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

Victoria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think being successful in anything takes a certain amount of love and passion. When you love what you do, find joy in it, you approach it with passion which then makes you feel aligned to your life path. When I was a kid I would often ask myself what I wanted to be when I grew up, and my answer was always “happy.” With the pursuit of joy in the forefront, I started picking apart activities and hobbies that make me happy; that I truly enjoy doing. Art was always food for my soul and making art that affects people and makes them feel a certain way felt like that juicy thing I was looking for. That’s when I decided to take a shot at hair and makeup. Once in this world, I tried everything there was to try so I could really zero in on where my passion and skill come together. Through this exploration I was able to hone in and specialize my skills in custom hair coloring and modern haircuts for men and women.

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 business was born from my love for art and people. Making someone feel better than how they felt when they came to see me is a gift both to my soul and from my heart to my community. I knew from the first day at hair school that what I chose was right, I felt it in my bones and it came naturally to me. It just clicked! The first bob I cut on that mannequin head made me realize that this was something I had a natural knack for and I was hungry to learn more. I learned everything, tried all the techniques, had some wins and some challenges. It took some time but through this journey I was able to land on exactly what I wanted to specialize in. Creating custom color for my clients is my passion… mixing chemicals, formulating pigments, playing with hues! I am a mad scientist and an artist. The understanding of hair on an atomic level has opened up avenues of higher level haircare for me and that’s how I ended up as a colorist. Creating the perfect shade while protecting the integrity of the hair is that perfect balance I strive for and achieve. Over the years I’ve worked in several Los Angeles and Hollywood salons and really enjoyed the experience of being on the floor with my friends but the dream was always to be an independent hairstylist. I wanted to make my own hours, have my own space and come and go as I please. When COVID happened, it was a blessing in disguise for me, it pushed me out of my comfort zone and into my own studio! Now I work out of my own amazing space and provide a high vibe hair care experience for each and every client.

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

The art of the pivot. This is one of my strong suits. As someone who plays with the law of attraction, I’ve always known that joy is just one good feeling thought away. The pivot is an important tool I use on a daily basis; reframing a negative thought that may arise after a minor inconvenience, into a positive good feeling one. When I use this practice with my thoughts, I excel at pivoting in situations that arise in life. As an example, when the pandemic hit and my shop laid us all off, I turned it into an opportunity to start my own business! Every moment of every day is another chance to turn it all around.

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

I know that for me, my reputation in my business comes from the word of mouth from my long time happy clients. I am a by appointment only stylist and most of my new clients are refered to me by my people. Sure there is some marketing and networking that helps as well but most of all my work speaks for itself and I’m so thankful for my clients who recommend me to their friends. As someone who really feels connected to the people I work with, I find that these soul aligned clients who I love spending so much time with, have other wonderful souls in their lives who naturally gravitate into my chair through their recommendations. I am so humbled and forever thankful for my clients. I have been a part of so many life stories, celebrating wins and shedding tears over losses, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @VictoriaElainaHair
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/VictoriaElainaHair

Image Credits

Nana Oldach