Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1533707
Protection. Education. Connection. There's an app for that at ascpskincare.com/app 57 grace and tenacity. Perhaps that's the rebel in her, refusing to be overwhelmed and choosing to push forward. Now in the fifth year of her brand, Bree continues making products and educating fellow estheticians. And now she's bringing it back to where she started: the salon. She recently opened Rebel Wax Studio in Bend, where she's training the next generation of waxers. Between her busy training appointments and studio construction, Bree sat down with ASCP Skin Deep to chat more about her professional life and how she hopes to inspire other professionals as the 2025 ASCP Esty of the Year. Skin Deep: How did being a teen mom change your life? Bree Mesquit: It gave me such a reality check. I had another life depending on me. My mom was only 15 when she had me, and I feel like statistically, a lot of girls—if they do become a teen mom—feel like their life's over [and] there's no moving on from there. I was part of the wrong crowds doing activities I'm not proud of, and I decided it was time to grow up. It sparked motivation in me to pull things together and figure things out. Without having gone through that, I think I would have continued down that [path of] poor choices. As a kid, when someone would ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" [the answer] was always "My own boss." Then, having a child in tow, I needed to figure something out that allowed me that time and family freedom, but also to be able to be my own boss. [My daughter] really motivated me to grow up. "WE DON'T NEED TO BE STUCK IN A BOX. THIS LIFE HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO WORK FOR IT."