“JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT”
My situation is unique. Barbering is my second act in life. Before I became a barber, I was a television producer in New York City for over 10yrs. Upon graduating college from Villanova University, I moved to Manhattan and landed a job on ABC’s hit show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. I spent many years on that show (and others) building a successful television career. It was when I hit my 30’s, and was ready to start a family, that I realized as much as I loved television, and the glitz and glamour that went along with it, TV wasn’t going to allow me the work/life balance that I wanted for raising a family.
Working in television usually requires very long days, grueling shooting schedules and lots of traveling. It was at that time that I started contemplating a career change. I was all of a sudden faced with a very difficult decision to have to make. The thought of making such a big change at that stage of my life was scary, to say the least. My television career was going very well, I had my own apartment in NYC, I was living my dream. But I still had that nagging feeling that I needed to make a change in my life. It was my mom who suggested barbering to me. I come from a background of barbers and stylists – my mom is a barber and barbershop owner and my grandmother was a stylist and salon owner. I spent my childhood around barber shops and salons. Growing up, however, I never had any interest in pursuing hair.
My passion was always television. After months of thinking, strategizing and planning, I decided that I was going to give up my television career and become a barber. People thought I was crazy! I thought I was crazy. I was about to give up a successful career and completely start over. However, my gut was telling me this was the right move and I’m a firm believer in trusting your gut. Over the years, I had watched my mom enjoy cutting hair, as well as successfully manage a career while raising a family. I was sure barbering could offer me that same work/life balance that my mom had. I used my television career as a launching pad and began my training in NYC on TV sets. I spent countless hours learning and training under so many talented stylists and barbers. Simultaneously, I was apprenticing under my mom at her shop, Bowen’s Barber Shop, located in our hometown of Newtown Bucks County (a suburb of Philly).
I commuted back and forth between NYC and Newtown for months earning all of my hours and my education. After completing my extensive training, I was confident in my skills as a barber and I began working on TV sets as a hair and makeup artist. I had the pleasure of working with celebs like ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, ‘NSync’s Joey Fatone and NFL player Terrell Owens, to name a few. Shortly thereafter, I moved back to the Newtown area permanently, became a mom of twin girls and decided to devote all of my time to being a barber at Bowen’s Barber Shop.
My mom is my true inspiration for she is a force. My mom became a barber at 21yrs old, during a time when it was extremely RARE for women to be barbers. Having minimal guidance and direction, but fueled by endless amounts of drive and passion, my mom dominated in a male-dominated industry and built a thriving barber shop business by her 30’s. Within a few years, she grew a one-chair shop into a five-chair shop and hasn’t stopped since. She has brains, moxie, and the work ethic of a teenager. She is also a great barber! She is my hero in every sense of the word.
Finding that my gift of barbering and being a make up artist landing a dream job in the industry is a goal set out by anyone in this business, achieving my goal as a hair and make up artist for a top sports talk show on NBC is more than a dream come true, it is proof that with hard work and a plan everything in life is achievable.
“GO THE EXTRA MILE… IT IS NEVER CROWDED”
