Beauty Inside and Out

Close to twenty years ago I was living in Santa Monica, about six blocks from the beach. One Christmas we came out to Las Vegas to meet up with family. We were staying on the Strip, and my boyfriend at the time was adventurous and asked, "What's west of the Strip? What's over there?"

So we took a drive, ended up in Summerlin, and saw how beautiful it was. Back then there was no traffic. You could do a 360 in your car and not hit anybody, because nobody was around. We fell in love with it. By the next Fourth of July we were moving into our new townhouse.

So many good things. I had another child after we moved here. I already had my son Matthew, and then I had Augustine, who I homeschool.

I was also in a Raiders commercial for Allegiant Stadium that ran for three years. That was a great experience.

And I changed my whole career while living here. I was deep in the luxury fashion and makeup world, and recently I moved into health, wellness, and holistic work.

I think I hit a wall. For a long time I freelanced as a makeup artist and ran a virtual image consulting business, even before 2020. I had clients all over the country. If an author was going on a book tour and didn't know how to dress or do their makeup for the stage, I helped them. I also worked with clients going through a gender transition, helping with everything from undergarments to outerwear.

At some point I felt there had to be something deeper than makeup and clothes. I loved making people feel confident, but I felt called to something else. I found health coaching and it lined up with what I was already doing. Styling is all about talking to people and building trust, and I already knew how to run a virtual practice. I've always lived a pretty healthy life, and my mother raised me to be open to holistic practices. It clicked. I went back to school, graduated top of my class, and now I use all of it to help people feel better through Recalibrate Wellness.

When a client tells you they were able to safely lower their antidepressant medication, that's a big win. Usually they see physical changes too, like weight loss. A lot of the time the system treats symptoms instead of the root cause. A doctor rarely asks how things are going at work or at home, or why your blood pressure is high in the first place. There are a lot of lifestyle factors to look at.

My website, recalibratewellness.com, is the best place to book a consultation. You can also find my resources on my Linktree. And I'm very active on social media. If you message me on Facebook, on my personal Instagram, or on the Recalibrate Wellness Instagram, I'll reply myself. First consultations are free, and because the practice is virtual, I can work with you anywhere in the country.

You can do fashion for every season here, even if our seasons are a little strange. It's very hot, then maybe three weeks of fall or spring, and then a blast of winter. But it's a great city for style. Layers, boots, a summer dress. You can express yourself however you want and people embrace it.

The other perk is that everyone comes to visit you. You almost never have to travel to see family, because everybody finds a reason to vacation in Vegas. Even people you don't expect to hear from will let you know they're in town.

I wish we were more open to arts and culture on a bigger scale. It's come a long way. I remember when First Friday and the Arts District were just starting, and that was a big deal.

But outside of downtown we're still limited. We don't have enough museums or cultural spaces, especially for older kids and teenagers. There are plenty of trampoline parks for little kids, but if you want your teenagers to grow in history, culture, and the arts, there isn't much. I'd love to see that spread across the valley.