Palm Springs
Beauty industry veteran Tracy Worthington is a Palm Springs High School graduate. She worked for many years in Los Angeles as a hairstylist, manicurist, and makeup artist. She also developed a successful skin care line. Tracy left the frantic pace in Los Angeles for a quieter life back in the desert, and opened Wink Lash & Beauty Bar and Just Blow Drys, then complemented these sister salons with the new Loft at Wink Lash & Beauty Bar. On April 1, 2016, she opened a second Just Blow Drys location in Montecito, near Santa Barbara. Tracy was recently awarded a 2016 Palm Springs Life’s Women in Business Award in the Entrepreneur Category.
Kate Buckley: Tracy, I understand you’re originally from Palm Springs, then moved back after a stint in LA. What was that contrast like for you?
Tracy Worthington: I thought that it might be a hard transition for me, but it was actually the opposite. I love the fact that it only takes me eight minutes to get to work and I can zip around town without having to worry about the time of day and what the traffic might be like.
KB: Congratulations on all your achievements and on receiving the prestigious Palm Springs Life’s Women in Business Award! Can you tell me about any mentors or role models who were instrumental to you in your journey?
TW: Audrey Hepburn is definitely a role model for me. Not only do I love her movies, but I love the compassion she showed and the philanthropic life she led. As far as my mentors, I have a business coach, Allison Maslan, that I’ve worked with for the past three years, and she really pushes me to stretch and grow as a business owner and a leader. She pushes me to think outside the box and go for my dreams.
KB: What do you see as your legacy for future women leaders?
TW: That’s a really good question. I guess what’s important for me, is for people to say that I really cared about making others feel good (that’s what the beauty industry is about for me). Watching that transformation—and the high self esteem of a woman when she leaves our salons. I love that! But I’d also hope they’d say that I cared about my community and helping others. That’s the legacy I would like to leave for future women leaders.
KB: What do you believe is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?
TW: My greatest strength is my perseverance and my focus—I don’t let anything interfere with what I am trying to achieve. My weakness is finding that proper balance between my personal life and my business life. I am a nonstop thinker, and often times I let that interfere with my personal life because I get so focused and I’m not happy till I have a solution.
KB: As owner of the Wink Lash & Beauty Bar and Just Blow Drys, what does a typical day look like for you?
TW: Well, there’s always a million fires that need to be put out at any given moment, but lately my day is focused around the expansion of Just Blow Drys. I’ve had several requests to put salons around several Southern California locations, so my focus right now is on expanding.
KB: What sets your salons apart from the others?
TW: I believe it’s the experience you get when you come to our salons, we have very friendly staff and they truly are passionate about what they do and it shows in their work. We really strive to have a great customer experience.
KB: You do some philanthropic work as well—please tell me about that.
TW: One of my favorite quotes comes from one of my favorite role models, Audery Hepburn: “You have two hands, one to help yourself and one to help others.” Why are we here if we can’t be compassionate and help others in need? I’m very passionate about women, children and animal-related charities so those are the areas in which I try to give back.
KB: When you’re not hard at work, what activities do you enjoy in and around Greater Palm Springs?
TW: I’ve just taken up golf as of this year. I’m hoping to spend a little more time this coming season when the weather is nicer out on the golf course with some of my girlfriends. I thought I might not like the game, but I find that I’m actually not to bad at it because I’m really good at focusing, and I don’t take it too seriously. I think that’s the key to golf! Go out, have a good time and enjoy, don’t beat yourself up over a bad shot! It’s just about having fun and being with people you enjoy.
KB: What is it you love most about the community of Palm Springs?
TW: I would definitely say the people. The people who live in the Coachella Valley truly love being here. They love to support all the great causes in and around our valley. And of course the eight months of gorgeous weather is a bonus.
