Meet McKaela van der Lee | Hairstylist & Salon Suite Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with McKaela van der Lee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi McKaela, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
At the beginning of my career, I didn’t have much of a work life balance. I felt as if I needed to work all of the time in order to grow and be successful. I took any opportunity I had to work even if it was outside of my normal hours. After a year of working 6 days a week, I missed having more time for myself and my life outside of work. I decided to cut down my days and have a set schedule every week. Within my schedule, I allotted time for everything so there weren’t days where I felt pressured to work or to get something done at the end of my days. By creating a schedule and planning time for all of the tasks that need to be completed throughout the week, it has given me the freedom to have the work life balance that is needed. Over time, I have learned that it is impossible to have growth within a business without personal growth and development alongside that. I put my personal needs aside for my clients and the business. As hairstylists, our schedule is always booked back to back and we tend to bypass setting time apart from this for ourselves, which at times can be overwhelming. Finding the sweet spot in a positive work-life balance becomes a crucial part in alleviating any stress or overbearing feelings while running and maintaining a successful business.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a blonde myself, I know how hard it is for clients to find someone they trust to do their hair. I knew going into my career that I wanted to specialize in blondes because it isn’t easy. At the beginning of my career, I wanted to instantly jump right into doing hair, however I soon learned that it isn’t as simple as I had initially imagined and that I needed to take a step back in order to properly educate myself. I worked alongside other trained stylists to learn their techniques and to understand why they had the techniques they did. I absorbed as much information as possible and practiced my technique as much as possible. I have put countless hours into educating myself on different techniques and formulas in order to create the clients dream hair and my personal preference in techniques that came from a large blend of my education. After many trial and errors, I finally feel confident in knowing I am providing exceptional work. It took a lot of practice and putting in the time towards educating myself in my industry. My main priority was making sure my work was the best it could be before pushing myself further, as well as ensure their time with me was valuable. At each service, I educate the guest on their hair type and what is going to be best for them. My goal each service is to not only give my guests the hair of their dreams while maintaining the integrity of their hair, but also to educate them on how to maintain and care for it outside of the salon.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Tucson has a lot to offer but you just have to know where the hidden gems are. I absolutely love coffee so one of our first stops would be Dutch Bros. When in Tucson, you have to try the Mexican food. I believe we have the best Mexican comparatively to anywhere else I have been. My favorite Mexican place is El Guero Canelo. They have the best carne asada tacos. Another one of my favorite places to eat is Zinburger. The truffle fries are a must. If we are wanting to have a fun evening, TopGolf is the place to go. They have food, drinks and you can lounge with your friends while playing a game of golf. We have some of the prettiest hiking trails here so we would definitely go on a morning hike before it gets too warm out. We always love trying something new so we always tend to look for somewhere we haven’t been before. Before they go, I would definitely bring them to the salon to freshen up their hair.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Having an amazing support system is an important aspect in being successful. I have been very fortunate in having a strong support system in my life between my family and friends. My closest friend, Samantha, is my go-to person. I am constantly bouncing any new ideas that come to mind for my business off of her for a highly helpful second opinion and extra insight. She helps me come up with a strong game plan and helps me wrinkle out any kinks in how it should be executed. We have always joked about how we would be the best business partners because we create some amazing ideas together.

My parents from day one have always been my biggest supporters. My mom is the hardest working person I know and I strive to be like her in that aspect. She always encouraged me to learn and be the best I can be. I appreciate her for pushing me to constantly try harder. My dad has always been my person to lean on. I go to him for any hardships I may have and he always has the best advice on how to handle a situation. He knows just how to make me feel better and get back up to try again. Without these people, I do not think I would be where I am today as a person or in my career.

Website: lovleesalon.square.site

Instagram: @lovleesalon @hairbymckaela

Image Credits
Ashley Ailene Photography