We recently connected with Christina Freiborg and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christina, 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?
I think it is super important to remember that everything happens for a reason. When you can let go of the idea that you might not need to know that reason at that moment, it makes it easier to perservere. I have found that the times I accomplished the most in life were right after strong periods of uncomfortable situations or painful experiences. Without those painful experiences, I might not have had any reason to change the way I did something or looked for an opportunity to grow through it. I am a solid believer that we are given what we need to be successful. I wasn’t made to have a mundane life, and so my hardest experiences have all been a part of that journey.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have spent the last almost 10 years of my life in various roles of the skincare industry. I started as an employed esthetician at a local spa where I discovered my love of educating clients on how to better take care of themselves. I eventually went on to teach other estheticians these same skills as a teacher, as well as an account manager for an award-winning microchanneling device company- Procell Therapies. Throughout all of these positions, the same concept stuck with me. That is, I LOVE the a-ha moments when my client, or student finally gains the knowledge to help themselves.
I originally opened by renting a room out of a salon as a solo project, just wanting to help those around me. I was fortunate enough to find some really valuable friends and talented people along the way. I added two more estheticians and partnered up with a wax specialist who shared in my goals and mission.
I expanded my private studio last February with these additional specialists, with the entire concept surrounded by empowerment, education, and instilling confidence in those around us. Authenticity is extremely important, and we have found a fantastic balance between having incredible skincare treatments, but with a very relaxed and welcoming environment that makes our clients feel completely at ease.
I recognize that when a person speaks with you about their skin concerns, it comes from a place of vulnerability. And in order to honor that, we need to meet them with a place of full acceptance and care. My goal is that every single person that I get to work with, comes out of the experience with a new level of confidence and appreciation for themselves. No client is just a number and each person we meet has different needs to get there.
Our studio is truly special and different than any other spa or skincare clinic I have ever been in. It radiates positivity and our services are truly designed to be next level in skincare.
I still currently also train and teach through my partnership with Procell Therapies, and will be offering continuing education classes to other Minnesota Estheticians this fall through the Salon and Spa Professional Association. I believe that by working alongside and with other estheticians in my area, it keeps me current and helps me share my vision on a larger scale.
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?
When I went to beauty school, I had a very important teacher who told me three very valuable ways to go about my career.
The first was to fake it until I make it. And I did, for a very long time. I went into everything I did as if I had done it a million times before, even if I felt a little nervous about it. This gave me the ability to avoid a lot of the nervousness that comes from just not trusting yourself. I approached every situation/lesson as if I had done it/learned it a million times.
I believe that success is 50% of what we do and 50% of what we allow ourselves to do. Getting out of our own heads, can help push us farther than WE think we can go. Confidence is so vital to success.
The second thing she told me, was to work smarter and not harder. To find solutions in life that make our problems easier to overcome. By thinking outside the box, we find ways to overcome things so much faster and that leaves room to address everything else that comes up. I never let myself stay in one problem for too long.
The final and MOST important thing that she taught me was to always ask forgiveness, rather than permission. I truly believe that there are certain levels of success that are not achievable by playing it safe. I learned to go for what I want, ruthlessly and without hesitation. Sometimes that can get me in sticky situations but when it works, it works TREMENDOUSLY and in ways that I could never imagine.
I learned to trust in myself and to think outside the box and to push boundaries from this teacher and I truly believe it got me to where I am today- which is completely fulfilled and thriving in my career that I absolutely love!
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
This is actually the biggest hurdle for me. Since I have taken on expanding my business with employees, teaching classes, and still working for Procell Therapies I have taken on a HEAVY load of work. Burnout is a VERY real thing and I can always tell when I am starting to slip into autopilot.
I try to schedule myself days for myself, and sometimes weeks for myself to step back and re-connect with the outside world. I travel as much as I can, even if it is short distances just to remind myself about the bigger world. It is easy for me, as a workaholic to completely forget that anything exists outside of my projects. So forcing myself to step away from time to time helps me take care of myself and look at things more from a distance.
If you don’t take care of yourself, you can NOT take care of your business or anyone else. I don’t look at vacations as a privilege, I look at them as a necessity in business. I notice that every time I step away from all of it for a few days, I come back with so much creativity that I can barely contain it. I think that taking breaks is essential to growing your business and coming up with new ideas to grow farther.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tinarachelle.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tinarachelle.mn
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/tinarachelleaesthetics
Image Credits
Megan Stezka Photography
