Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chelsea Kunde . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Chelsea, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

Wigged Out is a nonprofit that gives financial assistance to those in need of a hair piece and/or wig who are suffering from medically related hair loss. Here is a recent recipient who was able to get a wig and feel more like herself while undergoing treatments for cancer. This young woman was battling cancer and her hair had fallen out. She wanted to find a wig that made her feel good, look like herself, and continue to teach piano lessons to children. Here is what she told us after getting her wig. “THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MY NEW HAIR!!!!!!! I can’t believe I found a wig that resembles my real hair so very much!!!! Now I can continue to teach piano lessons, and the children won’t be afraid of me! Now we can focus on their lessons, and not my cancer!!! THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME FEEL LIKE A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AGAIN!!!!!” This is exactly why Wigged Out was started. We wanted to bring a sense of self back to people dealing with medically related hair loss.

Chelsea, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Wigged Out provides financial assistance to people in Arizona who are in need of wigs and head coverings due to hair loss caused by a diagnosed medical condition, such as cancer, alopecia, blood and genetic disorders, anxiety, or complications from surgery or medications. Partnering with reputable wig boutiques across the greater Phoenix area, Wigged Out is able to ensure the people we help are able to receive new, high quality and well fitting wigs, that they are able to select, empowering them to feel more like themselves.

My name is Chelsea. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in January 2011. At the time I was 26 and getting married in less than three months. After you hear, “You have cancer”, you go numb. When you come back to what is now your ‘reality’ a million questions start to arise, and with these questions come emotions, one being fear.

I remember thinking, “Why me? How can this be happening?” After the immediate shock subsided, I thought of my hair. How can I get married if I lose my hair? How can I face my world and be myself without my hair? Fighting cancer and going through treatments are challenging, but losing your hair adds another level of stress. When you are sick, you know you are sick, but sometimes you can hide it, maybe even fake it. When you start to lose your hair, it’s difficult to hide the fact that you are sick. You have a daily reminder every time you look in the mirror. That was one of the hardest parts for me.

My friends started thinking of a way to raise money in order to help pay for my wig and other hair accessories (as these items tend to be pricey), which eventually evolved into Wigged Out. What started as a kind gesture of helping a friend sick with cancer and grieving her hair loss has evolved into something much greater. Focusing on helping others to be able to feel like themselves, at least when they look in the mirror.

Wigged out has a very simple application process. It is online via our website and we have a quick turnaround. To date, we have never turned anyone down. We continue to help many every single month and that is what we are most proud of.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Wigged Out was started by friends who volunteered and continue to volunteer their time, energy, and resources to make sure we have enough funds and capital to continue to not turn any applicant away and to make sure we can continue to help those in need of our services.

We have partnered with many boutiques around the valley. Our partnerships are strong because of our motivation. We want to help people who need it and provide them with an easy service to get a wig or hair piece that will make them feel happy and confident! We are an extremely giving team that contunues to find ways to help more and make sure our process is simple and easy.

We have a solid reputation throughout the valley because of how much we care, how we have very little overhead and most of our funding goes directly into programming, and how easy we make the process for anyone applying. We are so thankful for our community as well.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My biggest advice would be to have a work place that values not only worth ethic but a balance of making sure employees and team members have a work/life balance. At Wigged Out, we think of ourselves as a family company. As our team grows and the organization grows, we always want everyone to feel happy, fulfilled and supported. Open communication is key to this. Our team is incredibly hard working and do-ers! We make sure to celebrate our strengths while maintaining a sense of fun as part of our environment. We make sure to laugh and laugh often. Our services bring so much joy but the stories can be heavy, it is important to create an environment that is positive and fun to work in. I am so proud of our entire team and our vibe!

Contact Info:

• Website: wiggedout.org
• Instagram: wiggedoutinc
• Facebook: wiggedoutinc
• Linkedin: Wigged Out

Image Credits
Stephanie Hiller-Slezak CeeJay Talam