Kristi Peticolas of Grand Rapids, Creston neighborhood on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Kristi Peticolas and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Kristi, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
Most days I wake up around 7 AM and the first thing I do is feed my dog, Chu Chu. Once she’s let out and taken care of I always make myself a cup of coffee and change into my workout clothes. I lift weights about four times a week and aim for 10,000 steps every day. If it’s a workday, I will head into the salon after I shower and get ready and if it’s an off day, I’ll probably be catching up on chores and finding some time to read.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’ve been a hairstylist for 22 years and had that dream since I was about 14 years old. I grew up loving all things art and I was constantly drawing and painting. Fast forward to getting my cosmetology license at 19 and then really honing in on my craft as being a curly specialist for the last decade.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
I would say my parents taught me most about work. They both had incredible work ethics and were very good at their careers. They also taught me about being sure to live within your means and save money. I really don’t think I would be able to adult as well as I do without their guidance at a very young age.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The most defining wound of my life was probably realizing that I had married a man who turned out to be a complete fraud. It was incredibly hard for me to realize that I was being manipulated and abused by someone who was supposed to love me. I think when you go through these types of things you can either get bitter or you can get better. Once I decided to end things I never looked back and I can say with all honesty my life just continues to get better and better. I’ve done a lot of therapy and I’ve really leaned on my friends and family. I threw myself into work, as the salon is my happy place. My clients truly supported me and kept my spirits lifted, and I will forever be grateful for that.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
One thing I believe to be true that I cannot prove is that someone’s ability to be disciplined will really define how good their life will be. If you have the discipline to work out, your body will be healthy and will look better. If you have the discipline to eat good food, you will sleep better and be energized. if you have the discipline to study and hone in on your craft, you will do better in your business. If you have the discipline to be loyal to your partner, the grass will be greener where you water it. I could go on and on with this, but the older I get the more I realize that discipline really is the key to everything. So many people are cheap dopamine addicts and they don’t have the patience to really work for something. But I suppose that’s the thing, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Having discipline shows a lot about your character.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
Oh man, if I retired tomorrow, I can guarantee my customers would be missing my scalp massages and my curly cuts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told I’m not allowed to cut my nails, most everyone loves how they feel during the massage. I really love learning about cutting curly hair and doing my best to perfect my technique for every type of curl out there. I’m always learning and I’m always growing but I know my cuts would be missed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elysiansalongr.com
• Instagram: @givethemhairbykristi

Image Credits
Andrea Lane Photography