Gabby Holistic Esthetician

Gabby and I became friends through IG over the last couple years.

With having grown up young and fast, I felt an instant kindredness that I feel should be nurtured and cherished. Gabby demonstrates true strength, self-awareness, courage, and a unique softness that we can all be inspired by. I've watched her build her practice and remain authentic to who she is. Her practice is different, it's raw and inspiring, thoughtful, and just what south Texas needs. I think you will find her just as admirable as I do, follow along with her journey on IG to get a glimpse of a badass woman with three of the most adorable kids evah!

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do, and something you secretly enjoy?

My name is Gabrielle , I am a solo esthetician and owner of the Beauty Botanica. I’m 27 years old, mixed race woman and mother of three. I live in south Texas, my favorite color is green, a huge foodie and music lover.

I had a very untraditional upbringing and started my adult life at 16. By the time I was 23 I was finally getting out of a 7 year toxic relationship, had 2 babies, no education and no drivers license. Once I finally was finally free I knew I had to do things differently, so within a 2 month period I got my g.e.d. , my drivers license, and I enrolled in college for Art History. It was the most challenging and rewarding time of my life but I quickly realized I had a lot of unprocessed trauma and later when going to therapy realized I had C-PTSD. Once the high of accomplishment wore off and I had another baby, I became severly depressed but I knew I couldn’t stay that way. So one day I downloaded the audio book Unfu*k Yourself by Gary John Bishop on a whim and that book change my life within a week! In the book the author ask’s a very simple question “what are you willing to do?” The question ‘AmI willing?’ is now at the foundation of everything I do. Unwilling to keep living my life that way,I left my self open to the possibility of change. That same night I was watching YouTube and came across an ASMR facial video and I instinctively knew I had to be doing that with my life. In that moment I didn’t know how much that decision would impact my life in such a positive and profound way. The following week at the beginning of March 2020 I enrolled in esthetics school and with 2 weeks of starting the pandemic hit, full shut down! I had a chance to quit but I decided ‘if not now then when?’ so I stayed on course. During my studies school shut down twice, I went through a custody battle and my brother passed away. Some how in the midst of it all I found herbalism in the form of flower essences, tarot, and started working with my ancestors. This lead me to find the path of holistic esthetics and since then I never looked back. I am so filled with gratitude that today I can say I not only did I survive, I did not quit, I am am the woman of my younger selfs dreams and I hope any woman reading this knows no matter the odds you can do anything you set your mind to.

The things I most secretly enjoy is writing poetry when I am emotional & delving deeply into my tarot practice to work with earth elementals, plant spirits and my ancestors.

What is your sun, moon, and rising sign? In what ways do you identify with each?

I’m a Capricorn sun, Pisces moon and Leo rising. As a Capricorn sun and stellium In the 6th house, I am super driven and work best when I have goals to reach. I am obsessed with my work and being successful, But since it’s conjunct Uranus and Neptune it could never be put towards normal societal structures. I think that’s where my Pisces moon in the 9th house came in and gave me a deep love and calling to help people but I always knew it could never be in a traditional way, I think that’s why alternative medicine and healing really drew me in the way it did. Now my Leo rising is something I struggled with my whole life as a more introverted socially awkward person, I would draw in a lot of unwanted attention. I have grown to like the warmth and generous aura it allows me to give off.

Describe yourself in five words.

I am a determined vibrant creative wise healer.

The creative process is very purposeful with Ritual. With so much derivativeness, how do you find inspiration while honoring your authenticity?

To me, the creative process is such an innate state of being for all living creatures, that we often don’t realize we are in a constant state of creation. What we do with the power of creation all comes down to the amount of awareness we possess. When we lack awareness of our souls true expression and are unable to tap into our god/goddess power, we can begin to see imitation. Imitation is natural but is also triggered response due to fear of rejection for originality and not maintaining capitalistic societal status quo. I typically find the most inspiration when I take time away from social media, spend time in nature, watch other passionate creators live in their true authentic soul essence and have ample time alone to process and decompress all that I have observed. Also maintaining good mental and spiritual hygiene is important.

What is your favorite part of being an Esthetician? How long have you been in the industry?

My favorite part of being an esthetician is holding space for others and seeing them melt into a relaxed state. I love to see how the skin healing journey unfolds when given the proper nourishment and treatments working as a team with my clients.

I graduated esthetics school in 2020, so I’ve been in the industry for 2 years now. After graduating I worked at a day spa for one year but decided to go solo after realizing really wanted to offer something more unique to my community.

What does Health + Wellness mean to you? How can we make wellness a more inclusive space for all?

How can we make wellness more inclusive? Wellness is having the access and freedom to choose what well-being means to you and the ability to practice accessible self care rituals for both physical and mental health. Wellness can become more inclusive when we choose to take small but consistent steps to make our own unique gifts more accessible. The desire to make huge changes can feel intimidating and sometimes hinder us from doing anything at all. It’s the small incremental habits that can make a huge impact over time. 

What are your coveted skin essentials?

Live Botanical gentle gel cleanser -

A super gentle non foaming gel cleanser that is suitable for all skin conditions including sensitized.

Laurel honey berry mask -

The honey berry mask is a enzymatic exfoliant that also is hydrating from the humectant properties of the honey

Apoterra neroli clarifying complexion mist-

Besides just smelling absolutely delicious it is ph balancing and is perfect for all skin conditions especially acne prone:

Laurel recovery balm-

The recovery balm from laurel is such a beautiful multi purpose balm great for nourishing and healing the skin! I also use it on myself and kids for cuts and scrape.

And finally, what does Feminism + Sisterhood mean to you + why is it important?

To me feminism is a movement fighting the systems of oppression that seek to keep women down. When the Patriarchal system keeps women down they keep all of humanity down. Protecting women and our rights to equality and equity is of the up most importance. Feminism is not just a fight but a prayer for the future, for the youth, for the poor, for BIPOC, LGBTQIA’s+ , and even for present and future men. Women are the foundation of all humanity and should be protected and treated with respect for our mind, body and spirit. We deserve safety and freedom to exist as we are for who we are.