We were lucky to catch up with Madison Simon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Madison, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Finding your confidence, self esteem, and even your identity, is one of the messiest journeys in one’s development. It is such trial and error, as you don’t know what you don’t know. Then adding in societal and parental pressures on top of it, it gets messy. As I go on, I am going to focus more on “identity” because I feel that it is a good descriptive word for both confidence and self esteem.
I was very unsure of myself growing up and in my early 20’s; not so much insecure, just unsure. Due to my uncertainty with myself, I simply grew into the mold that society and my parents thought I’d fit best in/what they wanted for me. I did it and I did it well, however I was never fulfilled. I became the poster child for success and everything parents could want for their child; I went to school, did something with my education, a nice place to live, a great relationship, started my own business, got married. The “congratulations” never stopped coming, but I continued to feel so unsure, and so empty. When I look back on this time, I think that I frequently gaslit myself, because why wouldn’t I be happy? I always had the mindset of “I don’t want this now, but I’ll want it later, so I may as well do it”. I was subconsciously making a mess. I wasn’t trusting myself and I wasn’t practicing self acknowledgment, and it took (what felt like) blowing up my life to learn how to sit with myself and get to know the woman in the mirror. The hardest part of getting to know myself was the thought of no longer fitting in that comfortable mold that I grown into to, but you don’t grow in comfort.
I went through my divorce when I was 24. There came a point where I was willing to risk never finding love again, then spend the rest of my life feeling not only unfulfilled, but like I was robbing my husband of the unconditional love and certainty that he deserved. I got a tattoo right before I filed for divorce that says “the endings won’t end you”, and that was my way of giving myself permission to choose me for the first time. There were very few people I told until everything was done. That is one of the most solid pieces of advice I have ever received – don’t tell anyone what you are doing until it’s done. That is something I actively practice and a habit that has helped instill that confidence/trust in myself.
After I unpacked the last 6 years of my life into my childhood bedroom, that unsureness and uncertainty kept knocking at my door. I had ignored my sexuality my entire life, not necessarily on purpose, I didn’t think it was an option for me because it didn’t fit that societal and parental mold I had grown into. I remember sitting in my bedroom and realizing that I didn’t have to date men; it was that simple but it was mind blowing to me. Once I came out, such a weight was lifted off of me. It truly was like I could breathe for the first time. That mold no longer existed, but yet I had never felt more comfortable.
You can start over at any point in life and once you realize that, peace, confidence, self esteem and the world is yours.
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 a licensed esthetician in MN, but I specialize in brazilian waxing. Body image is, and forever will be a issue for women everywhere. So many women weren’t raised with understanding of their body, a lot of us were brought up with shame around our body. My core beliefs as a person and as a brand revolves around helping women connect with their body, feel empowered, and to have a space where we can talk about the things that weren’t normalized growing up. It is also a safe space for myself, a place where I feel the most at home, the most happy, the most like me. I am so happy to share that with my community. It’s simply girlhood.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My job is truly something that found me. I did not grow up wanting to be a body waxing specialist. I didn’t even go to beauty school wanting to wax. I went to beauty school expecting to work in skin care and makeup, but I really jived with waxing and once I graduated, I decided to follow that spark. I will say, if you are thinking of going to beauty school or you are in beauty school, they are preparing you for your board exams. They are not preparing you for the field. I learned so much once I actually started working. Connection is really important when you work in the beauty industry. You are spending a lot of time with a single person, whether it’s doing their hair, a skincare treatment, lashes, or waxing, and aside from your craft, I think that establishing good social and communicative skills is key.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I really do think that there are people we find in every lifetime.
My best friend is that person for me; I am so glad we exist at the same time. I met her at my first waxing job, she was a client of mine and I really think that the universe brought us together. She was the first person to really ever challenge me, question me and make me feel seen. She is somebody I wanted to be like. Her ability to set boundaries with people and with herself, was something I admired so much. When I was scared to make shifts in my life, she encouraged me to do it scared. When I was scared of what other people would think, she clapped so loud for me, I never noticed who didn’t. She still does.
Friendship is such a powerful thing, and when you have a good source of support, you can create really beautiful things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.flowerpowerwax.com
- Instagram: flowerpowerwax
Image Credits
Taylor Wentland of Precious Film Co
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