Today we’d like to introduce you to Leeyah The Muse.
Hi Leeyah , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Whew! It’s been a journey, one that’s been divinely ordered and deeply refining. Leaving Pennsylvania and coming to Atlanta at 19, I was already enrolled at the Jean Madeline Aveda Institute in Philly. I found myself and my family relocating suddenly to Atlanta. It was so sudden I was handling re-enrollment to Aveda Institute on Peachtree through email, grit, and grace. God blessed me enough for my passion to be my purpose, it has always felt like a calling. Now at almost 8 years as a licensed cosmetologist, the journey has been anything but linear. Working in salons, fashion shows, editorial/photoshoots, brand education, freelancing with top tier makeup companies, teaching classes and mentoring at cosmetology schools to entrepreneurship. For a long time, I couldn’t quite name what my deeper purpose was in this industry. I just know beauty meant more to me than just the surface. Recently, I have realized I’m not in this industry to stay small. I’m not here to stay behind the scenes. I’m called to create, to impact, and to lead. I don’t want to just be in the background. I’ve been in rooms where I was overlooked, I’ve worked in salons where I was undervalued, and I have worked for people who made me diminish my worth. All of that shaped me to walk in the purpose I’m meant to today. Along with God and a lot of inner work. I want to be able to create spaces and communities in the beauty industry for women to thrive, heal, feel like the creative visionaries they are, and never feel silenced. My journey has taught me that the beauty industry isn’t just about transformation on the outside, it’s about restoration on the inside as well. Today I stand as a God fearing woman, creative entrepreneur, and a vessel of beauty and light that just wants to make an industry impact. I am here to serve, not only just stylists who are still finding their voice, but also clients who sit in our chairs to feel empowered, whole, and like themselves again after whatever life has thrown at them and/or busy women who need a moment of serene self care. I believe beauty is ministry and I’m just getting started.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth road? I wish. Before having my son, as a cosmetologist who did hair, make up, full body waxing, and lashes I stretched myself thin to maintain my clientele. Thinking hustle culture was what I needed to adhere to in order to thrive. Which caused me to not be able to pour from a cup of overflow. I went from being able to give everything to my clients to running on fumes, and not even able to give anything back to myself. Motherhood changed everything. Priorities, schedule, and mindset. After maternity leave, I wasn’t just rebuilding my business. I was rebuilding my identity learning to show up for myself again, so I can show up for my clients, as well as my bundle of joy that I had just bought into the world. That shift in mindset and perspective has led me to where I am today. Awakening me to five deeper into myself, what I deserve, what my clients deserve, what my son deserves, and what I’ll no longer tolerate. Every hardship in the industry has been God pruning me. Now I’m on the road to building a legacy with intention, impact, and integrity. I want to be used as a vessel for change in the industry.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart is my drive for the art. I don’t do beauty just to keep up with the latest trends. I do it to bring something divine into the every day with every look and every hair strand that I touch. Whether it’s a runway look, or a silent confidence boost, I put intention into every brushstroke, every curl, and every detail. I’ve built a decent clientele from nothing but blowouts and make up alone. It’s taken me into rooms I used to dream about. I’ve worked with top makeup brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, MAC, Natasha Denona, Kerastase, Olaplax, etc. And was able to make real soulful connections in those spaces, which literally came from me just doing what I love with a passion you can’t fake. After recently completing a Bellami Hair master class i’m adding extensions onto my roster of specialties. Now I will be a specialist of haircuts, blowouts, updos, extensions, and make up. I plan on mastering every technique that I’ve learned. Stay tuned!
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned from this is that you cannot pour from an empty cup.
For a long time, I thought success meant, saying yes to everything. Yes to every client, yes to every opportunity, yes to every hour, but burnout taught me what balance never could. That rest is sacred, boundaries are holy, and sustainability and balance is success. Motherhood made that even clear to me, It taught me that alignment beats hustle every time. Now I work from overflow. I don’t just “chase the bag”. I chase purpose and passion. That shift has made all the difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msha.ke/leeyahthemuse
