We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jenae Johnikin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jenae, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
my resilience comes from life experiences. I feel that once you go through certain things in life you grow this shield around you which makes you start to create a different set of boundaries for your life. Once you learn that the things that are going on around you are only obstacles meant to deter you from what life really has to offer, it becomes a little more easier to focus on the things that you can control versus the things you cannot.
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 am originally from Lake Providence, Louisiana but I reside in Dallas, Texas. Since I could remember my aunt would buy me and my cousin bratz dolls for Christmas or just because but I would always have a comb/brush doing the dolls hair, I would always do my friends/family hair and my own hair as well.
In middle school I continued to perfect my craft and once I made it to high school I knew that being a stylist was all that I wanted to be. In 2014 I graduated high school and I started my journey as a full time stylist at the age of 17 , “StylesByNae” was my first initial business name and since 2014 I’ve been thriving and touched 100s of people throughout this entrepreneurial life I take on but as I look back at some of my work today from when I was “StylesByNae” it makes me go 10 times as harder.
In 2021, I rebranded my business to “Luxury Looks LLC” and I chose this name because I want my clients to be able to experience the luxury of what it’s like to have a stylist that not only cares about braids but cares about your natural hair as well.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being determined, persistent, confident, a self believer, adaptable and resourceful were the most impactful part of my journey. Advice I would give is to cultivate a mindset that embraces challenges as opportunities for growth. Set clear goals and remain steadfast, even when progress seems slow, build self-confidence by acknowledging your strengths and past accomplishments, be around those who are supportive, that challenge you and stay curious and open to new experiences, allowing you to adapt to changing circumstances, seek innovative solutions when faced with obstacles and always show up no matter what it looks like.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I am feeling overwhelmed, I take a step back to pause and breathe, identify the problem, prioritize, practice mindfulness, set boundaries, engage in enjoyable activities and seek support.
“ Always do what’s best for you “
Contact Info:
- Website: https://llooksllc.as.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxurylooksllc_
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