She’s been a whale watcher for over four years now. More properly known as a “marine mammal observer,” marine biologist and nail tech Megan McManus looks out for marine life on surface seismic ships and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Long gone are the days of big burly monkeys working the club doors. I’m 5-foot-3-inches tall and can do the same job as a 7-foot giant,” says Anthea Thomas, owner of Cornwall, England-based Ant’s Nails and co-owner of GSD Property Protection Services.
She’s the only woman in Puerto Rico to race an ATV in motocross and win and she owes it all to dear old dad. Caguas, Puerto Rico-based nail tech and CND educator Marilyn Garcia started racing in 1988 with her dad, Norbert Garcia, a winning drag racer.
“I got involved with coaching by being the parent of a boxer,” says Holly Gregson, owner of Monarch Nails in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and head coach for Razor’s Edge Boxing Club, which she runs with her husband.
Burlesque is a performance. It’s empowerment, it’s self-awareness, it’s comfort in sexuality. It’s the art of classic striptease — with emphasis on the tease. So says burlesque performer Ruby Kitten, also known as Anna Mayrhofer, owner of Exalted Nail and Body in Errington on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
“I first became familiar with the ancient art of making beads from glass — called lampworking — after taking a jewelry class at my local craft store,” says Donna Trull, a nail tech at Studio 413 Salon and Spa in Albany, Ga.
“If you had told me 20 years ago that I would be a bus driver today and would be loving my job, I would have laughed out loud,” says Rebekah Summers, the owner of Perfect 10 Nails inside Don’s Barber Shop in Cadiz, Ky
During the course of a foot treatment, nail tech Ruth Windsor asked her client what type of work she did. “She responded with, ‘I own a doggie daycare facility.’ And I told her, ‘I want to come work with you.’” It was a few years later that Deb Watkins, owner of Canine College, hired Windsor as an administration specialist.
“I love numbers. Call me crazy, but they’re fun,” says Marie Soto, owner of At Your Hands & Feet inside Antwon’s Salon in Glendale, Ariz. Good thing she’s fond of figures because she’s also the owner of Soto Tax and Accounting.