We caught up with the dazzling and insightful Kelly Sullivan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, appreciate you joining us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My “hero” are people who display incredible resolve and determination when faced with great adversity. I admire their courage to dig deep and find a way to stay mentally tough against all odds.

One person who comes to mind in particular is a close friend who was diagnosed several years ago with a neurological illness with no treatment or cure. Through her fierce tenacity she has been able to delay obstacles like being wheelchair bound and recently fought pneumonia despite the complications of her disease. This cruel disease affects her ability to use her large muscles to walk and fine motor skills to type, text and write. It also affects her vocal cords, but despite it all she finds a way to communicate and move forward.

What I’ve learned by watching her tackle this challenging way to live is the power of love. She has many blessings to live for including two loving sons, a devoted husband and extended family and an abundance of caring friends. Instead of focusing on what she doesn’t have anymore, she focuses on what she does have which propels her to live in hopes of benefiting from a cure during her lifetime.

People who overcome great adversity- like my friend’s will to live despite it all, influence me to focus on what’s important. They inspire me to keep the faith during challenging times and accept even though we can’t always control the outcome, we can control the effort to keep going!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kelly Sullivan. I’m the owner of an award winning Day Spa, Bliss on Broadway Skin and Body, in Long Beach for the past seven years. Prior to owning Bliss, I was a loyal Bliss client and had a career in marketing and business development. I have two children, a daughter who recently graduated from UC Berkeley and a son who is in his first year at UC San Diego. I’ve been married to my husband, Tom, for over 27 years. We have three pets, a dog, cat and a 10 year old chicken. I value giving back to the local community and also volunteer on several non-profit boards. In my spare time I enjoy long walks by the beach, spending time with family and friends, traveling to new places on my bucket list and reading- preferably non fiction and historical novels.

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

Only three years into owning Bliss, the Covid19 Pandemic shut us down due to the local health mandate. Bliss was considered “non-essential” and in-operable until further notice. This period lasted for three months. After that we were able to operate off and on not at full capacity for about a year. It was a crushing experience as I was so unsure of the outcome. During the closure I educated myself on local business resources and support. I was able to qualify for the PPP grant and others which prevented me from closing.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I always donate to local charitable events by providing an in-kind donation. I’ve also sponsored local school fundraisers as well. Not only is this an investment in my community, but the business benefits from the exposure as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blissonbroadway.com
• Instagram: blissonbroadway
• Facebook: Bliss on Broadway Skin and Body
• Linkedin: Kelly Sullivan
• Yelp: Bliss on Broadway Skin and Body
• Other: 562-439-4333