She UnCovered her Passions.

This picture may not seem abnormal to anyone looking at it for the first time. To most, they see a beautiful woman with a beautiful smile. For me, it was the start of uncovering my fears. This was one of the very first times I went to a networking event without a wig. It was a huge step. I was afraid people would be more focused on my smooth skin and no signs of hair. We've all been there, you're talking to someone face to face, and the thing you're most nervous about feels HUGE. Is there something on my face? Your gut is queasy, and you're not really even a part of the conversation. You're in your head wondering where's the closest mirror? The person is talking, you're nodding, and the whole time your thoughts are running. It feels like they're staring right at the thing you feel subconscious about. Well, that was me. Smiling on the outside and trembling on the inside. In fact, I think taking this picture in the corner was a way for me to have something else to focus on besides networking with people. I hadn't yet started what would become the UnCovered brand. I was there as an entrepreneur sharing details about a catalog shopping company and learning how to get out of my comfort zone to meet new people for that gig.

I was a homeschooling mom, and I wanted to get out and help provide for my family. It didn't start that way. I actually graduated from the culinary program at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan. I wanted to go away to Johnson and Wales on the East Coast, but I met my now husband. He got a career in the prison system, and that's how we ended up in Lansing, Michigan. I'll have to write a different post about how I navigated our dating life while trying to hide the fact that I wore wigs for more than just to be cute. Having children and being married in a new city made me realize I needed to have a job that was flexible around my children. I tried working early mornings at hotels, and I loved it because I was still in the hotel and hospitality field. But it worked until it didn't. I had growing young babies who needed me around more than not. So I left the hotel and started doing kids' parties and candy tables. People who knew me had seen and experienced some of my catering and cakes from my time at Mott. So I took the requests from my family to make cakes and candies for their open houses and birthday parties, etc., and people from my husband's job started requesting things as well, and that was the beginning of my entrepreneurship. That formula of life happening and the skills I had formed me as an independent worker. Navigating the challenges that come with being an independent business owner and seeing how to achieve the end product I was envisioning. So, long story short, I transitioned from the cottage baking once my kids got older and my son, in one case, learned to eat the cupcakes that were a part of an order, and I was pregnant with my fourth child. I wasn't in the headspace to go start a full business, so I stopped baking.

As fate would have it, I had been introduced to the Catalog shopping club one day at the hotel before I made my exit. Being in business for myself wasn't on my bingo card, but it was what made the most sense for my life. I desired to care for my family and be there for them. So I started learning more about how to meet new people to share the store with. I liked this because it took the inventory and liabilities of housing things out of my hands, and the company shipped things directly to the customers. So it was a win-win. I focused on learning how to network, meeting new people, telling the story of the company, and asking people to give it a try. I loved it. I could work from home around my family's schedule and have something I could be social with. By now, you may be saying, okay, how does this all relate to hair loss? Well, because I was so focused on my family and living, I was able to not focus on my personal needs. I was good, and it wasn't bad. I had a husband who loved me for who I was, a family, and now a social/financial outlet. Life was good. It could've been better, but it was good. Oftentimes, things are good until they're not. Just like my baking career, it was good until it wasn't. Life brings us seasons that won't always be tragic in order for us to change. But transitioning into another season of life is something we all will be presented with. We can go kicking and screaming, or we can go forward with optimism. That's what I choose. I can't say these transitions weren't frustrating as well, because to a certain extent, they were, AND I just had faith that things could get better than they were.

Getting ready to go networking

During this season, I was encouraging my husband, who had been working in the prison system for about 10 years now, to do something he liked for his own mental health. This is where he started to find his love for running again, which is why I was at a track meet the day my dear daughter pointed out the "lady with no hair who looked like me" in the crowd. It was another point in my life where I realized things were good until they weren't. I was fine wearing wigs and hiding my hair loss until I realized I had two young daughters who would grow up either loving themselves for who they are or feeling the need to hide the things they could not change. Thus, this is where the story of UnCovered started. I started walking myself through my own journey of how I saw myself and how I wanted to see myself. What would life be like if I only wore the wig when I wanted to? To allow myself the freedom to choose. Wigs, hats, scarves, etc. I had choices, and I just needed to explore them. What my daughter did was give me permission to walk in freedom. So again, I find myself back in the formula of life happening and the skills I had. I loved clothing and fashion already; I just needed to UnCover what that would look like in this next season. So I asked myself if I was just diagnosed, what would I do, who would I call, and where would I go? So I started networking and going to the local wig shops to see what my town had to offer. What I found was shocking and unsettling. I found that hiding was the norm. It was like being told "you are officially broken, here's a wig to cover up." Now, not in those exact words, but everything pointed toward fixing what's broken. And while we all desire a solution for a problem, I realized there was space for me to say, and what if it never changes? Take this medicine, and your hair will grow back...but what if it doesn't? There were a lot of promises for regrowth and no one addressing the emotions of what if that never happens. How do you want to live the rest of your life? For some, yes, that does include a wig, but for some, it may not. I wanted to empower women to make that choice for themselves. Not for their husbands, children, business partners, job requirements, or man-made rules. To make the choice that they would feel most comfortable with. In order for them to do that, they needed to see what their options were.

This picture was taken for my first set of business cards. I was still trying to figure out what I was building, but I knew whatever it was going to be, I would have to walk through the door first. I couldn't tell anyone how it felt to do anything I hadn't done. In this picture, I still had some fine hair. So it wasn't all smooth. There were spots that gave me hope my hair would grow back. The name UnCovered and how it is spelled has meaning. It's about coming out of hiding. The capital C is symbolic of a new season, new start. UnCovering strength, heart, passion, and style. The goal is not to make anyone feel uncomfortable. There are a lot of people who have never had the chance to just be themselves with the proper support. It's one thing to have people who support you, but it's a whole different feeling to have someone who can truly understand your personal experience. The goal is to help people UnCover the person they really are without fear. Restoring their confidence, dignity, and choice. To help them sort through the anxiety in their time. To show them they are not alone. UnCovered is about the beauty you already have. On August 24th, 2016, on Facebook, I wrote, "As I get ready for bed tonight, I'm reflecting on the many times I felt uncomfortable with myself. Days, months, and years I went to bed feeling unloved, unattractive, and alone because of my condition. Who would love a woman with no hair? I never would have imagined being where I am today."

September 2016 was my first time celebrating Alopecia Awareness Month. I had my first official client by September 17th, and over this September in 2026, I'm going to dig deeper into where it started and where it's going.

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