Blog 5: The Power of Self Reflection
After I left Beauty on Latrobe in Brisbane and made my way to the Gold Coast, I found myself working at Smooth Skin in Southport, a lady called Lea had hired me and essentially put me in charge of running the salon. I earnt 50% of what I made. For someone as driven as me, we both had a good deal. I saw this an an opportunity to work hard, the more clients I had, the more money I made. Not even men’s Brazilians were off the cards. We mostly did waxing and facials in Southport. Lea was in her 50s, a classic Gold Coast cougar- attractive, confident, smart and successful. She spent most her time in Main Beach at boujee restaurants, living her best life with a sugar daddy funding her luxe lifestyle. Lea was incredibly kind to me, guiding me through the ins and outs of the Gold Coast life when I first arrived. I looked up to her, her confidence, her freedom, her lifestyle. Sure, her advice was sometimes morally questionable, but I rarely took it on board.
Lea would often try to set me up with a Sugar Daddy, trying to persuade me that it was a great way to get ahead in life. “Men would love you”, she would say. I never took it too seriously, deep down, I knew I couldn’t give up my dignity so I refused to sell my soul for money or status. Although, it would have been a be a hell of a lot easier.
At the time, I decided to study nursing — not because I wanted to become a nurse but instead so I could start injecting Botox and fillers, a booming industry on the Gold Coast. I enrolled at Gold Coast University, juggling full-time work, full-time study and part-time partying. My mum is a nurse, so I thought I’d enjoy it. But it was tougher than I expected. Studying is not for me, I’m not an academic and the thought of an exam still gives me anxiety. I did think that there would eventually be an easier path for beauty therapists to do injectables, but instead, the industry grew rapidly with cowboy injectors and restrictions tightened. Six months in, I threw in the towel. The final straw came after learning how to clean a foreskin. I was done!
Melissa had also decided to start her nursing journey, aiming to inject Botox too. It suited her much more than it did me. Melissa is still a nurse to this day. It was just before my first cosmetic trip to Thailand, Melissa called me with a burst of excitement. “Guess what! I’ve spoken to Claire, and I’m going to buy a franchise, right here in Brisbane. We’re going to work together again!”
I nearly died. “Working together? You’d be my direct competition.” I remember feeling betrayed, how could she do this? I was furious. This was my dream, everything I’d worked towards. For months, I didn’t speak to Melissa. I was so protective, so defensive over what I was building for myself.
The week that I left the Gold Coast after the business went bad I looked back and saw a new perspective. I realised I’d overreacted. Melissa just wanted to follow in my footsteps, she didn’t want to compete, she was my friend and she genuinely wanted to work together. I reached out to Melissa and we reconnected once again. But I never actually apologised until years later, when it continued to play on my mind. We had quickly rekindled our friendship but I still felt like there was something missing. Years later, I sent her an apology for how I reacted when she told me she wanted to buy the same business. Her response was ‘Oh don’t worry about it, honestly I’d forgotten about it”. That’s when I learnt that forgiveness is a powerful tool and that your ego can destroy you. It takes a lot to self reflect, but only when you do, can you move on and find peace. That apology wasn’t just about Melissa, it was about forgiving myself. Now, she’s still one of my closest friends. Business is tough, and when you pour your heart into it, it’s more than just money, it’s your energy, your dreams, your freedom and everything you sacrifice along the way.