Meet Toni Albano

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

Hi Toni, 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 don’t believe I’ll ever overcome imposter syndrome and as of late, I’ve accepted that. I go through waves of feeling like I’m great at what I do and feeling like I don’t know what I’m doing. When you care so deeply about what you do, I think it’s inevitable to feel inadequate every once in a while. Whats more important is how you get yourself out of that funk. What can you do in your craft or career that will make you feel like a badass at what you do? For me, it’s creating a hair color for the fun of it or taking education that I know will make me feel more secure in my abilities.

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

After 10 years as a hairstylist working under other people, I finally decided to open my own suite! This is something I said I would never do. One morning I woke up and decided it was something I NEEDED to do. I invested in a fabulous mindset coach who really helped me look inside of myself. I started working on what mental blocks I was having and what makes my heart happy. Opening Salon Tone by Toni has truly been the best decision I’ve ever made. I have narrowed my focus down to the services I really to provide, bold hair color that can be natural or vivid. I can’t wait to execute the ideas I have in my head and share it with the world.

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?

Perseverance, continuing eduction, and kindness. I have been shot down too many times to count and I could have given up after the first, second, or tenth rejection… but I never did. Trying again and again has paid off for me. When one door closes, another opens but you never find that out if you don’t try to turn the handle. Life has a funny way of working out and that sentiment has to stay in your head when you’re feeling knocked down. Striving for more education is important in any industry. Expanded knowledge in your field can create so much confidence. Admitting you don’t know it all is growth and you’d be surprised how much you can learn from your peers. A quality you can’t really teach is kindness. Caring about the work you execute, the people you work with, & the clients you service. It’s a lost art to be kind but it’s essential to create trust and relationships with the people you work with. When you move with kindness and care, it does come back to you tenfold.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I would love to collaborate with local creatives! Photographers, models, other hairstylists, makeup artists, fashion designers, etc. Creating for fun is something I want to do more of and doing it with a team / having something to show for it is always more motivating. If you are interested in a collab, message me on instagram @toni_playswithcolor. Let’s help each others visions come to life!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://salontonebytoni.glossgenius.com
• Instagram: @toni_playwithcolor