Description
In this episode, we sit down with Yessenia, a dedicated Barber student at Tricoci University, who shares her inspiring journey of growth, learning, and building confidence in the beauty industry. Yessenia opens up about the challenges she faced, the skills she gained, and how her experience at Tricoci University helped her unlock new opportunities in her career. Whether you’re an aspiring barber or someone looking for motivation, this episode offers valuable insights into perseverance and passion.
Social
Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@lady_curls
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lady__curls/
Show Notes
– Introduction to Yessenia and her background
– Why she chose Tricoci University for her Barber studies
– Key challenges she faced and how she overcame them
– Memorable moments that shaped her confidence and skills
– Advice for aspiring barbers and beauty professionals
– Reflections on her journey and future career aspirations
– Key takeaways about resilience, passion, and growth
Links
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzE_DfutYcs
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0CX5SeVRkWbFvEf1PJAWZS
Transcript
We are here to make people feel good about themselves.
We really have to feel like we are a day maker for the guest
you’ve made my day.
How great is that when you hear those words from your guest.
I am David Dolce and welcome to the Day Maker podcast.
Today I have the privilege
of interviewing Yesenia. How are you?
Good, thank you. Thank you so much for having
Me. Of course. When
I knew we’d be doing these,
you were the first person that I called.
I was so excited. Um, thank you
for always keep in touch with me.
Mm-hmm. I’m really lucky that I got to see your journey.
These beautiful curls that you got rocking, um,
from your shaved head.
You did during goodness too. Oh my
Goodness. Remind me.
So I was, I was going through, uh, uh,
my pictures the other day and I was like, oh my goodness.
I had red hair, I had blue hair, I had green hair.
I had a taper fade.
That’s beauty school. Yes.
I would tell people in admissions that like,
your hair’s gonna start down here.
Mm-hmm. Like your waist,
but then it’s gonna get chop, chop chopped,
and by the time you leave, you’re gonna have a bob.
No, they warned me. They were like,
when you start barber school, do not cut your hair.
Do not, you have beautiful hair. And I was, I didn’t listen.
It’s, I Mean, it does,
It’s, they’re just saying if you hang out at the barber
shop, you’re gonna get a haircut. Mm-hmm.
You’re gonna get chopped, chopped up.
So you are one of our alumnis. Yes.
Obviously of coached university.
I already know, but tell everybody that’s listening.
What campus did you go to?
I went to the one on Harlem in Chicago, Illinois. Yes.
And, um, I was there for over what?
Like, it was the part-time program.
So thank God they had that back then.
That was important for you, right? Mm-hmm.
I had a child around the time
that I was going to school. I
Know, I know. So,
like, explain that to me.
The flexibility of having that part-time program,
how that did help you.
What a day in your life looked like. Ooh,
It was busy, busy, busy every day.
That’s why I had no time for my hair.
So I was okay with chopping it off.
It saved me a couple hours of maintenance
and trying to look good for the day.
So yeah, it was getting up early in the morning,
making my kids breakfast,
and then my child, sorry, one child back then I got two now.
Yay. But, um, yeah, getting up, getting ready, taking my son
to daycare, going to school
after going to school, go to work
after going to work, come back home, make dinner, make sure
that my son is okay going to bed,
get him ready for bed and everything.
It was just like, it was very hectic for like a year
and a half, but I’m so glad that they had
that, that program.
Yes. The dedication. Yeah.
So many times I wanted to just,
ugh, I can’t do this anymore.
But, you know, that’s when I cut my hair
and it gave me an extra time.
Look at you now. It gave me extra time. Yeah.
So I’m sure you’ve done a lot of stuff in your life.
I follow you. I know you
and I just know you’re
so creative on so many different levels.
What made you choose the beauty industry?
Honestly, it was, I guess it just,
it runs in the family, you know?
Really. There’s a barber that, I have a cousin barber.
He’s in Puerto Rico, another cousin Barber in, um,
Massachusetts in Florida,
and then another one in, um, my sister,
my older, my younger sister.
She’s also a barber here in Chicago.
That is insane.
So I, I guess that’s one of the mo you know, one
of the reasons why, you know, so it’s just something that
you wanted to be more independent mm-hmm.
And you wanted to work for yourself instead of, uh,
working for a company that doesn’t really appreciate you.
Yeah. At that time, you know, it’s, it was just like, okay,
I want more time with my children or my child,
but I, I don’t know how to balance it with working
with a company that isn’t not gonna give you the times
that you need to be able to spend with your family.
It’s true. It allows tons of flexibility
to spend with your family.
Definitely. And do whatever you wanna do.
So that, that’s a great thing. Mm-hmm.
I remember when I worked at Floyd’s,
I worked, uh, three to 10.
Wow. So every morning I lived in Rogers Park.
I go to the beach, sit there for a minute. Wow. That’s
That’s lovely. Yeah.
My zen moment and I’m like, this is great.
This is why I do what I do. Yes. It’s cool. Okay.
So you had a bunch of options, right? Mm-hmm.
There’s a lot of barber schools out there. Mm-hmm.
Why did you choose to coach university
and how do you think choosing
Traci really helped shape your life?
Other than meeting myself? Oh,
So, you know what’s crazy?
The first day that I went to OSA University,
I was just there because my sister was having
to sign some paperwork
and she was like, Hey sis, you wanna come with me today?
I gotta go do this in osa. And I was like, okay, sure.
Why not? Let’s go. I got nothing to do. So I went there.
Um, I was looking around, I was just amazed.
I was like, whoa, what is this? This is very interesting.
You know, like, this is amazing.
And then I was just asking questions about financial aid,
about the scheduling and all of that,
and I was just like, sign me in.
So I signed up the same day that I went with my sister.
That is insane. And I knew nothing about cutting hair.
I knew nothing about, you know,
what I was getting myself into.
I just knew that right there in that moment,
I was signing up these papers
to start barber school at that moment. That
Is crazy. I didn’t know that.
That Is nuts. That is different.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. So you were like all over the place.
Mm-hmm. Personality, bubbly.
And some like barber schools are just
independent barber schools.
Yes. But you chose a barber school
that also has a cosmetology program Yes.
And an aesthetics program in the same building. Yes.
Do you think that changed your career path in any way?
Getting to network with all these different types of people?
Honestly, or learned a little bit of this and that?
I love the fact that I learned so much more with,
you know, with dermatology and, and even the hair color,
because I never knew anything about that.
Like I said, and Zi has like the best teachers
that were able to help me mm-hmm.
Without being scared to ask questions.
They were, they were always trying to be like, okay, if you,
if you need help with anything, don’t be scared to ask.
And that was one thing that I,
I’ve never been scared to ask.
I was a little nervous asking some teachers
that weren’t my barber teachers.
Mm-hmm. Certain things on how, how to learn things.
But that’s how I learned how to do color.
That’s how I learned how to do braids.
That’s how I learned how to fade.
So it was, it was just a bunch of different things
that I wasn’t scared to go up to a teacher
and be like, how do you do this?
Even, even the aesthetics. Mm-hmm.
Whenever we were, we were in barber school,
but we were still learning how to do facials
for our clients, potential clients
that wanted facials at the barbershop.
So not only that, we’d learn nails, you know,
we learned how to clean the nails.
Yeah. We learned how to fade.
We learned how to cut long hair, short hair, bobs,
uh, color, everything.
It was just, it was not just cutting hair.
It’s true in admissions.
Like, I made a huge point
for my barber students that were enrolling.
Like, you’re gonna be learning color, everything.
Men’s sports, manicures, barber, chair side, facials.
Mm-hmm. Like, you’re literally learning
everything, which is huge.
Yes. You never want anybody to sit in somebody else’s chair.
Like you can only fade them up,
but they’re going to somebody else to get a wax.
Right. Exactly. Or a color or perms.
I see all these guys getting perms
Now. Oh yeah. Perms. Yeah. That’s
in, you know, how to do it.
That’s in right now. That’s entering
Now that’s fun too, to watch
the barbers come into the school.
Some are like all into color
and it’s just cool to see those transitions,
how their mindsets change.
Yeah. And they really dive deep in these other
aspects of the beauty industry.
Mm-hmm. Definitely. I love it.
So it’s a commitment, it’s an investment. Mm-hmm.
Was the investment of the time
and your money worth it for this program? Definitely.
Most definitely. No question about it.
Because honestly, um, when you invest in yourself,
that’s when you’re gonna be able to see
your future come together.
Pieces by pieces.
It’s like a little puzzle that you’re just like, okay,
this is one puzzle that I have to put in order for my life
to be the way, you know, you want it to be,
but you don’t know ex you don’t expect it
to go the way you want it to go.
It’s gonna go the way you don’t expect it,
but you still have the, I don’t know how to explain it.
The, um, the piece of the puzzle that you need in order
to fulfill everything that you want. I
Love that there’s students that want to give up
’cause they’re like, need to work
or this, that, and the other thing.
And I’m like, this, finish this, this is the means.
Like you’re saying the puzzle piece. Mm-hmm.
To get you what you want in the future. Yeah.
And that’s big. I like the way that you put that.
There’s, there’s a, there’s a lot of people
that give up on things, um, when they start.
And my mom was always used, she always used to tell me,
don’t start something and not finish it.
You know, don’t be that person.
So I was always thinking that.
My older sister was always, you know, if I was trying
to give up on cutting hair
or going to barber school, and she was like, come on.
Like, you started it just, you know, you’re almost there.
You got this, you know, just push through.
And it was always my mom
and my older sister, Ruby,
she was always telling me like, don’t give up.
Don’t give up. And my and my other older sister, Diana,
she was telling me too.
I mean, and you did it and you did it big time. Right?
So I follow you on social media. Yeah.
You have a ton of followers. Yeah. You are so funny.
You are so motivational.
Like, you get everything for like,
you just pour into my soul.
So tell me a little bit, how did you have all
those followers before?
Did you build that off your barbering career? I did.
How did you do it? How did you end up just working
for yourself, doing your own thing?
So it all started with, um,
there was a Gary V video that I was watching.
And, um, it spoke to me. He spoke to me.
It felt like nobody was around. It was just for me. Yes.
But he was like, if you have a business
and you’re trying to grow the way to grow right now,
at the moment, back then was when TikTok was starting.
Mm-hmm. And I, I always thought about TikTok
and I’m like, man, like TikTok ain’t nothing like people.
It is just another distraction, blah, blah, blah, blah.
I was always making excuse until I watched
that Gary v video.
He was like, if you have TikTok
and you’re not using it, basically you’re, you’re dummy.
You know, like, what are you doing?
Use that to your advantage.
This is, this platform is gonna grow. And he was right.
It grew like crazy.
So I started posting videos every single day.
Me cutting hair, me cutting hair, me cutting hair.
And one of my first viral viral vari videos.
After, um, after that video went crazy, I started getting
so many followers, so many clients, so many followers.
And it was just the cycle.
I was like, the more I post, the more clients I get,
the more exposure I get.
So it just, it was just consistency
and trying to keep going with, with what you’re doing.
I mean, you’re like at the a hundred thousand mark, like,
Like that?
No. Yeah. I was going live every single day,
cutting people’s hair every single day. Every single day.
Like I said, you’re so funny.
You’re not afraid to be yourself on those.
’cause I’m like, that’s, that’s the Yesenia I know.
Like, she’s not trying to be somebody she’s not.
Like that’s who it is. It’s so genuine.
That’s one thing that I learned about myself throughout
these years was since I’ve moved so much, I’ve always tried
to fit in into different groups in order to make friends.
Mm-hmm. But I could never make friends.
’cause I was always like the black sheep.
I was like, you know, the one that was bullied,
the one that was Yes.
You know, pushed to the side.
The one that was chosen last, you know, like
for a team, I can relate.
I was like, you know what? I can’t fit in with nobody,
so I’m just gonna be myself.
’cause at the end of the day, nobody’s gonna live your life.
Nobody’s gonna pay your bills, nobody’s gonna save you.
So might as well just do things that I love.
Since this lifespan isn’t even that long.
We got up to tell me about hundred, hundred years if that.
You know what I’m saying? So
If you’re lucky. Yes.
Yeah. And it goes so fast, if
We’re lucky The older you get.
So I’m just enjoying what I love to do.
Like right now I’m trying to learn how to, what, what is it?
Um, you know, the jump rope. But yes. With two
People, the double Dutch, double Dutch,
I trying to learn how to double Dutch,
because that’s something that I wanted
to do when I was a kid.
And I’m like, you know what? It’s something
simple, but it’s still fun.
Oh, I don’t think that’s simple. It looks so hard.
Okay. Well, yeah. You know, you’re right. You’re right.
It’s not simple, but it’s something when you think about
it, it’s like, oh my goodness.
You know? And it looks so simple. Yeah.
People just jump into that and they do it.
You said something funny about not fitting in.
Well, not funny, but interesting to me
because I felt like that too.
And I wonder if that’s how a lot of creative people feel.
I think it, it is because we’re quirky and different. Yes.
I never felt like I fit in anywhere. Mm-hmm.
And I remember getting into the beauty industry.
I was like, this is where all the misfits get to go. Yes.
And being around creative people and weird
and quirky people like myself.
Definitely. Sometimes it can be interesting. Mm-hmm.
Because you’re getting used to people’s personalities. Yeah.
Right. But that’s like part of life. Mm-hmm.
Like, that’s the beauty of it. Yeah.
I, I think that’s what helps us
grow a little bit more though.
You know, being, being pushed to the side,
we’re like, you know what?
We could’ve, we could’ve handle anything that comes at us.
Yes. At the end of the day. Why?
Because we went through it when we were younger. Yeah.
So true. We’re Stronger people.
Some people do need to get bullied.
I, I would never change my life for what it was.
It’s true. I’m fine. Like, I’m okay now. It Okay.
I always say, I always wrote in journals
and I look back on them
and I’m like, oh my God,
somebody could tell this poor little kid. It’ll be
Okay. It okay
If I could do this all over?
Um, definitely. But if you could do this all over. Yeah.
Beauty school day one. Mm-hmm.
What would you do differently?
What would you tell your yourself back then?
Hey, make sure you don’t miss any days. Make sure this, um,
Honestly, I think the way that I did go to school,
I think I would’ve just paid more attention to the book.
To the book. I don’t know. ’cause I, now,
I’m looking back in the book from, I still have my,
my lady’s book, the barber book.
And I’m like reading it
and I’m like, man, I, I did not know I learned this.
How did you know?
So I would pay more attention to the book
so I could be a little bit more knowledgeable.
Whenever people ask me base,
basically the scientific questions of the barber.
Mm-hmm. You know, I think that’s
what I would’ve been paying attention to more.
That’s the stuff that makes you look smart.
Because people, some people have a mis misconception.
Like, I’ll even tell I’m a teacher.
Where do you teach cosmetology. Oh.
Like, wait, what do you mean? Oh, like, I think it’s harder
to teach cosmetology.
Like I put a lot of effort into this and mm-hmm.
You have to have the knowledge, you have
to have the teaching skills.
Mm-hmm. I’m not just showing people how to cut hair.
We’re teaching life skills as well.
People getting along with different people. Yeah.
It’s a lot. Yeah. It’s a lot. It’s a lot.
So when I can throw out some field Glo, acid words,
these big words like, oh, what are you talking about?
This a perm, whatever. Mine was
Like the epidermis, dermis. I was like,
God, I didn’t know this word.
That’s awesome. It’s the big word. That’s a hard part.
Teach it. You’re just a cosmetologist.
You go to school and you’re like,
oh my God, I can’t look dumb.
I have to memorize all these words.
I put Google voice on there so I can learn everything.
But the more you teach, the more you observe
and you learn it yourself.
So it’s easier to teach the more you teach it.
It’s true. Like Ms. Laura Le, she knows
that book inside and Ouch.
She didn’t even look at that stuff anymore.
She’s been doing this so long.
Um, so we have three questions we
want to ask everybody, right?
Mm-hmm. Because it’s the day maker podcast.
So when did you realize that you actually have the power
to make somebody’s day?
When I would get random people come up to me
and tell me that I am the reason why they went
to barber school,
or even them messaging me, telling me that
because of you, you know,
you gave me a little bit more inspiration to keep going
and never co quit
and keep going to what my dreams and my goals.
So it’s when random people, strangers reach out to me
and tell me that because of me, they’re inspired
And that’s powerful.
I was like, what? Me?
Like, how, how can, uh, you know, how can somebody like me,
the bully girl, you know?
Yes. With pimples all over her face.
How can I be the one to inspire somebody else?
And you did what? That is powerful. Mm-hmm.
Then it keeps you going too. Right?
You’re like, this is why I do what I do.
Because you always want to give up on stuff.
It’s just human. Mm-hmm. But those are the things
that keep pushing you even in education.
But people would tell me that. I’m like, wow, why?
I was just this, I was just being drug addict, kid
that just grew up all messed up, decided to change his life
around and now I’m changing people’s lives.
Like, am I worthy of that? Wow. But now I’m like, I am.
Mm-hmm. And that does inspire me. That stuff keeps me going.
Great. Students like you, like you guys kept me going.
You helped me stay clean.
Like you met me at the beginning of all of that.
And you probably don’t even realize it. I never knew. Yes.
I never knew. So you guys inspire us too.
All your educators and everybody at to coach you we’re
so grateful for students like you. I swear to God,
I’m so happy that you never gave up hearing that.
And I’m happy that people never gave up on you.
Thank you. Yeah. They didn’t add some solid people in my
corner and Yeah.
Aw. I don’t wanna get all serious or anything. Yeah.
So those people, these people that you inspire,
how do you think that translate into their
everyday lives? Right.
I think, I think they’re taking it day by day instead
of overwhelming themselves with, you know,
everything in life.
’cause life could be overwhelming
every single day, you know?
Yes. You just gotta take a step back and, you know,
and con take care of the things that you can control
and let go of the things that you can’t.
That’s huge. The, if if you, if you overwhelm yourself
with things you can’t control, you’re just gonna go crazy.
It’s such a simple concept. Yeah. But it’s so hard.
You can control your, your, the way you feel.
You can control the way, you know, you act,
you know your actions towards the way people mistreat you.
Mm-hmm. You could, you could, you could control you.
You can’t control how people treat you.
So it’s, it’s just easier to just go day by day and,
and knowing just to be a little bit more chill.
Yep. I had to learn all of that. Mm-hmm.
We didn’t have this when you were a student.
We just incorporated this knob,
but we started something called the Vitality Project.
Okay. And it’s all about health and wellness.
How we take so much on is stylists and estheticians. Mm-hmm.
And how to breathing. Like all that need good stuff that you
Need to stay healthy Really saved my life.
And I’m glad we have that for our students. Yeah.
Because a lot of ’em struggle with mental health. Yes.
That’s why they’re not coming to school.
All these things, crazy stuff happening in their
lives. Sometimes
They need a little break. They
really do. That’s
All they need instead of, you know, bad thoughts,
just a little break, take some time to yourself
and then just realize that it’s all
gonna be okay at the end of the
Day. So you’re
the best example of this, right? Definitely.
All of this being a day maker, how do you think
that helps you build your clientele
and have personal relationships?
It’s all about that.
Yeah. I think building my, my clientele has to do with,
you know, I, I think just being authentic.
Just being you, you know, genuinely you, um,
people will come to see you just because of that.
And I don’t know, they’ll stay with you the more you
treat them like they are human.
Mm-hmm. Not like, as if they’re just another paycheck.
I tell my students, it’s a reason why somebody’s sitting
in your chair for the first time and that’s
because of the person before them didn’t like wow them.
Right. Make them wanna stay. So give ’em that extra push.
Be that day maker in their life. Yeah. And, uh, all that.
I wanna give you an opportunity, if you want to let us know
how we can see you on social media.
Okay. Yeah, for sure. ’cause it’s, it’s, it’s fun.
I love the social media.
So I am on, uh, social media
and Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.
Everything is lady curls.
It’s either either lady under curls or lady curls.
Just like that. But everywhere.
Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, Snapchat.
What’s Twitch? Twitch.
Just like a gaming. Gaming, um, live thing. Okay,
Cool. Learning everything.
Well
Everywhere. And YouTube.
Follow my YouTube.
You are everywhere. She’s funny. Everybody. She’s funny.
So I’m really happy that I had this
opportunity to interview you.
You’re one of my favorite people I’ve ever met.
Always cheery. Always just, you were there for everybody.
Um, so yeah, you made this a lot more comfortable for me. I
Know you made it comfortable.
I love you very much and I can’t wait to see
what you keep doing in the future.
See? Yeah. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.