How to Succeed as a Beauty Professional: Why Leadership and Politics Matter More Than You Think

Posted on July 1st, 2025. 

When people think of beauty professionals, they often think of flawless nails, trending styles, or the magic of transformation. But what most people don’t see is the advocacy, leadership, and boldness it takes to create a lasting impact in this industry—especially if you’re building from scratch, breaking barriers, and speaking for those who aren’t often invited to the table.

Let me take you behind the polish and lashes for a moment.

The Politics of Beauty

In November 2024, I joined the Axis Leadership Program—and to be honest, it made me uncomfortable at first. It was a room full of professionals I didn’t know: community organizers, city partners, and people who had degrees and big titles. And then there was me, the only beauty professional in the room.

I didn’t go to college like most of them. I went to beauty college. And yes, people say that’s a trade school, but they never really stop to ask what we actually learn. They don’t know that we spend over 500 hours learning general anatomy, chemistry, and infection control. They don’t know we’re trained in sanitation, ethics, and even state law. They don’t know because no one tells them.

So sitting in that room didn’t feel natural at first. But I knew deep down—it was time. I wasn’t just trying to master a skill anymore. I was ready to challenge the system that governs it.

That program didn’t just teach me how politics works—it showed me that I have a voice, and that voice can impact the future of my salon, my students, and this entire industry. It opened my eyes to the reality that the beauty laws we live by were written years ago by people who’ve never worked a day in our world. Yet here we are, still trying to build dreams around outdated rules.

By stepping into spaces like that, I didn’t just network. I built relationships with community leaders—people who believed in my mission and were willing to introduce me to legislators who could stand behind a bill when the time comes. That’s how change starts.

We’re taught how to do nails, lashes, brows—but no one teaches us how to write proposals, change policies, or advocate for better learning conditions. We don’t learn how to speak up, and we definitely don’t learn how to fix the system that we’re forced to navigate.

And it raises some real questions:

• Why can’t licensed beauty instructors open just a manicuring or aesthetics school without jumping through hoops meant for full cosmetology programs?
• Why is the curriculum so outdated, and why does no one in power seem to care that it doesn’t reflect modern-day beauty trends, technology, or client needs?
• And why is the governor the one appointing the people on the state board, when it should be the beauty professionals who actually live this every day?

These are the kinds of questions I’m learning how to ask out loud—and how to back them up with action.

Healing While Leading

Shortly after Axis, I applied for something called A Seat at the Table. I thought it would just be about connections. What I didn’t expect was how deeply healing it would be. It gave me the tools to overcome the insecurities I didn’t even know I was carrying.

I realized that being the only one in the room representing beauty doesn’t mean I’m out of place—it means I’m paving the way. I’m not just sitting at that table for myself. I’m holding space for the thousands of beauty professionals who are too busy working 10-hour shifts, who were never taught how policy works, who think that changing the law is for someone else.

This journey helped me understand that I am enough, my experience matters, and my story deserves to be heard. I’ve learned to trust my voice—and now I use it to make room for others.

From Nail Tables to the Statehouse

This year, I took it even further and was accepted into the International Leadership Academy, powered through the Immigrant Welcome Center and the Mayor’s Office of International and Latino Affairs. This program is taking place inside the Indiana Statehouse—the very place where laws are written.

I’m not here just to listen. I’m here to make history.

Being in that building, knowing that I could help influence the future of beauty education, gives me chills. It’s no longer about just growing my business or launching a school. It’s about reform. It’s about legacy. It’s about ensuring that the next generation of beauty professionals doesn’t have to fight as hard just to be seen, heard, or licensed.

Final Words

Leadership doesn’t always look like a podium and a microphone. Sometimes, it looks like being the only beauty professional in a boardroom full of officials. Sometimes, it looks like writing bills after hours or walking into rooms that were never meant for you—but showing up anyway.

So if you’re reading this and wondering where to start, start by showing up. Apply for that leadership program. Speak at that town hall. Talk about what’s missing in our schools and curriculums. Share your experience as a nail tech, an esthetician, a barber. Because your story is powerful, and the laws that shape your career are changeable—but only if we change them.

The future of beauty is bold, bilingual, and unafraid to get political.