We’re looking forward to introducing you to Shellie Vega. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Shellie, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A day in the life of a working mom usually looks like an early morning wake up call either from my daughter or one of my dogs. Once we are up we hit the ground running. I get the breakfast made, lunch packed and out the door to drop my little one off school. Then if I’m lucky and have a free 30 Minute window I’ll go for a walk and head straight to the salon. I typically work from 9am to 3pm then head out to pick my daughter up. We sit in traffic as we head home then get dinner going, bath time and a much needed moment to relax at the end of the day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Shellie Vega, you can find me at shell.vega on social media. An Austin, Texas based hair artist specializing in creative color and also a Global educator with Danger Jones Creative. I’ve taught at hair salons and Armstrong McCall stores all around Texas and had the pleasure of educating on stage at one Of the biggest hair shows in the United States. Ever since working with Danger Jones the opportunities have been flowing and one experience I will forever be grateful for was getting the opportunity to travel out of the county to go on Tour with the owners David and Alexis Thurston and Kelly O from Canada. A literal dream come true and such an iconic moment in my career !
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
To be honest I feel like I’ve always been the one to truly see me and my highest potential even when no one else did. When I embarked on my journey in the hair industry I felt like no one in my family saw my vision. I went the traditional college route for 2 years and was unhappy and unfulfilled because I didn’t have a clear path but something shifted when I stepped foot into that cosmetology school for a tour. I felt like I had walked into my future and I could see it, I was excited and felt like an immediate fire was sparked. I discussed with my parents my interest in hair school just to be knocked
Down. I had to convince them that this was
My path and I was The one who would be living my life working in an industry that I felt I could love. After many countless conversations they agreed to
Help me financially but I tell you what it took my dad 10 years of me being a hairstylist to finally stop asking me when I was going back to college and say he was proud of me after all my accomplishments. Throughout those years I never gave up I kept pushing I stayed determined because I felt like I had something to prove. But I continued to believe in myself despite everything and now everything I do is to make myself proud, which is how I’ve gotten this far in my life and career.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
I feel like growing up I wasn’t truly heard or seen let alone able to show emotion without it being seen as a negative thing. All those things really affected me growing up as a teenager and well into my 20s. I would find ways to numb to not truly feel my emotions and allow boundaries to be crossed because I wasn’t able to clearly communicate my needs. It wasn’t until having my daughter where everything changed. She came into my life for a reason to show me all the truths about me
That I really needed to bring to the surface and work on. It hasn’t been an easy journey but I’ve been healing, working through the triggers and removing the things in my life that no longer serve me. Every day I feel so blessed to get to work on being the best version of myself and to be the adult in her life that I always needed. The parent that takes accountability, the one that listens, and allows her feel her emotions and validate them all while regulating my nervous system and keeping calm in moment of stress.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is really only the highlights of my life. What people
Don’t see are the real every day struggles of being a single working parent and the hard moments of being on a healing journey. Unless you’re one Of my good Friends or you’ve sat in my chair you truly have no clue the depths of Who I really am. I am just a sensitive soul who yearns to be loved and understood. I am a very private person when it comes to my personal life and I like to keep what I share for the world to see more surface level.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
The relationship we’ve built would absolutely be missed on both ends. My clients are like family and we’ve grown such a bond over the years. They’ve seen me
In different stages of my Life and to retire and leave them behind would absolutely be crushing !
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @shell.vega
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shellvegahair
- Other: TikTok: @shell.vega
Image Credits
Portrait of me:
Eli Suarez
@fujicvlt.raw
