Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Early.
Hi Michelle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I didn’t take a straight path into esthetics, and I think that is a big part of what makes Belle La Vie Esthetics and Wellness what it is today.
My story of independence and resilience began long before I became a business owner. I spent part of my childhood in foster care and eventually aged out of the system. Being placed in foster care was, in many ways, one of the greatest mercies of my life. I believe it was the intervention my higher power gave me that ultimately rewrote the trajectory of my life.
Foster care gave me an opportunity for something different. It showed me that where we begin does not have to determine where we end up, and that sometimes the thing that changes our life may not look like a blessing when it first arrives. That experience shaped my independence, my resilience, and my ability to create stability even when there wasn’t always a blueprint for what came next.
I carried that lesson into adulthood: no matter what chapter you find yourself in, your story can still be rewritten. You can create something new. You can choose a different direction. And sometimes the most unexpected turns in our lives become the very ones that lead us toward who we were meant to become.
Before entering the beauty and wellness industry, I spent years in the music industry. That world taught me a lot about people, relationships, creativity, resilience, and what it looks like to keep going in environments that can be incredibly demanding. Eventually, I found myself being pulled toward something that felt more personal and purposeful—helping people feel good in their own skin.
Becoming a Licensed Esthetician opened that door, but oncology training completely changed the way I looked at skincare. I began to understand just how much the skin can be affected by what is happening physically and emotionally within a person, especially during cancer treatment. Skincare stopped being simply about appearance for me. It became about comfort, dignity, confidence, human connection, and helping someone recognize themselves again during a difficult season of life.
That philosophy became the foundation of Belle La Vie Esthetics and Wellness. I wanted to create something intentional—a space where people are treated as whole human beings rather than just another appointment on the schedule. My approach is holistic, individualized, and rooted heavily in integrity. I want my clients to know that I will always be honest about what their skin needs, what it doesn’t need, and what is appropriate for them.
Interestingly, life has also brought my background in music full circle. Today, I’m finding ways to bridge the two worlds that have shaped so much of my life: music and wellness. Through what I affectionately call The Raving Esthetician, I want to create restorative spaces for people in the music community as well—particularly artists and industry professionals who spend so much time pouring energy into everyone else.
Giving back is also very important to me. I love volunteering and am always looking for ways to be a kind heart and source of comfort for my oncology beauties, while also using my own experience in foster care to advocate for children in the system who may not have anyone in their corner. I am always looking for opportunities to become more involved and would love to be even more hands-on in both areas as I continue growing personally and professionally.
Belle La Vie Esthetics and Wellness has continued to evolve as I have evolved. At its core, though, the mission has stayed very simple: I want people to feel seen, cared for, safe, and more confident when they leave my space than when they entered it.
When I look back, there is a common thread through every chapter of my life: learning how to take what I have been given and create something meaningful from it. From being placed in foster care, to working in the music industry, to completely changing careers and eventually building a business of my own, I have learned that starting somewhere unexpected does not limit where you are capable of going.
I’m still building, still learning, and still dreaming bigger. But I’m incredibly proud that what began as a career change has grown into something that feels deeply connected to who I am, what I have lived through, the people I hope to advocate for, and the kind of impact I want to have on my community.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Like many small business owners, one of the biggest challenges has simply been navigating the economy. When people are watching every dollar they spend, skincare and wellness can sometimes be viewed as a luxury rather than an important part of taking care of yourself.
One of my biggest professional challenges has actually been education—helping people understand the importance of skin health. Our skin is the largest organ of the body, and it can reflect so much of what is happening with our overall health and well-being. Skincare is not simply about vanity or trying to look younger. It is about protecting and supporting an organ that works for us every single day. I think changing the way people think about skincare is one of the most important parts of what I do.
That understanding has also become deeply personal for me. I have navigated my own health challenges, including autoimmune disease and the hormonal shifts that come with this season of life. Experiencing changes in my own body and skin has given me an entirely different level of empathy for clients who suddenly feel like they no longer recognize what their skin is doing.
At the same time, I have been navigating some major personal transitions—becoming an empty nester and beginning the healing process after narcissistic abuse. There is something very humbling about building a business while also rebuilding parts of yourself.
Those experiences have changed me, but I believe they have also made me better at what I do. I understand what it feels like when your body changes, when your identity shifts, when life looks completely different from what you expected, and when you have to learn who you are again.
I could have allowed some of those experiences to harden me. Instead, I have worked very intentionally to become softer while also becoming stronger, more discerning, and more grounded in myself. That journey has shaped Belle La Vie Esthetics and Wellness just as much as my professional education has.
It has taught me that sometimes skincare is not really just about skin. Sometimes it is one small part of helping someone feel like themselves again—and that is something I understand on a very personal level.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work is centered around intentional touch, skin health, and creating a space where people genuinely feel safe, seen, and cared for. As a licensed esthetician with oncology training, I approach skincare with an understanding that every person—and every body—comes with a different story. I never want someone to feel like they are simply another appointment on my schedule.
One of the things I am most known for is my touch. I am very intentional about the energy I bring into the treatment room and the way I care for my clients. There is something incredibly powerful about safe, compassionate human touch, especially for someone who may be navigating illness, stress, changes in their body, or simply a season of life when they need somewhere to exhale.
I also have a side of my life that people may not expect from an esthetician—I rave. The rave community has become an important part of my life, and I have incorporated the PLURR mentality of Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, and Responsibility into the philosophy behind my practice. To me, those values belong just as much in a treatment room as they do on a dance floor. People deserve to feel welcomed without judgment, respected, safe, and free to be themselves.
My oncology training is another part of my work that I am especially proud of. Working with individuals whose skin and bodies may be changing because of cancer treatment requires additional education, awareness, compassion, and responsibility. Being able to provide an experience where someone can feel cared for and perhaps feel a little more like themselves again is incredibly meaningful to me.
What sets Belle La Vie Esthetics and Wellness apart is that I am not interested in creating an assembly-line experience. I believe skincare should be personal. I pay attention. I listen. I educate. I meet people where they are, and I am honest about what I believe will—and will not—benefit their skin.
Ultimately, I want people to leave my space with more than better-looking skin. I want them to leave feeling lighter, more confident, more connected to themselves, and knowing that for the time they were with me, they were genuinely cared for.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
There are absolutely people who deserve credit for the role they have played in both my personal growth and the building of Belle La Vie Esthetics and Wellness. I have learned that success may have one person’s name attached to it, but there are often many people standing behind that person, encouraging them to keep going.
My best friend, Leslie, deserves her flowers. She has believed in me, challenged me, encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, and reminded me to trust the parts of myself that make me different. She is the person who took me to my first rave, introducing me to a community and culture that unexpectedly became incredibly meaningful in my life. She also encouraged me to take the leap of faith and fully embrace The Raving Esthetician as part of my personal brand. She helped me understand that I didn’t have to separate the esthetician, the entrepreneur, and the woman who loves music and rave culture. Those pieces could coexist, and embracing them authentically has become part of what sets me and my business apart.
My grandmother also deserves an enormous amount of credit. Her influence helped shape the foundation of the woman I am today. Strength and resilience are things I learned very early in life, and she remains an important part of where that comes from for me.
My relationship with family has not always been traditional. I spent part of my childhood in foster care and eventually aged out of the system, so having a built-in support system was never something I could automatically take for granted. Because of that, I have developed an incredibly deep appreciation for my chosen family—the friends who have chosen to love me, encourage me, celebrate me, and stand beside me through different seasons of my life.
I am equally grateful for my adopted family and for the select members of my biological family who have intentionally chosen to support me and stand behind what I am building. Their encouragement matters. When you know what it feels like to navigate parts of life without everyone you expected to have beside you, you learn not to overlook the people who consistently show up.
My daughter deserves to be mentioned as well, because she is one of the reasons I continue pushing myself to grow. I want her to see that no matter where you are in life, you are allowed to create a new one. You can change direction, rebuild, start over, take the risk, and become someone you are proud of—even when doing so is scary. I want her to see what resilience looks like in real life. I want to be an example of a strong woman, not because I have never struggled, but because I keep choosing to get back up, heal, grow, and move forward.
I’ve also been fortunate to have people who have supported my vision in ways that aren’t always visible. Whether through encouragement, resources, advice, or simply believing in what I am building, those contributions have helped me continue moving Belle La Vie Esthetics and Wellness forward. I’m grateful for every form that support has taken along the way.
And finally, my clients deserve credit. Every person who books an appointment, refers someone to me, trusts me with their skin, shares my business, or comes back to see me is helping me build this dream. Their trust gives me the opportunity to continue doing work that is deeply meaningful to me.
I have come to understand that support can look very different depending on who is giving it. Sometimes it is someone pushing you to take the risk. Sometimes it is providing resources or guidance. Sometimes it is simply a person reminding you that they believe in you when you are questioning yourself. I am incredibly grateful for the people who have chosen to stand behind me. Belle La Vie Esthetics and Wellness is something I am building, but I would never pretend I have built it entirely alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bellelavieesthetics.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theravingesthetician
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1976zVPvke/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bellelavieskinspa
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5GpuP8lGaqwVTMs5YEM04M
Image Credits
Jess Sutten
