Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikaylah Pokorney.
Hi Mikaylah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been in the industry for 11 years. I started on my hair journey when I was 5 practicing on my baby dolls and barbies, but officially became a licensed cosmetologist when I was 19. 😉 I have always loved doing hair and used to dream about what it would be like as a career. I started at a salon where I was at for 10 years and learned so much between continuing education opportunities, relationship building, and strengthening my craft. I opened up my own suite in December 2024 to create a personalized experience for each of my guests. It has changed and grown me as a person. I am honored to have gone through many stages of life with my guests- life, loss, marriage, breakups, pregnancy, parenthood at all stages- making an impact at each and every appointment I would say is my VERY favorite part of my job. The trust and relationships built while you are creating the perfect look for each individual! Let’s not forget to mention the wild amount of support I’ve had from my clients- one telling me as I opened my suite “wow Mikaylah, you’ve really made it.” You never forget those things- I’m eternally grateful. My goal with my space is to make every person feel like they belong. A safe space. a fun space- where we can laugh, cry and everything in between. I absolutely love customizing looks to tailor each client – coloring and cutting! What color feels like you? The trendiest color or cut is what YOU feel good in- not what anyone else says it is. Confidence exudes when you FEEL good in what you have and I love bringing that magic to life!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh boy, the stories I could tell! If there wasn’t struggles, there can’t be growth. Each and every stylist (new talent and advanced stylists) experience struggles. I have botched some haircuts and hair colors (thankfully, this is much less severe and often now as I have figured out how to own and handle these scenarios). I was a trainer at my salon and I remember new talent feeling discouraged or frustrated by something they did. Real quick, we’d be laughing about the mistakes I made along the way as they are not alone. It’s what motivates you to always push and chase your craft to always be bettering it. I remember when I was new, I cried about a few situations and my mentors always helped me through and eventually you learn its part of the process when you’re continuously learning. There is growth in skills, relationship building with guests, growing clientele, and handling difficult situations.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most passionate about color. I love all things color: blonding, brunettes, fashion colors(bright red, blue, purple, pink, etc.), and grey coverage. I try to come to every appointment having new ideas for each guest, big or small. This keeps things fun and exciting and truly allows them to relax and not have to figure it out all on their own(unless they want to!). My clients put a lot of trust in me and most of the time just want me to do what I think is best. This means a lot to me as I know that is a very personal thing for people! It makes me proud of the relationships built with each individual. This allows me to do my very best work and lean into the things I feel I’m really talented at.
What’s next?
I have had some big changes in my life personally the last 4 years. My husband and I have built out a few businesses together, and we welcomed our first baby boy. I took a step back from hair to be able to juggle all of it and went down to 2 days a week. It’s been a lot of fun and learning along the way. I have now decided to have a different role(still, involved, but not as much in the weeds) in our business and focus on my own (salon suite) business, and being a mama. This has allowed me to “be where my feet are”. I’ve been able to be intentional about each focus whole-heartedly instead of feeling like I couldn’t even do one thing well. I have now extended my schedule and growing back clientele again. I have been expanding my schedule for clients 3-4 days/week now! I am loving focusing on it and also having time freedom to grow mine and my husbands businesses and spend time with our crazy fun toddler!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mysalounge.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: @themysalounge
