Beauty Entrepreneur Turns Abuse, Addiction, and Pain Into a Healing Beauty Mission

Summary

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Living Your Legacy – "Beauty Entrepreneur Turns Abuse, Addiction, and Pain Into a Healing Beauty Mission"

Host: Rudy Mawer
Guest: Christy Ray (Owner, CC Styling Studio)
Date: February 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this profoundly moving "Women in Power" installment of Living Your Legacy, host Rudy Mawer sits down with Christy Ray, a beauty entrepreneur whose journey is defined by resilience, faith, and a mission to heal. Christy shares raw stories of childhood trauma and addiction, revealing how those dark beginnings forged her unyielding determination to empower others—especially cancer patients—through her salon and ministry. This episode is an inspiring testament to the strength in transforming pain into a lasting, positive legacy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Childhood Trauma and Journey to Empowerment

• Christy's Early Life: Born and raised in a small fishing village (Cortez), Christy suffered severe abuse and witnessed domestic violence from a young age. She describes her earliest memories, including her father's alcoholism and violence.
  • "My earliest memory was him having my mom down on the ground... beating her almost half to death." (02:19 – Christy Ray)
• Personal Struggle with Addiction: Christy shares her battle with alcohol and how she turned her life around, ultimately becoming a certified pastor and business owner.
• Motivation for Empowerment: The lack of power in her youth now fuels her drive to be a "woman in power":
  • "Growing up, it has been very, very important for me to be a woman in power because... I had no power over my childhood. Now I have the choice.” (00:07 & 04:33 – Christy Ray)

2. Building CC Styling Studio & “Giving Back” Mission

• Business with Purpose: Christy runs a salon offering permanent makeup and scalp micropigmentation, specializing in confidence-restoring services.
  • "I offer free permanent makeup and scalp micropigmentation to cancer patients... they're going through the most traumatic time of their life." (00:43 & 02:54 – Christy Ray)
• Community and Clientele: Clients are treated like family, not numbers, underpinning a philosophy of heart-centered service.
  • "My clientele, they're like family. They're not just a customer... they just become very good friends, repeat clients." (09:33 – Christy Ray)
• Mother-Daughter Legacy: Christy and her daughter run the business as a local mother-daughter team, aiming to pass it down through generations.
  • "We've built this business from the ground up... we'll never look back... hopefully we'll leave the legacy to my grandchildren." (14:44 – Christy Ray)

3. The Power of Positivity & Faith

• Personal Branding & Aesthetic: Christy chooses vibrant pinks and sparkle to counter her past, embracing brightness and joy.
  • "Make it sparkle, make it shine. I got to make something good out of something bad." (05:46 – Christy Ray)
• Faith as Strength: Becoming a certified pastor, she intertwines her faith with her work. Her salon is a spiritual, supportive place with Christian music, prayer, and counseling.
  • "Sometimes I even pray with the women. I've even brought a couple people to the Lord before." (06:12 – Christy Ray)
• Everyday Gratitude: Regular prayers of gratitude rather than petitions reflect her current mindset.
  • "I don't just ask for money or make my business succeed... I thank the Lord on a daily basis for my blessings.” (10:27 – Christy Ray)

4. Overcoming Grief and Doubling Down on Purpose

• Mother’s Loss as Motivation: Christy’s mother’s passing in 2023 led to deep grief, but she used it as motivation to grow her business and honor her mother’s memory.
  • "The only thing that I wanted to do was make her proud. So I've literally doubled my revenue in a year by wanting to make my mom proud." (08:04 – Christy Ray)
• Keeping Loved Ones Close: She brings her mother’s portrait to important moments, keeping her legacy alive.
  • "I have a picture of her with her death date... had a necklace on with her picture on it. She's always with me." (08:52 – Christy Ray)

5. Advice for Building Faith and Finding Purpose

• Accessible Approach to Faith: Christy demystifies prayer and relationship with God for skeptics, advocating small, simple starts.
  • "If you don't know how to pray, just say, 'Dear Lord, teach me how to pray.' That right there will start the journey." (11:32 – Christy Ray)
• Daily Encouragement: She urges listeners to seek gratitude, community, and gentle steps toward their own faith and purpose.
  • "Before you know it, you'll be in the church clapping and singing along. And things in your life are going to start changing for the better." (12:19 – Christy Ray)

6. Christy's Call to Action & Contact Info

• Pursuit of Passion from Childhood: Christy shares early memories of cutting hair for classmates and neighbors, reflecting authenticity and playfulness in her career.
  • "I'd do their hair and makeup for pictures... my journey started when I was very young. I knew from a young age I was going to be a salon and spa owner one day.” (13:12 – Christy Ray)
• Invites Community Connection: She encourages listeners to find her and support her mission via CC Styling Studio’s digital platforms.
  • “They can find me by Googling CC Styling Studio... we’re on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat. Website is ccstylingstudio.net.” (12:53 – Christy Ray)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Resilience:
  "I deserve to be on Women in Power because I've turned my whole life around." (02:54 – Christy Ray)

• On Faith in Salon Culture:
  "Not only do they leave my salon feeling great on the outside, but... they leave the salon feeling great on the inside and a better person as well." (06:49 – Christy Ray)

• On Making Something Beautiful Out of Pain:
  "Make it sparkle, make it shine. I got to make something good out of something bad." (05:46 – Christy Ray)

• On Grief and Motivation:
  "The only thing that I wanted to do is make her [my mom] proud. So I've literally doubled my revenue in a year by wanting to make my mom proud." (08:04 – Christy Ray)

• On Mission:
  "If there's something I can do to help somebody in life, you know, that's just... it's a passion of mine to be able to do that." (14:59 – Christy Ray)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:07 – Christy’s traumatic upbringing and journey to empowerment
• 02:54 – Impactful community service (free services for cancer patients)
• 04:33 – Using trauma as a source of strength and positivity
• 05:11 – Personal branding (love of pink and sparkle)
• 06:00 – Incorporating faith into her business and salon environment
• 08:04 – Loss of her mother and how it re-motivated her business
• 09:33 – Transforming clients from customers to family
• 10:27 – Daily gratitude through faith and family
• 11:32 – Practical advice for building a relationship with faith
• 12:53 – How to connect with Christy and support her legacy
• 14:44 – The mother-daughter business and legacy vision

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Conclusion

Through honest storytelling, Christy Ray illustrates how adversity can be a crucible for compassion, vision, and unstoppable drive. Her life and business model exemplify turning suffering into service, and her candid reflections offer hope and actionable wisdom for anyone seeking to build their own legacy—one rooted in both purpose and heart.

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Transcript

[Host]

We all come from a struggle, from a grit, from a sort of trauma. How are you using that trauma and converting it into positivity?

[Christy Ray]

I've had a very traumatic past. I've had a terrible, terrible childhood and I had no power of what was happening to me. So growing up, it has been very, very important for me to be a woman in power because of the fact that I had no power over my childhood. Now I have the choice. Now I can make changes. Now I can make my own decisions and, you know, be a very powerful woman.

[Narrator]

Christy Ray is a resilient, compassionate and purpose driven entrepreneur who turned life marked by trauma into a mission of empowerment. As the owner of CC Styling Studio, she uses her 19 plus years of expertise to restore confidence in clients and even offers free services to cancer patients in need.

[Christy Ray]

My main journey right now is to try to give back to the world. I'm offering free permanent makeup and scalp micropigmentation to cancer patients anywhere they're going through the most traumatic time of their life. You know, dealing with that and if there's something I could do to help them, that is my passion. And making men and women look and feel amazing about themselves inside and out.

[Host]

It spans the globe like a super.

[Christy Ray]

High is called Internet. Elvis.

[Guest/Interjector]

Brandon, I have a free. Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone. It's not over until I win the Living youg Legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy that's extraordinary. The impossible has been. Oh, that is sensational. Jordan, open Chicago with the lead. You said Paul is the fastest man on the planet. You can live your dream.

[Host]

Welcome back to another amazing episode of the Living your Legacy podcast, the Woman in Power edition. Joining me today is Christy Ray. She is. That actually rhymed. Yeah, she is joining us today. Fresh offer episode. Christy, how do you feel?

[Christy Ray]

I feel amazing. It's been such a great experience.

[Host]

Who are you? What brings you to town? And why do you feel like you were chosen to be a woman in power?

[Christy Ray]

I'm here. We drove down from. I'm from a little fishing village of Cortez. Cortez fishing village. I was born and raised. What brings me down here is I've had a very traumatic past. I was grown up in a very abusive relationship when my father and mother, when I was a little girl, my dad was an alcoholic. He beat my mother. My earliest memory was him having my mom down on the ground and she was purple and he was beating her almost half to death. And my little bro or my big brother got in the middle of it. And tried to help my mom, and my dad ended up hitting my brother and breaking his arm.

[Guest/Interjector]

And.

[Christy Ray]

And then at the age of seven, I was raped. I've had a terrible, terrible childhood. I struggled with an alcohol problem for many years, turned my life around, became a certified pastor, opened my business. And I deserve to be on Women in Power because I've turned my whole life around. I offer free permanent makeup and scalp micropigmentation to cancer patients. I do that to give back to the community. So I feel I have a big impact with that right now. So it's, it's just, it's been a blessing being here, and it's a blessing.

[Host]

To have you here. Let's, let's, let's break down those lists. I gotta go for this. The scalp pigmentation, that's, that's a killer business.

[Christy Ray]

It's tattooing of the head.

[Host]

I'm familiar. I actually, I may, actually, may grab a business card from you because I've.

[Christy Ray]

Been curious about it because it's really neat stuff.

[Host]

I, I, I, I'm lucky because I have a crazy amount of hair, and I've entered into my 40s, and I've lost half of it, but it's, some of it is still there, but I was like, dude, I kind of just want to shave it off and just get a cool killer.

[Christy Ray]

Do you can get any, any pattern up front or anything? It's amazing.

[Host]

But then folks are like, whoa, we don't need to go with the crazy. You can actually just emulate the applying natural pigment.

[Christy Ray]

Tiny dots that mimics the look of real hair follicles, making it appear like you have a full head of hair.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Christy Ray]

And it works.

[Host]

I'm a believer.

[Christy Ray]

Yes, it does. It's amazing stuff.

[Guest/Interjector]

Yeah.

[Host]

Yeah. And talk about giving back. I come from a. I'd want to compare or apples to oranges. That's a terrible thing to do. But we all come from a, from a struggle, from a grit, from a sort of trauma, generational present, fifth generational trauma. How are you using that trauma and converting it into positivity?

[Christy Ray]

Well, going through what I went through when I was a little girl, I was not in control, and I had no power of what was happening to me. So growing up, it has been very, very important for me to be a woman in power because of the fact that I had no power over my childhood. Now I have the choice now I can make changes. Now I can make my own decisions, you know, be a very powerful woman. I kind of change the, the whole mindset about it. And try to make the good, you know, the good out of everything.

[Host]

Absolutely, 100%. I love your outfit. I love your nails.

[Christy Ray]

Thank you.

[Host]

Talk. Talk about this avatar. Talk about your. This vessel.

[Christy Ray]

It's pink. Everything is glitz and glam and bling. It's just. That's how I am. My whole bedroom is. Everything is pink. I have a pink round bed, my vanity, my desk, my dressers. I have a pink Cadillac suv. My salon is pink. My house is gray with pink trim. It's just what I love. I think it's cute. It's. It's girly. It's my thing. Pink is my color.

[Host]

Well, that. That's quite the contrary. I thought you'd be dark and black and grudy. You've been through hell and back. Why aren't you. Why aren't you what people are expecting you to be?

[Christy Ray]

Make it sparkle, make it shine. I got to make something good out of something bad. You know what I mean? You're going to make my life better. Make it bright and colorful and, you.

[Host]

Know, I love it. I love it. How are you your personal ministry? How are you your voice or message out there?

[Christy Ray]

I'm actually a certified pastor in the state of Florida. I got my associates in Theology in 2012. And my salon is a very personable one on one. And I play Christian music.

[Guest/Interjector]

Wow.

[Christy Ray]

And I'm also like a counselor when I'm doing permanent makeup and everything, Talking to the women. Sometimes I even pray with the women. So, I mean, I've even brought a couple people to the Lord before. I've saved a couple people. I actually baptized my grandson at six weeks old. So doing that is just. It's a real blessing. You know, my children were raised in the church. I was raised in the church. So I just think it's something amazing.

[Host]

Talk about what it is like being raised in the church for folks that are listening that don't quite understand what that means. Even my perception of a church doesn't have to be a physical structure. It can be a tribe.

[Christy Ray]

It could be anywhere. You can. You can make a church out of your bedroom. I pray all day, all day long. You know, anywhere I'm at if, you know, just reaching out to the Lord in any way possible, you know, it just. It. It's. It's really neat because it'll give you strength. It's what's gotten me through all of my trials and tribulations in life. Even as a little girl, my mom taking me to church when I was in bad situations. I just close my eyes and pray and, you know, kind of blank everything out that was going on and get through it. But being a pastor and being able to pray with my clients and stuff like that, it's a different. Dynamic. Dynamic. It's kind of like something that they don't expect, but it's something literally where they'll start crying and a appreciate. Not only do they leave my salon feeling great on the outside, but it's. It's something that's very neat because they leave the salon feeling great on the inside and a better person as well. So it's. It's a neat concept.

[Host]

I love the concept. Some of my favorite youtubers are the folks that are, you know, preaching the word in the living room, and they're. They're speaking, like, they're speaking to thousands of folks. They're really just by themselves and they're manifesting in their head. Let's see, where can we. Where can we take this. This conversation? What will we learn about you in your episode?

[Christy Ray]

You will learn about me that I've been through a lot in my life. I've been through a lot. I just lost my mother two years ago, May 15, 2023. It's been something that's very traumatic in my life. I lost my best friend. I lost my hero. I lost. You know, I lost myself. When it happened, I literally shut down the salon for six months. I didn't want to do anything, but of course, through prayer and going to church and getting the strength back up, the only thing that I wanted to do is make her pro. So I've literally doubled my revenue in a year by wanting to make my mom proud. Just throwing 120%. Not 100%. Throwing 120% into my business and.

[Host]

Well, 200%.

[Guest/Interjector]

100%.

[Host]

100% mom. And you?

[Christy Ray]

Yes. Just making her proud every single day of my life. You know, even when we were shooting the episode, I have a picture of her with her death date and everything that I had in their tripod next to me. And then I had a necklace on with her picture on it. She's always with me. I'm just making her proud. That's one thing that's really helped me in life to further my business. And, you know, it's been something that's been real deep to my heart.

[Host]

Speak about your. Your mission today. How are you getting your voice out there? You said you have your salon. When folks walk in, are they looking for a redo of their hair or a redo of the heart and soul?

[Christy Ray]

Who are Your clientele wanting to do their hair, their permanent makeup or their scalp micropigmentation, not knowing really wholeheartedly what they're getting themselves into, right? So it's, it's very. When we have clients come to the salon, they love it. They always come back. And I mean, and like my salon, my clientele, they're like family. They're not just a customer, they're not just a number, you know what I mean? They're wholeheartedly family. They just become very good friends, repeat clients, customer satisfactories number one, you know what I mean? If your clients aren't happy, you don't have a business. So that's a lot of it right there.

[Host]

You know what they say, the moment you gain a client, you start to lose them. So I gotta ask, what are your daily affirmations? What are your superstitions? And the reason why I ask is because a lot of people think, oh, you only pray when you need something or you're in trouble. No, prayer is a lot like meditation.

[Christy Ray]

No, I pray, I pray. I thank God every day for my blessings. You know what I mean? I have amazing grandchildren. I have a wonderful family. I'm very family oriented. My family means everything to me. My daughter and I are best friends. We birth together, live together, play together. I have three amazing grandchildren that are my life. My three, three year old grandson, he calls me Gammy and he's my heart and soul. We live together, he sleeps with me. So praying. I don't just ask for money or make my business succeed or things like that. I thank the lor Lord on a daily basis of my blessings that I have. I'm very grateful for where I am in life right now. And I wouldn't have got where I'm at today without, without the grace of God. So I mean, that's, that's the truth.

[Host]

For folks that are still kind of skeptical, listening to your story or watching your episode, how can someone you know find the courage to walk into a church or find their own ministry? Find the word of God. What, what would you recommend? Especially for someone that first thing I.

[Christy Ray]

Would recommend is for them to pray about it. Even if you don't know how to pray, just say like, dear Lord, teach me how to pray. Help me learn to pray. And that right there will start the journey. And then, you know, Google a church near me. But my church is the bridge. I've been a member for over 40 years. It's been the same church. I've been there longer than the pastor. That is There now. I started going there when I was a little girl. So the pastor, Pastor Mark altogether. I was there before he even started working there. And this was 30 years ago. So start off by praying about it. And if you don't know how to pray, just act like you're talking to your buddy. I mean, to begin with, just stare.

[Host]

In the mirror and start talking.

[Christy Ray]

Exactly. And then close your eyes and close your eyes and start talking. And before you know it, you'll be in the church clapping and singing along. And things in your life are going to start changing for the better.

[Host]

You'll start to realize your breathing patterns will change.

[Christy Ray]

Yes. You're more of a calm person. I mean, it's. It's a great feeling.

[Host]

And then things will start to manifest. That green light turn quicker for you. You find that parking spot sooner. Little blessings. And once you start to recognize the frequency, you start to ascend. Speaking of ascension, how can folks find you and continue to support your journey and learn more about you?

[Christy Ray]

They can find me by Googling CC Styling Studio. That is capital C. Capital C. Styling. Like you're styling your hair studio. We're on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat. We have the website, which. My website is cc styling studio.net and my main journey right now is to try to give back to the world and not just my community. Oh, yeah. I'm offering free permanent makeup and scalp micropigmentation to cancer patients anywhere. They're going through the most traumatic time of their life, you know, dealing with that. And if there's something I could do to help them, that is my passion. Making men and women look. Feel amazing about themselves inside and out. You know what I mean? So it's just. It's a blessing to do what I do. It's not working. It's a passion. I started this journey when I was about 13 years old. I used to take my scissors to school and cut my teacher and bus driver's hair. On picture day, all the kids in the neighborhood would come over and I'd. I'd do their hair and makeup for pictures. At my mother's restaurant, the Cortez Cafe, I used to line the old men out the back door. $10 a haircut. When I was a young girl. My journey started when I was very young. I knew from a young age I was going to be a salon and spa owner one day. So my journey started, you know, before I even knew it.

[Host]

Wow.

[Narrator]

And that was.

[Host]

That's honestly the hard part.

[Christy Ray]

Yeah.

[Host]

To find your passion, your drive, and your Grit.

[Christy Ray]

So early on, as a little girl, it found me. So it's something that I'm very passionate about. Like, I don't go to work. I go to play.

[Host]

To life. To play. Yeah. You're jumping in.

[Christy Ray]

I'm just. I'm into it. I love it. My daughter's followed in my footsteps. We're a local mother daughter duo. We're a full service hair salon. She does all the hair. She's one of the top advanced color specialists in the state.

[Host]

Right.

[Christy Ray]

She does all the hair. I do all the permanent makeup and scalp micropigmentation. We have built this business from the ground up. We just took it by the by the horns and just started running with it.

[Host]

Looky, you go.

[Christy Ray]

Yeah. We'll never look back, so hopefully we'll leave the legacy to my grandchildren. But the main thing right now is the free permanent makeup and scalp mica picture segmentation. I want to be able to give back to people that I can. If there's something I can do to help somebody in life, you know, that's just. It's a passion of mine to be able to do that.

[Host]

Right on. Chrissy Ray, is there anyone you want to say hi to in the salon? I have a feeling you're going to play this in the salon on loop over and over again for anyone watching. Hi, everyone.

[Christy Ray]

Hi, everyone. Just so happy to be here. So happy to have everybody help us grow. And thank you for all your love and support at CC Styling Studio supporting me and my daughter. It's been a blessing. And just want to say love you, Mama, and I hope I'm making you proud.

[Host]

Christy Ray, thank you so much for your time and energy.

[Christy Ray]

I hope you had a pleasure meeting you.

[Host]

Same here. Tons of blessings. I feel the energy. Gosh, I love it. And with that, that concludes another episode of the Living youg Legacy podcast, the Women in Power edition. Chris Ray, thank you so much.

[Guest/Interjector]

Sam.