This month marks 15 years as an Esthetician. What an amazing career it’s been.

My skin care journey started around 14, getting acne myself. I tried everything from conventional to more natural products and nothing seemed to really work. One day at the Great Lakes Science Center, I found a book on natural skin recipes and begged my mom to get it. After a few weeks of begging, she ordered it for me. I loved making banana and oat face masks with my sisters and playing with essential oils. That turned into getting lots of skin care books from the library. I grew up in a small town of less that 1,000 people and hour south west of here. I had never heard of an Esthetician. Through reading more skin care books, I found that some of the authors were Estheticians. That looked like something I wanted to do! I remember visiting the school I ended up attending in Columbus. At the end of the tour my mom looked and me and said “I think this is what you’re going to do for the rest of your life.” I knew it too.

I found A Natural Difference Skincare and my mentor Irene, while I was in school. It was the first skincare line that actually helped my skin! It wasn’t drying, stripping or irritating. It created balance for my skin, and my skin loved it. A couple years later, and after a few wild first jobs, I went back to school to get my Nail Tech License. I offered nail treatments for a few years, but it was not my love and passion like skin. A few years after I went solo, I transitioned to only facial treatments and sugaring hair removal. Then, I transitioned to just facials and a little facial sugaring sometime in 2020-2021.

I’ve loved skincare for over 20 years now. I love caring for my own skin. I love learning about the skin, new products, new technologies. I love treating women to treatments that help them improve their skin, help them relax, and teaching them how to take care of their skin at home. Now that I have 2 kids, I look forward to teaching them to care for their skin in the future too. My husbands skincare? Maybe after 10 years of marriage I’ll get him to do more than just cleansing, moisturizing, and an occasional scrub. Haha.

When I started out, I didn’t really think about having my own business. At one point I thought “maybe I’ll go solo at 35.” Then, after a few difficult jobs, I started to consider it out of necessity. I made the jump and never looked back. Getting to create treatments that I truly believe in is just the BEST! In 2019, my husband and I purchased our permanent building. We did 7 months of renovations to my “haunted house” as my dad said, and ran into every issue you couldn’t even possibly think of along the way. In 2023, I changed the business name, removing my own name. I didn’t want it to be just about me or clients wanting to just book with me anymore. I chose Flourish Aesthetics because I want our clients lives to thrive, their skin to thrive and because flowers had been part of the previous logo, flourish fit with flowers too.

I thought for sure I just wanted to rent out treatment rooms when I bought the building, but that changed. Now, having had a few employees, I love getting to train them in our ways of treating the skin and seeing it *click* for them. I love that because of them, we get to share our methods and results with so many more guests. Yes, owning a business is part of my livelihood, but it’s also my passion, my first baby.

So after 15 years as an Esthetician, if I could go back to my newly licensed self, these are a few things I would share with her.

There is not one way of offering a facial

In school we are taught very basic ways of offering facials. I would tell myself to dive into my holistic roots right away. Explore what other countries offer, dive deep into facial massage and create something different than the status quo.

Buy the table

As Estheticians we often start with a simple massage table. How a massage table works causes us to need to sit in a strange position and do lots of leaning over for hair removal treatments. Buying a hydraulic table was so hard for me. It wouldn’t change the client experience, but at nearly $1,000 at the time, it was hard to convince myself I needed it, even though I had some tailbone and back pain. Now, I’d tell my younger self to buy the table as soon as she could. For career longevity, to be able to treat clients in wheelchairs or older in age and move with ease during the workday.

Accept your skin

As an Esthetician it’s hard not to feel like you need to have perfect skin. The amount of Estheticians I see who use filters on social media even is crazy. You’ll never see me use a filter. I want people to know what real skin looks like and know that we’re all human. But yes, we can always be trying to improve our health and skin! I’d tell myself I don’t need full coverage foundation or to hide my skin. To just be real, enjoy makeup and instead of being frustrated with my skin, learn that it’s telling a story and to listen and nurture it.

Soft spoken is your blessing

Growing up I was always told I talk too quietly. I was VERY shy. For years I wished I was more outgoing or a “life of the party” personality. Accepting who you were made to be definitely comes with age, but s an Esthetician though, my quiet “spa voice” is something that my clients love about me. My presence is calming and relaxing. I’d tell myself to learn to embrace my desire for quietness and peace.

You’re not for everyone

When I started out I would definitely feel like I did something wrong, or a client “didn’t like me” if they didn’t rebook. Now I know that there all all types of Estheticians. My personality and methods won’t be for everyone. But they will be for someone!

Your definition of success is all that matters

Fully booked. Making X income. Working with X brand. Having a spa that’s large or looks a certain way. There are lots of opinions of what success looks like. Find what *your* definition is. You thought at one point maybe you’d go solo at 35. Today at almost 35 you’ve been:

Solo for 14 years.

Had renters or employees for 8 years.

You’ve renovated an entire building (with help) but a lot just you, your husband and family.

You see clients 2 days a week and manage your business from home with your 2 little kids.

God has given me a passion for skincare and caring for others. I don’t know exactly what I’ve done right, but He’s always helped my business Flourish.

Younger self, it’s gonna be a wild, windy and amazing ride.

I can’t wait to see what the future brings! Thank you to so many of you who have been clients of mine for over a decade. This business wouldn’t exist without your support!