We recently connected with Maddie Kuziak and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Maddie, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
It definitely was not an easy process. I have always been in love with the arts and knew I could only be a hands-on type of person. Music was always my passion in life so I initially went to college for musical theatre. Long story, short, it was not meant to be. It took a lot of soul searching but one day, an old friend called me to tell me she was getting married. I couldn’t have been happier for her and she mentioned how I was the only person who could ever get her hair to hold a curl and asked if I would style her hair for her wedding. I was honored and as a gift to her, I did her hair and makeup. At the reception, several guests came up to me asking if I had a business card on me wanting to hire me on the spot or pass along my information for others. It was an omen I never knew I needed. When I came home that night, I told my now husband I thought I needed to go to beauty school. As soon as we toured the school, I knew that was where I was meant to be. Fast forward to now, I still gain new clients that touch my heart and hearing how great and beautiful they feel from my work means more to me than they will ever know!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a 28 year old cosmetologist/bridal stylist with a 1 year old daughter, husband, and 2 fur babies! I work part time in the salon that I have been at for the last 3 years now and absolutely adore my clients! I specialize in highlights but love doing almost any color to come in my chair! I co-own a bridal styling (hair and airbrush makeup) business that I started right out of cosmetology school with one of my best friends, Nikki. We absolutely love getting to meet all the brides and their parties! It is so fun getting to see the creativity they put into their special day, the venues they pick, the color palettes, etc! We have so far traveled as far as 3 hours for a wedding but we would love to work a destination wedding one day! I have been asked if I would ever want to work solely as a bridal stylist but I absolutely adore my clients and I would struggle to leave them. I love being part-time though so that I can be home with my daughter to watch her grow and be there for even the smallest moments but especially the big ones!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1) patience/perseverance: I went to cosmetology school during the height of covid. This was a hard time for everyone as is but for someone to learn a hands on craft online was not easy in the slightest. I can confidently say my teachers did everything they could to give us the best experience possible and teach us to the best of their abilities despite online learning, social distancing, etc. If I wasn’t patient, it would have been easy to just quit. If I hadn’t pushed myself, I would have never made the Dean’s List.
2) Kindness/Humility: No one is perfect! Remember that everyone is always learning, especially yourself! Whether it’s continuing to learn about your craft or life itself, never stop learning and know it is okay to ask for help/advice! And with that, remaining kind. Not only to others but yourself! Being kind goes a long way.
3) Self Love/Confidence: Going back to being kind to yourself, if you can’t love yourself, how can you expect to fully love anyone else. Not to mention, loving yourself will propel you to your fullest potential. This will give you the confidence you need to go the distance! And even if you don’t feel fully confident yet, which is absolutely normal, fake it til you make it! In cosmetology, someone else is putting their trust in you. If you lack confidence in appearance, they will be nervous which will spiral. Every person, every experience, no matter how small will always be a new learning opportunity. Fill yourself with confidence and don’t be afraid to fail! Failure and mistakes are teachers in a new form. Don’t beat yourself up when you do make those mistakes! Love yourself, dust off your shoulders, and take that experience with you. It will only make you better!
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Being a full time mom while running a business/working: Yes I am nowhere near perfect and I want to do it all! But no one can do it all without challenges. I have been experiencing quite a lot of burn out and it takes a lot out of me. My husband and I work on this challenge together to allow the both of us to get the rest we need as well as the quality time we deserve!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://MaddNikBridal.com
- Instagram: @maddnik_bridal & @maddmaddbeauty
- Facebook: Madd Madd Beauty & MaddNik Bridal
Image Credits
-The photo of my makeup at my wedding (I did my own airbrush makeup) was taken by Alisa Innocenti of Weddings by Alisa!
-There is a photo from a meet and greet at a Lindsey Stirling concert that was taken by her team (she is my idol and it is my dream to work with her one day)
-the photo of the bride and groom was taken by Maggie Ann Photography by Maggie Cooper.
-all others were taken by friends or myself of my work or me working.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
