Marketing/Admissions Director
Debutantes School of Beauty
Debutantes was my test kitchen. Where I learned the very basics of digital design while fostering growth in students and myself. Debutantes was all about transformation: of confidence, of creativity, of careers. I led Marketing and Admissions for over a decade, growing enrollment, building a brand, and planting seeds that still bloom today.
Some stories aren’t just about work, they’re about love, loss, and the deep desire to build something that matters.
My mom (Debby) passed away from cervical cancer at 51.
I grew up in what you’d call the quintessential American family. My parents were deeply in love. My dad was successful. I lived in a suburb outside of Chicago, chasing dreams like any classic twenty-something. I was dating a chef, working as an event planner for a prestigious Chicago restaurant group, and life felt full.
Then everything changed.
After months of discomfort, my mom went in for what we thought would be a routine hysterectomy. They discovered Stage 4 cancer. Nine months later, she was gone.
In the midst of our grief, my dad and sisters wanted to build something that would carry her memory forward. Though my mom wasn’t a cosmetologist, she was an artist in her own right. She believed in community, in creative expression, and in the beauty of lifting others up. Debutantes School of Beauty became our tribute, a space where people could grow into their creativity, their careers, and themselves.
When I took on the role of Director of Marketing and Admissions, it wasn’t just a job, it was a calling. For 10 years, I poured every ounce of my heart into that school.
I studied digital marketing like it was my second full-time job. I rebuilt our website five times. I designed every brochure, flyer, and open house invite. I learned Google Ads, Facebook Ads, sales funnels, and CRM systems. I experimented, tested, adjusted, and pushed until we started seeing real results.
There wasn’t a roadmap. I just kept learning. I created our entire digital strategy, built lead-generation systems from scratch, and increased enrollment by 40 percent, all on a shoestring budget. Every campaign was a patchwork of creativity and strategy. It was full-on guerrilla marketing.
I loved it. I lived it. And I grew more than I ever imagined I could.
At a digital marketing conference in 2018, I had a realization. I was surrounded by niche specialists, but I had built every piece of our marketing machine myself. That’s when I realized my superpower: seeing the big picture while understanding the tiny moving parts.
Eventually, in 2022, I moved away. But that chapter will always be a part of me. Debutantes wasn’t just a job. It was my family, my purpose, my heart. I still meet weekly with my dad and our Marketing Director. Because when you help build something with love, you never really leave it.
Family businesses are beautiful, but they are hard. Grief, trauma, and the realities of entrepreneurship don’t pause for each other. We had our struggles. We had our wins. And we had each other.
Debutantes is still standing. Still thriving. Still rooted in the belief that beauty is more than skin deep, it’s about heart, grit, and the courage to grow.
