Today we’d like to introduce you to Lolita Harris.
Lolita, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story starts on the Southside of Chicago, as a young girl with humble beginnings growing up in an area infested with: single-family homes, domestic violence, sexual abuse, family dysfunction, drugs, alcohol and prostitution…just to name a few. With all of the chaos around me, I only wanted better. However, in my home and community, I couldn’t see what I wanted so I had to find what I desired. I went through the challenges of being a part of my community and found my breakthrough when I passed the exam at the high school I attended in Chicago called “Robert Lindblom Technical H.S.”. Again, located in the bowels of the ghetto was this gem (Lindblom) that to some degree allowed me to see a life for myself outside of my circumstances.
Lindblom, to this day, set the precedence for the journey called life that was ahead of me. Lindblom was not just an educational institution but it was a place where I was challenged in my studies, developed very strong values, authentic relationships with authority and peers alike. Lindblom was and still is a school for what I call “the student leaders of the world”. With that being said, there were students at Lindblom that came from both ends of the spectrum and everything in between from a social-economic standpoint and it was because of some of those relationships that I was encouraged to all I could to become the best. Lindblom, my family life and my social environment combined were the catalyst in allowing me to see my purpose of helping the people around me and helping people is what I did.
Fast forward to post-high school, I decided against going away to school to attend traditional college. I chose instead to get certified to become a medical technician and did that for two years.
Shortly after that two year period, I decided to transition into the field of cosmetology by invitation from my stylist at the time (Angela Middleton). Angie was not only my stylist, but she became a mentor and role model to me along the way. I am so grateful for the place she holds in my story!!! Angela like many other amazing stylist and owners that mentored me along the way were the difference makers for me. I was mentored in different seasons of my life by people that would impact my life forever after Angela invited me into the business: Desiree O’Kelley, Melody Winston, Tyrone Mason, and Angela Nash just to name a few. In the business of cosmetology I experienced things in reverse, I received the practical skill before the technical knowledge and this process worked for me. I was finally encouraged by a woman I will always have respect for named Brandy Davis… she was my big sister and one of my biggest cheerleaders. It was Brandy that encouraged me to go to school and open my own business. I did both and she was there to help me get on my feet and support me through that process. I am so very grateful to God for placing her in my life in that season.
While in school my aunt Rochelle and my uncle Ronnie allowed me to work in their basement to put myself through school and to them I will be forever indebted.
Before graduating a peer of mine at school introduced me to her brother who happens to be on the road to the NFL. Two years after dating him we ended up pregnant, he attained the dream of playing football at the highest level and he became my husband. We were together 18 years and married 14 of those years. My ex-husband played a huge part in the latter part of my life because he then became my greatest fan and supporter. However, we divorced in 2015.
In 2014 I launched a new business called “Navigating the Heart Life Coaching”. This business is my sweet spot. I call this business my sweet spot because I believe that being behind the chair as a stylist/ encourager for the last 28 years prepared me for this. So, I became certified and now I am five years in.
I currently work two full-time jobs both in beauty and coaching. It works for me in this season because I am single again and an empty nester. I am grateful and fulfilled in the season I’m in.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am both a full-time Image/Hair Stylist and Life Coach who specializes in healthy African American women and with coaching, I focus on Self Discovery/Development and Management of Healthy Relationships with self and others.
All in all, nothing worth having is easy because it all requires a process. Being an entrepreneur like anything else in life is never a smooth road. I will first speak to the business of Cosmetology. Building a business from a clean canvas is not smooth but very rewarding. When I moved to Texas in 2002, I had taken a break from the business of cosmetology and was the CEO of my household and this changed in 2004. After my former husband experienced a career-ending injury in the NFL, I had to go back to work, with that being said, it was difficult to build a business that I hadn’t worked in for the last five years consistently. Just because things are challenging doesn’t mean that you can’t start somewhere, and I started at home and the people came. I grew out of being home and moved my business out of the community I lived in and had to come back by force. When I moved my business from the house, I lost a good portion of my clientele and was robbed causing me to come back to my community to work in a salon. In this business like any other one you will face challenges, but start anyway and learn as you grow.
To go a little more in-depth, my challenges were more along the lines of being patient as it relates to growing and managing the business, having a healthy work/ life balance and managing money. We will address these areas in the question on advice to one going into the business of cosmetology or any entrepreneur type of business.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
In the business of cosmetology, I am most known for the experience I provide through authentic hair care, a warm and encouraging environment that creates a space for healthy life-giving conversations and relationship building. I am most proud of the 28 years of service in the industry and the amazing reviews that comes from the hearts of so many as it relates to their personal experience on how their lives were impacted for good at Heaven On Earth Hair Palace.
In the business of life coaching, I am known for using the gift of encouragement to equip and empower others to become the best version of themselves while establishing healthy relationships with self and others. This is what I do wherever I find myself. The gift of encouragement is a powerful tool.
One of the things that I have been most proud of is the success of Girl Talk(a monthly event started by myself and my team in 2017 to create a safe safe place for women to discuss challenging topics for women, provide support, establish sisterhood and learn and grow together) and the feedback that I’ve received from others as it relates to them applying the knowledge shared to their lives and seeing things move in a positive direction because of it. When I see that God has used me as an instrument to help someone become a better version of themselves, I am fulfilled.
I believe that what sets me apart from other stylist or coaches is my ability to never leave empathy out of the equation and to consistently challenge myself to raise my standards daily becoming better than the yesterday version of me. I love people and I want everyone to feel valuable while in my presence, whether behind the chair, while coaching or just in passing.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
To a young woman starting in the business of cosmetology, the first thing I would encourage her to do would be to find someone that is successful and operates in a spirit of excellence, when she finds this person ask them if they would be willing to mentor her. Mentor are important because they save you on time, and give you a more cutting edge vision for what to do now and next in your process. After all, we become more like the people we spend the most time with.
I would encourage her to be patient with the growth of her business because every detail of the experience is necessary for your growth and development. Never seek to take short cuts they usually only produce temporary fulfillment. Trust the process and grow through whatever challenges may come, through prayer and support from your mentor.
I would encourage her to make sure that she doesn’t overwork herself and loose sight of the other things that matters the most to her. You want to be successful in your career but you also want to establish meaningful relationships, have fun, explore new things about yourself and take care of your spirit, mind and body.
Finally, I would encourage her to get a financial planner to give her some guidance on how to set her life and business up for financial success. In the business of cosmetology money comes quickly and goes quicker if you are not intentional from the beginning.
Finally, remain a student of whatever you set your hands and mind to do. Never think you know it all, but instead be willing to listen and learn from the wisdom and experience of others.
Contact Info:
- Website: Navigatingtheheart.com
- Phone: 214-457-7946
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Navigating The Heart
- Facebook: @CoachLo
Image Credit:
Charles Brakes Jr.
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