Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Hemingway.
Andrea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always wanted to be a nail technician, because it collaborates my love of being social and creative. After graduating high school, I enrolled in a Jr. College, but it was beauty school where I found my perfect fit as a nail technician. I had to kiss a few academic frogs to learn that, and even after I became successful at applying nails and making clients feel pretty and confident, I still wanted to try my hand in something else. I went to a vocational college and got certified as a medial assistant. I worked for a podiatrist, and my background in pedicures helped out considerably. I liked helping people not only on the aesthetic side but the medical standpoint as well.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My struggles lie beneath what people can’t physically see. I suffer from major escalating back problems that were more or less, a birth defect with conditions that impair certain physical activities, especially walking. As a nail technician, I am often bent over doing my work, and I knew that I had to do something drastic or I would become immobile. Recently, I had back surgery to help alleviate some of my on-going conditions, and now, I’m in the process of healing and repairing. The things I have found to help me overcome my misfortune is consistently keeping up with yoga, lifting weights, long walks and being very meticulous regarding my nutrition intake. I’ve made such an impact in my own life by doing these things that I’ve encouraged my friends, family and even complete strangers to change up their routine to incorporate better living habits.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
People in my local area of Tierrasanta in San Diego, from neighbors to local chiropractors and even waiters, know what I do for a living and are always asking me how I’m doing. I can talk to anyone, and that is my strongest asset for both my personal life and my professional life. I’m a natural networker, and because I love what I do for a living, even though all my debilitating physical pain and setbacks, the smile on my face is genuine. Professionally, I am proud of my ability to adapt, always learning on the job, and most challenging job combined my love of nail care and medical assisting.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Being a woman in a dominating field of aesthetics and nail care, there really are no barriers. In fact, being a woman is an asset in what I do. When I’m in public, others see my nails and I use it as a natural form of advertisement. Fit the part of what you do best and that will be the kind of clientele you will create.
Contact Info:
- Email: anjo2656@yahoo.com
- Instagram: andreahemingway
Image Credit:
Andrea Hemingway
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