Meet Stephanie Andrews

We recently connected with Stephanie Andrews and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a journey I have been on since I was young, and truth be told I’m still navigating it as I get older but it is there. I remember back when I was in middle school is where I noticed I didn’t have much confidence in myself or great self-esteem. I know you’re probably saying to yourself ” no one had confidence that young and all of us went through an awkward phase”. Yes, that is true but for me it hit harder. While kids were getting teased for wearing clothing that wasn’t “in” or being teased for not being “popular”, I was teased for something I had no control over. I was the girl with red hair aka ” the ginger” and freckles everywhere, and with that being said I got teased a lot for it, a lot of name calling and a lot of rude remarks, all due to what I look like. All this completely out of control, I always used to say “blame my parents for how I look! its genetics.”
As I went through the rest of my teenage years all of this continued and by that point I was numb to it, and as soon as I was allowed I start coloring my hair to fit in more. Fast forward to my young twenties, I went to beauty school to become a hairstylist, which was my passion. In this industry, I learned it is super important to be your authentic self, that you need to be unique and stand out and with that you need confidence.
When being a hairstylist confidence is super important, how you carry yourself is important and having the confidence in yourself to be able to look at your client and say “yes, i can do your hair” is important. As time went on, I realized my unique look was not something to be mocked for, but the opposite. I found power in the color of my hair, that I was made like this for a reason. When clients sit in my chair, it is super important to me that I can boost their confidence and self-esteem, whether its through hair color, a trendy haircut or simply a romantic blowout for a night out. This new found confidence I have found also landed me an educator position with Goldwell, a hair product company. With my confidence, I am able to go out and educate others on how to use our color line, how to be creative and how to become more confident within yourself behind the chair and for our clients.
Self confidence will always be a journey for me, but I know I’m making my younger self proud and healing my trauma by not hiding and letting those comments from my younger years affect me from growing up and becoming someone who can build others self-esteem and confidence.

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

At a very young age I always loved make up, dressing up and doing hair whether it was on family members or dolls. I had my very own barbie vanity, a gift from my grandparents (that I still have) at the small age of 5. As I got older, I was still very much fascinated with hair and makeup. In high school, my friends and I would stay up late and color each others hair and try out different make up looks, I would often do hair and make up for friends when they had events to attend. Realizing my passion for hair, makeup and fashion didn’t fade, even when I was in college for a short period of time, I ended up dropping out and went to Cosmetology school. A week after graduating, I unexpectedly found a salon, what I call my “hair home” that I have now been at for 8 years, d’Artiste salon, in New York, owned by Duane Hodge. I am grateful for the salon I work at, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the guidance of Duane and my co worker Michelle. They guided me me through my first couple of years on how to be successful behind the chair, as I would call them my mentors! Its important to work with/around people who truly care about their profession. I regularly frequented classes in NYC for education, most of my education has been at the KAO Academy in Chelsea, NYC where I became a certified Master Colorist with Goldwell. I quickly realized my passion in hair is coloring, whether its vivid colors or a beautifully blended Balayage or seamless highlight.
As I gained more confidence and knowledge behind the chair, I was then asked to audition for becoming an educator with Goldwell. After going through the process of setting up two different sets of presentations, I went in front of a panel of judges who soon then accepted me to become an educator for their company. This was just the start of an awesome journey. I am now two years in as a color educator, traveling around Long Island to salons teaching/guiding them about all things color! As I stated before, I take classes at our Academy in NYC that many people travel to just to take classes; that I now get to teach at which is a huge accomplishment and dream for me.
This industry is forever changing, trends are always coming and going which is truly something really exciting about this career! One of my absolute favorite parts about being a hairstylist the joy and happiness on my clients face when they see their hair, its truly a great feeling to make others feel good about themselves. One thing I always say and teach in classes is, this industry is more then “just doing hair” its about the relationships you build in your chair, I’ve laughed and I’ve cried with the clients in my chair, I’ve been there for the life celebrations and the sad days too. It will always be more then just hair to me.

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

Looking back, I would say it is very important to be teachable, open to criticism and patient. These 3 things will lead you to a successful path. For those starting out in this industry, be patient! Don’t quit, it is hard but give yourself grace!! Listen to your mentors and take all the education you can.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I would like to first start out and say I’m super lucky that I have two very supportive parents who believe in me and my career, I am so grateful for them. I know they will cheer me on for life.
My husband Bryan has played a crucial role in me overcoming challenges and helping me become successful. Bryan and I have been together for 13 years, he’s been through it all with my since I am 16 years old. Since the day I started beauty school he’s been nothing but supportive, he’s always motivating me to become the best I can be. I remember years ago he pushed me to open up a Instagram page just for hair, he would help me make posts and create videos which truly helped me so much. Hes constantly there to give me confidence boost when I need them, or if I’m having a bad day he’s the first one to help me get out of my head and remind me how far I’ve come and how well I’m doing. Him believing in me since day one was just what I needed, I don’t know where I’d be without him. I will forever be grateful for him and always having my back, he’s constantly talking up my hair business and always thinking of ways I can be better. You’re the best, Bryan!!!!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Hairbystephaniejunee

Image Credits

Portraits by d’Artiste Photography