Where It All Began — From Acne to Esthetics

They say your biggest challenges often lead you to your greatest purpose — and looking back, I can say that’s absolutely true for me.

When I was 26, almost 27, I had the worst cystic acne. Painful, deep, red, and angry — it covered my whole face. I was frustrated, embarrassed, and completely lost about how to take care of my skin. I tried everything from over-the-counter products to prescriptions from dermatologists. Nothing helped. The medications were harsh, the topicals made me peel and sting, and when my dermatologist suggested Accutane, I knew that wasn’t a road I wanted to go down.

At the time, I was working as an office manager at a financial planning firm — processing paperwork, organizing financial planners days, phones, stress — and taking pottery classes on the side as a creative outlet. One day, I noticed that the art studio was offering a four-week class on how to make your own soaps and lotions. Something about it immediately caught my attention — the idea of learning about ingredients and how they affect the skin completely fascinated me. It felt like an opportunity to finally understand what I was putting on my skin. Little did I know, that simple class would become the catalyst that changed the entire course of my life.

That simple decision — to take a soap-making class — completely changed my life.

I loved everything about it. The textures, the chemistry, the creativity of blending oils and botanicals, learning about different ingredients and how they affect the skin. I started making my own soaps at home and sharing them with friends. But here’s the funny part: even though I was making beautiful handmade soaps, my acne wasn’t improving. I was missing the bigger picture — understanding skin itself.

A friend of mine had recently become a massage therapist and was working at a spa. She told me I should think about becoming an esthetician so I could really learn about skin and how to care for it. I remember laughing and saying, “An Esthe-what?!” I had never even heard the word before.

But the seed was planted.

I toured a local skincare school a couple of weeks later — and I was hooked. It was like stepping into another world. I could feel in my gut that this was what I was meant to do. So, I did something pretty bold. I quit my job, moved in with my massage therapist friend, picked up two part-time jobs, and enrolled in esthetics school.

I graduated in November 2003 and became licensed in early 2004. The journey wasn’t easy — there were late nights, financial sacrifices, and a lot of self-doubt along the way. But for the first time, I felt aligned. I was learning not just how to treat acne or give facials, but how to help people feel comfortable and confident in their skin.

And that’s really what it all comes down to.

That painful, frustrating chapter of my life — the acne, the confusion, the trial and error — was the catalyst that led me to my purpose. It gave me empathy. It gave me curiosity. It gave me the drive to never stop learning about skin.

Now, more than 20 years later, I can look back with gratitude for that girl who just wanted clear skin. She started me on a journey that’s grown into a career, a passion, and a calling: helping others love and care for their skin, too.

Skin Lesson:

Sometimes our biggest frustrations become our greatest teachers. Every skin story has a beginning — and healing often starts with curiosity and compassion.

Story to be continued……