Meet Chelsea Rosauer

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chelsea Rosauer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Well, the short answer would be my childhood. Through my elementary school years, I attended 6 different schools and lived in 4 different states. No, I’m not a military brat. My dad just had tough luck with jobs, and we tended to make big moves with every layoff. Being the oldest of 3, and with my parents struggling to balance the chaos of raising a family through financial uncertainty, I was parentalized young and expected to pick up the slack. It felt natural for my mom to entrust me with household chores, childcare, and meal preparation because I was a precocious child that thrived on praise and recognition. This would, naturally, lead to the classic “burnt-out-gifted-kid” syndrome as I became an adult, but that’s a different issue entirely.
I could attribute my resilience to all of the aforementioned experiences, but I think it truly came from my need for that positive reinforcement. I strove to impress and out-perform. I’ve had an internal mantra since I was maybe an early teen of “Failure is not an option”. And that drive to succeed applied to all areas of my life. I couldn’t fail at school, I couldn’t fail at relationships, and I couldn’t fail myself. It empowered me to keep going through tough times throughout my life into my adulthood. Because I know I have no option but to succeed at the next venture ahead of me.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am a licensed cosmetologist, and have been working behind the chair in salons for the past 15 years. In the last 5 years I’ve tailored my skills and clientele to focus in caring for dense, coarse, and curly hair, as I’ve noticed that those people tend to be undeserved. I’ve also spent the past 8 years as an educator in my field, providing continuing education and one-on-one training for stylists at all skill levels. Education is a huge part of my career; not just educating myself, but passing that knowledge on to others. I pride myself in taking time during hair services to explain my methods to clients in hopes that they’ll have an easier time caring for their hair. I have also begun building an education brand for myself to provide information and help improve skill sets for licensed stylists all over. I’m still in the very early stages of developing the material, but I’m excited about the experience I’ll be able to create during the learning process.

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?

Well, resilience would have to be one of them. It certainly helped me focus when it came to finishing achool, and it is definitely what has kept me from quitting the industry in the face of difficult or emotional encounters with the public.
I also have to attribute my innate love for and interest in people and building relationships. I have been so lucky to meet so many incredible and interesting humans in my line of work. And my ability to connect with them, help them feel comfortable, and ultimately form a friendship with them has definitely been a huge part of my success.
Finally, I think I have a knack for spatial relationships and working in 3 dimensions. That skill became apparent in my 2 semesters at Columbia College Chicago. I studied Fine Art and really excelled in my 3d Design classes, but really struggled with 2d or drawing classes. Working in 3 dimensions really comes in handy when working on a 3 dimensional shape like a person’s head, and haircutting is a very sculptural skill and art form.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

I am really lucky to have 2 vert loving and supportive parents. They provided so many examples of how to be generous, hard-working, and independent. I think the most impactful thing they did for me was provide constant support, even if they didn’t “see the vision” or share my same interests. They imparted phrases of wisdom like “Strive to be different,” or “Always ask, because the worst answer you can get is no,” and “Say what you mean, and mean what you say”. They strongly encouraged self-confidence which allowed me to feel comfortable pursuing my passions, expressing myself, and challenging people and systems that got in the way. And I’m so grateful to have their guidance now as I raise my own children.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Chelsea Rosauer
Britt Teasedale

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