Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Maldonado.
Hi Sharon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born and raised in West Valley City, Utah. My father was born in Mexico and my mother was born in Honduras. They met in Juárez, a popular city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. My parents came to the United States on separate journeys. My dad arrived first in 1995 and one year later, my mom arrived with my oldest sister who was only 3 years old at the time.
My parents had five children together. They instilled in each of our minds that anything is possible if you work hard at it and that we have to use our gift of creativity to the best of our abilities. I remember seeing my dad fixing up old furniture and selling it online to earn extra income. He always had side projects. Even on his days off from work, he would still be working on his projects in our backyard. He is definitely the hardest worker I know.
Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of money or a ton of resources available to us. We struggled to make ends meet, but that didn’t stop us from dreaming, creating, and working towards a better and more fulfilling life.
As a child, I always dreamt of being an artist. I wanted to be so many different things: a dancer, singer, actress, painter, but most of all, I wanted to be a makeup artist.
By the time I was in high school approaching my junior year, I knew makeup and all things beauty related was my biggest passion. However, there was something I had to do first: join the United States Marine Corps. It sounds crazy,
I don’t think anybody was more surprised than me. I knew I had to join the military if I wanted to be more independent and bring more opportunities into my life. I spent four years working as an Administrative Specialist, being stationed both in Okinawa, Japan, and Camp Pendleton in California. I was honorably discharged in 2021. I am so grateful for everything the military taught me. I strongly believe that I would not be where I am today had it not been for the Marines that took care of me, held me accountable for my actions, and instilled the discipline and confidence that I completely lacked as a teenager.
After leaving the military, I went to esthetics school to pursue my passion and successfully completed the 1200-hour Master Esthetics program. In school, I learned so much about the resources I had available to me to start a business, not just as an esthetician student, but as a veteran and as a Latina from humble beginnings. We spoke with so many different business owners, business coaches, and people who turned their dream into a reality. Despite all the challenges they faced, they made it happen. I wanted to be like them. I still want to be like them! Thus, Ikigai Esthetics Studio was created!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The most challenging thing for me was transitioning from an active-duty Marine to a civilian. It did not matter how prepared I thought I was. I lived a completely different lifestyle in the military than the one I live now, one that took so much time to become accustomed to. Not to mention all the people you leave behind that become like your second family. That really hit me hard. I was not prepared for that. I was dealing with severe depression and anxiety on a daily basis that it became difficult to feel like a whole person. It felt like my life was falling apart. At one point, I even thought about joining a different branch so that I could go back to the lifestyle I was used to. Everything changed for me once I was in school because I knew the reason, I left the Marines was so I could live my true passion. Being able to do that made me feel whole again. I also had incredible support from my family, friends, and other veterans who experienced similar challenges.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Ikigai Esthetics Studio will be offering both esthetic and makeup services, as well as Japanese beauty practices. I especially love performing brow services such as brow waxing, brow laminations, brow tints, etc. What sets me apart from others is the elements of Japanese culture that I am adding to my studio. I lived in Japan for two years and even though I spent a huge chunk of my time on an American base, I will never forget the peace I felt while I was exploring Okinawa and the mainland. Our beauty standards in America are very different from Japan’s as we are more diverse. So, I’m combining both of those standards to create services that are so unique but that still work for everybody. My goal is to help people feel the same peace and safety I felt while I visited the spas in Japan. When they leave the studio, I want them to feel like their most beautiful, authentic, and empowered self.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I am lucky to have met so many great people who are willing to help me grow and expand my business. I am lucky and blessed because I have people in my life who have supported my journey from the very beginning.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ikigai.esthetics/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-maldonado-609579245
Image Credits
Nicholas Downing
