Issue link: https://www.ahpindiestylist.com/i/1380995
BREAKING GROUND At 22 years old, Leal was giving presentations to global directors in other countries, but she felt there was still a huge piece missing in her career. "I wanted to go back to college, so I quit my full-time job with Wella, registered for a study- abroad program in Paris, and decided I was going to get my BA in communications studies. "I completed my education in four years from California State University, Northridge, and was very fortunate that both Wella and Sebastian allowed me to work as a freelancer during this time. I still remember writing an eight-page term paper on a flight to Japan, where I would spend the next two weeks teaching cutting and styling classes!" After completing college, Leal went to work for a start-up salon in Santa Monica but learned very quickly that it wasn't a fit. "I stayed for two years, since a recession had just hit," she says. "I gave up an opportunity to take a job in curriculum development in Singapore to stay and work as a hairstylist. "But it definitely wasn't a complete waste of time. I focused my efforts on working with a team to make salons sustainable and was awarded a certificate of recognition from the state of California for eco-friendly work. I was Growing Through the Pain "Early on, I definitely felt I was thrown to the wolves or the sharks or whatever—way out of my element. I think back and wonder why somebody let me do that. I was so not prepared! But sometimes, the toughest times we remember end up being some of the best learning we had. Over the years, I had to overcome the fear of new beginnings and recognize that failure is a much-needed part of the journey; we only grow so much by staying in one spot. Maybe people weren't polite, and you get tears in your eyes. But you just took it. I don't believe in being cruel, but I wouldn't take any of it back. I learned so much, so early, working for a company that had such high expectations. I think [my parents] felt confident enough that I could do what I needed to do. But I needed to fall on my face a little too. I had a lot of life lessons and work experience that happened a lot sooner than I was prepared for, but 10 years later, you realize, 'Oh, wait a minute. I've been through this before.'"