Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1337092
Listen to the ASCP Esty Talk podcast at ascpskincare.com/podcasts 51 N icole Gauci is a force to be reckoned with—a woman who does not back down from her fears. After learning to control her shyness, anxiety, and panic attacks, the owner of Belle Skin Spa in Livonia, Michigan, set her course to becoming a successful spa owner. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety a‚ects 40 million adults, and an estimated 31 percent of all adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. With those statistics and the struggles we've all faced in the past 12 months, Gauci's fierce determination to conquer her mental illness resonates. Here is her story. When did you realize you loved beauty and makeup? I would use pens and markers to draw makeup on my Barbies. I was really into it when I started getting Seventeen magazine at 12 or 13 and was gifted the Cindy Crawford's Basic Face book on skin care and makeup. It was given to me by my aunt, who is only seven years older than me. I admired her and tried to do my hair and makeup just like she did. I also used to read the back of beauty products we had in our house, even though I had no clue what the ingredients were. For some reason, I was interested in comparing which products had what and which ones used the same ingredients. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized my passion for skin care. You're admittedly a shy and anxious person. How did these stressors manifest? I was shy as long as I can remember. I didn't have friends in school; I grew up in Detroit and was one of a few other white kids. I had a hard time ‡tting in. Everyone seemed much more outgoing than me, and I didn't know how to comfortably put myself out there and give myself a chance for anyone to know me. As far as the anxiety and panic attacks, they started when I was really young too, which is why I had such a hard time in school. I would fake being sick, cry, or beg to stay home. I didn't know how to manage my anxiety then. My instinct was to Šee whenever I felt uncomfortable, and that's what I always did. I didn't understand what was happening to me. Typically, I would have a racing heart, shallow breathing, and stomachaches. I would try my best to avoid situations that made me feel that way, which would bring relief but would be followed by a mild depression. I felt like a failure for not being able to do normal things. It wasn't until I was an adult that I ‡nally saw a doctor for the symptoms I was experiencing, and I was diagnosed. Since then, I have been in therapy on and oŒ for years, which has helped me a great deal. Medication was necessary to help me through really diŽcult periods, like when I lost my job because of panic attacks, but I learned—through therapy— some techniques to manage my anxiety that changed my life.