About Mikala
Hairstylist of 19 years and counting.
Hair might be the most common way people find me, but it's not where my work stops.
I’m Mikala.
I’ve been doing hair for more than 19 years, and now I’m building something new alongside it: mentoring for people who are ready to discover what is possible when they love themselves more.
The short version? Think of me as your permission slip.
This past year changed a lot for me. I moved into a new home and a new salon. I finished my womb health practitioner training. I let go of some old patterns I’d been carrying for a long time. And I started giving each part of my work its own space: hair at True North Artistry, mentoring through BEINGMISSMIKALA and ELEVATED, which is my event series.
If you know me, you know that I want everything to happen fast, and I’m learning to let things grow at their own pace.
Tuesday through Thursday, you’ll find me behind the chair at 1213 Studio in Plaza Midwood, Charlotte, NC.
Mondays and Fridays, I’m building everything else.
And Sunday nights? I’m out dancing to house music (there are plenty of Fridays and Saturdays, too).
If you’ve met me more than once, there’s a good chance you didn’t recognize me the second time. I’m either in all black or bold color. My hair might be straight or curly, short or long, dark or highlighted. I might have on a full face with lipstick or almost no makeup at all.
I care for myself with fitness and nutrition, and I also love a night out. I’m very spiritual, and I’m also very sleepy. I’m a passionate person who loves to enjoy life, and I’ve stopped trying to be just one version of me.
Over the years, I’ve cultivated a list of values I live by and lead with: freedom, authenticity, and integrity, put into action through honesty and clarity. As time moves on, I get to live into them a little more fully, becoming more of myself along the way.
People often tell me that my presence is warm, that I’m a light in the dark, that it feels good to be around me. Someone recently called me the life of the party, and I’ll take it.
But here’s what I know to be true: I’m better in person.
This is just a glimpse.
Why True North
The name True North Artistry came from my yoga practice.
In asana, True North is a fixed point you orient from. Coming back to it brings the body into better alignment, no matter how advanced your practice is.
My values are my True North. They’re what I keep returning to in my work, whether you’re in my chair, on a virtual mentoring session, or inside a live ELEVATED.
Artistry is what threads it all together, past, present, and future. All ways, always.