Today we’d like to introduce you to Ejaleigh Nicholson.
Ejaleigh, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My two year old son, Jo’Syah was murdered in 2014 by my then – boyfriend. Not only did I have to stay strong through that tragedy, but I also had to stay sane throughout the entire process, as well as trying to convince majority of the world that I had nothing to do with it. So there I was, going through my worst nightmare, and still coping from walking into my home a few years before and seeing so much blood and feces remains from my mother after she had passed in our home. I was losing myself, so I decided to “run” to figure things out. Whew, that was the first time I’ve ever said I ran … I had a god-sister that told me I could move to Atlanta with her and I did it without hesitation. I moved to Atlanta in August of 2015 and that was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. At first it was rough, I moved to Atlanta with $50 and only some clothes in my backseat. I told myself that I’d move to Atlanta to work on my nonprofit that I had created for my son, The SYAH Foundation, but in reality I didn’t know if I wanted to keep being known as “the girl who son was murdered by her boyfriend”.
So I tuck that away for a while and just started working on figuring out who I was and what exactly I wanted to do. I switched jobs often, hoping that one would lead me to some type of revealing of what my true purpose was. I remember working for ADT and I had to go install a security system for a well-known Esthetician in the Atlanta area. Her workspace was so dope and I became very intrigued by her knowledge she gave me about my skin. In that short amount of time, just experiencing how much confidence I would gain with working on my skin, I realized that there are so many women who are lacking confidence simply because of our skin, in which could be fixed with consistency, education and love. I enrolled in Esthetics school, The Elaine Sterling Institute in May of 2018 and Graduated in June of 2019. That was another great accomplishment as well as deciding to open up A Luxury Body Bar that focuses on increases confidence and helping woman to finding their true self.
It took a lot of PRAYERS, patience, tears, and determination to get to where I am today. I am still a work in progress, and I have a lot more to learn and experience, but I am proud of myself for not giving up when things became tough. I know there are people who have been through things that I could not even phantom the thought, so I never “brag” on my past, but I do openly express what I’ve endured so other people can know, regardless of what you’ve been through, there is still a rainbow at the end of the tunnel. I’ve literally went through losing my mom, son and grandma all within a decade, moving to a whole new state and going broke, my car getting repossessed, losing faith, to becoming a better woman for myself first, graduating Esthetics school and making my purpose clearer, being the first person in my family to own a business, and will be the first in my family to open a brick and mortar. My motto is do not complain, just find a solution.
Great, 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?
No, this road has not been smooth, a big struggle was learning how to cope with everything. I haven’t accomplished that goal 100%, but my goal is to find an active therapist once my shop opens. Some other struggles involved learning how to be disciplined enough when God told me that something or someone wasn’t for me and having faith that something better would come. The most current struggle I’m going through is the opening of my brick and mortar! WHEW. I never ever would’ve imagined this process to be so hard and require so much patience. From the permits to the zoning to the architect and contractors – I should be bald lol. But, in reality I don’t believe a “smooth road” is for me. A smooth road would make things easy, and God has designed me so strategically that now I know – if it’s easy, it’s not for me. It’s like, I was built to figure out solutions when a problem arise.
Dream Skyn Esthetic Essentials – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I have a Non Profit Organization, The S.Y.A.H. Foundation (Saving Youth Against Harm) & I have an Esthetics business, Dream Skyn Esthetic Essentials. I am a Licensed Esthetician & a child abuse prevention activist. I increase confidence through the services of facials, teeth whitening, teeth gems and waxing. What sets me apart from anyone else, is the fact that I understand wholeheartedly what it’s like to lack confidence and to seek validation from others. The fact that I’m so transparent with my story and my purpose makes a lot of people more comfortable to be themselves around me and to remove this “wall” they’ve built up for everyone else. Once Dream Skyn Esthetics, A Luxury Body Bar Opens we will take pride in increasing confidence and putting our customers first. We are also brainstorming ways of getting more kids and teens involved with the knowledge of their skin as well.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment thus far have been graduating Esthetics school and receiving those keys for my first location.
Pricing:
- Dream Skyn Esthetics, A Luxury Body Bar Suite Rentals – Starting at $530/monthly
Contact Info:
- Address: Dream Skyn Esthetics A Luxury Body Bar
1797 Spring Road Suite 2
Smyrna GA 30080 - Website: www.dreamskynesthetics.com
- Phone: 6784336800
- Email: dreamskynesthetics@gmail.com
- Instagram: @dreamskynesthetics
- Yelp: Dream Skyn Esthetic Essentials
Image Credit:
Branding Photoshoot- Kimazing Photos
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