September 10, 2018

Conversations with the Inspiring Caitlin Mahannah

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Mahannah.

Caitlin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I always knew from a young age that I loved to create and I loved beauty. I was one of those little girls cutting off their Barbie dolls hair, hoping to one day do it for grown ups.

I obtained my education from the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis and from there went through an 8 month advanced training course at a salon chain called Ficocello’s! Wanting to come back to an Aveda salon, I spent the next three years with Taj salon where I gained management experience at a very young age and continued to refine my skills. In 2014, I decided it was time to fulfill my long time dream of moving to California. After working for another large Aveda salon in both management and behind the chair for the last four years, I decided it was time to step out on my own.

My business partner Krystina came up with our salon and brand name: Wanderlust Hair Studio. Wanderlust means a ‘desire to travel’, but inside of our small but mighty salon, to us it means the desire to change the world of beauty. We not only focus on enhancing our clients beauty on the outside, but the inside as well. We believe that when the inside feels good the outside will look good.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Honestly, I don’t think any journey is always smooth. That great fact is a part of life and can serve us as a vehicle for growth if we don’t get defeated.

I went into management at a very young age. I was 20 years old when I became a team lead, then a manager at 21. I was managing people younger and older than me. Management can be frustrating and lonely but it also heeds opportunity to be a leader, and I had always been inspired by leadership.

In 2016, I went through a self development and leadership program in San Diego called Ascension Leadership Academy. This program taught me how to relate to people, create a vision, help people become inspired, set goals, and create major results.

If I were to give advice to women starting their journey, the first thing I would say is believe in yourself. Let nothing stand in your way of achieving your vision. Each day take small steps toward your goals. Today is my greatest asset. “What can I do with today to continue taking the next best step forward?”

The next thing I would say is HAVE FUN! Smile, laugh, value the connections you make with people, and truly open your heart. You never know who’s life you’ll impact. Enjoy the ride and be sure to relish in every accomplishment. Taking pride in your accomplishments will be fuel to continue crushing your goals!

what should we know about Wanderlust Hair Studio? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I have spent many years refining every part of my craft. I never wanted to spealize or be great at just cutting OR color. I wanted to be great at it all.

What I enjoy the most would definitely be blonding, dimensional color, and men’s cutting. I learned cutting from one of the best barbers in the industry and it has always been a strong suit of mine.

I am proud of many things about our brand. My partner Krystina and I are listeners. We take the time to get to know our clients, and what results they really are looking for. We create and nurture trustworthy relationships to keep our clients coming back to Wanderlust.

I also started working with photographer, Thomas Prusso, doing hair and makeup for his models. He does photo shoots for military veterans and it has been an honor to work with these strong women who served our country.

Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
I’ve had many mentors throughout my career. My best advice is to find someone who has what you want and stick with them. I owe much of my success to Brittany Hall and Leigh Adamson at Quattra Via Aveda. They opened one of the most successful Aveda salons on the west coast and I worked with them closely for almost 4 years before opening Wanderlust.

Stick with the winners and you will learn what you seek.

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