Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Hiyama.
Hi Jamie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I wish I could say this is something I knew I always wanted to do but it wasn’t. I spent the vast majority of my working life, over 20 years, building a career in tech. Even my move to Austin was for work, to eventually become the Director of Customer Experience for a local tech company. By all accounts, I was successful and doing very well for myself. I had even conditioned myself to value overworking and felt anything short of burnout was a lack of commitment. High levels of stress allowed me to interpret unhappiness and anxiety as “normal”.
I kept thinking that all I needed was a small break. It was the end of the year, and I was headed home to Hawaii to spend time with my family and my father who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier that year. The entire start of that winter break was riddled in work problems. It became so problematic my entire family kept encouraging me to quit and move on. I decided that I needed a change and finally resigned. My dad even said “It’s about time. You need to start your own company and go back to working for yourself.”
After returning to Austin, I aggressively looked for a new workplace to call home. Much to my surprise, each time the interview went well and I received an offer, I would have an overwhelming sense of dread, anxiety, and sadness. I kept thinking about what my father told me and decided to take a few more months to consider my options.
After months of introspection and multiple conversations with those closest to me, I decided I was ready for a drastic change. To build something for myself instead of someone else. My dad had envisioned me starting my own tech company of sorts, but I decided I would do something entirely different; I would pursue my deep interest in Skincare.
Skincare has been a long-time obsession of mine; researching the histology and physiology of skin, helping people I knew by building skincare regimens to deal with their skin issues, and learning about the anatomy and functions of facial muscles. I grew up with a Korean mother who spent a lot of time, unrushed and with care, looking after her skin. It was also one of the few ways my older sister and I bonded. With so many positive feelings around skincare, at the age of 41, I left behind a 20+ year career in tech and enrolled in esthetics school and rebooted my career.
I loved school, most of it. After graduating, I would later become great friends with my instructor. I even met some amazing like-minded people, with whom I maintain close relationships with, but it wasn’t all great. I misjudged the dynamics of being back in school and underestimated the age and life difference between myself and many of the other younger students. This age gap led my younger colleagues to misunderstand me and my commitment and obsession with absolute excellence. My confidence built through years in tech, a veritable boys club, came across as arrogance. For every win I had there was always a loss. For every day I learned something, there was a problem lurking around the corner. I recognize the conflicts I dealt with were not just one way, I was also unwilling to adjust myself to get along with them.
While in school, I had to manage multiple trips back to Hawaii to see my father for the last time and to eventually lay him to rest. Being in school and driving towards new goals and a new career served as a powerful distraction to manage my grief. After graduating, I knew that I wouldn’t fit in well in a starting environment because of my experiences in school. With a strong background in entrepreneurship, startups, and small companies, I would have the proper foundation to launch straight into my own business as a solo esthetician. That matched with my keen attention to detail, my obsessive drive for mastery, my resolve to overcome any obstacle set before me, and my natural tendency to help those in need, I knew that I would be my best self by finally building my own company that would allow me to be in service to others.
As of today, I am a Business owner and Licensed Esthetician; I specialize in Facial Massage, Holistic Skin Therapy, and Korean Skincare. I feel fulfilled and revitalized in my career. I turn 45 this year and have never felt more positive and connected to my life, myself, and my people. My space is a place of sanctuary for those who come to see me. I serve as a mirror so others may also see their best selves.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The greatest struggle is managing doubt. Doubt that I chose the right path. That giving up my previous career was the right choice. When months are slow and bookings are down, or I’m not hitting my goals, I immediately look inward to see where I’m failing. It has been an exercise in patience, discipline, and kindness to refocus any energy I’m giving to self-defeating thinking into committing and doing the work. Just do the work and the rest will follow.
We’ve been impressed with Imaje Skin Ritual, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I have a holistic approach towards skincare. A lot of people mistake “holistic” with NON results driven or non-science driven skincare, but that is not the case. It simply means I take a complete approach to skin, this includes your stress, diet, environment, habits, and genetics. I believe in treating causes and not symptoms.
I specialize in and am known for Facial Massage and Korean Skincare.
My facial massages range from relaxation and tension release, myofascial release, manual lymphatic drainage, sculpting, lifting, draining, and toning, buccal massage, and emotional release. People are always really surprised how much of their life is carried in their face and head.
I work primarily with Korean skincare lines. Both South Korean and Korean American. While I do work with non-Korean brands, I primarily work with Korean brands. Everything I work with I have personally curated and used until empty to decide if it’s something I can stand by.
Skincare products can only do so much work for your skin. Your skin barrier is actually really good at keeping things out. Massage is a fundamental part of skincare and is necessary for even those who choose Botox and filler. Facial massage can improve the longevity and lesson the frequency. It prevents muscle atrophy and promotes graceful aging. It’s not a matter of this or that, it’s BOTH 🙂
If you like the look of healthy dewy hydrated skin to sit over relaxed and healthy facial muscles, come see me.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think there are a lot of words that mean similar things, Tenacity, Fearlessness, Grit, but I think while I may exhibit those things it’s more my ability to shape my perspective and resee failure. Failure is not something to avoid, it’s something to drive towards because it allows you to reinvent and improve. I’m good at figuring things out in the face of adversity.
Contact Info:
- Email: jamie@imajeskinritual.
com - Website: https://
imajeskinritual.com - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/imajeskinritual/ - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/imajeskinritual - Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/
biz/imaje-skin-ritual-austin - Other: https://www.vagaro.com/
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