Connect Who or what is your inspiration in business?

My greatest inspiration is my mother. As an only child, I help care for her while building my career, often working from 6am until 2am. Watching her strength through illness taught me resilience, faith, and perseverance. Our family is small now, and tragedies like my 13 year old cousin being shot three times remind me how fragile life is. My work is about more than beauty. It is about creating opportunity, stability, and hope for the community that raised me.

How do you stay motivated?

Motivation has not always come easy. I have faced grief, depression, and moments where I considered returning to traditional work with my degree or going back to graduate school. But every time someone sits in my chair, I remember my purpose. As the Beauté Therapist, I create a space where people can feel confident, heard, and valued. Helping others feel beautiful has become my way of healing while serving my community.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use the $25,000 to begin building a beauty and barber training program for troubled youth in my community. Beauty school can cost over $25,000, which many families cannot afford. My goal is to partner with local leaders, school based therapists, and community organizations to provide training, mentorship, and prevention programs. I want these young people to earn their GED or diploma, learn a billion dollar trade, and build careers instead of being lost to the streets.