Caitlin Eyk shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Caitlin, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Carving out time for my needs. I’ve always been really career driven, especially because I care deeply about my clients. After nearly sixteen years doing hair behind the chair you really get to know the people who sit there.
My clients and my craft were my number one priority for a very long time. Motherhood softened that, it reframed what was truly important. While I still honor the time I have with each of my clients I try to equally honor myself, which is new. I used to sometimes work from a place of scarcity and would think that my clients just wanted me there to do their hair no matter what my health looked like. I was afraid to reschedule clients to give myself time to rest because I thought it would upset people.
Since choosing to honor my own boundaries, I have created better work-life balance, have more time with my son, and have become certified as a yoga teacher. I’m now teaching classes my hometown of Pentwater which gives me more time with my mom, stepdad and sister. This will ultimately carve out a better balance overall as my son grows. Having diversified my skill set will make it easier to flex around his schedule and his needs as well as my own..
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Caitlin Eyk. I am a creative a creative and caring human, mom and business owner. I established my business six years ago and haven’t looked back. Since my beginning as Hair Heroine my brand has evolved into Wonderland Collective.
My main modality is cosmetology however, my overall focus is community building, creating connections between like-minded individuals to help them find better balance, peace and success in their own lives.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
My relationship with my son Max who is only 14 months changed everything about my life and my perception of self. A lot of mothers talk about having never experienced that kind of love, which is true and wild and beautiful. But one of the profound affects of motherhood you hear a little less about is how that love and the insane challenges of creating and sustaining life can REALLY lower your capacity for other noise. The anxiety once carried about how I was perceived for every little thing went away. Im so much stronger and more confident. I think meeting Max helped me truly know who I am.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
In my younger years the path less traveled was the only one I knew. I was really good at making things hard on myself. It was those experiences in my formative years that gave me my intuition and my empathy. I really believe that it was my suffering that brought me to my success and that’s almost always true.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
I had to laugh at this one. I’m pretty sure that my Instagram bio says that I’m a chronic oversharer. However mysterious, I wish I could be. I am an entirely open book. It’s never been easy for me to hide my emotions or what. I’m really thinking on my face. So with me what you see is what you get. That’s where it’s been important for me to learn how to balance and check my own energy before bringing it to the public.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I hardly ever do what I’m told. Haha. So naturally I’m doing what I was born to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wonderlandcollective.us
- Instagram: @Hair.Heroine & @_wonderland_collective
