We recently connected with Ngodoo Golden and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ngodoo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents have always given me the space to explore what I’m interested in. When I was young, I asked questions about literally everything. First, it was intangible things like my culture and family. Then, it was more tangible things. For example, I experimented with piano lessons (I can still play a song or two!), drums, and the clarinet. I got to high school and realized I didn’t like band that much and was drawn to basketball and hair. In college, it was psychology. I went on to earn my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and practiced as a counselor for two years post grad. When I decided to shift again, into esthetics, my parents supported me every step of the way. My interests have changed and shifted throughout the different times of my life, but one thing was constant. My love for understanding and their support of my pursuit. Each of these shifts wasn’t just about curiosity. They were about digging deeper, understanding how things made sense. As an adult, I realized that without my parents’ permission for me to dive head first into every adventure I set my mind to, without pressure, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I approach my work with the same commitment to understanding the root of things, getting down deep into how things work together, just as I’ve always done. And still with their support.

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?

My name is Ngodoo Golden, a proud child of Nigerian immigrants and a licensed esthetician based in Nashville, Tennessee. My journey into esthetics starts with my love for science and taking care of myself. So when I was burned out in my work as a mental health counselor (MHC) and needed a career shift, I googled what I was passionate about and stumbled across esthetics. I had no idea esthetics was a career but I was excited to learn that I could integrate all the things I loved (science, mental health, and self care) into one.

As a licensed esthetician, my background as an MHC uniquely positions me in the beauty industry. Stress and emotional well-being often manifest in our skin, and my approach centers on addressing both the visible and invisible culprits to our skin health. In the spa, I offer facials, skincare consultations, and sugaring hair removal, to help clients achieve their skin goals while creating an environment where their mental and physical health are taken care of!

I’m most proud of how, no matter what I do, I’m involved in my community. I became a licensed esthetician since July 2024 and I’ve already had the chance to volunteer at an event at a local church for breast cancer awareness. Cancer awareness is close to my heart due to many of my family members who have faced or died from a cancer diagnosis. I look forward to partnering with more local organizations, community is one of my core values.

As I continue to grow with solo;sun, I’m most excited to explore new ways to support mental and physical wellness, ensuring that every client leaves feeling refreshed, valued and cared for as a whole person.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My BIGGEST pivot, to date, is transitioning from a mental health counselor to an esthetician. To this day, when I tell people about that, their jaws drop and I get to tell the story over again. No one can see how I made that switch.

The pivot started in graduate school. I didn’t notice it then, but hindsight is 20/20. The work itself was not difficult for me. Existing in a space that didn’t welcome all parts of me was difficult. As a woman who grew up in the culture of her immigrant parents, how I was being taught, perceived, and critiqued did not leave room for the nuances of who I was and the people I wanted to serve. Against my better judgement, I chose to persevere until I earned my degree in December 2021. To this day, I say I wouldn’t wish grad school on my worst enemy.

Once I graduated, the struggle was not over. I hired and fired a supervisor, I quit a job that did not fit, and I was hired for a different job after that. During all of this, my mother in law had been diagnosed with ALS and it was hard keeping up with clients while traveling back and forth to Georgia to take care of her. In order to reach my next goal, I had to see 15 clients a week for TWO years. I could barely keep up with three a day.

I was fired from that job because I wasn’t cranking out enough clients, despite my circumstances. Then my mother-in-law passed away. She was the matriarch of the family and it was devastating. After that, it seemed like more unfortunate events continued to pile up. One thing that did work, was another private practice that hired me. And it was amazing. If I could dream up what I wanted my job to look like as a counselor, this would be it. I had a supportive director, a supportive supervisor and AMAZING coworkers. But the need to pivot caught up with me.

What eventually caught my attention was my body. I NEVER get sick. But I was having sinus infections and flu-like symptoms every other month. At this point I was tired. Tired of who my graduate experience taught me to be and who they stripped from me. My husband was the first to notice exactly what was going on and one day he encouraged me to stop what I was doing and do something else. I couldn’t imagine it. I was fighting for my life to make counseling work for me. I loved my clients, we were doing amazing work and seeing progress. But my mental and physical wellness were in a dumpster fire.

With the encouragement of my husband and my new supervisor, I began exploring a new career. I have always had a passion for “clean beauty”, anatomy and physiology (hey, athletic training for a semester in undergrad!) and taking care of myself. This aided in my research for a pivot. I talked to my husband, my supervisor, and the clinical director of the job I had at the time (my dream therapy job). With their support and the support of so many family members, I made the leap.

My husband and I went on school tours, sold our house, and paid my tuition for esthetics school in February 2024. While in school, solo;sun skincare was developed. solo;sun holds everything that I have been through and all I aspire to be. It’s a mixture of self care, skincare, and advocacy for mental health.

I don’t know if you noticed, but there is a semicolon in the name and it’s intentional. The semicolon represents suicide awareness. But that’s another story for another time. This journey wasn’t easy. And I’m still figuring a lot out, about myself, about this business, and about where I want to be five years from now. But I will continue to pursue my vision for solo;sun. This was the hardest pivot of my life, but the best decision I have ever made.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I really think the most important thing in my career is training and knowledge. The runner up to that being exceptional customer service. If your esthetician doesn’t know much about skin, or the products they’re using, or how to use the tools they have, that spells disaster for your skin and your self-esteem. It also could just make your experience super uncomfortable. For instance, if you haven’t studied and understood facials as an esthetician, you’ll use cold water in your facials. Yikes. That’s not relaxing. Understanding the why you do what you do in this field is super important because everyone’s skin is different and reacts differently to the same products! Customer service is important because no matter what career you’re in, who wants a nasty, inflexible professional to interact with? Knowing how to talk to your clients and how to handle their needs is essential to customer acquisition and retention. Do you value the people who walk into your spa?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/solosunskincare
• Instagram: @solosunskincare
• Other: Newsletter sign up to keep up with solo;sun skincare – https://subscribepage.io/solosunskincare

Image Credits

None.