Today we’d like to introduce you to Galisia Johnson
Hi Galisia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I actually started braiding hair in college…Grambling State University! A friend of mine was braiding in her dorm as a way to keep money in her pocket. She would be up braiding late nights after class and told me she needed some help. She invited me over one night to help with a client, showed me her braid pattern one time and I started helping her with every client after that. We were a perfect match and perfect team. She started having so much overflow that she would just send her people to me, and that’s where my braid life began. It was right on time with helping me pay for some of my Nursing school expenses as well as keeping myself fed. I’m forever grateful to that friend and we still speak after all these years.
I moved to Dallas in 2007 and some of the girls who already loved my work would travel here from Louisiana to get braided every few months. Word of mouth is what kept me afloat over the years. I never thought of myself as being able to go into business with my love for braiding. I actually didn’t desire to at the time either. I just knew I loved making the girls look and feel beautiful. I think that’s what has organically grown my clientele over the years.
As time went on, I became a mom, have always worked in Corporate and had other responsibilities. I had a really rough and dark time in my life in 2017 where I suffered from a severe case of post partum depression that spiraled into years of mental health battles. I note, this is a topic we should definitely bring more awareness to. As I fought to reach my point of breakthrough I started to experience severe anxiety and panic attacks to the point where I was blacking out. In my journey of working towards coping and healing I found that on the days I would braid, those were the only times I didn’t have panic attacks. Braiding has been the one corner of my life that anxiety has not been able to intrude. I started sharing my post partum depression and anxiety story on my social media. This was really because I needed to tell somebody so I didn’t feel so alone. Yes my dr was very helpful, but I didn’t like the meds and once I was finally comfortable enough to speak publicly about it, I really found healing. I had no idea so many people, men and women, were suffering with the same things. They were so supportive. We all found healing in each other.
I explained then and still explain to my clients now that I truly believe that my talent for braiding is directly God given. It was the one thing that saved my life in the darkest time that I have ever experienced. I love being in a posture of serving and loving on people through helping make their hair healthy and helping them feel and look good when they leave my chair. My story is what has continued to bring me clientele and the reason why so much of my clientele is repeat visitors….friends now that they’ve sat in my chair. Every appointment we connect beyond just getting a braid service. My clients and I discuss real and life changing topics and I am soooo happy to be an inspiration and motivation for them to just push through whatever they may be going through in life and know that there are safe spaces to lean into when you need it….even if it’s at a lil ole braid appointment. Being able to share this with so many women, who now travel from as far as California just to get braided by me and connect is the most rewarding feeling.
Recently I have transitioned to braiding full time and it has been one of the most joyous and rewarding times I’ve had while on this journey. My hands are truly a blessing to me and those that I service. I never get tired of braiding. I look forward to continuing on my path of growth and success and bringing happiness and peace to those with all kind of hair types and conditions.
Alright, 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?
Aside from working to overcome my own mental health challenges, it has been mostly smooth. The struggle at times really came and comes in the form of intrusive thoughts. They’re just another irritating part of the mental health challenges. You know, those thoughts of self doubt, wondering if you can really be successful at something that you never really planned for it to be permanent. The concern about leaving the somewhat security of Corporate America to just trust myself and my abilities. What I will say now is though I’ve learned very quickly that I CAN and I HAVE and I WILL continue to overcome and I am definitely on a well
lit path to success.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Profession wise, aside from braiding, I am actually an Analyst. I have a deep love for research and problem solving. This trait actually feeds a lot into my braid business because it requires a lot of attention to detail and being precise.
While I offer various braid styles, I specialize in extra small extra long braids. Anything that takes a lot of focus and time. It’s actually my preference. Having to be so focused for long periods of times actually soothes my anxiety because it locks my brain and thoughts in on only what I’m working on at the time. I zone out and just enjoy providing the service. This always leads to perfection in my work and my clients are so appreciative, especially those who have been told no by other braiders or that their hair is too short or whatever the case may be. Many of my clients suffer from Alopecia or other hair issues and most of them have told me that my transparency and authenticity on whatever platform they found me is what made them feel comfortable enough to even let me see their head or attempt to style them with my braids. They always come back with growth reports…ALWAYS and I love highlighting them on my social media. It brings me sooo much joy when I’m providing this service. I am most proud of my ability to get peoples hair back to being healthy while also just making them feel seen, beautiful, appreciated. So many tell me that other braiders don’t work with or decline to work with their hair at the time. My stance, if I can grip it, I can braid it and I will help you out sis. Lol. And I’m not talking about pulling your edges out or braiding you so tight that you can’t enjoy your style. I braid with love and peace. You can feel it from the time you enter my space and you can feel the tenderness in my braiding. My clients always say they can’t even feel me touching or gripping their hair. That’s a BIG compliment. And the braids last for months…without all the excess pulling and tightness. That’s what makes my heart smile. Just being genuinely peaceful and at peace so much that people WANT to sit in my chair when they could book with anybody else. They still choose me.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
In my opinion, everything is a risk. You take a risk when you choose to do something different and you take a risk when you choose to stay the same or stay in the same place. You risk missing what may just be your breakthrough moment. Either way, a risk is taken. As mentioned earlier, I recently chose to step away from Corporate to braid full time. I had been contemplating it since last year when my panic attacks got so severe that I started blacking out while driving and ultimately had to take a lonnnng mental health leave from work. In those 5 months I braided more than I had braided in any year and it put so much into perspective for me. The daily riff raff of not having a healthy work life balance was affecting me so much that I couldn’t even function in my own life. I couldn’t come home and tend to my kids. I couldn’t do anything but feel trapped in my anxiety. I had to make a decision for myself and for my kids. It was a hard one to make too because again, the risk. Could I build my side hustle to a business with steady income. Would I be able to afford health insurance outside of Corporate. Just so many things to think about. But ultimately, I went back to work after 5 months and resigned. I did it for ME. I would rather go home and figure it out than spend another day participating in the things that were not helping me get healthy and that could very easily cost me my life.
Now let me be clear. This was a decision that took some long hard thought and thankfully I had an awesome team of therapists and Drs who fully supported my decision, as staying where I was was doing more harm than help. Ultimately I knew I had my braid income to fall back on. I say this to say, no I am not saying people should just quit their jobs with no plan. But what I am saying is if you’re going to take a risk, it might as well be a risk on yourself. You have to believe in YOU. You have to trust you and you really just have to put you first. It’s sounds so clichè but it is truth.
Pricing:
- Micro Box Braids are priced by length and range from $300-$600 and worth every penny. Very low compared to other providers. And this is because I truly braid out of love not out of need. I think there’s a big difference.
- Traditional Human Hair Micro Braids $300 and the price includes the hair
- Micro Locs are priced by length and range from $400-$1050 and the price includes the hair
Contact Info:
- Website: https://BraidedByGalisia.GlossGenius.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/braidedbygalisia
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@gewelz_thediamond
