After experiencing the forced slow down caused by COVID-19, Sonya Dove has found many things to like about this "new normal," including the time she has spent connecting to the people she cares about.
Anne Moratto・Director of Brand Content Strategy, MODERN SALON and NAILS
If you’ve been working, constantly, for your whole career, what is it like when you’re forced to come to a grinding halt? Sonya Dove(@sonyadove), a leading light in the professional beauty world, says what she has learned from the COVID-19 imposed work interruptions has been illuminating.
“I’ve taken a good look at myself and how I can better myself as a human being,” says Dove, a Wella Global Ambassador and member of the Ulta Beauty Pro Team. “I’m not going back to work like the Sonya Dove of before. I was a work-a-holic and I could never find a work/life balance. Well, I found it now.”
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For years, Dove has been seen on stages around the world, educating on hairdressing technique, while also running a salon, creating collections, mentoring, winning awards and serving as brand ambassador for pro beauty brands. When it was clear that coronavirus was going to clear her appointment book of both clients and commitments, Dove took one of the last flights out of Los Angeles to Mexico, to a second home in San Miguel Allende. And she’s been there, ever since.
VIDEO: An Interview with Sonya Dove
“I need to integrate this new way of being into my old way and do it better,” she continues. “I do want to have time off. I’ve spent hours on the phone, staying connected to my friends and family during this time, and I want to keep it up, that connection, I don’t want it to stop.”
A people-person, Dove says being in isolation has also reminded her what she so values in her career as a stylist. “I want to be there for other people, to have compassion; I love people and that is why I got into hairdressing.”
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