Meet Terina Burns | Licensed Esthetician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Terina Burns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Terina, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting my own business was my desire to provide for my children and work in an industry that has endless growth potential. As a single mom, I needed a skill in a growing industry that I could do anytime and from any place no matter what was happening in my personal life. So, when my youngest baby was only 7 weeks old I began esthetics school and committed to attending full time. Thankfully I had the support of my family so that I could complete the program. My plan was to finish school and start my beauty business, and that’s exactly what I did upon graduating in September 2019. There have been many hurdles since then, however, I do not regret starting when I did and only wish I had known about doing this sooner.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Zen & Glow Aesthetics is a safe space for every day women to have a guilt- free, luxury self care & beauty experience. Our services include skincare treatments, waxing & brow enhancements. I’ve heard so many women, specifically mothers, express guilt at the thought of treating themselves to personal time for things they’ve deemed as over-indulgent or unnecessary. My goal is to educate these women on why this form of self care is something that should be viewed as absolutely necessary. It is my belief that as women who are also mothers, wives, employees, business owners, etc., we take on an enormous amount of responsibility and emotional baggage from all of the hats we wear. We love to nurture and maintain all those areas of our lives and the people in them, but tend to short change ourselves when it is time to separate from that and unwind. I believe that women who “do it all”, deserve to be catered to and should be able to prioritize their beauty routines with a sense of pride rather than shame or regret. Regularly treating oneself to services that are luxury, yet accessible, allows women to show up as the best version of themselves.

I got to where I am today in business by being determined to level up in my life, mapping out a plan, and being flexible with changes to that plan when necessary. Other than that, I am always learning new things and I think that’s the most important factor. When we stop learning, we stop growing! Getting to this point, although it’s only the beginning, was not an easy task. I overcame challenges such as starting a business at the peak of a global health crisis, being a single mom of 3 kids and learning everything from scratch due to having never owned a business before. I was able to do this with the help of family. I also had friends and local community members who were willing to pay me for my services and be featured in my social media content. I also invested in courses and traveled to attend conferences & networking events.

My biggest takeaway from my time as a business owner, is that I will only get results from the work that I do. Overnight success is not real and it’s important to actually do real work and not get lost in the glamorous illusions on social media.

What I want the world to know about my brand and story is that the every day woman I serve who “does it all” is me! So, I fully understand her. No matter what you’ve been through in life, you deserve greatness. My company exists to help women replace negative self talk with positive affirmations and to normalize luxury beauty & self care experiences for them. We’re all in this together!

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?
My favorite spots in the city definitely center around food, views and music! For a tasty meal a few of my go-to’s are Lotus, The Taste Bar, Another Broken Egg Cafe and any of the food trucks in the Galleria Food Truck Park. I’m a water person so assuming the weather is right, the Texas Pool at the Marriott Marquee is a must! Checking out a Theatre Under the Stars performance or the Houston Ballet would for sure be on my list as well.

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?
I have to give a huge shoutout to my family, especially my mother, who has supported me through every stage of life and has played the most critical role over the last 3 years as I navigated single motherhood and entrepreneurship at the same time. Without their willingness to provide shelter, finances, childcare and moral support during the time I needed it most, my journey would have looked a lot different. I am forever grateful.

Instagram: instagram.com/zenandglowaesthetics