We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicole Lynn Shea a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Nicole Lynn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

The question I chose was what do I hope my legacy will be? This was my answer.

This question struck me above the rest! My hope is to empower the collective, not only by empowering myself through self-love and self-care, but through being vulnerable. My vulnerability provides a safe, enlightened space others gravitate towards who are ready to open up and step more into themselves.

By opening up, we are able to shed those layers that have kept us covered up, shielded, and blocked from fully embracing the individual gifts that we each bring to this earth. Through this shared vulnerability we courageously become each other’s equals through our “indifferences”.

I love to see others embrace the many sides of themselves on their path to self empowerment. I help anyone open to magic do this through providing conversation, makeup, kinship, channeling, spirituality, and grit. I truly believe that those who are meant to have services with me were guided to me and are ready for connecting more with who they are and not what society has told them to be.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello, my name is Nicole Lynn and I am the founder and owner of Makeupyourpower LLC. I also host a podcast on Spotify and Anchor called Transmute your Pain into Power.

I am a 37 year old goddess who is engaged to my twinflame with two boys and two bonus children. I was born in New Haven, CT and became a licensed cosmetologist at the age of 19. While attending The Paul Mitchell Academy, I also attended classes in New York City with the makeup artist from The Cell and Steel Magnolias.

I moved to Michigan when I was 20 years old. I worked as a stylist for awhile, then a server, and then realized I wanted to pursue makeup for movie sets, commercial, models, brides, and much more. I worked for a spa for a bit and then started my own business as a traveling makeup artist.

I faced a lot of change in my late twenties that forged the beginning of a huge self-love journey as I created a new life for and my kids after my divorce. I even had to pause my traveling makeup business during this time which was so hard to let go! There were definitely A LOT of rough spots and low points along the way, but I persevered. Each one of these hurdles brought lessons I applied to the next step on my path to self-discovery. I was determined to follow my passion and make it a reality!

I was able to get back on track after many setbacks and started working for a salon again. I also found my way to Simply Stunning Bridal during this time and I’m so grateful!! These two places truly impacted my life in so many amazing ways. I found a new joy in what I was doing and knew I had found my purpose. People would share with me that they felt so better after our connection. People were naturally healing things they did not realize needed healing.

Yes, you may be thinking, ”And you were just doing hair and makeup?” Well, when people would take that self-care time with me, they were coming to relax, rejuvenate, even have a therapy session (haha), and feel and “look better” (but I prefer saying a refresher!). What I realized during these times was that I was actually connecting in a way that allowed me to deeply tap into something for others and serve them in unique and special ways.

Everyone deserves to be heard and pampered while feeling and seeing themselves in a better light than when they walked in. I provide a place to have conversations without the fear of judgment, ridicule or intolerance.

So at the beginning of the pandemic, I decided to dive into my own business and named her Makeupyourpower—Empowered to Empower you! I advertised my tail off, said yes to every photography makeup gig, and connected with the next stage of my personal evolution. My Soul Tribe, as I like to call them, have all empowered me, uplifted me, and guided me. Most importantly, they all accepted me exactly as I am and that became fuel for me to keep doing the inner work and keep leveling up as I empower others. I’ve been doing magazine gigs, boudoir, bridal, author head shots, maternity, and prom work.

My latest passion project is hosting my own podcast on anchor and Spotify called Transmute your Pain into Power. I share my own challenges, growth, and speak with others on how they came to be where they are on their spiritual journey and we discuss the tools that have helped them along the way. My hope is to one day be a spiritual talk show host sharing space with individuals from all perspectives, able to have a conversation and be open to new perspective, without ridicule or judgement.

“Collide the Divide” I call it.

When I realized that I wanted to keep doing this, I started working on my weight loss journey, created financial and emotional stability in my life including a healing, empowering, supportive, and uplifting partner who has breathed into my life in ways that I have always wanted for others. That kind of healing should be shared with any and all people who are open to it!

I am at a place in my life where being authentic is what is necessary in order to embody what I am created to do here on this planet.

As I create a spark or even one new thought or perspective for someone else, then I am fulfilling my purpose.

—

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes, when I started doing makeup and hair for Simply Stunning Bridal I did it around my salon job. My goal when I started working for Jodi (the owner of Simply Stunning Bridal) she invested in me, and I made it my goal to not say no to any job opportunities she would send my way and yes to every bit of training and guidance she had for me. I had it set in my mind that I was going to make this side Hustle my full time job. At that point in time I didn’t think to run my own business, but I knew I loved how engaging with clients felt fulfilling and like I was living with purpose and being my own boss really. I am 1099ed through her so I have the freedom to build my own brand, say yes or no to any jobs and work off on my own whenever I wanted.
As time went on I started to book alot of boudoir shoots. Connected with photographers really quickly and built relationships. Every client I had I learned how to take candid photos that displayed their service while also showing my work. I went on to make bridal tikoks, Instagram post that were individualized to each client. I didn’t realize how much this would impact me as an artist until I started seeing how special my clients felt by the extra efforts I put in for them.
From there I started booking steady work with these photographers and soon it came to me. I was asked by one of my mentors what should my brand be called? And boom just like that Makeupyourpower was born. I loved it because it has so much more meaning then just applying makeup,rather letting every person I work with have the power within them to become anything they want. And being able to do that through spiritual and physical services. To continue I kept asking questions to all of my mentors. Betsy is a huge mentor of mine, and has always had my best interest at heart and very forthcoming with guiding me on how to run my business. Many women have done this for me..with that it made me really want to not only make them proud, but empowered me to keep taking the next step. One step lead to another and I am in my second year running my own business, empowering people, and am currently working with my first employee. I am very excited about the present, and look forward to what the future has in store.
The key for me was in moments of insecurity I still said yes to every opportunity. The picture is never going to have all of the steps mapped out in front of you,but once you take one step the next step will always appear. We always have a choice. What we chose breaths life into what we create.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn was that I am not for everyone and everyone is not for me and that is ok.

This one was a big one for me as I have always wanted to appease everyone to my own detriment. If people didn’t like me it was something I would do whatever I could to try and do to change that. That lead to bending over my own self worth and value to be the stepping stool for someone else.

At this point it is a good feeling to know I stay more in alignment and those who are open to what I have to offer will gravitate toward me naturally.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.makeupyourpower.com
• Instagram: Makeupyourpower
• Facebook: Makeupyourpower
• Twitter: Makeupyourpower
• Youtube: Makeupyourpower
• Other: Anchor.fm/nicole-girton “Transmute your pain into power”

Image Credits
Betsy McCue Pictures Spellbound Boudoir by Celestina Doug Milligan Photography- model Mason Wassink