Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Sousa.
Katie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been naturally driven to do well, it’s almost as if I was programmed this way. After graduating from high school in 2007, I attended one semester of college, and although I received a 4.0 GPA and an offer to accept a paid internship, I decided to drop out and follow my long-time dream of going to cosmetology school.
In cosmetology school, I learned how to make people feel good by making them look great on the outside. After graduating from cosmetology school, I took a full-time position as a hair stylist at a prominent salon in Mansfield, MA. Working in a high-end salon, we often would have educators come in and teach us about the latest trends in the industry. I fell in love with the idea of becoming an educator and having the opportunity to inspire other stylists.
In 2014, I became a part-time regional educator for J Beverly Hills, a boutique hair care and color brand based in CA. In becoming an educator, my mind was opened up to how many career opportunities there are in the beauty industry above and beyond working behind the chair. In 2015, Evolve Salon Systems, the local J Beverly Hills distributor based in Manchester NH, offered me a full-time position as a brand adviser.
As a brand adviser, my job is to support both education and sales. I currently lead a team of 11 local educators, as well as support 29 distributor sales consultants. Through Evolve Salon Systems, I finally was able to learn how to make people feel great on the inside. Now, I specialize in training others in presentation skills, public speaking, and team building. I also have a huge passion for sharing information on maintaining a positive mindset.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of my favorite pieces of Katie Sousa advice is, “Good experiences will make you good, but overcoming challenges and persevering through the hard times will make you great.”
I have experienced it all – good, bad, and ugly – when leading others there are moments of amazing accomplishment along with equally as many moments of extreme doubt and perceived failure. I remain ever thankful for the hard times because they are what made me the strong woman I am today.
We’d love to hear more about Evolve Salon Systems.
A common joke of mine is that I am forever asked, “So what exactly is it that you do?”, in the role of a brand, an adviser is particularly hard to describe.
I am full-time support for the following people…
-11 local educators
-29 sales consultants
-All stylists and salon owners in New England, NY, and NJ
These are the areas of training in which I support the above individuals…
-Hair color and product knowledge training
-Team building training
-Presentation skills training
-Positive mindset training
What I am most proud of is creating a 3-day training for educators designed to elevate their professional skills and presentation skills.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Everyone agrees that I am an old soul, but I was the youngest of 3, and that being said I can clearly remember constantly pushing myself to be able to do whatever my older siblings were doing. I remember the feeling of accomplishment when I would succeed at something that I was originally perceived as “too young” to be doing. I think this is where my strong work ethic and professional drive truly began.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @katiesousagrowthgeek
Image Credit:
Ryan Terrell, Jon Caron, jaie3 Salon Spa Boutique
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