Celeste Gonzalez of Sonoma County on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Celeste Gonzalez shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Celeste, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Forest bathing is something that I love to do. Being able to go outdoors and take in the sun and look around nature without my phone is so grounding.

As a working mom of 3 is beautiful to have sometime to just be in the moment and appreciate the little flowers and imperfections of nature.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a bridal hairstylist that owns a vintage camper mobile salon based out of Sonoma county.

I love creating more than just effortless hairstyles bringing a calm joy to my brides and clients.

Enjoy creating videos for social media since 2016. Love sharing my journey and knowledge thru my podcast The hairstylist pivot.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
This is such a powerful question. The first thing that comes to mind is my worth is based on my work.

Growing up in a mixed family and being put down so much as a child and teen, I was really in a space of let’s prove people wrong.

I’m so grateful for that part of myself and give her so much grace because it made me determined and the hard worker I am today.

But at 39 years old now it has been a hard and rewarding 5 year journey of removing my worth from my work.

Yes it has made me successful in many ways but it also made me be so focused on the future I forgot to be in the present.

It has served its purpose but that has been released and has made me truly enjoy my life more in my day to day without needing the approval of others.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me that I’m stronger than I think I am and I don’t need to suffer to succeed.

Suffering taught me that I’m the author of my own life. It has taught me I’m not in control of what will happen but I can control how I react to things.

Working as a paid educator for a brand and paid brand opportunities literally came out of my videos.

Something I’ve never shared before is that my videos came from my own internal suffering that I had to make it.

I quit my stable office jobs to become a hairstylist something many didn’t agree or approve of.

For the longest time I thought if I sacrifice enough (suffer) then I will be more worthy to receive success.

My mobile salon came out of the pandemic and I literally got into a salon suite lease weeks before our first shutdown in March in 2020.

I got a lot of mean comments behind the scene with that mobile salon on social media. Then November of 2020 got covid and lost the ability to extend my left hand.

I closed my mobile salon and focused on physical therapy to heal my hand. I renovated my salon and reopened a year later.

I’ve had to pivot so much out of suffering but this taught me a super valuable lesson success hasn’t.

I don’t need to suffer to succeed. My pivoting moments that have led to “success” has been my creativity.

Truly all the answers we seek are within us and I don’t need to suffer to allow my creativity to flow on my own rhythm.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
That we have to do it all. We truly don’t and I’ve adapted this into my own business.

We get told to post more, do more, show up in more places. Being a hairstylist is so much more than just the hair.

We are in the space of emotional support systems for our clients, marketing, sales, systems management, and so many responsibilities that are under the umbrella of being a business owner.

It’s taken me a long time to get here because I was one of those people thinking if I know more, take more classes, offer more services then I will be more valuable.

The reality is that when I choose to focus on my well being and in one area of services I provided (bridal hairstyling) the more profitable I became.

Focusing on well being like doing breath work before a client and tuning into my own energy to provide the best service I can for my guests is felt. I’ve become focused on honing my craft and it’s brought more calm into my work and life away from the chair.

Knowing where my clientele comes from has helped me focus on what is working rather than being overwhelmed and taking up time on doing things that are not working for my business and taking me away from my family time.

I now know where to focus my attention towards and I do share on multiple platforms out of experimenting with my video styles not for work.

So to all my hairstylists you don’t have to do it all and you are allowed to pivot.

Focus on the one area that brings you joy and health in your business. Add to your contact forms where clients are finding you and have systems in place so that you can look at your own data and see what is the 1 thing to focus on vs doing it all.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Vulnerability is scary but as I take a deep breath lol here is my answer. I’m not doing what I was told to do and I feel in my head I’m not doing what I was born to do but it will find me soon.

Being a hairstylist has been such a beautiful experience of emotions and personal development. I’m not who I was 9 years ago when I started at 30 years old.

I’ve accomplished many goals and dreams since the but I know I’m meant to help people by beyond my artistry and as my clients say fun calming energy on their wedding days.

That’s the beauty of life we get to change and evolve and I’m not in the space of figuring it out but just like becoming a cosmetologist came to me I know when is time what I was born to do will come.

In some way I’m doing some of what I was born to do. Share my story of hope like my younger self living out of her car would one day become a multiple business owner and have the life she never thought she could have.

Not perfect but beautifully imperfectly peaceful safe home energy space she always wanted.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Spiritedphotoandfilm
Kamarinannphoto

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