She Makes Me Wanna - Follow My Dreams

I've made myself a deal - right now the priority in my life is to follow my dreams. I have been experiencing emotional turmoil because those dreams seem pretty unattainable on most days. When I'm feeling down and out, I try to remind myself of people I know who are living dream lives (meaning they follow their dreams). For that reason, my first "She Makes Me Wanna," is my good friend, Kimberly Michelle. Kimberly and I met during our freshman year of college. Were in this program called The Academy (The Academy was designed to help facilitate the transition from high school to college). One hundred students were split into four groups and those groups went to all of their classes together. After the Academy, Kimberly and I both went on to study psychology and were sorority line sisters. Our paths continued to cross after college - we both lived in Houston and later in Los Angeles during the same time periods. No matter where we lived or the situation which brought us together, Kimberly has always been a positive, bright light in my world. She continously makes me wanna follow my dreams. Watch out, she's going to make you want to follow your dreams too!

More...

Name: Kimberly Michelle

Age: 32

Hometown: Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

Current City of Residence: Houston, Texas

Educational Background: Bachelor of Science, Psychology

Occupation: Cosmetologist, Salon Owner, Platform Artist

As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?: I always dreamed of being "known". I go back to a time in my childhood where I remember thinking that I had to be special in whatever I did but it had to make people know me. I had to be a wholesome name as to when people heard my name that people knew who I was. And then I wanted to be successful. Whatever all that meant in a little child's mind.

Do you love what you do?: Absolutely… In what I do, everyday I have the chance to touch someone's life whether it's making them feel better about themselves, giving them a HOT new haircut, or making them look and feel like the most beautiful bride on her wedding day. I have found my purpose in life in my passion and that is truly a blessing in my life.

How did you begin your career?: I fell into it by the grace of God. While in college studying to graduate, I worked as a salon receptionist in a very upscale salon. I loved the environment but had no clue of diving into it, career wise. The funny thing about that is my mom owned and operated a hair salon where she was "known" for healthy hair care. Illegally (no-license) assisting her at the early age of 9, it became my outlet and my means to making cash for maybe a pickle from the corner store or a pack of Now and Laters. I found love. I really enjoyed "doing hair". Now, fast forward 10 + years. So, I graduated from college in Psychology, graduated from cosmetologist school and something happened. I was challenged! I finally realized the true meaning of hair. The science of hair, the art of hair, the psychological connection with people and their hair. WOW. I was amazed to fall flat on my face in love with the beauty industry. I wanted to be a hairdresser. From that point on, I never saw the industry as a joke. It was now my mission to be accomplished. I applied and worked for Toni & Guy Hairdressing Company in Dallas, TX. I worked as an assistant making minimum wage and tips and barely paying my bills. I definitely kept the bigger picture in mind. How you start is a great indication of how you will finish. I eventually moved myself to New York to work with Toni & Guy in Manhattan. There is where I put in work to grow as a person, an artist, and an educator. I surrounded myself around the most talented of the industry. I saw a lot and I did a whole lot. It was DIVINE. I became curious. How can I own one just like they do? That is Toni & Guy. I wanted to be just like them. A successful business owner. A successful salon owner. After 5 years in New York, living and breathing the hustle and loving it, I decided to take my dream serious and start moving in that direction. I moved to Houston, Texas and opened my very own salon, STUDIO 31 Hair Lab. Success is on the way!

Are you living the life you dreamed of ?: I am most definitely living the life that I've dreamed of. I wake up every morning with purpose. I am always motivated by goals that I place in front of me. My goals, which lead me to my dreams are what keeps me pushing everyday. I truly believe that if I had no objectives in life, there would be no motivation for my life and my dreams would never come to fruition. Every dream that comes true gives me reason to set another goal.

Who is your female inspiration? : My female inspiration? Well that’s a great question and as I think about this it is hard for me to find one person only. Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce Knowles, Stella Wiltz (my mother). I put these women on the top of my list of women of inspiration. All of these women are hard-working, motivated, and successful. They all have one thing in common and that is PURPOSE. They are all driven by this word PURPOSE. A lot of times when I talk to friends or random strangers about successful tips or achieving goals, I realize that some think that there's a magic potion to success or some high genetic reasoning behind being successful. But honestly, I have found that the road to success is very simple. It is not easy and it takes hard work. But it is all about having PURPOSE in life.

What do you do for fun?: I love to fine dine at some of the world's most fabulous restaurants, I love teaching and sharing with other stylists like myself, I love having girl-talk with my friends, and I absolutely love hanging out with my family.

What advice do you have for other women in pursuit of their dream?: My advice to women in pursuit of their dream is to find positive supporters of their dream and share every step of the way with them. Energy is contagious so keep some positive ones around as often as you can. Some of you may be at a time when you don’t know what your dream is and so in that instance, journey through the lives of successful people and position yourself there and if it makes you feel happy move in that direction. If it doesn’t wow you, keep searching until you find what will make you happy. SUCCESS is HAPPINESS and does not necessarily mean RICH. WEALTH is the reward for being HAPPILY SUCCESSFUL and being wealthy is more long-lasting that being rich.

Inspirational quotes or motto:

"If you want to be successful, find someone who is successful and do exactly what they are doing and you are destined to be successful."

"Insanity is the definition of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."

"Ask questions."

"Keep GOD first in your life and listen to the still small voice and do what it says."

To find out more about Kimberly Michelle and her salon, please visit her website at http://www.kmwiltz.com/.