“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” Friedrich Nietzsche

It is such a gift to be connected to so many courageous and passionate humans like Priscila. In listening to her journey and passion for both the art of hair and the art of self care, I am beyond inspired. You see, at the end of the day, as leaders and awesomeness creators, we must learn to find our rhythm, and that includes how we will take care of the most important asset we have, ourselves. What an honor it was to get this glimpse into the awesomeness that is Priscila Soriano.

N. What does passion look and feel like to you?
P. Passion to me is an energy that comes from this unknown place within myself. An un explainable energy that pushes me to continue going even when I want to give up. Passion is what gets me up in the morning. Passion is what makes me accountable. Passion is what keeps me on check. Passion helps me believe in the growth of myself and others.

N. Why did you join A School?
P. I joined A School because I felt like I needed to get out of my comfort zone and make very important wise decisions on where I want my career to take me. A School was the perfect match for my personality.

N. What have you learned on your journey in A School?
P. Not only have I learned more about technical computer tech-y stuff but learned to do more soul searching, and just how important it is to stay true to yourself and be authentic to your audience in order to truly brand/market your business and engage. I had never felt more connected (and understanding) to the lessons I learn here.  I love that it goes deeper than learning the “technicals” on how to market your business but the understanding of WHY you want to put yourself out there. A School really makes you think about how you want to create and authentic connection with whomever you’re trying to reach instead of just selling them something or selling yourself. Learning how to create value. Continued education is a priority in my career.

N. Why did you become an owner?
P. I decided to become an owner of my own brand because I want to share my knowledge with the world as I continue to learn and grow. I want to mentor and inspire other stylists to continue going even when things get tough. Being surrounded by so many ass kicking women in our industry was a big push to pursue my dreams. I don’t think I would be where I am and headed where I’m going if it weren’t for them.

N. What is your biggest lesson so far being an owner?
P. My biggest lesson (which I am still learning) so far has been finding the COURAGE to be my true self, making myself vulnerable, And coming to terms with the fact that I am NOT perfect and I will never be able to please everyone! Learning to not take things personally.

N. How do you handle difficult situations with clients or team members?
P. I try to take myself out of the situation and look at it from a neutral perspective (leaving my ego out, yet staying human) so I can better come up with a fair solution in order to move on.

N. What ONE tool would you say is the most effective in marketing your business and why?
P. The modern day CELL PHONE!  You can take pix of your work and post them on SOCIAL MEDIA for the world to see and build a connection with your audience! All from your handy dandy cell phone!  I have been taking pictures of my work since I was in beauty school and have always put my work out there. It’s also really crazy to see how much my hair and photography skills have improved.

N. Where does your inspiration come from?
P. Rap music, travel, philosophy  and, FASHION! I am obsessed with fashion and it is EVERYWHERE! I love all forms of fashion from high to street to decades. Everyone in this world has their own personal style. I love being able to create a fashion statement on someone’s hair. Every single detail counts because how decorate ourselves whether it’s clothes, makeup, tattoos, or hair, subtle or dramatic. It allows us to express inner emotions without having to say a word. I’ve started to do more traveling and my favorite thing to do is people watch! I get so inspired just by slowing down and paying attention to my surroundings and little details that create a bigger picture.

N. How do you practice self-care?
P. Self care is always number one! How are we going to take care of anyone else if we can’t take care of ourselves? Self care is something very personal and sacred to me and it’s taken me a while to put my well being before anything else.  I had been battling depression and addiction since I was 11 years old! Both my parents are Mexican immigrants and were always working hard to provide me a better life. Being first generation Chicana I hope i can inspire anyone out there that can relate. When I was in middle school they weren’t around much so I decided to find a family somewhere else and disconnected myself from my parents. My friends and I started ditching school drinking 40’s oz. at the rail road tracks by school and just wanting to feel a part of something. Life has a way of guiding you in the right direction, if you allow it.

I started beauty school when I was 15 years old and ever since I started my career I had to continue to get my shit together because I didn’t want to loose the ONE good thing I had going for me. All I wanted to do was create beautiful hair. I saw that when I actually took care of myself things got better in my career and that felt so much better than and high! I slowly came to realize that what I was doing in my career was changing lives, helping build up another human being self esteem. I began to feel a lot of pressure trying to live a double life was becoming too much for me to handle. I knew something needed to change so I slowly changed my lifestyle until I got completely sober! On my journey I’ve learned to take better care of myself. Eating right, drinking water, exercising, going to the chiropractor, being more conscious of my thoughts and actions, feeling all the feels, all that shit. I learned that your mind and body are connected. Our emotions can create physical illnesses.

I practice self care every single day even between clients. That can be anything from drinking a big ass glass green juice, to stretching my body between clients and being mindful of my posture when working on clients, to meditation, taking the time to reflect on my emotions, thoughts and actions. Staying in tune to what your body needs is crucial! Being persistent my self care routine and balancing personal life and career has been the key! I had to surround myself with like minded people who love and support each other. I’m back in great terms with my wonderful loving parents and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have a life worth living. I get to call Concrete Rose Salon my home and get to inspire and be inspired by my salon family! I’m just trying to do some killer hair learn as much as I can, pass on my knowledge and INSPIRE.

N. Coffee Bean or Starbucks?
P. Gotta shout out to all my VERVE girls!

N. Favorite quote?
P. “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” Friedrich Nietzsche

You can find Priscila on Instagram, and on the Concrete Rose Salon website.

A big shout out of love + gratitude to Priscila for sharing her story with us. You are a true inspiration and we are so grateful to be on this journey with you!

Love + Awesomeness-
Nina

If you are a creative small biz owner in the pro beauty world and looking for a ton of love, support and help with creating an awesome biz + life, A School may be a good fit for you.