cutter, um cookie cutter thing, like cookie cutter protocols or like, you know, black and white skincare, like every skin, every facial that I do back here is completely custom. Every skincare routine that I put together is completely custom, um especially when it comes to like acne. Like usually it's like, let's clear this acne and then
00:27:22
Speaker
And at the same time, like heal the barrier. And then it's really just going to heal the barrier. And you wouldn't think with an acne prone skin type to be using like a hydrating serum or a more moisturizing cream. Like you think active, active, active when you're in school, but that just strips their skin down. So just things like that, obviously you learn with like hands hands-on experience, but I would say cookie cutter protocols um is definitely something that newer estheticians will, you know, grow out of. And I also feel like, and you guys have talked about this before too, I feel like there's this huge um thing going on in the industry right now where it seems very like, oh, you could go solo right out of school and like have this, everything just handed to you. And it's like, like,
00:28:07
Speaker
You know, we need to like put some work in um And I feel like social media gives new estheticians the wrong idea of this. I actually just spoke at a career day at all girls Catholic school. It was my second year in a row doing it. It was so special. um And I've actually mentored a couple of um students from there because they want to go to aesthetic school. um So that's one of the biggest things I talk about is like being an aesthetician is not like being an influencer or skincare influencer on TikTok. You're not just sitting behind a screen trying out products like you actually have to have passion and enthusiasm and. open-mindedness and be like committed to education it's committed completely. You have to be committed to it. it's not just like, well, I'm going to sit here and get paid to talk about this product. And then like, I'm going to clock out for the day and just get all this money. Like you have to put the work in, i think is um huge.
00:29:01
Speaker
It's a really good point. And I think, well, i think it's, I think it's important to talk about, and it's really amazing to be a mentor too. And to help like lead newer estheticians or lead girls who are going to aesthetic school to help them like get there and not feel so alone and not feel um like they don't have anybody to lean on and they don't know what's next step to take. So that's really, really cool.
00:29:26
Speaker
Thank you. Yeah. Already doing that. Yeah. Thanks. Okay, Ali, let's go. Let's go back. Let's go back to this calling that you have had since you were a little girl. So when you think back to being a little girl rummaging through your mom's makeup and going to salons, What did those experiences then mean to you?
00:29:46
Speaker
Again, I just, it felt really natural. Like I remember finding my mom's makeup and like putting on her lipstick and like probably ruining all her makeup and like her being like, oh my God, what happened to all my makeup? And my great aunts were, they still are hairdressers actually. they're very old school Italian hairdressers. And like the one had a salon in her house and the other one worked at JC Penney's. And my mom um would usually take us to Penney's and we would get like Brazilian silk treatments in our hair. And it just felt very like bougie for like a 10 year old. Like, i don't know. It was very nostalgic. And like one of those like form formative experiences for me. I've always been super girly. um And one thing that I remember too, is like going through those like books of like hairstyles. Like, oh I'm like manifesting that I find one of those at a thrift store soon because the whole vibe of my spa is very like vintage.
00:30:39
Speaker
old Hollywood glam. Um, and that just like screams like nostalgia for me. So just, yeah, I know. Did I bring it back? Oh my gosh. So I remember going through those.
00:30:55
Speaker
Um, and I've just always loved like fashion and beauty. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a fashion designer. Um, I still think in the back of my mind, I'm like, Hmm, maybe one day, but I, you know, it's just, it just felt very natural to me. And, um, I've just always had an interest in it, but specifically with skin and makeup. Um, I liked like doing my hair. Like I remember my mom would take me to bangs and I'd get like the, the There used to be these like fake like hair colored extensions like that were kind of trending when I was a kid. So she would take me to get those. One time she like dyed my hair with Kool-Aid because she didn't want Cause I wanted pink hair, obviously. Like I was like a super girly little kid. So I wanted pink hair. Um, but I was much more into makeup and skincare. I was in the age of like Pinterest when I was in middle school, Pinterest was a really big thing. So I was like mixing like honey and olive oil and cinnamon and like making a face mask out of that. Um, and it's just something that's always followed me too. And that's why it just feels so natural and meant to be for me. Like then I was doing my eyebrows. I was doing my girlfriend's eyebrows. I was doing prom makeup.
00:32:01
Speaker
Um, I was doing makeup just for fun. Like, Um, it's definitely just something that's followed me my whole life. So yeah. Strong gravitation towards it from the beginning. Oh my gosh. I love it. What point did you realize that it wasn't just a hobby, but something deeper?
00:32:17
Speaker
So when I was a freshman in high school, I remember I had a guidance counselor and I told her that I wanted to be a makeup artist. And she, i think she was about to retire.
00:32:30
Speaker
So I don't know, maybe she just didn't care if she was just, again, it's like people didn't know what an aesthetician was like even 10 years ago when I was graduating high school, i graduated in 2018. People were like, what? Like they knew what a hairstylist was, but they didn't know what an aesthetician was. So, and I didn't know what an esthetician was. So I just said, I want to be a makeup artist. And she was like, yeah, you can't do that. So I was like, okay. So I was like looking at other career choices. And then when I was 16, I was working at Plato's Closet. Like I said, I wanted to be a fashion designer. So I was like anything. And I still shop at Plato's Closet. It's like um a consignment store.
00:33:05
Speaker
And didn't like working there. So my mom was like, why don't you work at the only Medi spa that's in West Seneca? And I was like, hmm, that might be good for me. And I went in person. I got all glammed up. I brought in my resume and they interviewed me and they hired me. um So that's probably around the time that i like knew that it was going to be like my call. Like it is my calling because I met the estheticians. And i was like, they told me what they did. And I was like, oh my God, that's what I want to do. And from that moment forward, I was just like, this is, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to be an esthetician.
00:33:41
Speaker
So they really helped to guide you towards aesthetic school. What did you do there initially when you first got hired? So I was a front desk receptionist. So I would answer phone calls, answer emails. Again, it was like a really large, I don't even want to call it med spa. They're more of a med spa now, but back in 10 years ago, it was more just like a big like day spa. So clients would check in and I would have to get them like coffee, tea or water. I would have to walk them back to like the locker room so they could get changed. Once they were in the, like they had a relaxed lounge and like, once they were in there, I'd have to ask if they wanted again, water, coffee, tea, lots of cleaning. I learned lots and lots of cleaning. I was very tight B not, or I was very messy, very tight B before I started this job. And that changed everything for me. um So very much like the flow of a spa is what I learned at this first job. So it was definitely a huge part of my career, even still today.
00:34:38
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. That's really cool. Especially 16 year old, right? Still in high school. Yeah. Um, I do have a question though, when that guidance counselor told you that that's not a career and that you can't do that, obviously you didn't let that stop you.
00:34:54
Speaker
How did that make you feel though? i mean, I'm just coming to mind of like, we do have to be so careful what we tell younger generations and what we say to kids and my kids and how we phrase things. Oh yeah so how did you work through that?
00:35:08
Speaker
Well, um I was not the same person, not the same woman that I am today. I was very like, okay, like that's it then. Like, and I did kind of shut down with it. I was just like, okay, well, this is just not going to happen for me. I don't want to do hair and it doesn't make any money. So it's just not for me. So I took, that was my freshman year, my sophomore year. I took two college classes actually for psychology and sociology. And i was like, oh, um you know, I've gone, I've had anxiety my whole life. And um I was seeing a therapist at the time,
00:35:42
Speaker
And I was like, maybe I'll be a therapist. And then I took psychology and it was so boring. I couldn't, I couldn't take it. um Then the next year in my junior year, i took forensics and I was like, oh, maybe i could be a forensic psychologist or do something in forensics. And the only unit that I liked was learning about skin and hair types. Actually, that was the only unit that I liked. So again, followed me everywhere. It was just meant to be. But I was like, m this is And forensics is just going to be too intense for me. um And then when I was a senior, well, I started working at the day spa when I was a junior. um And that's when I found out what aesthetics was. But I was still kind of like, OK, how am I going to do this? Because I got really good at math. Like I've always been pretty good at math, but actually like putting effort into like classes at school. Um, when I was a junior and senior, I was like, well, I'm really good at math. Maybe I'll go to school for accounting. Um, and then, yeah, I found out about salon professional Academy and their programs. And I was just like, okay, this is what I'm going to do. And if I want to go to, a you know, be an accountant or do something after the fact, then I'll go to school. Like I'll go to traditional college after, I get my license. And I remember actually my mom told me to do that because I was thinking about going to traditional college first and getting a business degree or getting something like ah an accounting degree or something. And she was like, no, you should go to beauty school first.
00:37:03
Speaker
That way you can work through college. And when I went to college, it was so amazing because all of my classmates didn't have a job or they hated their job or they didn't know like what they wanted to do, which is totally fine. But I was like,
00:37:17
Speaker
I'm good. Like I have this job. I would go to class looking like this, like glammed up because I knew i was going right to the spa after. And it was like, it was a blessing. So yeah. Oh my goodness.
Destined for Aesthetics: Allie's Conviction
00:37:28
Speaker
Your mom's smart. That's what I would tell my kids too. Like, yeah, do this. And then, you know, you have, you have some financial support if you want to do something else. Oh my Okay.
00:37:41
Speaker
Obviously you believe now that you were always meant to do this. Yeah. Definitely. So you did go back to college though, after you went to aesthetic school. I did. Yeah. So, um, I got my, so I graduated high school in June of 2018 and I started at salon professional Academy in September of 2018. Um, so I did the full-time four month program. So I was done by January of 2019. And that's when I started working at the boutique salon. I was at the day spa and it just wasn't working.
00:38:12
Speaker
Um, it just wasn't aligning and my old boss actually found me, which again, everything happens for a reason. Um, and I started working there in March of 2019 and in December of 2019, she was like, Hey, um, I want you to meet my nephew and now we're married. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So again, the stars just aligned and everything happened for a reason.
00:38:32
Speaker
um So I worked there for like the first year of my career and then COVID happened. And I was already kind of thinking about going back to school just to get some sort of marketing education or business education. And then when the whole world shut down, I was like, how is this going to be sustainable? If there's going to be a pandemic every three years, how can I can't sustain this? Like, and, you know, society, like I was still, I was only 19 and I was like, well, I feel like maybe I should have a desk job. Maybe I'll, yeah it'll be just more again, sustainable and, um,
00:39:02
Speaker
what's the word I'm consistent. Um, so I decided to go back and yeah, I got a bachelor's degree in marketing and my minor, no bachelor's in business with a minor in marketing or concentration in marketing minor in hospitality. And that was a really fun time for me as well. I picked hospitality because again, it's so similar to this field. So I just kind of, again, everything just followed me, carried me right back to where I am right now.
00:39:28
Speaker
i love that. Yeah. Yeah. You actually have a college education in marketing and business and it's serving you very, very well. That's actually so cool.
00:39:39
Speaker
I wish I would have done that too. Yeah. um as a so this Yeah. At the career day, one of the biggest questions I got this year and last year was like, do you regret getting your marketing degree? And not for one second, do I regret it? um I learned so much. I wrote countless business plans. so I was able to pretty much write my business plan with ease um I actually connected with one of my classmates um and she works, I went to Buffalo State University and she works at the Buffalo State University Small Business Development Center. So I was able to go to her and kind of help her and she was able to guide me through like, okay, this is how you start the LLC and this you need to get a business credit card or a business bank account like she kind of guided me through everything. Um, and like I said, during COVID is when I really got into social media marketing, but then I was able to learn about like digital marketing and Google and SEO and, um, email and just all sorts of different marketing channels. A lot of traditional marketing channels, obviously a lot of the classes are still pretty old school, but, um, overall the education that I got was like, hands down, like i wouldn't take it back ever.
00:40:47
Speaker
Well, it's really serving you now. You know, that's, yeah, I definitely second what Tiffany, okay, everything's like coming together. Everything makes so much sense now. Yeah, absolutely. So you started at the large med spa when you're about 16. What did that, like, you already kind of talked about some things that you learned working in that environment, but like more specifically to med spa, what type, what did that environment teach you?
00:41:14
Speaker
Well, like I said, it's more of a meds. I should have wrote it's more of a med spa now. um But when I was working there 10 years ago, it's more of a day spa. So they have like a hair floor. They had a whole um like nail area with like nail tables and pedicure chairs.
00:41:28
Speaker
um And then they had a whole spa. So they have locker rooms with showers and then they had a relaxed lounge. And then obviously the massage and facial rooms. And it was a really big space and we had a big lobby and we had party rooms. And i was just talking to my husband about this the other day. That was like one of my favorite parts of working there is we would have nail parties or we would have like we had spa packages where we would order lunch for people and plate the lunch and make everything really cutesy and perfect for them. um And so it was very much those services. It was knowing the flow of a spa that does massage, facial, hair, nails, waxing, um, those sorts of like traditional spa services. I think when I was there, they did do laser hair removal and spray tans as well, which I'm sure they still do them today. Um, but they didn't do any like medical, like Botox or anything like that. Now they do, but not while was there.
00:42:18
Speaker
Got it. Got it. Um, okay. So then how did working in a smaller boutique salon later shape your approach differently? Yeah. Well, it was definitely um a piece of cake compared to the large day spa. I remember towards the end of my time at the day spa, it was cleaning constantly, laundry all day long, picking up dishes, especially on Saturdays. It was just craziness. And I remember when I started working at the boutique salon. So at the day spa, I think we had a staff of like
00:42:52
Speaker
20, 25 people. So, and then at the boutique s salon, it was like six people. um So going from such a huge, you know, all these coworkers to five or six was made it a lot easier to connect with people. i developed really great relationships with everybody And I remember the first Saturday that I worked, one of the girls that was working there at the time was like, oh, so did you survive your first Saturday? And I think I like, like involuntarily laughed at her because I was just like, yeah, this is like nothing like, yeah. um And it was really fun. We got, I felt like I was able to connect with the clients a lot more too, because it was such a small space, um a lot less cleaning. I remember the first day I worked there, I was like, oh, do I have to like,
00:43:30
Speaker
full-blown clean the toilet every day. And the girl was the girl who trained me was like, no, like one like, you don't have to do that. And I was like, oh, okay, great. It was just kind of keeping up on garbages every day. Just like, you know, more day-to-day smaller salon stuff versus like a giant day spa. We have like a huge checklist. So it was definitely like, okay, like this is, um, a piece of cake for me, honestly.
00:43:53
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. I mean, which makes a ton of sense. So then, okay So all of these skills are like bringing you to, to where you are today.
Building Client Relationships and Energy Management
00:44:03
Speaker
So then that my next question is what did you learn about retail pre-booking and client relationships in those earlier years? Like really both of those spaces would have taught you so much about that. That's carried you into your business today.
00:44:15
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. um it taught me everything. When I was at the boutique salon, um we had eminence and I had my hands. And so that's really all I had. And then we had obviously the retail shelves. And I'm so grateful for my old boss. She really taught me some really awesome selling strategies and and really helped me build my confidence. Um, and so that's really what helped me sell the products was obviously product knowledge, but confidence in the products and me using the products, like personal testimony being like, I personally use this product at home and I absolutely love it. Um, and here, try a sample of it or, you know, just. You can see, like I can show you before and after of another client's skin. um So she really helped me hone in on my confidence for selling. um And obviously, again, knowing about the products, like getting really in depth with the product knowledge. Pre-booking was just something that all of us did. um we have Sometimes we would have a front desk person, but I was very like...
00:45:10
Speaker
I want to cash my clients out. Like I want, i want to greet my clients and i I want the client. I want my clients to see me. Like I want them. I'm sorry. I'm trying to like word this.
00:45:21
Speaker
I want to be the first person they see and the first and the last person they see. Like I want the whole sales cycle. Um, cause it just helped me connect with them a lot more. And that's what really helped my sales because it wasn't just like, I was like, Oh, here, um, you know, this is my product recommendation telling the front desk girl. And she like has no idea. yeah Um, so that really helped as well. And then I was able to be like, okay, let's get you pre booked. And this is something that we used to do at the salon, but I know you guys talk about it as well. You don't really ask you just say, okay, we're gonna go ahead and get you pre booked for let's get you pre booked for five weeks.
00:45:53
Speaker
um And so that really helped as well. And we would do pre-booking contests a lot too, which I really liked. um I don't know if you guys talk about that. oh We had the biggest conversation about this yesterday in our mastermind group. I gave a whole like spiel on pre-booking and then talking about, yeah, like let's run incentives with our teams. Like let's do, you know, why not? If we're doing retail incentives, you know, which most us do that. i'm like, why aren't you doing...
00:46:19
Speaker
Rebooking incentives too. So yeah, yeah same, same page. yeah would do um pre We would do prebooking contests like for us, but then also like for the clients, like we would be like, Oh, prebook and you'll get entered to win like a gift set or a product or something. That would really get people prebooked as well. And then, you know, again, we would have their phone numbers or their email or whatever and be able to reach out with them, reach out to them with other promotions. So it was a really great strategy that um she implemented for pre-booking as well.
00:46:50
Speaker
I have a question. I'm going to interrupt to you real quick. Okay. So one conversation we were having yesterday that like I, so I don't know the answer to this. And so I like to ask other people, but ah Yesterday, I was like, I feel like you should be 75 to 80% rebooked all the time. And that would be a successful percentage. What do you think? Do you think there's a percentage on that? Does that range sound good to you? Like as a solo esthetician? I don't know.
00:47:17
Speaker
I would say so. i feel like... Being a new like solo esthetician, I definitely get my fair share of like new clients that'll just find me on Google. And again, my spa is Spa Alessandra. It's not like I'm like Skin by Alessandra, Skin Studio by Alessandra. So a lot of people come in and they expect like a day spa and they're definitely not disappointed. It's definitely still has a very day spa feel, but some people do just want to come in for the relaxation. And then I usually will send them like a pre-booking reminder in like five to six weeks if they're kind of like, I don't know, I have to look at my calendar. So I usually will just kind of follow up with them. And that's also something I've learned from you guys is I still will follow up the next day. And they're like, oh, like usually people just forget about you. And they're just like, oh whatever. Like I always will follow up with people. so it kind of just stays like in the back of their mind.
00:48:07
Speaker
um But yeah, I would say so. I feel like 75 to 80% is pretty, pretty good. Most of the time my clients are ready to pre-book even before I am um at the front desk. So yeah, absolutely. That's winning. That is winning. I mean, obviously like 95% would be lovely, but i think that...
00:48:24
Speaker
There's always good, better, best. Right. And so I'm like, I don't know. I think 75% is like good. And then there's a better and then there's definitely best case scenarios that like all of your clients are just on your books all the time. yeah.
00:48:35
Speaker
yeah Yeah. Cool. I think like something too just to just to that is like. if somebody doesn't pre-book with me, like I used to let it get to me like so bad. Like i'd be like, Oh, like I'm never going to see them again. I'm just like, you know what?
00:48:47
Speaker
If they make their way back, I will be so excited to see them again. So it's definitely, and I know we'll talk about this too. And I was just talking to my old coworker who I've stayed connected with. um She's like my bestie. um And I was talking to her about this too, is just kind of like letting go of like, If they don't pre-book with you, that's okay. If they don't buy the product, that's okay. it's Even if it's a regular client and I'm like, if you want to try this new product, I think you would love it. But if not, it's always I always say it's it's always here for you. I'm always here for you. You just let me know.
00:49:19
Speaker
Because I do like a shopping appointment essentially. So if you're like, oh, actually... Sorry, know I'm like going off in a million times. Please, I'm engaged. i have these little skincare routine cards. I know Eminence has ones like that, but I make my own actually um through Vistaprint. And I write out for everybody that comes in, especially new clients, I write out all of their product recommendations. And I usually say, This is the two products I think you should start off with. Usually it's like a cleanser moisturizer, a cleanser SPF, or something to fill the gaps. If they have a cleanser moisturizer, I'll say, oh, here, you should try this toner or you should try this SPF. But I'm going to keep track of these products in my record.
00:49:58
Speaker
You have this card to go home with. And if in two weeks you're like, girl, I love this new moisturizer. I need the matching cleanser for it. Well, you can come in and buy it And that's totally fine. I don't expect people to go home with 10 new products every time. And the best is when I have clients who keep the card and they're like, well, last time I got my cleanser, this time I'm going to get my moisturizer.
00:50:18
Speaker
They like literally check it off. It's the cutest thing ever. So yeah it's just kind of goes back to client connection. It's just like caring about your clients and being passionate and enthusiastic about it. i am obsessed with you. You're preaching everything that I teach and all of my courses. And i like the law of detachment, the law of release to receive and the energy transfer.
00:50:42
Speaker
in aesthetics is real, you guys. Like I've been talking about this on social media so much. I taught a class about it. I am presenting at a event this Sunday and that's a huge portion of it. I'm like, let it go. yeah Let it go. Let people make their own decisions when we can just be like, you know what?
00:51:02
Speaker
i did everything possible and this is the outcome that i would love and it's totally cool if it doesn't happen too let's go ahead and get you on the books for four weeks from now like yeah that energy of just releasing the outcome and being okay with whatever that is and just loving them no matter what that is where your success comes from people buy more people have no problem booking with you because you have allowed them the space to do that. It's just an energy transfer. And it's literally so important. And the other thing that I cannot emphasize enough is that care card, the whatever we want to call it, if we want to call that a home care routine card, product recommender card, there's so many different names for that, but it is so important. In fact, I teach about that in my classes too, because of that exact same reason people keep it. It's tangible. They keep it. They like covet this little card because you made personal notes for them. And that is connection at its finest. That is connection and care at its finest. And that is where your success is going to come from. I remember like years later after I left the resort that I worked at, because I would do that for every single client, even at a resort. I'm like, I may not ever see you again. i have no idea. But here's the things that I recommend. And here's a couple notes for you.
00:52:22
Speaker
And years later, after I had left, one of my clients was still getting her hair done from my best friend in that town. And I so hurt my best friend's and name is Erica Tiff. You're my best friend. But like back in the day, there was another best friend that I had. And she sent me a picture one day of this routine card that I had written my client, Jerry, like two years prior. And she was like, Jerry wants to know if you would make any changes. And I had like moved. I was living in Scottsdale at the time. I had left Utah, but Jerry still had her card. And she's like, ask Jess if there's any adjustments that I should make to my routine. And she still freaking had it. And i ever since then, I'm like, okay, You don't even think in the moment, like those small things that we do for our clients, like just taking some notes that takes you 60 seconds, how far that actually goes. And I'm so glad that you said that because I feel like people don't believe me. And I'm like, oh no, try it. Like challenge yourself to do it for every client for the next two weeks and just watch what happens. Yeah, absolutely. And even like, I don't want to say bonus points, but like if the client walks out and they still see me writing it and I'll be like, okay, just hold on a second. They're like, no, like they're so, they're so interested in what they need for their skin. Yeah. um Also completely unrelated Jess, but I know um you've worked at like last, we can talk about this off, you know, recording. But I know you said you've worked at like Las Vegas resorts and that's like my manifestation for the future. I love Las Vegas. I love me because I love Vegas. I always say like, I'm like, I want to retire there. I remember when we went two years ago and we went in the Louis Vuitton store and there was this woman working and she was like probably in her fifties or sixties, but she was real blonde, really chic. And she walked, she was helping us and she walked away. And and in my head, I'm like, oh my God, I want to be, that's me in the future. And my husband goes, that's you. in 30 years. And I'm like, I know. so I would love to hear about your experience working in your Vegas resort. Obviously, like I said, we can talk about that a different time. No, I always tell people um like okay, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving what I'm doing now. That's not what I'm saying. But if I did, but that's where you'd find me. you would find me on the strip working in the resorts, like no questions asked.
00:54:42
Speaker
Can I ask which one? Well, so i as an, that's actually, i mean, not to go too far back here, but I actually worked just North of Las Vegas for eight years. But with Eminence, I trained on the strip for four years. So all of the spas that worked there, I trained them. That is so fun. I know. It's really, it's really cool. Even thinking back about that now, I'm like,
00:55:10
Speaker
That's pretty rad, actually. That's actually pretty rad. Like I did the opening order trainings for the Cosmo. Wow. Oh my god That's like my favorite um hotel on the strip too. love Mountain Palton. Oh, yeah that's amazing. I need to hear all the deets. It's really fun. But I feel like people don't give enough credit to working in the resorts. They're like, eh. And I'm like, oh no no no, no, no, no. That's where you want to be.
00:55:40
Speaker
That is where you want to be like those people in those positions, covet those positions and they never leave. And it's hard to get into them too. Even North of Las Vegas where I was, I started as an attendant. I'm like, what do I got to do to get my foot in the door? Cause this is where I need to be.
00:55:57
Speaker
Good to know. It's cool. pretty well ah we will You're on the right path. Stay on that path. I support you. Okay.
00:56:10
Speaker
So looking back, what skills from those seasons do you still rely on today? It's like probably a lot of those little things that we've just been talking about because those are the core foundation things Yeah, absolutely. Operations flow of a spa, what makes clients feel uncomfortable versus comfortable, um whether whether it's selling, pre-booking, cashing clients out, client communication, um giving them enough time to change, letting them get changed, which is like not something that a lot of estheticians even do anymore, which I think is crazy. Like letting them get, like so many clients will come in and be like, wait, I have to like get changed. I'm like, yeah, girl, like
00:56:51
Speaker
get cozy in here so just like again like the flow of the spa and really just overall client connection like all of the things that I've learned from the day spa to the boutique salon like I have taken all of those skills with me and I'm so grateful for every teaching moment whether it was good or bad love it okay so Let's talk about the detour, marketing and a little bit of misalignment. You went back to school for business and worked in marketing. And then what pushed you to pivot away from, well, we talked about that from aesthetics at the time. It was COVID.
00:57:28
Speaker
You kind of felt like maybe with the pandemic, if that was going to be a thing, what did that marketing job teach you about yourself? Um, well, it taught me that again, I'm supposed to be here. Um, my favorite parts of the marketing job, I definitely had a re a lot of really good experiences there. And again, it was a lot of like lessons that I'm like, okay, it was kind of one of those lessons where it's like, I'm not supposed to be here. And that's okay. At the time it was really hard because I was like, I just went to school and I got this degree and I was working in the marketing, at the marketing agency for a year. And I kind of felt like I fell flat on my face, even though I just went right back to the boutique salon. Like my old boss was like, yeah, girl, you can come back anytime you want. Like she was ready, open arms for me. So I was like, okay, at least I have this. But I just felt like, oh my God, I had been, it was kind of like a social media comparison thing. Like I had made all these posts and told all my clients, like, this is what I'm doing. And then it was like, all a sudden it's like, nevermind. So looking back, it was definitely like, okay,
00:58:32
Speaker
Everything happens for a reason. And i it was a lesson that I was not supposed to be there, but my favorite parts of the job were all the things that I do here, connecting with clients, getting to know them, asking questions about their business. um I love writing. I've always loved writing. So like, I really liked the writing portion, copywriting, creative brief construction, stuff like that.
00:58:56
Speaker
but it was all client focused. It was all like, those were my favorite days were client meetings, um, getting to know the clients. Absolutely. So yeah, taught me a lot.
00:59:09
Speaker
Absolutely. Um, well, let's talk about what it felt like, what it felt like emotionally to return to the treatment room full time, especially from that pivot when you went to school and how you kind of um, navigated those feelings, right. A little bit of like, Oh, I'm back.
00:59:29
Speaker
Yeah. It um was, um, it was quick. It was a quick, like me being sad. And I got over it real quick because I was just so happy. Like it was one of my favorite seasons was 2024, um, working at the boutique salon full-time again. That was probably one of my, like I said, one of my favorite seasons of working there because my clients were so freaking excited. They like, nobody was like, Oh, wow, you're a failure. Like, of course, in my head, I'm like, Oh, my God, everybody because everybody's gonna think I'm a failure. And you know, all this stuff and wishy washy. And everybody was like, I'm so happy you're here again. And I when I worked at the marketing agency, I was there, obviously, every Monday through Friday, and it was usually like eight to four, and nine to five, And I stayed at the salon on Saturdays and it was my favorite day of the week. And I would work eight to four and I would be fully booked eight to four. And then it would be eight to six. And then it would be eight to eight. And then it would be eight to eight Saturday and then eight to eight Sunday because it was just like overflow of clients. And I didn't even care. Again, it just felt so natural to me.
01:00:30
Speaker
um If anything, that's when I had the Sunday scaries. I was like, oh, I had such a great Sunday at salon. Now I have to go back to this marketing job that just isn't like it for me. Um, and I forgot where I was going with this, but, um, and no, it just felt very natural. Like, again, it was a very short lived, like me being emotional about like falling on my face from the marketing career. Um, again, it was just a lesson that like that that's not for me and that's okay. And it felt very natural. And like I was coming home, um, when I went back to being esthetician full-time. Absolutely. Yeah.
01:01:06
Speaker
Do you believe that we sometimes need to leave something fully to choose it or for it to choose us? Like we have to take that leap.
01:01:16
Speaker
Yeah. Before it kind of works out. I think so. I feel like, i guess I can't say I left it fully because I still was there like one day a week. So I still had that like glimpse at the end of my week where I was like Oh, I can't wait. i can't wait to be at the salon. Um, but I definitely feel like if you make space away from it, like, I guess you don't have to fully like leap away from it and like be done with it completely. But I think making some space away from it, giving it some breathing room. And then it's almost kind of like you realize what you lost, lost quote unquote. um And then you're like, shit, I really need that back in my life. Like, and yeah. And then again, you go and you just go, go do it, go back to it. And that's okay. um
01:02:02
Speaker
But yeah, I would say it's more about like giving it space, giving yourself and that thing space to breathe. And like, God will kind of show you the way. Yeah.
01:02:13
Speaker
All I'm thinking about is that how you said you've had like a fast seven months. You've had like a really fast seven years. There's been a lot try of a lot of transition and pivots and choices and learning. And it's really cool to see. It's refreshing, actually, to so to hear like your testimony and see somebody who just like takes such fast action. I'm sure maybe it hasn't always felt that way in that, but like, I'm like 2020, that was like yesterday. It feels like, yeah, doesn't feel like it was six years ago. You've done a freaking lot since 2020.
01:02:48
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I know when I talk about it out loud, I'm like, oh my God, it's like, again, it feels like a fever dream sometimes, especially like COVID. And then 2021, my husband and I were like, let's, let's go. Like we were traveling everywhere. um at least in the U S we were traveling everywhere. And then 2022, same thing. It was just go, go, go. 2023, was started. Well, I started school in 2020. I graduated in May of 2024. So I was in school. I was during the years of 21, 22 and 23. I was in school working at the salon and I was working like a marketing internship or a hospitality internship or kind of shadowing at a marketing agency, kind of going back and forth. And then we were traveling on top of it, like we were doing all of the things. So it was definitely a crazy whirlwind of, yeah, like you said, the last like six or seven years has been wild.
01:03:44
Speaker
Yeah, it sounds like it. So, you know, getting now, let's dive into the actual like leap and the action. So you've said that there wasn't like a dramatic last straw necessarily, but just like a calling. Can you explain to us what that means to you?
01:03:59
Speaker
Yeah, I just was ready. i literally call it like spreading my wings and flying. Like, again, all I really had was eminence in my hands and I just wanted more and I wanted more for myself. And there wasn't, I still have moments where like I miss the, you know, the salon culture and like being with other people, but I know that I'm like met right where I'm supposed to be. And don't know, I just felt this calling from God that I was just like, okay, it's, this is your time. And I'm going to show you the way and you don't even really have to stress about it even though I did. That's also what I was going to say is God take away my worries. That's what I pray for every single day because I'm like a chronic or I used to be a chronic overthinker. I still can be. But when I'm like, okay, God, just take away my worries. And that's what I did. And um I was like thinking about it again, kind of tiptoeing around it, not really executing on anything. And um my, also in this span of six years, my mother-in-law passed away in April of 2024. So that also sent me and my husband for like, it was crazy because she died really young. She died really suddenly.
01:05:06
Speaker
And, um, that obviously 24, 2024 was like ah such a crazy year. so that's also what made going back to us being an esthetician full-time. It was like my comfort and it still is like, this is my comfort space. It's my safe space.
01:05:20
Speaker
Um, so we ended up moving into her house. Um, and when, like, it was a few weeks before my wedding and I was like, oh, like, I think I'm just going to wait. Like, this is just going to get too stressful for me. And then I drove past my spa and it's a building that I drove past every day or like multiple times throughout my entire life. Cause it's in West Seneca and had a big for lease sign. Um, and, ah like two weeks later I signed the lease and yeah, now here we are. so Um, what was the question? I'm sorry. i feel like i go on.
01:05:53
Speaker
yeah Yeah, no, that's exactly what i was looking for is just, you know, feeling that calling and trusting God and letting him lead you to where you are today for sure. um but talk about what that really was like, uh, happening so close to your wedding too. And, um, yeah, tell us more about that.
01:06:14
Speaker
having that much faith that you were cool with that. but Oh my God. Well, it was definitely really stressful and I am very blessed that I have the best support system. I have the most supportive parents. um My parents never put up a stink about me going to beauty school. They encouraged it. I remember when I was going to like I had enrolled at Buffalo state university and my, my dad's a musician. he does work a day job as an engineer, but he's a musician and my mom is a yoga teacher. Um, so they're very like very into the arts. And i remember my dad was like, why are you going to college? Like, don't you just want to be an esthetician? I was just like, well, you know, whatever. so I was really, i am really grateful that my parents were such a great support system. They were like anything we can do to help you. My dad like helped
01:06:58
Speaker
me set up half the stuff, stuff in the spa. Um, my husband is like the biggest supporter because he was like, you really like, I think you should do this. Like, and especially before the wedding, like he was like, we're going to be fine. It's going to be like, he's very, he's the cool, calm and nonchalant to my, oh my God, we're animated. he really, we balance each other out really nicely. And he really helps calm me down. And Um, I was just, I would just pray every day. Like it was definitely a stressful time. And I would just pray like, God, give me what I need, not what I want. And that's what that's been my main mantra, honestly, since 2024, since everything happened. Um, my mother-in-law passed away. And then like a month later, I quit the marketing job. So that was also a very quick transition too.
01:07:44
Speaker
And the whole time I was just like, God, just show me the way, Like, give me what I need and not what I want. Like you, when you feel helpless like that, that's all you can do is just like, give, give up, not give up, but give up that like grip on your life essentially. And like,
01:08:03
Speaker
just you can only control how you feel you can't control anything else that happens that's in God's hands so I kind of just like gave it up to God and I was just like give me what I need and not what I want we desire so many things I want all of these things but what do I actually need in my life and he's really given me what I need and more um when you ask him for what like give me what I need like he will give you access like it's really
Timing and Spiritual Lessons Learned
01:08:28
Speaker
beautiful ah great. Thank you for sharing that. ah Just one quick question before we move on Looking back, do you think you would have ever actually felt ready though? No, absolutely not. No. um I was never going to be fully ready. The timing was never going to be perfect for me or anybody else. um
01:08:50
Speaker
And you're never going to please everybody. So again, that's why i like going into this year, Because even when I first opened this spa, I was like, oh, maybe this or oh, maybe that like I was definitely going but I was still kind of like, ah and I really set an intention for myself this year that I was just going to be like, okay, if I want something I'm just going to go for it if it feels right, I'm going to go for it and if it doesn't feel right I'm going to go away from it. Go can go so many different ways. Like even yesterday before my Reiki session, I was like, God might tell me to go cry right now. And that's okay. um So just listening to God in that way. But yeah, no, I never felt like I was going to be ready. And I was definitely tiptoeing around it. I don't have any regrets. um But
01:09:32
Speaker
Yeah, i don't have any regrets. Everything laid out the way that it was supposed to be. And even though I did tiptoe around it, like I needed that shove. I call it a shove from God um to really put put me in headfirst and put I was I had no choice but to put one hundred and ten percent, one hundred and ten thousand percent into where I'm sitting right now.
01:09:53
Speaker
Don't you love being backed into a corner sometimes? Yeah. like I tell Tiffany that all the time. I'm like, I don't know. I think there's something to be said for being backed into a corner and like being given that big shove. And even though there's discomfort in it, you're kind of also in it knowing like, that's just kind of how it needs to be. Otherwise, again, like we're, I don't know, you're just never going to feel ready.
01:10:17
Speaker
Yeah. Absolutely. sometimes you're just put in that type of a position and, uh, you know, say thanks for the pressure. yeah It's definitely like easier looking back on it. Like, damn, this is really hard. But like you said, like, that's what I would tell myself too, is just like, you know what, this is all happening the way that it's supposed to happen for a reason. And everything is going to work out.
01:10:40
Speaker
Okay. It's all going to be okay. And again, God is going to give me what I need and not what i want. And that's all I can pray for. but such a beautiful message. Yeah. Thank you so much. for sharing I think you, when you have to, or you rise to the occasion when there's really no other option, yeah kind of like getting backed into a corner yeah and it is usually messy and really uncomfortable and really beautiful, beautiful things come from it.
01:11:07
Speaker
Yeah, wait absolutely. Absolutely. Um, let's talk about your transition out of the previous salon. Wasn't smooth. um So without diving into details, what did that season teach you?
01:11:22
Speaker
pretty much everything that we just talked about. Um, like leaning on God, trusting God, asking him to give me what I need, not what I want. Um, asking for guidance every single day, asking for clarity. um and again, just like literally everything that we just talked about, like the timing is never going to be right. The timing is never going to be perfect for yourself, for others, for anybody else, for clients. It doesn't matter. um you just have to go and do what you want and don't tip, don't tiptoe around it or God will literally shove you right into it, especially if it is meant for you, which obviously this was meant for me. um You can only control how you react things. um And yeah, like I said, just everything that we really talked about that, like, it's all going be okay. Everything's going to work out the way that it's supposed to, when it's supposed to and how it's supposed to. um Yeah, that's, that's.
01:12:16
Speaker
A lot of lessons, but those are the main ones for sure. Do you feel like Ellie, your faith, um, has it always been this strong? Do you feel like it's gotten stronger, like through this particular experience?
01:12:31
Speaker
It's definitely gotten stronger through this experience, but I would say over the last six or seven years, it's definitely gotten like stronger, obviously, every single day. But I grew up Christian um and I met my husband and he is very, I'm Italian, but he is very Italian and he his family is Roman Catholic. And he was like, you know, it would really mean a lot if you got baptized in the Catholic church. So on Easter Vigil Mass in 2022, got baptized, received my ah first communion and got confirmed all in one evening. It was really, really special. And I was able to connect with a deacon who changed my life. His name is Deacon Gary. He actually married me and my husband as well. He's a really special man. And he really changed um the Catholic faith for me as well, or just faith in general, because, um you know, you hear like Catholicism has these like strict, like, oh, you have to do this and you have to do that. And even though he's a deacon, he was very much like, no, like you can talk to God all day, pray all day. Like he hears you all the time, like just ask for his guidance and Your path is going to have all of these loops and bumps and, you know, you just have to stay on that with God. He will guide you through it. And I remember he wrote me a card um the night I got baptized. My saint was St. Gianna, who I believe was the saint of like like work-life balance. Um, and I remember he got me a Saint charm. I should have worn it today. He got me a Saint charm that had St. Gianna on it and he wrote me a card and he was like, you've really like rejuvenated my faith. So that was a moment that I was really like, felt that connection with God more and with my faith. Um, and then when my mother-in-law passed away, that was like, oh my God, like, again, it was one of those moments where it's like, what else can you do? Like, I just have to pray and lean on God because it was such a rough
01:14:18
Speaker
time for my husband, obviously, I mean, for both of us, but obviously, especially my husband. So I just had to like be there for him and God was there for both of us, but I really needed God to be there for me in those moments. Cause it was really stressful. So, um, it's definitely grown over the years and obviously grown, like it's going to keep getting stronger every day, but definitely opening the spa made it even stronger. There's just been events over the years that has really strengthened it for me.
01:14:45
Speaker
Wow. Thank you for sharing that. um Thank you so much. it's It's refreshing to hear and it always inspires my own faith to hear somebody with such a strong testimony in their faith. So thank you for sharing that with us and our listener for sure. Yeah. um Okay. So going back to your transition, how did that experience challenge your identity as a people pleaser?
01:15:11
Speaker
um it literally challenged the whole thing. And especially even when I first opened, like I carried a lot of those people pleaser traits with me and I've been a people pleaser my entire life.
01:15:23
Speaker
Um, so it's definitely something that I've had to grow out of again, because like, you're never going to please everybody. The timing is just never going to be perfect for everybody. Not everybody is your person and that's okay. And I remember i would like,
01:15:37
Speaker
And I still have days like that. Obviously, there are moments where I have those urges where I want to fight tooth and nail for that one person to come in. But they like don't either don't want to or they've rescheduled like 10 times. And it's just like, here's the booking link.
01:15:50
Speaker
And I'll see you when I see you I'm always here for you if you ever need me. So like just letting go. But it definitely challenged um that for me. And I always say like my transition was um going from aesthetics by Allie because that was my old like so Instagram like username. And I was that's what I was known for or known as to spot Alessandra. So Alessandra is my whole name or, you know, my full name. I go by Allie. So it was really special to like tra I'm like, OK, I'm transitioning to spot Alessandra. This is my new like I'm still me, but better. Yeah. The best way I can describe it. Alessandra 2.0. Yeah. Better, stronger, again, more rooted in faith, um more confident. It's obviously taken, it's still going to take time. Again, I still have my moments, but even in the first seven months, I've definitely learned a lot of lessons and I'm just like, okay, not going to do that again. Or, okay, this feels hard right now, but I know 10 minutes from now, it'll feel like a weight's off my shoulders. So yeah.
Navigating Transitions and Personal Growth
01:16:51
Speaker
Absolutely. Um,
01:16:56
Speaker
was there anything you want to share about that experience, um, moving through it emotionally for you? Not, I mean, it's just really like what we've talked about too, is just praying. Like that's all I could do. It was definitely hard. Um, and all I could do was just pray every day is just like, again, God, give me what I need and not what I want. Like, show me the way, show me the way. Um, and,
01:17:24
Speaker
I had no choice but to be here every single day after, you know, the whole experience happened and put 110, again, 110,000% effort into like getting all my supplies and getting the eminence order and getting my Korean order in. and Doing all of those things. um So it really, like, again, God really shoved me into like, this is your focus now. This is your baby. It was like, the mornings were for wedding planning, because it was like three weeks before my wedding. And then the entire afternoon into the late evening was like here, putting stuff together, placing orders, getting documentation ready, like, So that kind of helped a little bit too. I'm not encouraging people to distract themselves or bottle things up or drown themselves in other things, but it did kind of help me like distract from me kind of feeling sad for myself. I was just like, okay, this is my new journey. This is, this is where I'm supposed to be right now. So I'm just going give it up my all.
01:18:18
Speaker
Well, I think there's something to be said for that. um When we're in creator mode, then we can't be in victim mode or persecutor mode or rescue mode, right? We're in a much higher vibe and we're very focused. And so I do, i do believe that there is a lot to that.
01:18:38
Speaker
You were just basically hyper-focused on your new baby and, um and yeah, and then it kind of, not to say that there was that emotions that came up for you, I'm sure, but it did just keep you really grounded and rooted in your purpose. Absolutely. um Even on my hard days now, if I, again, and I know we'll kind of get into this um about like cycle tracking and stuff. If I know that I'm like, I feel like I have an abnormally long luteal phase, which really sucks. So I have a lot of emotional days. And when I tell you like, this is truly my safe space and my comfort space, I come in and I'm like, oh, good morning. I talked to the spa, like, good morning. Let's have a great day. And even during Reiki yesterday, like at the beginning, I was like, had all the, like, I couldn't.
01:19:28
Speaker
calmed down, like my mind was in a million places and all I was visualizing was just like being with my clients and being in the space. So, um, creating this like safe space for my clients and myself has also really helped with, um, you know, going through motions, but that's how it was at the boutique salon too. Honestly, if I was sorry. I, if I was having a shitty day, um I don't know if we could swear on here. I'm having a bad day, um I couldn't wait to get to this. I was like, Oh my God, I just need to get out of this freaking house or get out of my mind right now and get to the salon and be with my clients. Like that's all that mattered. Um, especially when like, you know, they really brought me joy. They still do. My clients do in my space.
01:20:08
Speaker
I love that so much. Thanks. Um, What would you say to estheticians afraid of upsetting people by evolving? Oh man, would I say?
01:20:22
Speaker
um Yeah. I mean, I just, it's kind of one of those things. It's like, it just is what it is. And you got to do what you got to do and what your heart is telling you to do and what God is telling you to do. You just have to do it again. You can't tiptoe around it because guess what? You're going to get shoved into it one way or another. Um, so just go for it. And it's people pleasing as a really hard trait to break. Like I said, I'm still working on it every single second of the day, um every day. So, um, the best thing you can do is just like,
01:20:55
Speaker
kind of rip off the band-aid honestly and just like this is what I'm doing and that's the end of it like I'm just going to keep pushing forward and moving with prayer and letting God guide me essentially take the leap you got it absolutely have to say something about people pleasing and I'm not going to dive into it or anything but I want everybody to actually think about this people pleasing is actually very manipulative
01:21:25
Speaker
Yeah, I guess it's a very manipulative. We are people pleasers because we want to make people respond in a certain way.
01:21:36
Speaker
There's a lot of psychology behind that. But when you start learning about attachment styles, you'll learn a lot about the anxiousness, the people pleasing and how that's actually quite a manipulative stance to take. And it's interesting because i don't know many like estheticians, especially that aren't kind of people pleasers and women. I think that we can kind of tend to have a lot of that anxiousness, have a lot of the people-pleasing tendencies. And I've heard that over and over and over again in different books, in different podcasts. And it's actually helped me to get away from people-pleasing because again, it's just the detachment. I'm like, there people are going to do what people are going to do. i have no control over that. And that is one of the easiest way to get over people pleasing is when we realize that we're doing it because we're trying to control like an outcome and that that can also be like a little bit manipulative. And when you're just kind of like, don't know, it's not up to me. Yeah. And then I'm also like, I've gotten to it where like, I don't want that much control over people. That sounds terrible. I don't want that responsibility. And like, I don't care what they're going to do. That's, that's not on me. And that is one of the easiest ways to actually move forward from people pleasing. So I just want whoever's listening to think about that and kind of dive into it because it's easier to break those chains when you can start to see it for what it
Client Acquisition and System Development
01:22:57
Speaker
is.
01:22:57
Speaker
Yeah, but now I actually really want to talk about your six months solo and I really want to get into some details here about what is actually working. You have built over 200 clients in six freaking months. What do you attribute that to Um, Google reviews.
01:23:15
Speaker
That is probably my number one is Google reviews. Um, when i built the Google business page and basically what happened is like, you know, everything happened and I was like okay, I'm going change my Instagram username. I'm going announce this is what I'm doing. Nobody knew. So everybody started to reach out to me, like DMS were flooding in and I basically started to put together like a wait list. Um,
01:23:40
Speaker
And I would ask those people, especially longtime clients, like, hey, would you mind leaving me a Google review? I just want to start to build up my Google page. And then every client that comes in, especially new clients, too, if they had a really good experience, which most of them do. Um, I'll be like, Hey, here's a little Google review card. And it has a little QR code. If you would, you know, I would love if you left em me a review. Cause usually that's how they find me is they Google spa near me or facials near me or skincare near me. And I come up and they're like, yeah, I saw you had really glowing reviews. So that's where most of my new clients come from. But I also get a lot of new clients from, um, like,
01:24:19
Speaker
physical referrals. um i built a lot of my business off of cross promotion and social media. When I was at the salon, um I would, you know, give people that were getting their hair done, I would give them a hand massage and, you know, give them like a little facial or something like that. So those are a lot of my clients, but a lot of my clients were also from social media. And it's so funny. obviously i don't have that anymore. I don't have hair chairs out there that I can like go and be like, Hey, let's, you know, do a certain, like, let's do a mini facial on you or something. Um, and social media is fun, but that's just what it is for me at this point. It's fun. I don't really try to stress about it. I will only really post if something is calling for me to post. Um, and those are literally the posts that like get the most engagement. So
01:25:04
Speaker
occasionally I'll get somebody from social media, but most of the time it's Google or ah personal referral. And that's what I tell everybody. like, tell your sister, tell your mom, tell your grandma, tell your aunt, tell everybody and anybody to come in and you'll get 20% off and they get 20% off. And that like floods the referrals. And so I would definitely say Google, Google reviews, Google business page optimization. And, um,
01:25:27
Speaker
And sorry, referrals. And you guys actually taught me Google business page. I mean, learned a little bit about it in school for marketing. um But I remember even when I was at the salon and I was listening to you guys and you said, you know, ask every client to leave me a review. And my business started, like even my books there started booming because all of my OG clients were leaving me reviews. And then people were looking up the salon and seeing like, oh, I'm going go get a facial with Allie.
01:25:52
Speaker
um So it worked out really beautifully, even even there. And then obviously now with my own business too. That's cool. yeah We love it when we're right. but Just kidding. I'm not kidding. We love it when we're right. Things that work, like it's not like a weird, like that's also something that the marketing job kind of taught me is like these, cause my focus was social media because I have such an interest in social media and like social media strategy is like,
01:26:23
Speaker
something that you kind of have to build yourself. I know that a lot of business owners don't want to hear that because like, yeah, you're a business owner and you're an esthetician. You're not a social media strategist, but also like just be yourself. And I feel like that's enough of a strategy. Like it doesn't need to be this like tailored thing that like, you know, cause I again, I worked in marketing and I would be building out social media strategies and they would be like, no, this is not right. And I'm like, well, because I'm not you like this is something that like as I went through, it I'm like, this is something that you kind of need to be doing. Like, as I don't know. It was like such a tough like line to walk. Um, so that's like what I've really, I'm like, I, you know, tell young estheticians, like focus on that, or I usually direct them to you guys focus on Google reviews, focus on Google business page optimization and referrals, like get them all in. Absolutely.
01:27:17
Speaker
We couldn't agree more. Let's talk about boundaries such as credit cards on file, no walk-ins redirecting booking online. Why were those important to you from day one?
01:27:29
Speaker
Um, because who wants to be no-showed? I mean, that's just at the, at the end of the day, who wants to be no-showed? That is knock on wood. going find some wood to knock on right now. Um, I've only had one no-show, um, so far and I have a very like,
01:27:46
Speaker
I don't want to say lenient policy. I mean, my clients are such like, I'm so close with all my clients at this point. I rarely get a client that like has to cancel the day of. And if they do, it's like a crazy emergency. And I'm like, of course I'm not going to charge you. But usually, yeah, like obviously I don't have a a business phone, not yet at least. So people are calling my personal phone or texting my personal phone. And that's when I'll just be like, i have no idea you know who you are. i obviously don't say that, but you know I would love to have you in my space.
01:28:16
Speaker
Here's the online booking link. You can, you know, read all about my services. Usually people are just like, what service should I get? And i'm like, get the first one that's listed. um And then they can fill out the form. They put the credit card on file. It just makes me feel a little bit more secure than just getting like a name and a phone number over an Instagram DM. um And yeah, usually, like I said, with that one no-show, like they no-show, no-called. I tried to call them. They didn't pick up. I tried to run the card. It declined. So I was just like, you know what?
01:28:43
Speaker
blocked. And that made me feel a lot better about it too. Like, if like, again, people pleasing, like you feel like a bad person in the moment, but again, 10 minutes later, you're just like why would I want that person as a client anyways? Like, just let it go, you know, let them go. Yeah.
01:28:59
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. Have you had to train yourself not to respond to clients immediately when they reach out? Yes. Um, Especially like, well, late at night is still something that I'm working on. Vacation is still something that I'm working on, especially if I'm in like, like downtime on vacation. But I would say the biggest ah victory for me so far is when I get home, I make dinner.
01:29:24
Speaker
And I want to sit on the couch and I want to watch my reality TV. And if somebody messages me, I'm like, nope, this is my time right now. So I try to give myself that like at least one little bit of me time. And I know that over time it will grow to like, okay, maybe after work I'm done or I get one hour of like responding to DMs and then like I'm done for the whole evening or something like that. um Versus like no matter what time of day it is, especially if I'm here and I'm fully booked and I'm getting DMs, like It can be stressful because I'm like, oh my God, I want to respond to this person, but I have no time. And I want to be tuned in with my client before, during, and after the service. So i usually try to wait until like after I eat dinner and then I'm like, okay, now I'm going to respond to everything. But it's definitely something I've had to work on because I used to be like, if somebody texted me at like midnight, I'd be like, hey, what's going on? Like, so um yeah, definitely work in progress, but we're getting there.
01:30:20
Speaker
Yeah. Yes. So what kind of systems protect your energy now Um, prayer sure. Like I said, when I walk in I say a prayer, talking to the spa. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but I really do treat the spa like my baby and I walk in and I'm like, good morning, good afternoon, whenever I come in. and I, you know, get everything set up. Usually i get like the whole room set up. I'll do my towels. I'll turn on my wax pot, um, and then make the bed. And then I usually have to do laundry. And when I do laundry is when I do a prayer and I say the things that I said at the beginning, like guide my hands today, guide my heart, protect my energy, fulfill my energy. If something or somebody drains it.
01:31:03
Speaker
um And then when I leave, Oh my God, my leaving ritual, like really protects my energy because I am like, I was just talking to my client about this yesterday. It's not really funny, but I'm very scared of like fires. So I have a very specific ritual when I leave and I feel like it protects my energy when I go home that I'm not like, did I leave something plugged in? Oh my gosh, did I do this? And I'm like, okay, everything is unplugged.
01:31:27
Speaker
have a good night, like God protect my space while I'm gone. Take care of my baby. I'll see you tomorrow or I'll see you in tomorrow afternoon or whatever. So prayer definitely protects me all throughout the day. And even when I leave it, it protects me and my space.
01:31:43
Speaker
That's beautiful. That is really beautiful. Thanks. thanks um You mentioned tracking your menstrual cycle to understand your or understand burnout patterns in general. How has that changed your scheduling?
01:31:56
Speaker
So, um, this is very interesting because I was on birth control until August of 2023. And I went off of it because I literally did not feel like myself. I was on it since I was 16.
01:32:12
Speaker
And from the ages of like 16 to 19, I felt fine on it. Um, I wanted to be on it because everybody else was on Like all my girlfriends were on it. So of course I wanted to be on it. And I did have like GYN issues and stuff like that. Um, but you know, as me and my husband went into our relationship more, I'm like, okay, I don't want to have kids now, but I do want have kids someday. And I would also like to feel like a normal person and not have this raging anxiety all the time. Like it was so bad. And so I decided to go off of and it was very irregular. Um, when I first went off of it and then going into 2024, it was very stressful So it was still irregular. Then actually started taking pumpkin seed oil and it was funny. It was one of those things that my hair was actually falling out and I was on Tik TOK and I saw this girl with this beautiful hair and I just fell into the influencer talk. I was like, you know what? Why don't I just try this? What's the, it's pumpkin seeds. What's the worst thing that can happen? And it saved my menstrual cycle. Um, I get a menstrual cycle every like six weeks now.
01:33:13
Speaker
And I actually started seeing a holistic nurse in Buffalo and I've referred countless clients um to her. I've seen holistic doctors since I was 19, cause I've had um GI issues pretty much my whole life. And they've really helped me get to like the, you know, root cause of what's actually happening. And with traditional GYN, I always felt like they were just wanting me to go back on the pill. And I just, it was like an icky feeling leaving. So I got referred to this holistic nurse and she was like, girl, are you getting a cycle? And I was like, yeah. And she's like, that's all that matters. She was like, I want you to start writing down. She's like, I'll let you know where you are in your cycle today. Cause she knew like she could tell she did not to be so TMI, but she did a pelvic on me. And she was like, yeah, you're ovulating. And I was like, okay, great. She's like, so I want you to start writing down, you know, how you feel. And two weeks later I got my period and i was like, okay, great. So I've been able to track it. And I feel like
01:34:09
Speaker
Again, God really will tell, like, he kind of like goes, he obviously he knows it's his cycle. Like he's going to give it to me whenever I needed to you know, um, need it to happen. And i swear on my worst emotional luteal weeks or my like, Oh my God, I'm exhausted. I have a migraine weeks.
01:34:29
Speaker
My schedule is slow. Um, And like this week that I'm um ovulating, I have the podcast like it's like so like it just kind of aligns and like the rest of the week is really busy and even next week is busy so it'll still I'll still be kind of on that high like, so I feel like it just kind of aligns that way obviously you know what happens where sometimes I like.
01:34:49
Speaker
feel shitty because of my hormones and I'm super fully booked. But, um, again, when I come in, this is like my safe comfort space. And do I have days? Yeah. Where I just want to like curl up in, in this bed and just like chill. Um, but for the most part, like God will tell me, okay, you have a slow week this week.
01:35:09
Speaker
you this is your opportunity to rest and I'm going to tell you to rest or like again I'm usually here six days a week but usually once one day a week where I'll have like nobody or like all of a sudden I'll have like one person and then they cancel like you know what I'm going to take the day off and I have to tackle this to-do list or I'm just going to sit at I'm just going to sit at home and just rest and again that's just God telling me like And the ebbs and flows all happen for a reason. Like this Thursday I have, I took off because I had an appointment in the morning and I was like, well, maybe I'll just take the day off. And now my to-do list is like this big. I'm like, oh wow, it actually piles up that fast for a reason. Like God telling me you got to get all this stuff done. That's why you took the day off. So just kind of ebbs and flows in in God's will.
Innovative Skincare and Personal Techniques
01:35:53
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. ah Can we get into Korean and Hungarian fusion skincare? So you've shifted from strictly eminence and hands to Korean Hungarian fusion. So what inspired that evolution? And what would you share with us about that journey? Yeah.
01:36:11
Speaker
Yeah. So I knew I wanted to have eminence because I love it and my clients love it. um But when I was like thinking about opening up the spa, I was like, I want something that's going to make me stand out like that, like nowhere else in Buffalo has, or like minimal people in Buffalo have.
01:36:27
Speaker
And it was one of those like 3am thoughts. I was very interested in Korean skincare, but I hadn't really used like clinical Korean skincare or like actual Korean skincare. I just had tried like um TikTok Korean skincare, which isn't like real Korean skincare. So I went to a trade show last year in Toronto and I met my um distributor, Pure Realm. I met my educator, Jen.
01:36:52
Speaker
um And she introduced me to a PDRN serum and spicule serum, which is like liquid microneedling. And that changed the game for me. I'm like, oh my God, this is going to compliment my business so well because it really fills the gaps where eminence is lacking. And then same thing, eminence fills the gaps where the Korean skincare is lacking. Like Korean skincare is really all about hydration, barrier repair, gentle yet effective, which eminence is too. But then I'm going to get into like the spicy treatments and Korean skincare really doesn't have that. I actually have this one oxygenating like sheet mask. And I remember when I bought it, um the girl who referred me, she's a yeah, it's pretty spicy. And everybody that I put it on, they're like, this is like like compared to a blueberry detox. I mean, blueberry detox is like maximum spice. It's the best. But that's again, where they complement each other really nicely. You do a hot mask and then you do a really nice cooling mask on top. Um, something I've also had to work through as a business owner is shiny object syndrome because like, Oh, I want to try this. And I want to try that.
01:37:54
Speaker
And I was very proud of myself. Um, in the first six months of business, I would purchase some things. Like if it was a sheet mask, I'm like, okay, I'm just going to purchase this. Cause it's a sheet mask. Like, but device wise, I was like, I don't, I'm going to just like chill with this because I would see a new device like every week and I would make a list of it and tag the link. And I remember January 1st of this year, I went back and I was like, wow, half the stuff I don't want. I'm it's going to crowd my treatment room. If I have too many things, then I will actually get overwhelmed during a facial and it doesn't flow as nicely as I want it to. Like when I have my OG products that I love, love, love, then the facials just flow really nicely. yeah. Yeah. Um, but a lot of my clients, you know, when they transitioned over again, they were very happy that I was carrying eminence, but then they were so interested about the Korean skincare. Oh my God. Tell me all about it. Is it better? Is it better than eminence? and I'm like, no, it's not. One isn't better than the other. Like I said, they really compliment each other beautifully. And, um, again, I found the Korean skincare line and then it was one of those like 3 AM m or like in the shower thoughts. And I was like, oh,
01:39:01
Speaker
Korean Hungarian fusion skincare. And I remember telling my Korean educator and she was like, Oh my God, like I have never heard of anything like that. That is going to be a hit. And it really has. It's definitely, I would say one of the most unique facials in the area.
01:39:16
Speaker
I love that. That's really cool. Thanks. Very, very cool. One more question that I have about this and kind of just your modalities and experience, if you will, is why is manual facial massage so central to your philosophy?
01:39:35
Speaker
Oh my gosh. Well, going into the shiny object syndrome is when I first started, i was like, I have like microcurrent, i have like a microcurrent device, which I love. I still use, um but I was doing it on everybody. And so many clients, like they weren't disappointed, but they would come in and they'd be like, I really want that. Like your classic facial massage. Cause again, when I worked at the salon, like that's all I had. So I really honed in on a really good facial and hand and arm massage. So I decided going into this year, i was like, I'm going to bring this back. um I actually made like a full Hungarian facial massage add on because it is as much as it's my favorite. It is quite taxing for me to be doing on every single person. So I do aspects of it in every single facial. And then if you want the whole experience, you can add that on. And I also have a Korean scalp treatment that people love to add on with it as well.
01:40:26
Speaker
um But I feel like people are lacking that like physical human touch. And especially with facials, like I feel like estheticians have really not all estheticians, but a lot of estheticians in the industry and especially young estheticians see these like huge medical estheticians a huge, you know, whatever kind of device and um they're not using their hands. And I've gotten facials like that too, or been pushed to like get a facial like that. And it's just not as like authentic. I honestly didn't get a facial by somebody else until the last like year, because I had to find my person. And now I have like three girls that I go to that are like,
01:41:05
Speaker
thank God I found you guys because I was just going to wherever just to experience it And I'm like, wow, that was, that was kind of mid, like i I want the facial massage people again, I'm just checking that human touch and connection in their life. yeah um Everything is so fast paced. Like I actually had to put up a sign in here that said like, turn your phone off because I, I don't want to hear it. um You know, it's one thing if you forget to turn it off, I'm just like, girl, if it doesn't bother you, doesn't bother me. But like,
01:41:33
Speaker
This is like your escape. I call it like my sweet escape back here. um Your escape from reality, even if it's just for one hour, like turn off your phone. Don't even think about it. Just like chill. This is your chill space. And yeah, again, people are like, everything is just so fast paced in society. um And so the facial massage really helps like slow you down and like bring you back to center and ground you. as well. And it's definitely like the favorite part of the facial for everybody.
01:42:06
Speaker
and definitely agree. Absolutely. Yeah. It's really special. And Like I actually just saw a post by Bria yesterday and I reposted it um because it was literally like, stop, like letting your mind guide your hands, like just like let God and their body guide your hands. And that's what I do. Like, obviously I'm trained in the Eminence Hungarian facial massage, which is game changer. but just going into the massage, like everybody's like facial structure is different and neck and shoulder structure is different. So one move I can do on somebody i can't do on somebody else or vice versa. And so it's just really all about like letting your hands and of course guide or God guide you through the facial massage. And that's what makes it even more special and grounding for the client.
01:42:55
Speaker
And for you. yeah absolutely. Oh my God. It's so fulfilling. It's like last thing ever. And being very in tune with what your client needs energetically and just feeling that through your hands. And like you said, letting God guide you there because your client that you see on a regular basis, they might need something different than what they needed last month when they came in. Right. And so just being in tune, it is a game changer.
01:43:20
Speaker
I like keep really, this is also something that I brought on when I, um, opened my spa is I keep really, really detailed notes of every single client that comes in personally. um like what, you know, what they might be going through, if they updated me on anything, obviously what their skin is going through, what they're using at home, what I recommended for them at home. And yeah, some clients like don't like massage at all. They just want, uh, the facial, you know, chemical peel and they want yeah, if And that is totally fine too. I'm totally here for that too. um But like you said, just kind of tuning into like what your client might need. Like that client isn't going to want the full facial massage. They're like, cause they're going talk through the whole thing, which is again, that's fine, but it's just a lot more special when it's just like that moment for you, God and the client and just like flowing through that massage. So yeah, it's definitely different client to client.
Career Insights and Motivation
01:44:11
Speaker
Absolutely. right, Tiff, take it into the bigger lessons.
01:44:23
Speaker
I'm just thinking about where we want to go. ah For newer Estes who think six figures happens overnight, what would you share? What would be a truth to that? It doesn't. You have to really put the work in. um I like I said, I started when I was 16. I will say um if young estheticians or girls that are in ASTI school right now or even girls that are thinking about going to ASTI school, what you should do right now is go work at your local salon or spa as a front desk person. You will get the best intro experience from there because you get the customer service experience. You get the flow of the spa experience. um
01:45:04
Speaker
And you start to build all of those skills. And I personally think the best place to start as an esthetician, and this is also like from my philosophy and me as an esthetician, again, I'm a very like... you know, I do provide results with relaxation, but I've never really been a med spa kind of girl. Again, I really focus on connecting with the client. So finding a boutique salon that has a spa room, honestly, like that was some of the best years of my life. Obviously I'm going to have some amazing years going forward, but those were some of the best times and getting to meet those clients and building my clientele from that.
01:45:40
Speaker
um But you have to put the work in. It's never going to just get handed to you. um You have to be willing and able to put yourself out there and not feel like embarrassed or judged about it. Obviously, again, this is a work in progress for everybody, including myself. um Confidence takes time, but just work on that and and just go and go be yourself. And there was something else I was getting to, but yeah um yeah it's just not going to get handed to you you really have to put the work in i agree where
01:46:21
Speaker
where do you want to go from here um let's just go ahead and wrap up this conversation um We keep talking about the word go. And so I don't want to wrap up this conversation without paying a little bit more attention to that because it really is beautiful and it's really powerful the way that you've described it. So the word of the year is go, um, tell us more about that. Tell us why, tell us your philosophy, tell us all of the things that that means to you and how other estheticians and just women in general can implement that word into their own life.
01:46:58
Speaker
Yeah. Well, um, like I said earlier, go can just go into a million different things. I could say, go live your dream, go pray, go rest, go cry, go eat dinner. I don't know. Like just like an everyday life. Like it doesn't have to be this like huge, you know, big thing or a big word or like, uh, um,
01:47:20
Speaker
big list of goals for every year. That's why obviously you guys did the word of the year. That's where, you know, I got the inspiration for that, but that was another like three zero am m kind of in the shower thought was like, that's my word of the year. I was thinking of my word of the year for this year. And it's simply just go. i i have no other option. i just have to go. i have to go and do it. I have to go run my business. I have to go and love what I do. and I obviously do. Um, so that's just my philosophy is just like, keep, you know, without burning out, obviously, you know, maintaining the work-life balance, but just keep grinding forward and focusing on my baby right now, which is my business. Um, so that's really the philosophy behind it. And,
01:48:03
Speaker
Like you guys kind of said in that episode, I forgot which episode it was, but when you think about your word of the year or your intention for the year or for the week or for the day, it should be a word that just naturally comes to you. It shouldn't have to be like you go in chat GPT and ask for a word of the year. Obviously, did I go in chat GPT and be like, what are some go statements that I could tell myself? Because i do have some. But then they did tell me some really good ones. um But it should be something that just flows naturally for you. So like last year, mine was trust. And I really did have to trust the process and trust God.
01:48:38
Speaker
ah We've been there with that word. Yeah, absolutely. This year it was go for sure. Just keep keep going towards towards my dream.
01:48:48
Speaker
That is honestly really good. Even if it is something as small as like go on a walk, go make dinner. That's actually really powerful. Like when, you know, you're just caught up in a moment or you're feeling a certain way or you're like thinking about going on the walk, thinking about going to the gym, thinking about doing, you know, the admin, whatever. So it's like go do it. Go on a walk. Go to the gym. Go make your dinner. Go to bed. Go read. Go do this. It kind of keeps you...
01:49:17
Speaker
moving and flowing. And if you're faith led, and you're allowing God to infuse those meanings to you or just kind of direct your steps, then that just sort of takes that to a whole other level. And I feel like that's something I'm now going to implement into my daily life too. That's really powerful. Like, go drink some water. yeah Go, seriously go pray, go meditate, go read, go, go put your feet in the grass. I mean, literally just that one simple word when you are faith led and you're on like a mission can infuse your life with just taking that next right step all the time.
01:50:00
Speaker
Even those small steps, you know, like go do it. go, go do it. Like you said, it's really just like God kind of talking to you, especially because it was, it is a word that God obviously put in my mind for this year. So it's just like, I just see it as like God guiding me and God talking to me throughout the day of like, or week or month or whatever, like I'm going to go do this or go do this right now. Like, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Really powerful. If someone listening feels called to open their own space, but is hesitating, what would you say to them?
01:50:34
Speaker
go Go, and do it. Like I said, do not tiptoe around it because learn from my mistakes. Like, Again, I don't have any regrets. I wouldn't do anything differently, but don't let me be the lesson for you. Like do not tiptoe around what you want to do in this life or what you love. Just like frigging throw your entire being and efforts and passion into it. And again, if it's meant for you, God will Like, guide you through it. um Even if there's ups and downs and bumps in the road, like he'll get you there. So yeah, just go.
01:51:11
Speaker
and Your story is such a perfect example of that, too, because you did kind of keep trying to go those different directions, you know, and no matter what happened, you kept being led back. And Tiffany and I couldn't second that more when there's calling that you have.
01:51:26
Speaker
And sometimes I feel like we don't even fully realize it, even though the signs are there. He is going to keep putting you on that path until it comes to fruition.
01:51:38
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. They really are. you know, know we're just so blind to them. Sometimes we're so in our own heads, but, but that's the art of surrender too. And just allowing yourself to be led and letting and God take the wheel. Yeah, literally, literally.
01:51:58
Speaker
Okay. When you look at your space now and someone says this feels so you, this i The face you just made says it all, but tell us, put it into words. So again, kind of going back to the first, one of the first things we talked about is my inspiration for the spa. Well, my favorite color is pink.
01:52:20
Speaker
It always has been pink. um So I wanted my street sign to be a big pink street sign. And I've actually gotten clients from that too. So who knew in 2026 that I would get people from physical or traditional marketing, but I did. um So again, growing up, going to JCPenney's, like seeing those like vintage, well, now they're like vintage, I guess, but like those hair magazines and, um, I've all like, I've always really loved like Hollywood glamour and just everything like that. So that was really my intention with the space was to have like a lot of authentic pieces. I didn't, you know, i would go on Pinterest for some inspiration, but I didn't want it to look like any other like
01:53:01
Speaker
aesthetic or solo aesthetician space or solo aesthetician suite. I really wanted it to be unique. So like everything in here, I wish I could give you guys a tour. I really want to do a tour video. I just had a videographer in here last week. I should have had him do it for me, but everything on all the walls is something very special. Like I have a vision board up here, like a homemade vision board. I have a homemade vision board in my front walkway. I have vintage makeup magazines, vintage fashion magazines, Tattoo art, because I have a full sleeve of tattoos. So tattoo art is always something pinup art is always something I've been drawn to. Um,
01:53:37
Speaker
And yeah, like I had a client tell me that a few weeks ago, she's actually coming in today. And she was like, I just love your space. Like, it's just so you. And I'm like, thank you so much. Like I wanted it to be neutral with those like pops of pink, very feminine. um But still like when you're here, it's all about you. Like, even though this is my space, like today's about you. But that's definitely one of the best compliments, especially about the space that I can get is that like, this is so all authentically me We love that so much. Thank you for everything that you have shared with us today. There was literally, i mean, everything you said was just gold and so in alignment with what we believe and what we teach and how we guide.
01:54:22
Speaker
And it's just been such a blessing connecting with you and bringing your heart and your energy. just amazing. You're so beautiful inside and out. And it's so fun to connect with you in person. Can you tell our listener where they can find you?
01:54:38
Speaker
Yes. You can find me on Instagram, Instagram at spa Alessandra underscore. um It's S P A A L E S S A N D R A. underscore. um And I'm on Facebook. It's the same thing, just spot Alessandra. um And those are the only two social medias I really use. um I keep TikTok for my personal use because it's just too much for me to manage. I'm like, you know what I get?
01:55:03
Speaker
most of my ideal clientele from Instagram and Facebook anyways. But I have a lot more on my website as well about me. um And I'll have some new photos on there by like next week as well, which is really exciting. So my website is spaalessandra.glossgenius.com. That's where you can find me.
01:55:20
Speaker
Wonderful. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. and yeah, everything you said was just so beautiful and valuable and we'll have to just stay in touch and have you back on. And thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you guys so much for having me. I still can't believe like this.
01:55:41
Speaker
Has been like two hours. i like i know it's a long conversation, but like it feels like it it's only been like 10 minutes. like This was so great. I'm so grateful and blessed and thankful that you guys had me on here. Again, this is so surreal. I've been listening to you guys like forever. So this is really has really been a special morning for me. So thank you so much. Oh, thank you. That means a lot to us. We really receive that and appreciate you being part of our community and being a listener too. Yeah. Thank you so much. Well, have pretty dreams, everybody, and we'll see you in the next episode.
01:56:18
Speaker
Bye ladies. and