Life & Work with Carla Jean

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Jean.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I picked up my first mannequin head as a freshman in high school when I left my parent’s house to go stay with my sister. I’ve had doing hair in my pocket ever since. After I graduated high school, I went on to get 3 degrees and certification in various health and sports fields but could never really find my purpose or I’d think things were going in a good direction and something unfortunate would happen. I was teaching and coaching in downtown ATL for two years, going through hell, and while on maternity leave, the principal (who is not the principal who hired me), reduced the program I was teaching, and I was stuck without income.

I ended up coming back to Birmingham to the job I initially left and commuting back and forth to Atlanta every two weeks. I’m applying for promotions, getting rejected, applying for promotions, getting rejected and right before COVID strikes, they terminate my entire department. So now I’m without a job again!! Did I mention I was seven months pregnant at the time? I dived full time into YouTube, content creating, and then here came doing hair. I was mainly just doing my hair for my channel, but then as I started posting more content and people saw the styles I was creating, people started asking me to do their hair and my clientele has increased ever since. So much so that I’m on pace to get licensed in June of 2021. Even with three kids, I haven’t really needed or wanted for much during this pandemic. A lot of people have a trade and can fall back on their degrees, I was the opposite— I have degrees and fell back on my trade and it’s been far more substantial, gratifying, and rewarding than any regular job I’ve ever had.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. I took a lot of losses. I used to play sports and I wonder all of the time what would have happened had I continued to play and how it would’ve changed the trajectory of my life. A lot of the hurdles I ran into maybe could’ve been avoided had I continued to play sports.

I’ve lost jobs, been terminated from jobs, been reduced from jobs. I’ve not been promoted for positions I know I’m perfectly, maybe overqualified to do. I’ve been without income and had newborns to care for. I’ve been in debt and owed banks money and not had it. I’ve had bad credit. I’ve been in counseling, have/had anxiety and depression. I feel better now on this side than I ever did working in a traditional 9-5. My mental health is better, I make my own schedule, I can breathe better. I have a new lease on life!!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m currently focused on getting my licenses (Natural Hair & Barbering) and becoming a one-stop shop. I hope to have my own salon in the near future. I’m working on finding creative ways to continue to produce my content on YouTube and securing a couple of brand deals. I’m just trying to continue to build my brand and take care of my family. Oh yeah, if you’re interested in booking an appointment contact me!

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Best: Resources, networking, entertainment/fun Least: You’re not getting anywhere in less than 30 minutes lol.

Contact Info:

• Email: Thecarlajean@gmail.com
• Website: TheCarlaJean.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/Carla.jean_
• Facebook: Facebook.com/TheCarlaJean/
• Twitter: Twitter.com/TheCarlaJean
• Youtube: YouTube.com/carlajeanine
• Other: Tiktok.com/@carla.jean_