Ulta 3: Seen & Heard

SEEN

In Partnership with

Some stories are too important not to share. In this video companion to the Ulta Beauty Pro Team Fall 2021 cover feature, models Cyrus, Dominique, Landyn and Nadia, who identify as transgender, share personal journeys and insights on how they live their beauty.

CYRUS

MEET

“I have always felt like a boy, like a guy. Luckily, I was supported."

Name: Cyrus Golestan Identifies as: "Human. A guy. Iranian. Texan. Transgender man." Pronouns: he/him/his Passionate about: being an advocate Dream look he requested: "Modern-day rock star" (natural hair length was at cheek bones, long enough to do tape-in extensions down to the shoulders for a cool, layered, Mick Jagger-inspired shag) My journey: "The first year of transition wasn't easy. Then, suddenly, not only did the world see me as I saw myself, but when I looked in the mirror, I saw myself for the first time. It is a mind-blowing moment to just see yourself."

BE REENERGIZED

A CHECKLIST

11 tips for any beauty pro who wants to level up or try on a new skill.

Start within the four walls of your own salon. Reach out and find a partner, a colleague who wants to practice and grow. Be vulnerable and ask for guidance from someone who has the skills you want to develop.

Ulta's Design Team was created by Nick Stenson, Ulta Beauty SVP Store and Services Operations, and Ammon Carver, Ulta Beauty Chief Artistic Director, with the goal of bringing together a dynamic, diverse and talented group of industry rising stars. Each member receives mentorship, education and exposure, such as social media, photo shoot and stage experience.

BE inspired

Follow all the Ulta Beauty Design Team and Pro Team members.

Nick Stenson @nickstenson

Ammon Carver @ammoncarver

Sonya Dove @sonyadove

Sean Godard @seangodard

Danielle Keasling @danielle.keasling

David Lopez @davidlopezzz

Michelle O’Connor @michelleoconnorbeauty

Pekala Riley @pekalariley

Deney Adam @deney_adam

Learn More About Joining The Ulta Team

Be practical

on the hair you really love doing and that you want to see in your chair every day. Get models and do techniques that represent the guests or business you want to develop. And don't forget to post!

Be focused

Identify someone who is already successful in an area you want to improve, reach out and ask if they will help you on your journey. Offer to give back or exchange skills. Mentorships can be a two-way street—learn from each other!

Be proactive—find a mentor

Consider hiring a personal business or skills coach, even for a limited time. Or find a salon that offers the equivalent support in education and business.

Be willing to invest in yourself

Pay attention to content to artists who are at the top of their game as well as working stylists you relate to, who are only a step or two ahead of your current skill level. Following individual Ulta Beauty Design Team and Pro Team members is a great place to start!

Be a (smart) follower

Events and experiences are back. Be safe and follow your urge to reconnect and get close to hands-in-hair education.

Be out there

While live, hands-on classes deliver unmatched experiences, virtual education is here to stay—at Ulta Beauty and beyond. Digital classes can be accessible, affordable and provide a one-on-one coaching feeling, even working with stylists all over the country.

Be plugged in

Practice, practice, practice. Start with your favorite color or cut, then branch out. Share. Ask for input. Repeat.

Be friends with your mannequin

Film your technical practice and stream it. Don't be afraid to share your knowledge. You might discover you're really good at it

Be brave

Pick one expertise, category or service and brand yourself. There is so much in this beautiful industry we all love to do. Reach for the stars can mean narrowing your focus.

Be a specialist

Don't be afraid to show your personality on social media. Success is not about copying someone else. Speak and share in your authentic voice. BeU!

Be bold

Click to play

Follow all the Ulta Beauty Design Team and Pro Team members.

FOLLOW, LEARN AND GROW WITH

Jerwin Carlos @jwinclos

Bianca Donahue @biancad.beauty

Janelle Eyre @jeyre.hair

Gilad Goldstein @myguiltycrown

Laura Gunter @lauragunterhair

Reva Haga @reva_danielle

Haley Kimble @haleyki

Anthony Negron @kinganthonyyyy

Galyna Poczciwinski @ufirami

Meghan Felicione @meghanfelicione

Stacey-Ann Houston @stacceyann

Cristina Rodriguez @thatssotinaa

Beto Sanchez @betoloveshair

Takeyra Shipps @hair_bytakeyra

Justin Toves-Vincilione @ahappyjustin

Leo Valencia @leo.valencia

HEARD

Click to play

“You know when they ask what you want to be when you grow up? I just wanted to be a woman.”

Name: Dominique Silver Identifies as: a woman of transgender experience Pronouns: she/her/hers Passionate about: her career as a professional model Dream look she requested: “Powerful, feminine superhero” My journey: "Modeling has helped me feel secure and to be a positive role model for my community."

Click to play

“Don't tie yourself to an idea of who you are because that could change. A lot of people are nonbinary. A lot.”

Name: Landyn Pan Identifies as: nonbinary (not being in the gender binary of either male or female) "I also like the term gender-queer," Pan says. Pronouns: they/their/them Passionate about: Sports, photography, friends. "I am a complex person." Dream look they requested: “70s vibe meets John Travolta meets matador; flamboyant but masculine; mixing two lives” (lots of tousled texture with volume, feathered back) My journey: "I feel like I've identified as everything within the LGBTQIA alphabet. Gender is very fluid and it shifts. It's impossible to imagine myself as not trans. I just don't have to check either box."

Click to play

“I deserve to be happy. I don't deserve to be held back because you don't agree with my life choices or who I am.”

Name: Nadia Stone Identifies as: a binary trans woman ("I am a woman and identify just as a woman.") Pronouns: She/her/hers Passionate about: Trans visibility and her career as a stylist and Services District Educator at Ulta Beauty Dream look she requested: "My dream look and hair plan is simple: make me look like Demi Lovato." My journey: As a kid, I presented as male, then came out as gay. But I walked with my head down. I remember the first time I dressed up. I got the first taste of being my authentic self. That began my journey to womanhood. And that's why I continue to live my life openly. I love myself. I can't change who I am."

"Everyone has their own journey. It's important we listen."

—Ammon Carver Chief Artistic Director

Read Our Cover Story

Go beyond our cover shoot and read the full feature on the Seen and Heard Collection.

NOT A CHOICE

"Everyone deserves that feeling of becoming who you always wanted to be."

YOU CAN BE U

"I never thought my story would impact so many people."

Nadia Stone's life journey has been powerful and beautiful inside and out of the salon world, and in this segment, she reflects on the inclusion and support she has experienced—and others can expect—when working at Ulta Beauty.

In this video, Cyrus Golestan articulates what those in the transgender and nonbinary communities already know so well—that being trans is not a choice at all. And he touches on how painful it can feel to be misgendered.

PRO TIP

Acts of Beauty

Hairdressers have the ability to help people feel beautiful, loved and seen. "When you are consulting with a client, you always have the power to perform an act of beauty," says Ammon Carver. If the guest in your chair happens to be transgender, nonbinary or exploring gender fluidity, they may not have someone close to them to help teach them how to work with their hair or skin care. If they are transitioning, they may need new lessons or recommendations. That is where salon expertise comes into play. • Coach them on how to use all the tools available. • Ask about their goals—what length of hair they want to work toward, what new look they want to try. • Do what you know instinctively how to do: listen, care, demonstrate, recommend.

"At Ulta Beauty, we are really vocal about being open, diverse and inclusive. This whole experience has been another example of living those values we put out there. I have never been more proud of our team, our work and our purpose."

Hair by the Ulta Beauty Pro Team Nick Stenson @nickstenson he/him/his Ammon Carver @ammoncarver he/him/his Sonya Dove @sonyadove she/her/hers Sean Godard @seangodard he/him/his Danielle Keasling @danielle.keasling she/her/hers David Lopez @davidlopezzz he/him/they Michelle O’Connor @michelleoconnorbeauty she/her/hers Pekela Riley @pekelariley she/her/hers Makeup Deney Adam @deney_adam he/him/his and Brazier Ray @brazierray she/her/hers Fashion: Jennifer Daniels with Before the Flash @jedan711 and @beforetheflash she/her/hers Nails: Sarah Nguyen @chrmdbysarah she/her/hers Photographer Roberto Ligresti he/him/his Content Strategy + Production ISP Creative @ispcreative Feature Writing + Editing Michele Musgrove, b.content

Dominique

MEET

Landyn

MEET

Nadia

MEET

PRO TIP

Be Mindful

One thing every salon professional can do is be more aware and mindful of identity and pronoun usage. Practice compassion and acceptance with guests and colleagues, and don't be defensive when someone asks you to use their pronouns. Make the effort. Be open to sharing your own pronouns. Do a review of your own salon menu and talk as a team about how you communicate and what might warrant a refresh. Many salons have evolved to speaking about and charging for services based on hair length and density rather than the gender of the guest. Ulta Beauty Pro Team member Danielle Keasling (@danielle.keasling) believes everyone should challenge themselves to learn what it means to be transgender and talk about how people identify. As the conversations unfolded between the Pro Team and the models, she realized "I didn't know as much as I should," and appreciates what she has since learned, incuding the simply beautiful fact that, "This community has so much heart."

One of the first things Carver asked Stone to do was to sit in on a series of Zoom calls with the entire Pro Team. "From the beginning, we knew these prep sessions would be about much more than our typical process of selecting models and our creative vision," Carver said. "We committed to put the work in and learn, to educate ourselves so we could responsibly represent the trans community and raise awareness in our beauty community." For three months, the Pro Team held weekly video meetings, first among themselves and Nadia, then adding the three additional models (Nadia didn't know until the shoot arrived that she would also be featured). "It was important to us, more than any other of the hundreds of shoots we'd been involved in, that we take the time to learn and ask questions," Carver said. "We realized as educators and leaders that if we didn't understand how to speak up, care for and respect our transgender and nonbinary guests, there could be some areas of our industry where it might not get addressed at all."

As they did their homework, the Pro Team got to know each of the four models' personal journeys. Suddenly, there was a story to tell well beyond what would be captured for the photo shoot—the "dream looks" each model had been asked to suggest the Pro Team create for them that day.

"It became another opportunity to listen to people, support them, and give them a platform to shine," says Nick Stenson (@nickstenson), Pro Team member and Ulta Beauty senior vice president, store and services operations.

So models Cyrus Golestan, Dominique Silver, Landyn Pan and Nadia Stone agreed to do private video interviews on set the day before the shoot, to share their personal journeys, in their own words, with the greater beauty community. Scroll and click through all the videos to see and hear what they have to say, and experience what their Pro Team stylists learned, too.

on the decision to host weekly, in-depth Zoom conversations so the Pro Team could get a true grasp of the reality and experiences of the transgender models for whom they would be creating.

"It is a very human, fundamental element to just want to be accepted for who you are."

—David Lopez, Ulta Beauty Pro Team

whose own openness with gender fluidity was appreciated by colleagues and helped models feel at ease

When the Ulta Beauty Pro Team was invited to shoot a photo feature representing the transgender community, Chief Artistic Director Ammon Carver (@ammoncarver) turned to Ulta Beauty stylist and Services District Educator Nadia Stone (@transformationsbynadia) to help start the process. Stone is a transgender woman who posted a personal video of encouragement for International Trans Day of Visibility at Ulta Beauty this past spring, a message that went viral when it was shared with the salon media. One of the first things Carver asked Stone to do was to sit in on a series of Zoom calls with the entire Pro Team. "From the beginning, we knew these prep sessions would be about much more than our typical process of selecting models and our creative vision," Carver said. "We committed to put the work in and learn, to educate ourselves so we could responsibly represent the trans community and raise awareness in our beauty community." For three months, the Pro Team held weekly video meetings, first among themselves and Nadia, then adding the three additional models (Nadia didn't know until the shoot arrived that she would also be featured). "It was important to us, more than any other of the hundreds of shoots we'd been involved in, that we take the time to learn and ask questions," Carver said. "We realized as educators and leaders that if we didn't understand how to speak up, care for and respect our transgender and nonbinary guests, there could be some areas of our industry where it might not get addressed at all." As they did their homework, the Pro Team got to know each of the four models' personal journeys. Suddenly, there was a story to tell well beyond what would be captured for the photo shoot—the "dream looks" each model had been asked to suggest the Pro Team create for them that day. "It became another opportunity to listen to people, support them, and give them a platform to shine," says Nick Stenson (@nickstenson), Pro Team member and Ulta Beauty senior vice president, store and services operations. So models Cyrus Golestan, Dominique Silver, Landyn Pan and Nadia Stone agreed to do private video interviews on set the day before the shoot, to share their personal journeys, in their own words, with the greater beauty community. Scroll and click through all the videos to see and hear what they have to say, and experience what their Pro Team stylists learned, too.

Meet the Models

Back to Models

PRO TIP

Be Mindful

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All involved with this photo and video shoot received negative COVID-19 tests before meeting to collaborate.