We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Terrah Aldi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Terrah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

From a very early age I knew that I would pave my own path. I never quite fit into the same box as my peers and was always looking for a way to make things “better” or “bigger” or “fancier”. As an example (that has nothing to do with my career path) in 6th grade wood shop all of my classmates made a spice rack. I made an entertainment center and my dad had to borrow a truck to pick it up from the school. I have always been that way. “Go big or go home” as they say.

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.

I have been dancing since I was 3 years old and teaching for over 28 years. It is in my soul. I loved performing (and still do) but there is something about passing on my passion that fuels my being. I had the absolute greatest dance teacher growing up and I want nothing more than to give my students the love, knowledge and support she gave and still gives to me. After years of teaching, I started doing dance based parties as a way to make extra money. Little did I know that that little act would turn into my next passion in life. I have always loved to braid and taught myself as a teen. When my oldest daughter was born with amazing hair- it was in my nature to braid it. As she got older she started challenging me to “make a heart”, “make a star” and in true Terrah fashion I accepted the challenge and had to go one step further. P and G Parties (named after my girls) was born. I now do braid parties more than dance parties but LOVE it when the two combine. I will always go above and beyond for my clients and do my best to make their event as special as they are.
It is not lost on me that I am fortunate enough to be able to do what I love everyday and even more, be able to show my girls that with a little hard work you can always follow your dreams.

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

This question is the reason I’m here. In 2019 I was hit with a surprise divorce. It came out of nowhere after an 11 year marriage (17 years together) and two young daughters. I had taken on the role as stay at home mom and was only teaching dance a few hours a week (for my own happiness). We have no family here in CA so I found myself panicking on what to do. Then… pandemic! I took the time at home to reset my mind. It was not easy. Lots of nights crying myself to sleep and days with a painted on smile so my girls didn’t know how scared I was. But in that time I realized how lucky I was. I have the most amazing daughters and they are healthy and smart and resilient and beautiful- inside and out. It is my job to show them what love is. It is my job to show them what hard work can get you. It is my job to fuel their fire and see what their passions are. So in that time when my world was falling apart, I picked up a hammer and started building.I built my business from nothing with no extra money to spend. I am now happier than I’ve ever been. I found myself again. I built the life we have and I did it by myself.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is always to do my best and leave people feeling better about themselves because I was there. I love the look on a child’s face when they see their braids for the first time. I love to watch a child who’s been struggling with a particular dance step or pattern finally get it. It’s that simple.

Contact Info:

• Website: Pandgparties.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/pandghairstyles?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==
• Facebook: P and G Parties
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@pandghairstyles?_t=8ejcdia9C39&_r=1

Image Credits
Terrah Aldi Fred Diaz