Meet Carrie Bellus

We recently connected with Carrie Bellus and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carrie , thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I’ve, mostly, always felt pretty confident in my place in the world. Believing that I have something a value to offer professionally and I belong. And then this past Spring I felt a calling to explore something new. Passion led me down this new path and I was excited to develop new skills and have more to offer professionally. As I began to start my online business and build my platform, I often used social media for inspiration. And something happened…I found inspiration but I also found my confident mindset start to deteriorate. I started to feel doubt about what I can accomplish, started to question not just what am I doing but why am I even trying. Like a toxin that seeped into my blood and started to poison all the good. Thankfully I was able to recognize that this didn’t feel right. I knew I need to take action and work towards shifting my mindset. Step one, was just to acknowledge it as a mindset. It was like reclaiming my power. I brought some mindful practices into place. I journaled about it. I prioritized time to just reflect on my thoughts & ideas. And I let go of my expectations. My journey did not have to match someone else’s journey. I just had to be excited about my own first steps. Without expectations, I returned to being inspired by others and not comparing myself to them. So I just began. I give myself grace when path doesn’t “look perfect”. In the absence of perfection is wealth of lessons and opportunities for growth. Without my mindful practices and dedication to changing my perspective, I am not sure I’d be capable of tackling the Imposter syndrome mindset.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I have been a hairstylist since 1999. This profession brings me so much joy and an abundance of opportunity to have variety in this career. I work behind the chair with clients in the traditional sense. I enjoy all services; haircuts & styling, hair color and transformation with hair extensions and perms. I also travel to work hands on with hairstylists all over the country. I have been an Aveda Haircutting educator since 2004. I have found that being an educator and working with all kinds of hairstylists helps my career come full circle and continuously inspire me. I am lucky to love what I call work. My passion is people. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to connect with so many people in such a creative way. In 2019, I created my mission statement: “My mission is to share love and empowering energy in my everyday life. To lift, support and inspire those I have the privilege to connect with. To do this with a humble mind and a wide o-pen perspective on life.” Creating my mission statement has helped to serve as my guide, both personally and professionally. This spring it helped guide me to exploring something new. In June I was certified as a coach through Guiding Mindful Change. I am beyond excited to see where this takes me, and how it fits in with career as a hairstylist & educator. I believe my specialty is facilitating gatherings. And I aim to engage others in personal growth through various coaching services and community building events. As a, entrepreneur I feel very grateful to have the space to structure my time to look however I desire, to find a place where I am both, Hairstylist & Coach. October will be my ‘big’ month as I launch and share with everyone all that I have been working on. I have let go of any expectations of how this needs to look. I will measure success by feeling proud of what I add to this world.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

1) trusting my intuition. This helped me in my decision making process and ensuring a stayed aligned with my mission.
Our Intuition is built over time through our experiences in life. A mind-body connectedness will help you stayed in harmony with your long term goals and beliefs. It guides me with what to dig in to and what to let go of. I believe you can develop this skill through mindful practices like mediation, journaling, and taking time to reflect (without judgement) on your past experiences.
2) my support system. I have built a network over the years of people who inspire me, individuals who value positivity, and those who prioritize mental health and wellness.
it is extremely important to value those that surround. Who you choose to share your time, space and energy with. Can you characterize them being trustworthy and respectful. These individuals show up for the success and celebration and are with me through the struggles.
3) mindful practices. I have a variety of activities that help me feel more present, more aware and help me maintain a healthy balance in my life.
Have you ever felt stressed, anxious, or depleted? These feelings are my red flag to pause and prioritize mindful practices. Sometimes I pick up a book that I’ve been meaning to read on a certain topic. Other days I journal and brain dump all my thoughts onto paper. Some days I just get outside into nature and can feel peace just listening to wind shake leaves off a tree.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

I recently read “Atomic Habits’ by James Clear for the second time. I was inspired and intrigued after this first time. But after the second time, I really felt connected to the practices and how to implement change in my life through atomic habits.

Chapter 20: The downside of creating good habits. “The upside to habits is that you get used to things a certain way and stop paying attention to little errors. You assume you’re getting better because you’re gaining experience. In reality, you are merely reinforcing your current habits – not improving them. When you can do ‘good enough’ on autopilot you stop thinking about how to do it better. HABITS + DELIBERATE PRACTICE = MASTERY.”

Our actions will reinforce our habits & identity. We have the power to change our beliefs about ourselves. We choose the identity we want to reinforce today with the habits we choose today.

His book has impacted my life greatly simply by explaining the real reason why habits matter.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carriebellus.com for coaching
• Instagram: @carriebellus for all things me, @carriebellushair for all things hair and @thecarriebellusmindset for all things coaching

Image Credits

@christinemosher_photograhpy (applies to select images)