We were lucky to catch up with Asia Hopkins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Asia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission started first with me. I tried everything from flat ironing my hair, using heavy butters and oils, to making homeade hair recipes in the kitchen. And after trying so many different things to “fix” my hair, I could never quite get it right. After awhile I realized I had to find my own way and if this is the hair i’ve been given then I need to learn how to take care of this hair so that I could be confident in who I am. Eventually I found natural styles that made me feel confident, and beautiful. And once I found this new confidence and knowledge about curly hair, all I wanted to do was share it with the world! So my mission is to help everyone feel worthy, beautiful, unique, professional and confident with their natural texture. Wavy, Curly, Coily, I celebrate it all. I want everyone to walk away from each appointment with their curly crown held high, not only looking good, not only feeling good but be educated as well so that they can continue walking in their confidence even when i’m not around.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am The Curly Hair Guru, but behind that at the core I am Asia Hopkins. I am a fun, loving, free-spirited expert napper! I like to sit by the water, read, reflect, pray. I love to treat my body right with exercise and good foods. And I like just hanging out with my loved ones and connecting with people who have similar ambition and drive like i do. I got into hair initially just like everyone else, I was just trying to find my way, my confidence, my look, how i wanted to represent myself. And once I found a technique that worked for me i started sharing it with people and they received it very well. Because the very same hurdles i was experiencing they were having as well.

The services I provide include a Curl Detox, Hair Cuts, Deep Treatments, 1:1 Wash N Go Tutorials, and Wash N Sets.

The problems that I aim to solve for my clients is internal and external. Yes, I physically do hair with my hands but when a client comes to me and tells me how much they do not like their hair, and how hard it is to manage and they have all this self doubt and negativity against themselves. What I want to do is dissolve all of that negativity as much as I can. I want them to see that their hair is actually beautiful, versatile and natural. That they can be confident wearing their natural hair out on purpose and feel absolutely beautiful, unique and themselves.

What sets me apart from others is that I am an educator and a stylist. I educate every client that sits in my chair which is why appointments run anywhere from 3-4hrs long. This gives enough time to cover all clients questions and begin to unlearn the things that do not serve us curly humans.

Potential clients should know when they come to me that it’s not an in and out appointment, it’s not a sit in the chair for 30mins-hour and I just cut your hair and wash and dry it and I did my stylist thing and your out my chair. No. Every appointment with my clients is an experience. I sit down with them before we even start touching their hair and I find out their hair story. I literally ask what is their hair history. I want to know what your hair has been through, what you’ve put on it, what you do at night with it, what products you use every week on your hair, I want to know everything, that way i’m able to get to know what your routine is, what you have time for, and what your hair has been through that way i know how to proceed with the appointment and what your hair may need. I want potential clients/followers/fans to know that I am a curly hair human just like you, i’ve been in your shoes, and I know what you feel because i’ve felt it. I know how daunting it can be to tackle all the tangles, and tame the frizz and find a way to be confident in the way that you look when society hasn’t really painted your “look” as the most beautiful or ideal look. I am like your neighborhood curl friend. And for the people who continue to choose me as their stylist and or follow my socials I just want to say thank you for choosing me and i know that was for a divine reason and I am thankful to partner with them during their healthy curly journey.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

To be completely transparent, I was given a vision that no one else was given around me, nor did anyone believe in it. But I just had to continue to see the vision through and believe in myself and my abilities with very little support or money. A lot of the obstacles in the way have actually been myself. Fear, negative self talk, self doubt, thinking small etc. But I realized that it was either i let fear win and keep me from creating or I overcome the fear of being significant and standing out. I knew on the other side of my fear that there were no limits, You can probably guess by now what i chose….. I chose me and my vision. I learned to work with what I have and what I was given. I learned to make magic with what I had even if it was only one or two things. I kept practicing and putting in time to learn how to mesh creativity and business. I invested and attended classes by myself in places like Miami, Atlanta and New York to gain more knowledge and develop a technique. It definitely hasn’t been an easy road at all and I don’t think anyone really has an easy road but it has definitely been worth it and I truly feel like I have been called to break the chains in the curly community for men and women who struggle to see themselves as the beautiful beings that they are.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting is part of life that can sometimes be difficult, but also be the best thing for you. My journey as The Curly Hair Guru wasn’t a straight path. There were many times I would start and stop in the beginning stages of my career, one particular time I completely threw in the towel after many hardships and unsuccessful attempts to get my small business off the ground. At the time I thought “maybe I don’t have what it takes to run a business” or “maybe I was just this crazy girl with this wild dream that was just a dream”. I told myself “I need to get a stable job with job security, insurance benefits etc”. So at that point in my life I decided to put my cosmetology license on the back burner and go in a different direction, chasing the safe route. 2 years later I graduated with my registered nurse degree and I thought “I finally made it” But to my surprise after spending a few years in nursing I felt completely unfulfilled and I never saw that coming,

I thought to myself “why do I feel this way… I made it, this is what everyone said I should do, I got the degree, I got the noble job that everyone said I should get, and it’s stable and secure, I even have the insurance benefits. But why do i feel so unmotivated by the work that I am doing. I should feel proud and rewarded as i’ve been told I would feel being a nurse”, But I didn’t, i felt like I had settled for a life that I didn’t choose for myself, and instead i listened to what other people said i should do. And because of that I was honestly devastated, it took time but I understood in my heart that my creator never asked me to give up on the vision that he gave me. It was me who gave up when the going got tough. And just like that I was right back to trying to make this vision and dream a reality. So then I made another major pivot in the direction of chasing my dreams. I decided i’m doing this thing, whatever it takes and i’m not listening to anyone around me who hasn’t done what I’m about to do. I began taking clients one by one, driving to their homes and taking house call appointments, I posted consistently on my instagram page and slowly but surely my work began being recognized by the curly community. And it was then when I realized that this pivot was the one!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://the-curly-hair-guru.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecurlyhairguru/