My WHY

Over the past two years, I have vaguely hinted at the reasons why I became an Esthetician Educator, dropping hints on Instagram posts, talking about it in stories with a 24 hour expiration date and just plain assuming everyone who follows my journey can read my mind and understand why I launched SCU in the first place. Now that I have a little more solid ground under my educator feet and feel like I can clearly explain what I'm actually doing and plan to do, I think it's time I put into words the very real reasons why continuing education is such a passion of mine and why I am committed to empowering estheticians and beauty professionals with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to succeed and prosper in the world of skincare entrepreneurship. As most things do, it all starts with a little backstory...

When I came out of esthetics school more than twelve years ago, I was very green as most brand-new estheticians are, thirsty for real work that paid the bills after almost six months of not having a real job, deemed fit and licensed by the Board of Cosmetology to practice esthetics in the State of Idaho, and had no fucking clue what to actually do. I had just spent over $10,000 on my incredibly fast-tracked education and felt like I had whiplash. Suddenly, I thought back to an internship I had in 2011 with a well-known celebrity esthetician in Southern California and I very clearly remember her telling me, "Esthetics school prepares you to pass your state boards. That's it. The real work and knowledge and skill comes from continuing education and hands-on experience." Gulp. 

Throughout esthetics school, certain visions started to come to the surface and shape that eventually formed a chokehold on me. I knew without a doubt that I wanted to move back to my hometown and open up my own practice. Initially I wanted to specialize in spray tans and brazilian waxing because no one in my area offered that type of service and being an opportunist like I am, I knew the market would be hungry for something new and edgy. Dream sparked! By the time I graduated, I knew how to spray tan thanks to a fellow student who was kind enough to teach me (we didn't cover spray tans in school) and I had a vague understanding of how to offer a relaxing facial which I attribute more to my own intuition and talent than I do to the hands-on education I received. And guess what? I left school with no freaking idea how to do a brazilian wax. We watched a video and got to witness our instructor perform a brazilian, once. 

In all honesty, my esthetics school failed me and I was left on my own to put the pieces together. 

Fast-forward a year or two and I launched my own skincare business, soaked up all of the knowledge and education I could get my hands on and got to work in real time. It wasn't very pretty. It wasn't perfect AT ALL, and I messed up, a lot. With time, certain services and treatments got easier and I became more confident in my craft. I like to think the Tiffanie I am today was guiding young, 24 year old Tiffanie back then, holding her hand and stroking her hair and leading her on an imaginary path of trust and faith in the unknown, shaping and molding her into the esthetician and educator she is today. Back then, I can confidently say that I didn't know what I was doing AND I had a very clear and distinct inner compass guiding me in the right direction. 

If you're new here or have been here for more than 5 minutes, it will start to become very clear that I have a deep passion for brazilian waxing. In fact, SCU is founded on The Brazilian Wax Masterclass and is a fundamental principal of why Sweet Cheeks University exists today. Remember that initial vision? Well, the reason I love brazilian waxing SO MUCH and why I dedicate my time to teaching other estheticians and beauty professionals how to master the art of intimate waxing is because of the POWER behind it. When I first started waxing, it was a big deal for someone in my very small town of 3,000 people to choose to go get their pubic hair ripped out while pants-less and baring everything in front of a young, childless woman. Most of my clients were older than me by default and most of them knew me from a very young age and most of them had never experienced anything like a brazilian wax before. From the very beginning, I knew in my core that this service was one that had to be approached and held with lots of love and extreme care. Getting a brazilian wax is vulnerable and a little scary and can be painful. Being able to hold the incredible power to provide a safe and sacred space for women to be at their most vulnerable and trust without fear of judgement is HUGE. As their Licensed Esthetician, I hold the ability to empower women to leave my treatment room feeling POWERFUL and UNSTOPPABLE because they accomplished something hard and to be able to support my clients in that process is priceless and incredibly valuable.

I truly believe that Licensed Estheticians have the ability to change the lives of women we serve which in turn creates a ripple effect of love, light and healing felt around the planet. If a woman can feel like a badass because she just had an awesome experience at her brazilian wax appointment, she can change the world! 

It's not at all lost on me how the many lessons I've gone through have helped prepare me to teach others how to succeed and prosper in the field of esthetics. Yes, any esthetician or cosmetologist can perform a brazilian wax or offer a facial or wax someone's eyebrows. The true magic lies in not only the craft and skill and expertise of the service itself, but the way in which that service is offered that creates true connection with the client who receives it. Its so much more than products and ingredients (those definitely matter don't get me wrong), but clients don't buy from a business because of it's product and service list alone. They buy from a brand who has a story, who invests real time and energy and love into their clients, who energetically soaks up everything a client needs to unload on the treatment room table during their appointment and who never passes judgement on their clients for how they care for their skin and body. People buy from real people who care and who pour energy back to its source. 

Now, fast forward again several years and I have a thriving skincare brand with an amazing team of unique and talented women who serve and empower the community we've built through skincare and self-care practices, amazing one-of-a-kind services and treatments and a space that's purely sacred and special and well-known. 

You want to know my why? My why is the world needs more estheticians who feel confident showing up as their true, authentic selves who yearn to serve. My why is driven by the fact that estheticians are coming out of esthetics school at an alarming rate with no real education on how to perform basic skincare and waxing services and who feel lost, overwhelmed and alone. My why for SCU is to be a beacon of light for estheticians and beauty professionals who need a roadmap to perfecting their skills and learning the ins and outs of running a business and who don't want to spend countless hours and dollars chasing real answers. My why is community over competition. I want to see you win and if I can do it, so can you. 

If you're a licensed esthetician who wants to learn how to create a name for yourself as a skillful, trusted brazilian waxer and genuinely serve the women you treat AND generate massive revenue for your business through the unique intimate waxing service you provide, check out the Brazilian Wax Masterclass. I'd be honored to help lead you in your own journey and help you create something special for you and your business like I have for mine ❤️

xo Tiffanie